Should Microsoft Buy Apple?

I think Microsoft should only buy Apple if they plan to run Windows on it instead of that stupid OS X!!

I don't doubt that if Gates really wanted to do so, then it would probably happen. Money talks!!! I think that if Apple had allowed 3rd party hardware development early on then they may have been the ones who were king of the computer scene. This is why Windows has ruled... cheaper hardware, more upgrade options, more software options, and all this traslates into more widespread usage. Like it or not, even if Apple has the better OS, PCs have the better hardware options.

Maybe the question to ask is when Bill Gates goes on line at home what does he prefer to use ?

bill gates uses a mac!! he owns a powerbook to be exact. Stupid OS X huh well i have to disagree after all where do you think windows came from MAC OS version 1. Apple would never sell to MS. Apple rules becasue there system is tight no viruses and no worms no spyware. I dont have to worry when i use my mac it just works like it is supposed to beautifuly

Apple would never sell to MS...

Points to ponder:

Agree with Chris, much of Apple's problem is their single-source model and the unjustified expensiveness. People aren't getting a substantially "better" computer with Mac, just more costly.

I'm sure Gates owns a Mac, why wouldn't he want to know what the competition (no matter how small) has going on?

Apple has apready sold; Bill Gates owns 25% of it (unless he's sold off that stock by now).

Apple does not "rule", the have about a 4-6 percent marlet share; hardly ruling. And there are viruses that target Mac, so don't lull yourself into a false sense of security there, get yourself protected. I'm sure if you get infected you won'y have the moxy to tell us about it, so...

My Windows PC does exactly, to the last detail, what your Mac does: It just works like it's supposed to, beautifully.

Uhhh, sorry for the typos in the previous post; I try to type too fast!

Toulinwoek wrote: "Apple has apready sold; Bill Gates owns 25%"

Actually he does not and never did, no single inverstor owns anywhere near 25% of Apple.

gates could not buy appl becuase it would be seen as a buy out in monoploy courts and he would then be seen as a trust. this would be bad for microsoft.

gates isn't smart enough to buy apple and jobs isn't dumb enough to sell

my apple stock is up over 400% in the last two years, how's your microsoft stock doing

As long as we are considering fantastical notions, I submit that if a takeover bid should come into play, Mac users across the world would unite the buy the company for themselves, make Steve the leader for life, and tell Wall Street to shove their pessimistic stories.

Speaking of stock, my day trading of Apple has yielded something in the neighborhood of $50K in the last month and a half. Meanwhile, Microsoft just sits there. That alone is enough to make me oppose a merger.

Gotta love the Apple faithful.....first off its "their" not "there" ...and you're partially right..there are few (not none) viruses,spyware, ect for Apples because they command such low market share. Why mess with computers that less than 10% of the market uses? You can't cause much havoc that way. When/if the Apple system gains more acceptance, you'll see more trouble.

Since Apple is a hardware manufacturer (primarily) and Microsoft is a hardware company, I doubt it would be viewed as a "monoploy", as it was so elegantly described.

Lastly, good to hear your Apple stock is doing well, but that increase is thanks to the iPod, not their computers.

Oh man that would be wonderful. I might buy something from Apple at that point. I'd really like an iPod, actually. But fracking way in hell i'm using iTunes.

You can't compare growth of two companies like Apple and MSFT. The amount of additional revenue that MSFT needs to generate to yield 1% growth is much much greater than AAPL.

You don't invest in MSFT to earn a 400% return in 2 years but rather a 4% return for many years; however, it will take much longer for MSFT to go bankrupt vs AAPL if things get down right ugly in the tech industry (when ever that might be) Risk vs Return.

Back on topic... this will not happen due to legal issues, ego issues and loyalty issues. I can't see this benefiting either company.

i am testikles, master of all the universe

Rob Enderle is a nitwit that routinely gets his facts wrong and mischaracterizes Apple at every turn. Here's a few of his credibility-ending mistakes:

He recently wrote that Microsoft had developed the original Mac OS, not Apple's internal Mac team. I think Andy Hertfeld, Bill Atkinson and the other people that ACTUALLY wrote the Mac OS would take issue with this. I mean, how can this guy call himself a tech "analyst" without knowing basic history.

After Microsoft announced that they'd be using an IBM processor in the Xbox 360, Enderle insisted that they would use Athlon-based chips manufactured by IBM, not a PowerPC. This was because PowerPC was non-standard and only Apple is stupid enough to use them, he infered. Regardless of Apple's switch to Intel, the facts were already out there after MS announced what they were doing.

Add to those must-be-a-lie-because-everyone-knows-the-truth articles the myriad of "iPod Killer" articles and "Apple's future uncertain" articles while their profits and stock price are soaring and you have a guy not worth paying attention to.

Why would Apple want to move OSX, a system they've been able to improve annually, to a bloated, busted codebase like Windows that Microsoft themselves has been unable to improve in less than five years? Wanna run windows Apps on a Mac? Download Wintel or Q and run them virtually.

Then again, based on the comments in this thread, ignorance and lies is something many of you don't seem to mind reading or spewing. I mean, come on. How many of you people are going to repeat the "Microsoft owns Apple" lies? They bought $150 million worth of non-voting stock in a company that was worth over $4 billion at the time. They've sold it long ago. These are the facts. They're both public companies with open records, so anyone repeating these lies is frankly an idiot with an agenda.

OSX is inherently more secure than XP, by the way. Why do you think Vista is adding in features OSX has by design like "user protection" and restricted privileges? There is ZERO spyware for Mac OSX and ZERO malicous and self-replicating viruses as well. If it were all about marketshare, Apple should have at least 2 or 3 percent of the viruses. Not ZERO.

Enjoy Vista next year and all the feature I've been using on my Mac since last spring and before.

If Microsoft bought Apple, then where would they "copy" those great ideas from? :)

Enderle -routinely- gets his facts wrong. As already pointed out, he quite hilariously claimed that Microsoft wrote the original Mac OS. Worse, he then tried to justify that gross error by contending that Microsoft "assisted" in writing the Mac OS because they were doing application development. Nothing of the sort is vaguely correct. You can refer to the definitive article in Byte magazine with interviews of the Mac development team to learn how it really happened.

It's astounding that anyone pays any attention to this person, and his status as a "tech pundit" shows the sorry state of that field. John Dvorak at least is firmly tongue-in-cheek (or possibly, off his meds) and sometimes funny. Enderle is just uninformed and uninteresting.

Apple would be losing everything that it has ever created (including computers that JUST WORK) if it sold to MS.

Steve Jobs should be the owner of MS and Apple considering he created them BOTH.

Here's a point to consider on this issue:

Intel has always played a large role in Microsoft Windows based machines; Mac recently announced the coming of Intel-based Macs.

Every Thing That Guy Just Said Is Bullshit

Apple will never go above 10% marketshare... they are too smart for that. The funny thing about this thread is some people got it right and barely right.

Yes there are viruses for the mac.... but most of them find thier way to your computer thru MS apps. Yes the market share has something to do with it, but the real reason there are so few, is because of how hard it is to write a mac program and the few number of mac programers... Just to say "Hello, my name is bob." It is a lot of trouble.

MS is a software company and Apple is a hardware AND software company. MS has no control over what Dell and Gateway...IBM clones.

In the 90s Apple did allow Apple clones but the companies did such a bad job at it Apple stopped the program( 3rd party companies are not always good anyway). MS always have 100 compatibily problems. If it is on an apple it works.
Yes Apples are costly .... But so is Mercedes.
Yes PCs are cheap and use standard parts...
but so does Ford... would you like to drive in a Mercedes S-class or a Ford-escort. You get what you pay for.

Lastly, the industry leaders and not always the innovators. A small company like Apple are more nimble then larger companies.

The only thing I want is a dual boot Mac. Virtual software is not the same thing they are too slow.

Jay (If you can't do it on a mac, you are doing it wrong.)

ems- excuse my spelling

Well I'm afraid I have to disagree with some assertions here. Your right Scott there aren't very many viruses for the Mac but not because it has so very little market share Mac OS X is also relatively more secure than Windows and far more stable.

OS X is based on UNIX and has no feature like Windows Registry you can run more than one application at once without taking a performance hit.

The only application that runs by default on Mac (only system process is the Finder) compared to all the processes like winlogin.exe, explorer.exe, etc and when u install a new program on a Mac it requires user verification. This helps prevent spyware from installing itself.

Spyware installs itself on a PC automatically but on a Mac when u install a new program (admin accounts on Windows can install directly) requires even with admin prvileges enabled in your account that you must enter an admin username and password to proceed with installation.

So on a Mac a new program cannot install itself automatically when you open the installer file (most spyware sometimes installs itself without the user knowing it) but with Mac OS X only software you allow to be installed will install.

Mac OS X is stable and secure because its based on UNIX, the system is locked admins cannot change system files although they can install new programs and delete those that were installed that they don't need anymore but Windows admins have complete control over the system. That is risky! And they are stuck with the Windows Registry which makes the computer slower as it gets bigger.

Windows Registry is owned by root and cannot be easily modified although one can access the list of processes running thru task manager.

Mac OS X is not perfect some flaws are starting to be discovered (recently LeapA became one of them) but even if it had more market share it would be harder for hackers to break into and virus writers to target.

I'm sure if it had more market share some more attempts might be made to try to explot vulnerabilities in OS X by hackers but would still not be as serious as the mess Windows is in.

Jay: The car analogy is perfect, but you used it wrong. Sure, Apple may be Mercedes, and Ford may be Microsoft........you can buy a $60,000 Mercedes.....or you can buy a $25,000 Mustang which is just as good in every way.....as well as beating it performance wise......

That would be a nightmare scenario for the Apple user. I'm sure it would help out the Linux open source crowd though.
Jobs needs to do a pre-emptive strike and make OSX for PC's. Apple is becoming a media distribution company and eventually will no longer even need to sell large quantities of hardware.

Apple has always been a very design oriented company I think consumers in the market for delivering and playing media in the living room, and offering software for business professionals should be Apple's main target audience and in a way it is.

Apple is offering an entertainment hub -- does call Mac OS X after all the digital hub operating system (its for the living room) and business professionals to use. In living room consumers can enjoy it and in work environment can be effective for business professionals.

Some consumers may use it out of the living room but its intended for living room use now more than earlier. It's all about entertainment, music, videos, pictures and more.

And yeah the car analogy is good. Apple does not primarily sell (by the way for anyone who would suggest an Apple breakup) music devices and computers they sell experience via iTM&VS (iTunes Music & Now Videos Store) + iPod and Mac.

Only good thing from a Microsoft Apple merger would be that it gives MIcrosoft a chance to command more OS market share (to some extent) if they have 94% market share with Windows they would get 96% with Mac by owning Apple.

They are 2 completely different operating systems though. Mac has .MOV (QuickTime movie format) as its default video file container and Windows uses .AVI which works with Windows Media Player and a number of other players today (even works wtih QT sometimes), file structure is also different.

Windows has executable files - .exe and Mac uses .app, .dmg etc.

1 is now based on UNIX the other isn't.

Think about it!

The # one problem with PC are the users. Macs are fairly idiot proof. Windows is not. Blah blah blah about security, spyware, viruses. Who was using the computer?

An idiot on a file-sharing site with the new imac without a firewall or antivirus software is less secure than me downloading legal music using a triple-secure Windows machine on a https server.

I worked at a retail location fixing computer problems. The descriptions always entailed "crashing, running slow, giving me error messages, and viruses." And 9 times out of ten, the people were doing things they shouldn't have been doing like viewing "free" porn, and downloading music from Limewire Kazaa, and BearShare.

My friend justified this stupidity because "I have a Mac so I don't have to worry about it". Whatever.

Analogy: Unsecured activity on a mac is like playing russian roulette with a loaded gun. Unsecured activity on a windows machine is like playing football with sweating dynamite.

End result for both=death.

Ladiesman-

Here's the Deal.

Mac = VW
PC = Ford

I previously drove a ford- it broke down and was horrible after say.. 2 years.

I traded it for a VW.. i've had it for 2 years and all that it has needed are oil changes.

I used to use a PC- now I used a mac...

Lesson-
PC's breakdown and suck.
Mac's work flawlessly and look beautiful while doing it.

mandy: Hmm.....both my Windows PC's AND my Ford have been great (86 Mustang GT....240,000 miles, stick kicking strong to this day.), and my Windows PC has NEVER broken down, nor has it ever sucked.

Let's see. Apache has a larger market share than IIS and has fewer vulnerabilities. Hmmm.

Mac and Windows should most deffinately stay appart! now don't get me wrong, I prefer Windows over Mac, but I do think that people underestimate Mac quite a bit. Mac has it's own cons, but i bet that i could find just as many if not more cons for Windows. Mac is easier to use for new computer users. i.e. when you plug in a jump drive, it appears right on the desktop, Windows, however, you have to go hunting. Windows is easier to network, hence my saying that mac is better for beginning computer users. one more con that I would like to bring up is that Windows and Mac are not compadible. If Microsoft and Apple and get together and find common ground, it would make the lives of Windows-Mac companies alot easire, and easier to share files.
NOTE: when I am talking about mac, I am referring to os X. the older versions SUCK!!!

Apple II--DID NOT ship with Microsoft's BASIC. What utter ignorance!

If Microsoft bought Apple Steve Jobs would have final approval. It would be run by Jobs and within three month he would close all but the Mac division. Within a year all Microsoft products and employees would be gone.

In two years businesses would be free of the Microsoft plague and the ignorant would be forced to wake up to the bliss of Apple. Tough love for the stupid but it would save the world $200 billion a year in computer maintenance and repairs.

Suddenly everyone would have absolutely secure reliable computers and the world economy would jump 25%.

Since Gates IQ is the square root of Jobs he may be stupid enough to try it. With the perpetual vapourware of what are they calling it now, Visa, Gates certainly is desperate enough to want do it.

Death to Microsoft!

Whether or not the two companies merge is somewhat of a moot point. As I recall from the late 90's, when Apple was failing as a company, didn't Microsoft or Gates give Apple millions of dollars to stay afloat, solely so Microsoft would not be a monopoly and have to risk being split into multiple business units. I don't think in the Unites States, at least, that the FTC would ever allow such a merger. Speaking personally, as a consumer, competition is good thing!

Gee, Mac users sure love their macs. If a merger was anounced we might see some riots, maybe mass suicides.
I think MS should just start from scratch with Unix, it might be very beneficial in the long run.

Mac OSX is based on UNIX. Unix runs the web.
Unix has been tested and fixed for quite awhile.
Unix is way more solid than Windows.

Saying Macs cost more is only true when compared to truly cheap computers. Top of the line Dells can cost $4,000 up.

I live on both, and fix both for a living.
Windows/PC problems are my bread and butter.

I like my PC which I built, it is blazing fast. (Overclocked to 4Ghz) It's fun to play games with it.
I like my MAC, I find it is easier to do most work like writing, image processing and scripting code for the web. It's a great tool.

If I had to have 1 computer instead of many, I would have my MAC. OSX is the most flexible, reliable OS out there.

Microsoft is the company of the past, while Apple is the company of the future. Anybody contemplating this union, in the words of Curtis Sliva, smoking "wacki tobacki".

I hate when people bring market share into security discussions. Take a Mac/Safari and explore the 'net. Take a Linux/Firefox box and do the same. Take a Windows XP Pro/IE 6 box and do the same.

Mac hacks: 0 viruses: 0 crashes: 0
Linux hacks: 0 viruses: 0 crashes: well... 1... Can I say Xkill?
Windows hacks: infinity viruses: infinity x 2 crashes: infinity x 3

Classic Mac wasn't bad. Ran like a dream on 400 MHZ. LOL... Seriously.

I use all four. The only one I have problems with is Windows, even with AV and firewall. It just gets crappier over time.

Just like Bdog... If I had to choose, it'd be OS/X (with the KDE :) )

...Linux runs the web.

Apple wouldn't sell to Microwsoft? Who said money talks, can you spell, hostile takeover?

The Feds wouldn't allow it. Both companies already have a bad rep regarding anti-trust.

Mac User == Fundamentalists

Windows User == Virus promoter

there's no petential conflict of the two
and also no protential benifit for the two if they merge
window is definetly the real tend
mac is for people who wanna to be different

Especially when Apple launches leap aheap with their new OS X 10.5 before Microsoft launches Win OS Vista...
It is great or what....!!!

Server trend = UNIX down, Windows up, Linux up
Desktop trend = Mac constant, Windows down, Linux up
General trend = Mac up, Windows behind, Linux up

Mac is better than Windows. It just costs more. Is it worth it? It's up to the user.

We'll see who's first... Mac OS/X 10.5 or Linux w/ Xgl?

I have a feeling too many of you people have no understanding of the computer world right now. Macs are in no position to compete with other operating systems as far as programming is concerned. Last time I checked, programming for a Mac was hard. Programming for a computer running Windows is comparatively easier. The reason Apple has no chance to compete against Microsoft is that Apple has made no move to allow for strong development environments and programming languages to run on their operating system. This is what limits them, and what gives them the security people seem to love.

Big businesses will be running 2 computers per IT employee, neither of which will be a Mac. There are a lot of big businesses. They change computers often. They provide a significant market for Microsoft products.

Hate to break it to the Apple cultists;

Microsoft (not Gates personally) owns %25 (still do today) of Apple. If Microsoft hadn't stepped in to pay some of Apple's losses the company would've been pushed into a takeover ot bankruptcy before they ever started selling the iPod or iMac.

And the Apple IIe DID in fact ship with microsoft BASIC, it was my first programming language in Jr. High.

10 rem this is my sucky BASIC prog
20 print Macs are pretty, try to network a few;
30 flash
40 goto 20

I have programmed for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Mac is harder. However, with OS/X, you can fairly easily port simple *NIX apps to it. Besides, programming should be hard. Easy programming should be left to blogging sites. The security issue is unrelated. Windows default users and default apps are admin with all the privileges. *NIX users and apps aren't. Windows viruses can get themselves in without any user intervention. *NIX ones can't. Same for Mac when they went *NIX. I don't change my computer more than I have to. I won't buy an OS that makes me.

LOL @ James...

Me, too. The Mac wasn't pretty back then, though.

I personally an investor and i own some shares. Gates DOES not own 25% of apple. Check this list out:

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/mh?s=AAPL

You have no idea what you are talking about james.True apple shipped with Basic but it wasn't the default programming language. Whoever says that macs suck haven't even tried one.

James
I've put together Mac/PC networks many times. Win98-XP, MACOS8-X. It's not hard at all. (try working for a school district that uses everything)

At home there are 3 Macs (9 and X) and 4 PCs (98, 2000, and XP) all networked. They share Internet, printers and files. Wireless and wire. Maybe you need to learn the basics of networking, eh?"

Ahhh... TCP/IP... :)

The reason Windows has such a large market share is precisely BECAUSE of the security flaws inherent within it. These security flaws allow viruses and spyware etc in, granted. But legitimate programs also use these security flaws for completely legitimate operations. Mac OS X does not have the security issues, but at the same time, do they have the programs? Not at all.

I keep my Windows PC clean, and have never had a problem with viruses or spyware. In years...

And that comes at the cost of one network router, that serves as a hardware firewall, the FREE version of AVG anti-virus, and Firefox, also free. And it's still cheaper than a Mac.

I'm willing to do a little bit of work myself to keep the security AND the program support.

Macs have the security, but can't change the fact that most programs are built for Windows.

With Windows, you CAN add the security to the program support.

I am a dual computer users from my view reading some of the top comments i believe you have to change your opinions of apple and microsoft. Both of them have to rely each other in order to build a good computing market just one company no longer exists you will not have new technology in the market.Think about it dont judge things by what's been say it will cause more conflicts by being a dominant os like windows you will bound to have less time to improve and develop well an os as compare to mac os because pple expects new things faster so bugs are unavoidable in such cases especially with more piracy in softwares created by hackers what microsoft is doing now that is vista was learn from mac os because of the stability of that os they try to imitate but not follow entirely but such thing to a big company they dont think is necessary to tell u as long as they build a reliable computer for us but we as consumers have we ever think abt it?

Just a quick observation that the Windows side here seems to be comprised of a bunch of bed-wetting, pimple-faced girlyboys. Just an observation.

Uh Apple wouldn't sell itself.

Apple shouldn?t be bought out by MS, after years in the shadow they?re finally becoming a force of their own. Now if they can develop an OS that will run on Native Intel based PC?s we?d have an alternative OS to rival Windows. Mac?s OS has enough backing from software & hardware manufacture3s that if they did build an OS that could run on a Dell, HP, Etc?the pay off would be exponential and maybe?just maybe humble MS.

As a user of both pc's and mac (networked) I think each has it's use. Macs have the edge in artistic uses and pc's more for business applications. I have done video editing on a power mac g4 and a a 2 gig amd pc and the mac is the only way to go. When I need spread sheets, graphs pivot tables data bases etc the pc has far more software options. OS X is my personal choice of systems. I currently run 10.3, XP home and 98SE

Ladiesman:

Well. My 2000 Ford Focus- broke down plenty (needed new brakes and some other stuff) before it was even to 40,000 miles.

My 2005 VW Jetta.. hasn't had any problems at all. Not even one.

My PC- wacky. My mac- flawless.

I'm just saying.. you should try a mac- i'm telling you.. once you try it you'll sell your PC on ebay.

mandy

mandy: I have tried a Mac (i've tried Linux, too). Linux was just absolutely perplexing. I felt kinda 133t using it.....but that was about it. When I actually needed to get something done, I went back to Windows. Mac was ok. There's not WRONG with it, but having been a Windows user since 3.1.....I simply have no desire to learn a new OS that does the same thing as the one I know like the back of my hand. OS X was fine. Nothing to write home about. When I needed to actually DO something....I went back to Windows.

Basically, Linux was cool because I felt like a "H@xX0R", Mac was cool because I felt trendy....but when it came down to getting anything done....Windows for the win.

Plus, factor in the rediculous cost of a Mac.....i'll stick with Windows, thank you. Especially since I also play games. Macs simply don't cut it.

See, I know how to use a computer. My windows PC has been running now for 5 weeks without a reboot....and it's fine. If you have even the slightest clue of what you're doing, and use proper security and browsing habits, your Windows PC would be fine too. Again, the only reason Macs don't get virus' is because nobody bothers to make virus' for them. The goal of a virus is to affect as many people as possible. Shooting for less than 10% of the market is hardly helping that goal.

Apple just released 'boot camp' software so that you can dual boot win/mac with Tiger. Leopard release (coming before Vista, not that that is saying much) will likely have 'doze running in a box.

Apple has always been the force in the computing world. MS is just a wanna be. Marketshare means nothing. 'doze has it's place, e.g. running a cash drawer, lab instrument, or playing solitare.

FIVE WEEKS without a reboot? Wow, that IS impressive. For WINDOZE.

Jay,

It takes about 10 seconds to write a program that puts up 'hellow world, my name is Bob.' Mac will get way beyond 10%, this is what has M$ scared nearly to death right now. Don't believe me, watch their developer conference at the point when the question came up. Bill and Steve (monkeyboy) aren't very good actors.

ladiesman-

maybe the reason macs are so expensive is because everything is included- when you have to buy a pc you have to buy everything seperate- and it doesn't look very neat with all of the wires everywhere.

when you have a mac it comes with everything that you need- you don't have to install everything or waste time setting everything up. you take it out of the box and plug it in and it JUST WORKS.. its that simple.

so.. now that macs are using windows (atleast the intel ones) what do you think.. would you ever make the switch?

because the only reason i can see that you are staying with a pc is because your used to windows.

Hello Wake Up...
Macs aren't really expensive even when compared to cheap compaqdellemachineetc boxes. Mini Macs are very inexpensive and way cooler software than econo boxes. Look at the prices and look at what you get.

As far as the expensive machines go, top of the line Dells can cost $4,000 up. My PC gaming machine cost more than $1500 to build and some of my friends have more than $3500 in their PC's.

Anyway I just ordered a MacBookPro. (lousy name, nice machine)
One laptop that will dual boot XP ansd OSX. I like that.

Microsoft is and will always be larger than Apple.

Tf you dont like it Fuck off

>merge is somewhat of a moot point. As I recall from the late 90's, when Apple was failing as a company, didn't Microsoft or Gates give Apple millions of dollars to stay afloat, solely so Microsoft would not be a monopoly and have to risk being split into multiple business units. I don't think in the Unites States, at least, that the FTC would ever allow such a merger.
-------

Out of all the nitwits and retards here, the paragraph above was probably the best post because he hits on the nose why Microsoft bailed them out.

As for worse/stupidest....wow! You guys are all Rob Enderle's!!! I mean, you get a lot of those 'its not a computer its an experience crowd' but the best is the guy who prefers to do his writing on a Mac.
??

What if Microsoft bought Apple: and then he proceeds to talk about a partnership instead.
I used to think that Enderle was clueless about Linux issues but its good to see that he is clueless everywhere else.

Im a Linux guy, work on two different projects on my spare time because I believe in the concept of open source and how it can stimulate creation instead of the current method which tries to stifle anyone else but Linux on the desktop is a danger to Mac?
Dont get me wrong, I have Suse and Kubuntu installed on the computers of over 35 retired people and for the 95% of the stuff people do:
surf, write, email, IM, listen/rip music, listen to videos, photo editing and so on, it is just great especially on older hardware but even with all that Mac users want their nice rounded corners, the finish, the look,the experience, the cutesy icons, the sense of belonging. Mac users will not go for Linux. They live like the Hassidics in their own little world.

win pro 500 Australian Dollars win home 350 Australian Dollars mac os x 199 Australian Dollars.

Microsoft Produces are not cheep it the hardware manufatures that make the pc world cheep....

Who owns AAPL?

http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/ownership/ownership.asp

Don't see gates or his investment company listed. However, the funds that make up my 401K seem to be well represented here as well as in ownership of MSFT.

lets get it right .. the only advantage of windows over a mac are games .. .. mac games are usually released months after the windows release .. thats is the only good thing about pc's
mac rulez!!!!
buy a mac you idiots lol!

No, we should have competition in all business dealings not a monopoly of just Microsoft.

Virus / Threats to MAC
OSX/Leap-A (also known as OSX/Oompa-A) Virus
OSX.Macarena
MP3Concept or MP3Virus.Gen
OSX/Inqtana.B worm
OSX/Inqtana.A

Spyware
A script-based threat that spies on Mac users
The malware, which has been dubbed Opener by Mac user groups, has the potential to disable Mac OS X's built-in firewall, steal personal information or destroy data.

Security issues
Security researchers have discovered a serious, unpatched vulnerability in Mac OS X. The memory corruption bug creates a means for attackers to take control of even fully patched systems.

Mac platform vulnerabilities increased by 228 per cent in the past three years
Microsoft's products saw a 73 per cent increase in security bug discovery over the same three years
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/09/mcafee_mac_security_risk/

no operating system is without imperfections, and no computer connected to the Internet will ever be 100% immune from attack. As Apple Computer does points out

I own MAC's and PC's, I run Susu Linux and Unix servers
I have a 2003 Windows AD domain and LDAP on Unix.
Each system has it's merits and uses, Windows is great for advanced gaming and business uses
Unix/Linux Database servers and Secure Web Servers
Apple for Creative uses (Desktop Publishing, Artistic creations)
Music and Video.
Sure you can do all that on a PC but it would cost you alot more in hardware to equal the stability of the Mac in these arenas.

I am sold though on the 2003 AD domain servers, they are secure and run very well, several months up now not one reboot. works with LDAP and authenticates user access flawlessly. Microsoft puts more into it's server products and it's XP home products. but then again the server products does not run alot of apps on the market like gaming, and shareware apps. this control makes a beter operating system. this is how apple contols the quality, by controling the hardware and software.

Several years ago some companies were making Clone Macs and the OS was having issues, crashing, and security problems. it got to be a huge issue for Apple and they pulled the plug on aftermarket machines. This control keeps apple OS secure nothing more. If Microsoft made it's own hardware for windows and did not allow outsiders in, Windows would be just as secure and stable as the MAC. thats a fact. I praise Microsoft for spering the PC revolution and the internet boom, All of us benifited from this sucess so stop bashing MS for without them the Apple and others would not be here today. or we would still be typing on amber text screens with mainframes running the whole show.

In REI think Microsoft should only buy Apple if they plan to run Windows on it instead of that stupid OS X!!

Anonymous
April 03, 2006
8:43 PM PT

Great Idea! Then Apples would have viruses, blue screens and just shut down randomly. Yeah that's what I want. WOO HOO for computer death!!! Here's Your Sign Anonymous.

Microsoft buy Apple! What about free enterprise! We cannot allow Microsoft to be the only viable OS out there. The fact is that we are all being forced into Vista with few alternatives. Why, because Vista security revolves around Digital Rights Management ? Security for corporate international. It provides very little on the lines of personal security. With the introduction of Vista, we are being forced to give up our computers to the international market place.
No! Apple should have stood firm and opened OS X to the clone pc market, providing us an alternative to the Vista dilemma while providing them a serious opportunity to seize the OS market share.
I recently bought a laptop, to my surprise; the only OS option was Vista, I ended up with a $1000 boat anchor. As a result, I am now an avid Linux user! But, if I could have put Mac OS X on it, I would have been a much happier camper - up with a rock solid fully supported OS in no time.
Just 2 cents from a humble cryptographer