Tag Archives: Apple
Apple Computers
Apple Computers
In 1976, three enterprising young men founded Apple Computers, Inc, with the intention of creating and distributing personal computers. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne began with a dream of making super computers smaller and available to the public. They built their computers in Jobs’ parent’s garage and debuted the Apple I personal computer kit the year they founded Apple. Eventually, 200 of these computers would be built.
Jobs approached a local computer store, The Byte Shop, which ordered fifty units and paid 0 for each unit after much persuasion from Jobs. Jobs then ordered components from Cramer Electronics, a national electronic parts distributor. Using a variety of methods, including borrowing space from friends and family and selling various items including a Volkswagen Type 2 bus, Jobs managed to secure the parts needed while Wozniak and Ronald Wayne assembled the Apple I.
In 1977, the Apple II was introduced and quickly became much more popular than its competitors, the TRS-80 and the Commodore even though the price of the Apple was higher. One of the big advantages of the Apple was the development of the floppy disk drive and software.
The Apple II was chosen by programmers to be the desktop platform for the first “killer app” of the business world. This was a spreadsheet program called VisCalc. This created a market for the Apple. The corporate market attracted many more software and hardware developers to the machine plus it attracted home users in an effort to be compatible with their business machine.
Over the years, the Apple computer would release many more designs each one just a little better than the last. In 1989, Apple introduced the Macintosh Portable. However, this computer was actually quite bulky and cumbersome and was met with mixed reviews. At this point, Apple hired industrial designers to develop a better, more portable personal computer.
In 1991, the Apple Power Book was introduced. The Power Book would provide the layout and form for the laptop computers we know today. This solidified Apple’s reputation as a quality manufacturer of both desktop and portable machines. The success of this laptop led to increased revenues and growing popularity of Apple in the computer market.
While they have had their ups and downs over the years, Apple Computers, Inc. has remained a solid presence in the computer and laptop market. Their products have continued to evolve to meet the needs of both the corporate and individual user.
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Apple Powerbook – Is It Better Than The Other Laptops?
Apple Powerbook – Is It Better Than The Other Laptops?
There has been a long standing debate as to whether Mac laptops are better than PCs. Owners of Mac laptops say yes. Many owners of other brands hate Mac laptops and vehemently say no. Let’s compare the Apple powerbook to other brands based on a set of features.
Processors:
Powerbooks are now capable of using the same Intel processors as other laptops, so processor speed isn’t really an issue anymore.
Operating system:
This is probably the area with the most intense debates. The Mac OS X utilized in powerbooks uses a Unix platform to drive it’s system. Many programmers believe that this gives the powerbook an edge as it is a superior system, since it can handle a large number of applications running at once.
Software:
It’s true that much of the software being created is geared more towards PCs than powerbooks. In terms of productivity tools, powerbooks come with a complete set of software that is comparable to the typical Windows software. You can get web browsers, email tools and even antivirus software. However, if you plan on using Mac laptops for gaming, you may run into some problems. Many of the popular games just aren’t compatible with the powerbook. Even the graphics software, for which Mac laptops were famous, are now compatible with PCs.
Customization:
This may just be the area where PCs win outright. Just take a look at Dell. While you can customize your powerbook, up to a point, it’s nowhere near what companies like Dell and HP are offering.
Security:
Anyone would be a bit skeptical about an operating system which prompts you to download and install security updates to fix bugs on a regular basis. Windows isn’t the most secure system, as evidenced by the tens of thousand of viruses that attack it. The powerbook does have a more secure system, but there are viruses out there that attack Mac laptops, just nowhere as many.
Cost:
You only need to take a look at various company websites to know that powerbooks are more expensive than PCs. The powerbook operating system itself is cheaper so it may be an option if you’re building a system yourself.
So what’s the bottom line? Mac laptops ruled the roost, as it were, for many years. While the OS X operating system is still superior, PCs have come a long way in catching up. Unless you really have a strong preference, you might be better off getting a PC with a good antivirus program.