Re: The sad Truth about iMac:

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

CUTjefbla@bconnex.net (Jeff Blakeney) wrote:

>Randy Shackelford wrote:
>
>>I recall Jobs complaining
>>during a speech that Mac owners don't upgrade as often as the Windows crowd.
>
>Then maybe Apple should stop releasing one or more models every month.
>:-)
>
>Seriously, if Apple computer users don't upgrade very often, why does
>Apple keep creating and producing so many machines so often?  Why not
>hold off for a longer period of time and make a larger difference
>between the last release and the new one.  That way, most of the Apple
>computer users would be upgrading every release or three instead of
>every tenth or twentieth.

It is because Apple, and especially Steve Jobs, does not understand
the importance of keeping an existing user base happy.  Apple/Jobs
is good at bringing in first time users and Windows PC defectors with
innovation and Apple does make good machines.  Units that appear
to have the potential to last for a long, long time (and they do, as we
Apple IIGS users know all too well).  But Apple/Jobs does not have
tbe will to let the units live up to their longevity.  Rather than keep
existing user happy, they pretty soon see today's new users as yesterday's
old users.  How does Apple treat old users?  By "supporting" them
tokenly with software on their ftp servers.  That's it.  They then tend
to design "next big things" with no transitions to the old.  Good for
attracting new users but bad for keeping old ones.  That's because to
upgrade to the next big thing tends to mean for the old Apple/Mac
user one thing...giving up lots of investment in peripherals and
software or jumping through hoops to make the old investments
work on the new model.

Apple wonders why so many of its users defect to Windows PCs,
the answer was always right in front of them.