Apple leads mobile computer market

Most people have been gravitating towards laptops instead of desktops in recent years and I see know reason why that trend will discontinue.

No accounting for taste, is there?

Once you use Apple, there's no other brand that can make you feel 'part of it'. It's more thatn a brand, it's an status.

Call it good marketing.

Good marketing, a good product and that one per cent of Columbus-egg genius that the others can't quite manage.

I remember Bill Gates commenting scathingly when Apple first brought out the candy-colour iMacs 'We can do colours'. Point being of course that he didn't. Same with the iPod, the iPad and the super-slim laptops.

I'll stick with my desktop mac, though; for work I need as big a screen as possible.

Apple - over-priced but great marketing.

I've used Apple products several times ... always had problems with them. From computer to phone to music player.

I don't understand why the iPad is included. It ain't a computer. As said in article - take away the iPad, and Apple is 8th in the world. Not exactly a leader as far as computers, is it?

For all of you out there still using windows....make the change to Apple it's faster..it's easier and well it's just brilliant after feeding my old pc lumps of coal for how many years the change to Apple was astounding, simple easy and clean. Stop wasting your lives with windows make the move now....do you think Apple will give me a job?

My significant other uses Windows Vista. Every now and then I peep at her downloading mails and have come to the conclusion that this OS was the work of Microsoft's version of the village idiot. Windows strikes me as a cheap, clumsy and very poor effort to emulate Macs. As stand-alone computers, Macs are superior, and if you're obliged to work on an office network then it doesn't matter too much what you use.

I made the switch 4 years back. Never ever been happier and worry free with a desktop.

I have two MacBook Pro, one at work (17 inch) and one for trips (13 inch). No complaints. Windows? you gotta be joking me

then I peep at her downloading mails and have come to the conclusion that this OS was the work of Microsoft's version of the village idiot

My impression is the exact opposite. I once had to download an attachment from Web mail on my friend's Mac, and I couldn't figure it out. So my friend did it for me, and it took several stages longer than on my PC, which would target the attachment to a new location via a right-left click. The Mac required the opening of a whole new application, called a Download Manager! Talk about "clumsy" and a "poor effort."

That's just one of many examples. When I peep at my friends working with their Macs, I'm amazed at how long it takes them to do even starightforward processes.

They're the EIGHTH best ???? Yeah,congratulations...the 7 above just dont have that kind of genius...

I am happy with my switch from Windows to Apple. Not one for singing praises as there are some things that windows does better and some that apple does.

Said that every new OS(incl version) takes some time to get used to and has a certain learning curve involved. Still liked to work with MS-DOS, PC-DOS, OS-2, all the various versions of Unix and mainframe OS.

"Including the ipad" says it all. An ipad isn't a laptop computer, why is it even included?

I love my iphone because it outperforms any other ketai I've ever owned in terms of what it can do. But I can't even save to the desktop (there isn't even one!), so I would never consider it as a computer. Same with Ipad. Fun to touch and play with, but no use when it comes to real computing tasks.

They're the EIGHTH best ???? Yeah,congratulations...the 7 above just dont have that kind of genius...

I agree with you on that: they don't have that kind of genius. Despite being ranked #8 without Ipad, Apple is the most valued tech company (U$330 billion against 2nd Microsoft U$228 bln). Apple's magic the other top seven companies are desperate to learn: how to sell less products with a higher price, and yet, having people dreaming of getting one, be it a Macbook, an Iphone, an Ipad.

The Mac required the opening of a whole new application, called a Download Manager!

I've used macs for most of my working life and I've never seen or heard of this Download Manager of which you speak. I just tried a search of my hard disk, and there's no such application anywhere in my mac. And I have no trouble at all downloading attachments, I do it on a daily basis.

One thing I have noticed with some people who switch from Windows to mac and consider it a bad experience, is that they set about doing simple tasks expecting it to be as cumbersome as Windows, and get lost when the computer doesn't respond to all the weird commands they're trying to give it.

Having watched friends tear their hair out trying to find out how to do tasks on their Windows machine that are simply intuitive on a mac, I wouldn't give Windows desk space.

Seems a bit dodgy to call the iPad a computer. Why not just include all mobile phones while you're at it? Is the only barrier screen size? Because function obviously isn't being taken into consideration unless you're doing some very lite work.

I actually like Apple products. I have an iPod and I even went in to get the iPhone a few weeks ago until they told me that I needed 26 months on my visa to get it in installments...heh. I'm even thinking about getting an iPad despite Apple's best attempts to stop me. I'm doing my best to get to the point where I can use a Mac but it should would be nice if they could help bridge the gap for me instead of putting up utterly useless pride barriers. For now they're winning the battle and locking me out.

Cleo.

iTunes maybe?

I was surprised until I saw that it includes iPad. Don't get me wrong, Apple is by far superior to the amazingly flawed and idiotic Windows OS (which are either delayed, or quickly replaced by new versions because they're so awful... like Vista).

Macs are far more chic, are much easier to use, and have little or no compatibility problems (unless you have trouble with Windows software that you install). Granted they're a lot more expensive than the crap Windows computers you can buy, but WELL worth it given the time your saved in grief. Agree with a poster above, Vista in particular was definitely designed by the village idiot.

The only advantages to Windows computers are that they include the Microsoft Office package and are slightly better with databasing (and have more software, though THAT is changing). Beyond that, Macs are superior in everything.

SuperLib: I also found it a little odd that they classed iPad with computers... though with how advanced the things are getting it's getting harder and harder to NOT call them computers.

Zenny -

iTunes as a Download Manager? Nah, iTunes is iTunes, for managing music and podcasts (and videos etc), but it has nothing to do with downloading files and web mail attachments.

Save things to your iPhone - Dropbox rox.

Maybe "Download Manager" is part of some email client software? Depending on your browser and/or email client settings, downloads are going to be handled differently. It might not be too bad an idea to have a number of steps, so long as you can handle them reasonably quickly. I wouldn't want an email client that downloaded files too easily. Jeff's experience just sounds like being totally unfamiliar with the OS and applications. Generally, I think most Mac stuff can be learned really quickly. In my experience it takes at least twice as long to work out how to do something on Windows as it does on Mac OS, and that includes asking people who use Windows all the time.

But I doubt that operating systems mean that much to most users; rather, it's about the hardware - durability, flexibility, battery life, connectivity, style. So, it's not comparing Mac OS with Windows so much as comparing Macbook, or iMac, with HP, Sony, Toshiba, etc. I would reckon more consumers see that the little bit you pay more for the shiny Mac machine is more than worth it for the speed and life span.

Apple is so good that the vast majority of computers uses a Windows based OS.

Seriously though, why do Apple users always feel the need to attack Microsoft? I'm happy with my Windows 7. If I wasn't, I'd either be using Apple or a Linux based OS.

True what they say, 'Apple lovers, Windows users.'

forinagai.

Apple created the windows based GUI, Mouse, etc. Current Apple OS is Linux based. :P

Zenny11 - Is that computer history according to Apple?

History corrections - Apple did not create the mouse...Douglas Engelbart did...in 1967.

GUI - Xerox.

Apple OS - not quite Linux. It's more Unix based

Cleo, Macs always leave me bewildered. Maybe that wasnt the correct name. But it took this long-time Mac user and enthusiast much longer to do some simple tasks that are accomplished very quickly on a PC. I work indepedently in the media, often in collaboration with Mac-using colleagues, and for the life of me, I have no idea what advantages they gain. Over the years, my colleagues have bought Newtons, Cubes, iMacs, etc. and their experiences hve been a horrid comedy of errors. The odd thing is how quickly they are willing to forget all their Mac hassles -- and then slam PCs. There's some fascinating psychology involved, I'm sure.

Do netbooks count as PCs? If so, then why not count the Ipad? Both are really crippled PCs though they excel at certain things such as portability or web viewing.

As for Mac lovers or Window lovers, who really cares? Use what you like and ignore the rest of the people. I'm really sick of PC/MAC campers. I own 4 macs, 1 ipad, and have windows installed on 2 of the macs. I use the system and software that lets me do the work the way I want. For some work, that means MAC, for other work it means Windows, for reading in bed, it means the ipad.

Use what you want, stop complaining about other people's choices of OS. Enjoy life!

@ Cleo: Go to the bottom menu bar. It is on the right side. Blue folders. Three are there. Applications/Documents/Downloads. Downloads is the manager.

"I'm happ with my Windows 7"

Heck, I'm happy with my Windows 2000.

@ Cleo: Go to the bottom menu bar. It is on the right side. Blue folders. Three are there. Applications/Documents/Downloads. Downloads is the manager.

By bottom menu bar, you mean the dock? My dock has had the bejaybers customised out of it, but I don't recall there ever being anything in it called Downloads. And like I said, I did a search of the whole hard disk using Spotlight, and there was nothing called Downloads Manager, and no application that has to be opened in order to download web mail attachments.

I have no idea what simple tasks Jeff thinks are easier/quicker on a PC. Everything is either a click or a drag away. Nothing is complicated. Even using a new peripheral, with Mac you just plug it in and it works - using the exact same peripheral, my Windows friends have to install, set up, do handstands, cross their fingers and hope that it works.

How do Mac users download files from their web mail?

On my computer, I click on a link and a dialog box pops up and I click OK. I have it set up so that some files, like pdf's, will download automatically without clicking OK.

I'm just wondering what some of the differences are with Macs. Any specific examples? I never used any Apple products before.

@ Cleo: Go to the bottom menu bar. It is on the right side. Blue folders. Three are there. Applications/Documents/Downloads. Downloads is the manager.

Like Cleo, I tried to understand what happened to JeffLee. I have no idea what happened to him, never saw a "download manager". Downloading with a Mac is not easier or more difficult than doing it with Windows: 1. you click "download", 2. a "transfer" area appears with the current status of the task, 3. when it's finished you just open it from the "transfer" area. Simple as that. My guess is that JeffLee's friend just wasn't used to a Mac, the same way I am not used to Windows anymore. When I have to use Windows I just keep complicating simple tasks - I just can't remember how Windows works.

Seriously though, why do Apple users always feel the need to attack Microsoft?

Why do Microsoft users feel the need to attack Apple users?

How do Mac users download files from their web mail?

Click on the link and it downloads automatically into your designated folder. (Can't remember, but I think the default is the desktop). Right-click (or control-click on a one-button mouse) to bring up a contextual menu offering a choice of straight download, download and rename (handy for downloading to a non-designated folder), open in a new window/tab and a bunch of others I can't remember off the top of my head.

You would think that Japan would be leading the way, giving the huge demand for fast, tiny products here. Not sure why companies here have dropped the ball. :(

Cleo, if you don't specify the folder where you want to download the file, it will automatically download into a "downloads" folder, created in the library of your account. you can change the place of this folder if you want, of course. the download manager will popup automatically when you start the download

if you don't specify the folder where you want to download the file, it will automatically download into a "downloads" folder, created in the library of your account. you can change the place of this folder if you want, of course.

Of course. :-)

the download manager will popup automatically when you start the download

I have never had any such popping up....the downloads window in Safari may open up, but that's just a window, not an application. There's no hassle, no messing, no trying to figure out how to do things.....