January 2006 – Page 4 – Gavinsblog.com

Switching to Apple

I watched Steve Job’s full keynote from Macworld today, and there are number of things that struck me. And Cringely brought up the same thing in his predictions for 2006:

3) But Apple WILL make some inroads against Microsoft. The new Intel Macs will run Windows XP unofficially, and Apple Support acknowledges that they are only days from running XP officially, too. So Apple finally has a solid argument why Windows-centric companies and homes should consider trying a Mac. The best case, though, says that Apple sells an additional million units, which aren’t enough for Steve Jobs, so I see him going into a kind of stealth competition with Microsoft.

Here’s how I believe it will work. Apple won’t offer versions of OS X for generic Intel hardware because the drivers and the support obligation would be too huge. But just as you can buy a shrink-wrapped copy of 10.4 for your iMac, they’ll gladly sell you a shrink-wrapped Intel version intended for an Intel Mac, but of course YOU CAN PUT IT ON ANY MACHINE YOU LIKE. The key here is to offer no guarantees and only limited support, patterned on the kind you get for most Open Source packages — a web site, forums, download section. and a wiki. Apple will help users help themselves. With two to three engineers and some outreach to hackers and hardware makers, Apple could put together an unofficial program that could easily attract two to three million Windows users per year to migrate their old machines to the new OS. Imagine the profit margins of three engineers effectively generating $300-plus million per year in sales.

I’ve respected Cringely’s views and opinions since I first started reading him back in 1999, and I think he is on the money here.

How can Apple get more people to use OSX for one, and Apple machines for another? Let me nail my colours right now, if I could get a new Intel-powered Apple tomorrow, that would dual boot Windows XP/Vista with OSX, I would move to Apple and never go back.

And I think there are alot of people out there who think like me. I think a million units is below what would be sold if or when this scenario comes about. Apple might not want to go into the cut-throat PC vendor market, but having the option to boot XP or OSX seems like a good selling point to geeks like me.

I guess it’s time to start saving, and Dell should watch out.

New look

Again copying Rymus, I have changed templates. I will decide on a suitable image for the header shortly. For now single entries appear to be displaying incorrectly in IE, when comments are there. Not sure how to fix it.

MSM standards

The subject of MSM versus new media has often been debated on the blogosphere, and while I have never argued that blogging or citizen journalisn will fully replace mainstream media, I think it does serve as a valuable addition. I was struck this week, after reading an article in the Evening Echo (yes I know it’s a local tabloid, but still), that if I had written the same piece on my blog, it wouldn’t have been long before I was discredited. Judge for yourself:

Business section, Evening Echo, Page 12, January 11th 2006.

Aer Lingus to increase service to Cork

Aer Lingus is to base a fourth A320 aircraft at Cork International Airport from June.

The additional aircraft will facilitate three new routes to Berlin, Birmingham abd Tenerife.

This latest increase in services will bring to over €100 million the investment made by Aer Lingus in Cork to-date, and will result in a further 300,000 seats into and out of Cork on an annual basis.

In addition to the new services from Cork to Berlin and Birmingham – both three times weekly and Tenerife once a week – additional frequencies will also be added to existing Aer Lingus routes from Cork to Nice, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Alicante, Malaga and Rome.

The developments were welcomed today by the airport management board which also disclosed that a record 202,764 people used the airport during December.

This represented an increase of 51,702 passengers, or 34.5% on December 2004 figures.

The board also confirmed that Aer Arann plans to immediately increase its daily service Cork/Dublin service from four to five flights. Further information and booking details are available at aerarann.com.

Ryanair also operates a daily Cork/Dublin service, as well as a twice daily service to London Gatwick. Further information and booking details are available at ryanair.com.

Passengers should note that Ryanair operates a strict check-in procedure on all flights, with check-in desks closing 40 minutes prior to take-off. Passengers must also be prepared to produce photo ID for inspection for all Ryanair flights, including domestic flights. Acceptable forms of photo ID are a current passport, driving licence, or national identity card.

Jet2.com is currently operating a direct service to Newcastle. Flights start from as little as 14 € one-way, inclusive of taxes.

Further information and booking details are available at Jet2.com.

Malev Hungarian Airlines currently operate a Cork/Budapest service four times a week. Further information at malev.com.

Airport management would like to remind passengers to allow plenty of time for check-in – at least one hour and 30 minutes before scheduled flight departure times, and at least two hours and 30 minutes before charter flight departure times.

Passengers are asked to limit hand luggage to one item, and to refrain from placing sharp items in hand luggage.

Now tell me what you think might be wrong with that article. If it was by a staffer I might understand, but it was written by the Deputy Editor of the paper.

Foreign Policy cover

The latest issue of FP has a catchy cover, I like it…

Juan Cole readers

Welcome to readers of Informed Comment, I did a guest piece for Juan on my various trips to Dubai, and the development currently taking place there.

Caribbean phone wars hit Trinidad

If you have been following the travels of former Esat BT/Esat Digifone owner Denis O’Brien you will be aware that he has been investing heavily in the Caribbean. It seems that Digicel is causing something of a problem on some of the islands:

Historically, C&W has had a virtual monopoly in Britain’s former Caribbean colonies – a monopoly that has been suffering erosion since 2001, when Irish businessman Denis O’Brien, the man behind Digicel, entered the Jamaican market with the country’s first GSM mobile phone service.

Digicel quickly became the market leader in Jamaica and now has operations in 15 countries in the region, including Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Haiti and St Lucia.

“We generally overtake the incumbents within the first 12 months or quicker,” Mr O’Brien says.

But C&W has been prepared to fight Digicel every step of the way, as the West Indies Cricket Board discovered to their cost last year.

C&W had sponsored the West Indies team until 2004, when the board signed a five-year deal worth $20m (£11.4m) with Digicel instead – a move described in some quarters as being tantamount to replacing Coke with Pepsi.

In the meantime, C&W had signed individual sponsorship deals with seven West Indies players, including Trinidad-born captain Brian Lara and big-hitting Jamaican batsman Chris Gayle.

The resulting conflict led to the seven being dropped from last year’s opening West Indies Test match against South Africa in Guyana, although the weakened home team still held the visitors to a draw.

And so desperate was the incumbent to hold on to customers that they offered a buy-one-get-one-free phone deal to customers, causing riots.

Georgian jailed for Bush attack

What would have been the consequences had the grenade gone off?

A Georgian man has been sentenced to life in prison for throwing a grenade at a rally attended by US President George W Bush in Tbilisi last May.

Vladimir Arutyunian was found guilty on charges including terrorism, treason, attempted assassination and the killing of a police officer, the judge said.

The grenade landed 30m (100ft) from Mr Bush and the Georgian leader, who were standing behind bullet-proof glass.

3. Discuss the impact of Eric Hobsbawm’s marxist views in his history of the 20th century, Age of Extremes.

4. Discuss the role of “conterfactual history” in Joe Lee’s The Shifting Balance of Power.

Month: January 2006