If you're not into Ipad2 try this $399

[Perfectlap]

Also very very lucky timing for Apple. They developed the Ipod in a window where Microsoft were masterminding the opposition. That's like having the rent-a-cops run airport security all over again. The Google boys were still eating pringles in their dorm conjuring up a way to take down Yahoo. Had they been on the scene sooner I'm sure they wouldn't have allowed Apple to go so long with Ipod as the default solution. There would have been a challenge much sooner. Particularly considering how being in the internet business they knew of what was to come in mobile tech. For example look at how long how without any history of building gadgets they were able to take the first T-Mobil Android phone to what it is now. Barely 2 years. Apple did very well only having to worry about Microsoft. But that's not the case anymore.

[DenverSteve]

True. But no one can do anything but admire what Mr. Jobs did with Apple. His company struggled for decades even needing IBM's bailout. Then coming out with industry changing ideas like the iPod and Apple Store at a time (timing is everything) that catapulted Apple into the industry leader it is today. Just watch the fervor that occurs every time Apple announces a new release. Then there's a backorder for the new product almost up until the next release. I don' t think they're worried in the least. Apple Care and the customer service they provide, I believe, is what helps people like me get beyond the prices and go with Apple over the competition. Total package that goes beyond the simple tablet, phone or notebook.

[Perfectlap]

oh they're worried alright. That's their nature. They don't want to become the next Blackberry: A company that got too comfortable with their stranglehold position. They know they were very very lucky to have had a very poorly organized competition at the critical time, an opposition that was fragmented into a dozen uncooperative companies wasting billions in resources coming up with their own bespoke systems. They mastered nothing either on the hardware or software side.
But those companies are getting their acts together now largely thanks to Google and their far more flexible sandbox rules, as we can already we see with Android phones and this latest Samsung tablet. Apple were able to capture all the early adopters for high end phones and tablets. Even though they equal tens of millions they are still the tip of the iceberg of the total market for phones and tablets. At some point economies of scale will kick in and anything that isn't proprietary to Apple, things that other's can't use in their devices, will be a tough sell at these current Apple profit margins. Apple sells a $650 Ipad that costs $250 to make. A $50 Iphone that costs $200 to make. What happens when the Apple product no longer does anything that an other product can't do for the half the price? Even if you sell to an upper middle class consumer who is willing to pay the premium at some point you'll need to maintain that huge tech advantage over the competition to justify those margins. That's the advantage that shrinking by the day. Then what? What new gadget will they invent? As you point out the current apple revolution was built on a single product, the ipod. I think they've pretty much exhausted all the iterations of that invention. Which isn't to say that there isn't plenty of gas left in that tank. This Ipod/tablet/Iphone thing could go on for years but making things that are light/thin/intuitive are no longer solely the territory of Apple.

[tonycarreon]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

True. But no one can do anything but admire what Mr. Jobs did with Apple. His company struggled for decades even needing IBM's bailout.

wha? IBM didn't "bailout" apple...

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Then coming out with industry changing ideas like the iPod and Apple Store at a time (timing is everything) that catapulted Apple into the industry leader it is today.

microsoft's still trying to catch-up to that one. it all comes down to how you want things to work. MS tries to work with as many components as it can. Apple works with a select few (pc components) and tailors the experience to that. they control everything from the ground up (and it makes things smoother for the end user IMO).

saw a story the other day about the cash reserves apple is sitting on ($76b in the bank, FYI). according to the story they could buy every major league baseball, football, hockey and basketball team in the US and still have nearly $25b left over.

[DenverSteve]

[QUOTE=tonycarreon]wha? IBM didn't "bailout" apple...

True. My brain freeze. It was Microsoft that invested 150 million when they not doing well.

[Perfectlap]

FYI,

I tested out the 4G Samsung 10.1 from Verizon. Two friends ordered one each.
It is exactly as thin as my wifi-only 10.1 that I'm tethering form my 3G phone.
BUT....the 4G internet is TWICE as fast as my home's wifi network (20+mbps).
And 20X's times as fast as my 3G phone (1 mbps).
Verizon 4G LTE is screaming fast here. I'm strongly considering getting rid of my phone's internet, and sticking with a basic phone text,plan.
$80 a month is expensive for 10GB or $50 for 5GB, but with a 4G tablet..... ultra fast internet on your cell phone seems really redundant. It won't be long before you can set up a phone number like Vonage to work with your tablet. All you would need is a bluetooth headset to speak, just dial from the tablet. I don't think people are going to pay for internet at home, on a tablet and on their phones with each costing at least $50 a month. Someone's going to capitalize on that redundancy.