The High Definition

  

Monopoly is not good for consumer. It leads to price fixing, laziness and complacency. A tech giant seems to point; it instead leads to innovation  

Admit it, most people would be salivating over the new MacBook Pro boasting the so-called retina display. A display according to Apple Inc. gauged the optimum number of pixel-per-inch that the eye could ideally perceive as realistic - thus nothing beats realistic, because beyond realistic, you might be hallucinating or high on crack substance. With that stretch of scientific studies of visual fulfillment and voyeurism, the Retina Display equipped Macbook doesn't cost any lesser, its expensive - too hefty of a price tag for the rest of us -  it eats a whole month salary of a clerk or junior architect. Now we do not want to involve pemerintah for our meager salary. So, we turned out sights to alternative Taiwanese laptop makers to deliver such laptops with a similar compelling features at a lighter price tag. Can they offer something that compelling?   

If you can't beat them, join them. For a decade over, other brands lagged behind in what seems to be the copying of Apple products. Ironically, they all originates from China. But, imitators can't go the distance of Apple been doing to polish its product. That slight curve over the edge, or flushed speaker buttons and perhaps springy laptop closing mechanism. Had other manufacturers made it before Apple did? even if they do, they failed to capture my nerdy attention like Apple did. You bet it, at this point I may sound evangelistical towards Apple, but a world without Apple Inc would have been a number of Taiwanese computer manufacturer selling gimmicks and making money with old technology. Again, Geek speaking - 1366 x 768 is the lame display resolution for mainstream laptops- which would hypothecally not increased for the next few decade. It was Intel ultrabook 'intervention' to push for greater overall performance on mobile computing that got the Taiwanese manufacturer started to lift their bottom off the comfy cushioned office chair and keep the  innovation ball rolling. Desktop too have been stuck at 1080 x  1920. There was not much innovation in display except larger displays. Thus, Apple had leapt the bounds with 1200 x 1920 on its iMacs. Lets not forget the orgasmic effect on the eyeballs once you had the Apple Cinema Display. Not much being known, what Apple had up its sleeve a year you have read this post. One thing for sure, having a big and almost monopolistic company like Apple is healthy for the industry.   

On the software front, Apple learned from Microsoft error and complexities. Microsoft product naming alone is enough to boggle your mind -fact, there are six main editions of Windows 7. While Apple's Macintosh is only available in two distinct flavours, mainstream and server. In other regards, Microsoft struggled behind the 'look and feel' section, often changing from one scheme to another like series bad hair day in a row, today with the ribbon, next the zune now metro; all this happens within a short span before people could have a grab and wrap their heads around it. Now Microsoft is betting on a brand new look based on colorful 'tiles', making grand appearance on the upcoming Windows 8.  

iCEO  

Old Steve Jobs might be driven by desire to see his company competitors overtaken, belittled and wiped out. But, odds and luck are not always in his side. He may have been fired from the company he founded. Absorbed back in, seek to loan out some money from archrival Microsoft - which - at the end of the day was a good decision after all.Apple came out stronger. Apple even had a brief taste of being most valuable company in the world; worthier than Microsoft several times over. Oh, as a sweet taste of success, Apple pushes the " hello im mac, and im PC" giving Microsoft a pinch on the fat beer belly the large Microsoft had grown. 

  

Apple pinches everybody in the industry. During iPod heydays, the company were laughed for their inferior hardware compared to other capable and much affordable media players. Years later, the iPod jumped in sales number and began to become a cult on its own, to a point, the masses comfortably referred media players colloquially as iPods. A name befitting its small stature. As Tower Records liquidate, iTunes meanwhile enjoyed the leverage of iPod brisk sales to become the number 1 online digital music outlet, when other digital music outlet are struggling. Apple promises of "it just works!" and makes buying music online simple and secure. Then, it took Apple a few years to catch up, now apple has a commanding presence and significant market share particularly in smartphone and tablet market. This sends shockwaves to all other players. They scattered all over to find steady ground as Apple presence begun to overshadow. Gateway, Compaq down and out; HP and IBM had spun off their consumer computing, Dell is scampering, as Apple pitched its victory flag on top of the PC mountain, the company proudly announced catch phrase "it’s the time of Post-PC era".   

Next, Apple sets its sight on the phone market. The phone was somewhat pre-occupied with the integration of personal-digital assistant  (PDA). A device much exclusively targeted at corporate user that fits snugly within the suave black coats inner pockets. Apple came and swipe the floor clean with phone for plain Jane and Joes in tees and jeans. What happens next? numero uno Nokia shares dwindling at neck breaking pace , Palm got acquired by HP, Research In Motion -makers of Blackberry - is struggling with its finances and shuffling CEOs for a while, Motorola Mobility got acquired by Google; LG, Sony and HTC fickle minded leaping on different platforms in search for stable ground- these are once giant players now lost, stunned and confused. Apple doesn’t stop at PC. In 2000, the richest man in the world at-the-time, Bill Gates, shown the world a thin handheld computing device he calls 'tablet PC' running the antiquated XP.

Standing and gleaming proud, Bill held it out. To function the so-called tablet PC has loads of venting holes to let hot air dissipate from the innards and needs a small stick called 'stylus' for input. Only a small portion of geek community can recall this very forgettable event. Nearly 10 years later Steve took the same concept and polishes it to a chromatic glare shine, he unveiled the iPad and the rest, as we know, is history.   

An Apple a day keeps the doctor away. I hate to play devil advocate, but Apple significant presence help pushes out what digital consumer product lacked of -meaningful innovation. An inclusive innovation which a kid and PhD holder can fathom. The days of gimmick technology like bigger screens are long past.  Apple brought something tangible. Bigger screen with higher pixel count - that’s it. Apple is blessed with a CEO that neither come from an engineering or business background. Steve is a different beast. Engineers has vision for fancy technology, but lacked a comprehensive plan to push it. The more evil one has a keen eye for profiteering, for profiteering CEO; if it ain't broken, don't fix it. That’s why Nokia touchscreen wasn't widespread until Apple came with 'swipe to unlock'. Hate Apple, Love Apple they're here for a purpose.