Discussion on:

Apple's third-gen iPad: Analysis from Hiner and Detwiler

I'm betting the $G at 9 hours will not be too accurate. Apple didn't want to release anything in 4G until they could guarantee that the battery would be close to battery life of 3G. The fact that it drops when using 4G shows this but like any other company, the testing for this is tweaked. My "old" netbook was rated for 9.5 hours. I get about 7 hours of *REAL* usage - I'm not talking about surfing the 'net but actually using the CPU.
As far as the "HD" part, I'm surprised this doesn't cut into the battery life either. Bigger question is that will playing a video in HD on a 10" is really necessary? I guess only for recording [and then transfer to a PC for (real) editing]. It doesn't have a Blu-ray drive. So this limits what's off the Internet [unless you transfer from a PC].
The 5MP camera isn't that great....

I have a blu-ray player, so far I have bought 2 Blu-ray discs.

I watch HD content regularly though.

The biggest use I make of my blu-ray player is to watch TV content from the catch-up services provided by the TV stations. The streaming player in the blu-ray player is fractionally better than the one in my TV, plus it has one channel that the TV does not have.

The optics of human vision are just as Apple presents in their video, there is a factor called the circle of confusion, this represents the size of spot that the eye can resolve, get pixels below the circle of confusion and the eye sees them as one.

This is not some Apple hype number, it is a factor in the design of imaging systems that I have been working with since the 80's.

The relevance is, as Apple states, that the distance to the screen is relevant to the required number of pixels, so a screen that is 5 feet away requires less pixels per inch than a screen that is 2 feet away.

A billboard may have 10 pixels per inch (or less) and look great , whereas a postcard requires 72 pixels per inch to look somewhat OK.

The iPad is something you use close up.

I also have been doing a lot of editing lately, often in iMovie as it is quite a good tool.

Why would you transfer a video to the PC for editing if the iPad provides quite good editing tools?

Why would you get a mobile device, and then want to carry around a pile of blu-ray discs?

What editing do you call real? What editing do you do that cannot be done quite well on an iPad?

The combination of iMovie and a built in HD camera makes for a very interesting movie production device, the ability to capture and edit on one device will be revolutionary for both journalists/ documentary makers and home movies.


5MP - ok it's not 22MP - but then if you want to shoot at something higher than that, then a tablet is somewhat the wrong shaped device, and you'd be wanting a real lens that gives you control over the image to bother.

I don't have trouble with a iPhone camera's resolution, I do with the human interface when I want to do something really interesting though, and no phone or tablet can fix that without morphing physically into an SLR.

Apple's battery life estimates are usually pretty conservative. Yes, it's true, if you deliberately try to use 100% of the resources (CPU, radio), it'll be less. But their "average" use profiles are remarkably realistic. YMMV, depending on what you consider to be *your* typical usage.

buying or upgrading.

If Apple had merely added 2 pixels to the screen, there would have been millions who would have "upgraded" anyway, while putting up their older iPads for sale on eBay. But, Apple knows that, incremental upgrades will keep their refresh cycles going for years, especially with their faithful.

Some faithful will upgrade on every cycle, juts like the PC buyers who have to have the latest PC with the big numbers.

Do you see how many users are out there though?

We are not talking a few faithful Apple fans here, we are talking a large part of the population are now buying these.

You can forget the sales being driven by fanbois argument - it just doesn't hold up any more, unless you think that there are now 100's of millions of fanbois, in which case watch out.

Just because the battery life for your netbook was faked, don't assume that Apple is just as sneaky and underhanded as the PC manufacturers.

My iPad (1st gen) gets great battery life.

Of course using 4G drops the battery life, it has to. The figure is not the time to just use 4G it is use of the iPad whilst making use of the 4G network.

You can assume though that like any 2G/3G/4G device, the signal strength will affect that figure, and it is possible to drive the device so hard that the life is shorter.

I find the best way to reduce the battery life on an iPhone is to use the GPS heavily.

There is nothing in the PC world that can compare to the
"upgrade" and fanboy phenomenon of the iPads and iPhones. I've never met anyone that ever needed to rush out to get the latest and greatest in the PC arena, or in the OS arena. Not there might not have been any, but, the refresh and upgrade and fanboy phenomenon that exists in the Apple world is unique, and that madness has never existed in the PC world.

Now, don't misconstrue my remarks as being anti-Apple at all. What I am against is the madness of the Apple crowd which believes that, they just have to go out and get whatever Apple has "innovated" with their latest incremental upgrade.

Apple is lucky to have that crowd, but, once that crowd realizes that, they don't really have to get the latest and greatest upgrade, the Apple stock will begin to stumble.

I don't deny that there has to be new purchasers for the Apple gadgets, but, there exists a huge fan base that "needs" to get their hands on the latest from Apple, for nothing more than for bragging rights. There is always a spike in sales on eBay and Amazon of "older" generation iPads and iPhones every time a newer version of one of those iGadgets comes out, and that's from the fanboys who are "recouping" their cash to get ready to get their "newest" and "latest" Apple toy. Take that crowd away, and Apple sales won't be as high for a newer generation of any iGadget.

When it comes to PCs, there is always something new going into those devices, but, people don't rush to get in line to be the first to get their hands on them. The PC crowd is beyond the novelty of "new upgrades" and beyond the stupidity of the fanboyism.

Well said! I wouldn't even add a full stop.

It is not the Apple fanboys who buys these devices. Or even, if all those are Apple fans, then they have way too many fans for you to judge them.

It is that the iDevices are creative "plot" by Apple to make people buy something that they like, not because of who makes it etc.

When you speak of the "huge fan base that "needs" to get their hands on the latest from ..." this certainly is not limited to Apple products. Look at the crowds who buy Android devices, because "it must be better". Or those who patiently wait for the promised Windows 8 tablet, "because it comes from Microsoft so it must be the best". And so on.

These tablet devices, like you or not, are personal computers. They are way more personal than the ugly box many call "a PC". Just as with any personal device, you need to like the thing to keep it. Apple understand that, apparently like nobody else.

By the way, you can see the same phenomena happening with the introduction of a new camera by some major photographic equipment manufacturer. The cameras are personal devices too.
Or, would you claim users of Nikon, Canon, Sony or whoever are mindless crowd too?

You can have your opinion, of course. But you just don't get it yet why Apple sells so many of these devices.

You are disagreeeing saying that it's not the fanboy's base that are buying these devices, and supporting your argument by poiting out that Android fans and camera enthusiasts rush to get the latest new devices in their respective areas. Right!
The fan base of the devices do rush out and buy the latest, that's the point, and that is a solid base for Apple device sales.

"You can forget the sales being driven by fanbois argument - it just doesn't hold up any more, unless you think that there are now 100's of millions of fanbois, in which case watch out."

When there were only a few hundred thousand 'fanboys' back in 1995 I could have believed your argument; but now Apple is selling in the range of 150 MILLION devices a year. The fanboy argument would imply that these few fans are buying thousands of devices simply to drive Apple sales up. Please tell me how any 'fanboy' can afford to buy thousands of Apple-branded devices a year, every year, for a decade.

I'm curious, when did following the masses become the thing to do? Aren't the masses the same people who send terrible pop songs to the top of the record charts?

It's not the masses, but the recording companies that have made American music so poor.

I'm agreeing with your statements. Consumers of devices form a purchasing base and that base is who companies market their products too, and the majority of purchasers exist in that customer base.
Those are just simple facts. On an individual basis I can't tell you what they can or can't afford, but I can tell you Apple targets Apple users/purchasers of their technology, and that market buys their stuff.
I don't see Apple changing thier marketing strategy to try to pull in a new fan base.

You are forgetting that the Ugly PC is for the practical computing crowd who are looking at long term reasons like inexpensive repairs down the road because they don't change their computer at every new release. Also, they really prefer a decent size screen to use daily. Portability doesn't matter to every one. They like a comfortable chair, a comfortable environment where carpal tunnel problems are less likely to get you. Two different crowds with different views on what is an ideal computer.

Now, go back to my comments, and notice that, I stated that, not all of the new sales for iGadgets are from the existing fan-base, and that there certainly must be "new" people joining the crowd.

But, what I did say is that, without the fanboyism, where a huge number of the same crowd "needs" to get their hands on the newest and greatest just for bragging rights, that Apple wouldn't be selling near the number of those iGadgets which has been keeping them rolling in the dough.

When it comes to the other side, sure, there are fanboys there too, but, not near the madness that can be found on the Apple side. When a new droid device is released, you don't see crowds of people lining up outside Best Buy or an ATT store to get their hands on that "incremental" upgrade. And when Google puts out a new version of Android, you also don't see long lines waiting to get their hands on any device which will support that incremental upgrade. But, on the other side, if Apple just merely says that, one of their devices has been "upgraded", there will be people putting their "older" devices up for sale on eBay or Amazon, just so they can put their money on the new Apple device, whether it's warranted or not.

Now, when it comes to PCs and PC OS upgrades, people don't go out of their minds with anticipation, and start planning on how to be first in line to get their hands on the "latest and greatest" on the PC side of business. An example of that is, where the ultrabooks were announced a few months ago, and are now available from many places, yet, people are not rushing to get in line to be the first to get their hands on what really are superior or comparable devices to anything that Apple puts out. When Apple creates a new version of their Mac Air, or an upgraded version of the iPad, the Apple fanbase will cut short a dropping of a log in the toilet, just to rush out and get one of those new Apple thingies. (That's a tiny exaggeration, but, the madness can't be denied).

However, the big point I was making is that, in reality, most of the people "upgrading" their iDevices, don't really have a "need" to do so, and they just do it for bragging rights, and if you take that crowd away, then the Apple sales will take some deep dives.

They're crippled computers. Very little of my work can be done on an iPad or any other tablet. So I bought a color Nook instead for reading and surfing.

An tablet is good for those who need quick access to data or internet, but don't need the power to create large documents with complex layouts, technical illustrations, spreadsheets, CAD, data bases. Takes too much extra time with a tablet that has either a touch screen keyboard or one that's too tiny for fast input.

I know PC gamers that go out every time there's an incremental upgrade to a graphics card so they can get the highest possible frame rate in their gaming--despite the fact that the eye can't really notice anything higher than 30fps. May PC techies cry and moan about the 'low quality' graphics cards used in Apple devices, yet I still play many of those same games just fine on my 4-year-old iMac running Windows 7 at 30fps or higher.

The difference here isn't the incremental upgrade in hardware that has Apple users flocking to the stores, it's the simple fact that the Apple devices have proven easier to use, more pleasing to the eye (on screen as well as the industrial design) and simply more reliable in general than the average PC that costs half as much.

Even your own argument about 'fanboys recouping their cash' simply overlooks one major factor--those devices are selling on ebay; if there were no buyers, there would be no sales, true?

I'm sorry to say that in some ways you are wrong--there are PC fanboys just as there are Apple ones. They simply have a lot more outlets to buy from so the 'rush' is far more spread out.

I am getting tired of the "fanboy" tag. It is rarely used as a compliment and mostly used to dismiss someone else's opinion.
I am a PC gamer who respectfully disagrees with your analysis of why we upgrade our graphics cards. It's not just because we are looking for faster frame rates. It's the video requirements (i.e. the level of detail and graphics rendering) of the new games that drives the demand for better graphics cards. If I wanted to stick with the original version of Castle Wolfenstein, then I would have no need to upgrade my graphics card but if I want to play COD MW3, I may have to. (But I digress.)
In my humble opinion, I think new hardware and software features drive loyal Apple consumers to want the next iDevice and media hype fuels the drive for new consumers. Sprinkle in a little gadget envy and there you have it. Congratulations Apple!
My only objections to iDevices (and I have owned and used quite a few) are that you end up locked into the Apple ecosystem and new applications (Siri) and new OS's may not be supported on your older device. Most people accept that or don't realize it until they are locked in. But hey, good luck with that.
I prefer the Android platform because I can make it fit my needs and extend its useful life by rooting it.
There is also a very active and diverse Android community online willing to help you along the way.

I don't deny that Android is more techie friendly, but that doesn't make it any easier to use for the non-techie consumer. Few, if any, non-techie Android users that I know of intend to buy a new Android device to replace their old one. Every one of them has complaints about reboots, crashes or simply poor hardware quality. Yes, there are some places where only an Android device was really the better choice for connectivity, but Apple has resolved that by expanding their market to Verizon and Sprint.

I know and see quite a few evry time the good ol' contract upgrade rolls around.

There is no denying that the iDevices are fun consumer-friendly devices. If you don't mind being locked into their ecosystem, then good luck to you.
The circle that I travel in is different. We prefer to make our devices fit our needs not the other way around. We keep our androids until we are eligible for an upgrade to a new android.
I am sure that there are some android owners who buy cheap devices, install intrusive apps and get frustrated and blame the device or the entire Android world.
Apple is like a cafeteria with really good homogenous food and a meal plan.The people who go there love it and are comfortable there.
Android users know about the cafeteria but they also know that there are lots of restaurants out there with better food and no meal plan.

" the refresh and upgrade and fanboy phenomenon that exists in the Apple world is unique, and that madness has never existed in the PC world."

Yeap, There really isn't anything to get excited about in the PC world, is there.

like upgrades on the hardware area, and the new Windows 8 OS, and upgrades to the browsers.

But, what you don't seem to be able to grasp, is the insanity that occurs on the Apple side, vs the ho-hum mature attitude of the PC crowd. The Apple side is like a kid going into a candy store, whereas, the PC crowd is like "been there, done that".

I guess you don't remember the crowds lined up overnight etc. to get the WIndows 95 upgrade, and then the WIndows 98 upgrade, etc.

... many of those first-time Win'95/98 users how to use the so-different interface.

I don't remember that at all.
It's a good story though.

Read a forum where the overclocker crowd hangs out. OMG! There's a new CPU on 1-micron process! I'ma by one and see if I can ratchet it up to 10.7GHz! It is definitely not just Apple.

Apple's "fanboys" are the somewhat tech savvy fashionistas. The less tech savvy just want something that works and aren't going to jump at every upgrade. There's no reason.

The more tech savvy are deliberate, and acknowledge the fact that there will be something better within a year. You still have to bite sometime.

I'll admit, I feel the draw towards new models. Like anyone, any time I can spend less time waiting on a processor to do something, I'll take it. And Apple's upgrades are usually worthy of envy. They're faster and/or lighter and/or smaller, without giving up the things you like about the last model (like battery life). But, I refuse to allocate the necessary funds for each cycle. Good enough is.

This isn't really new, it is just being seen more widely because the popularilty of Apple's devices. But I remember 25 years ago selling Macintoshes and seeing the same phenomena. The Mac II and the Mac IIX, the SE and the SE30, and so on. There was always a group of people who would gladly get their order in at the first opportunity to be first to get an incremental improvement. Smart buyer knew that Apple would charge a premium price for the first 9-12 months until that first demand petered out, then drop the price. Dropping the price was also a sign that a new product was in the pipeline, and they didn't want sales to drop too low in anticipation.

Watched a tech analyst this morning on TV suggest that if you were an iPad owner, you might appreciate the new screen and faster speed, but if you were an iPad 2 owner, you might want to wait till the next iteration to upgrade. I don't own a tablet, but I think that is a reasonable set of advice.

I agree whole heartedly. Just as most cell phones have a 2-year lifecycle, I believe we'll see the same for tablets--maybe extending to three or four as they become more powerful. I have an iPad 1 and the differences between it and this new model are enough to make the upgrade worth it.

I hear all the time about Apple fanboy loyalty and that is how Apple grows so fast. To be honest I think this is more anti Apple talk then reality. I know over 2 dozen users of iPads and not one of them is going to upgrade to the new unit. For the most part techs like to have the newest and best, this is not the majority of iPad users the ipad user is the general public,(non-tech people).

Apple does well and has so much press because they are making what the public wants. Rather than focusing on specs they focus on the experience. They make good devices that are sexy and get the job done. They open new ways for people to work and play and they reap the rewards for their efforts. Other device makers rush half baked products out to market in an attempt to catch up and then the adopters complain that it is Apple fanboy loyalty that is keeping this new devices from selling better. Thats not the case, it is the fact that Apple is selling something better for the money, people are not dumb.

Look at Honda and Toyota these brands at first were viewed as Japanese crap, now they own the market. Was it because of all the fanboys? No, it was because they provided a better product for the money. Just like Apple.

So instead of crying about the fantasy of the fanboys who drive Apple sales worry more about why the product you selected is not selling as well. Worry about what can be done to make it equal or better then what Apple has to offer. Like it or not there is not a device presently on the market that can compare to the iPad, that is why it is succeeding and market numbers support this 100%.

... the surveys that showed "up to 40% of tablet owners" wanting to "upgrade" to the new iPad JUST BASED ON RUMORS of what would be available?

It's pretty clear you haven't seen the hoards of drooling gamers holding out their credit cards every time an incrementally better video or audio board comes out. Or the Droid droids getting all weak-kneed whenever the next, only-slightly-better non-iPhone or tablet comes out.

Every technology has its fanbois and fangrrls. All ready to slag off competing products and their users, much like you have in your post.

And if you re-read your own post, yes you are clearly anti-Apple.

Look, no doubt there are fanatics for any product or service and even for issues, like the "patent wars", but, no group can compare to the nutty behavior exhibited by the iPple crowd, which treats each incremental "upgrade" as if it's the second coming of Christ. Most people don't go selling their recent model PCs just so they can get their hands on a new PC which is just a few ghz faster than the old, or has one or two more cores than the old, when the old is still quite capable of handling whatever the user's needs are. When it comes to the iGadgets craze, the nuttiness is beyond compare, like where the iPhone 4S's weren't really that much by way of "real" and "needed" upgrades, and yet, people went out of their minds ordering on-line and getting in line at stores wanting to be the first ones to get their anxious hands on them. And then, once in their hands, many became disappointed when they realized that Siri wasn't really that great of a "leap forward" and people only used it to play silly Q&A games with the feature. Now, people are going crazy all over again with an "upgrade" which most of them don't really need; in fact, nobody has a need for that "upgrade". You can't compare that Apple fanboyism to any other company or any other product or service provider.

Don't forget there are the Fanbois and then there are the Sheep that follow what the Fanbois do.

Where else are all the new fanboys coming from?

It seems like the difference in size between predator and prey and the fact that foxes do not typically travel in packs would put sheep out of their reach.
But hey, I'm a city guy. What do i know?
Update: Foxes will eat sick or dying sheep and unprotected lambs. Foxes are responsible for up to 0.5% of sheep deaths due to predators annually. (Source Sheep101.Info)
With that being said, they can have 0.5% of the Microsoft sheep. It is a tiny number.

Because there are few, if any, wolves remaining in the UK, the fox is the top predator outside of humans. Shepherds still have to guard their flocks and yes, foxes can and have been known to kill sheep. Just because you don't know of it doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

And if you don't understand the simile, again I ask, where are Apple's new "fanboys" coming from?

By the way, how long ago was Apple at only 2% of world market share? How long ago was Apple at only 4% of US market share? That 0.5% adds up when there are more foxes attacking the fold. Where once it was 2 in 100 now it nears 20 in 100. That .5 has risen by a factor of ten.

0.5% of Microsoft users is a pretty big number considering that the Microsoft OS is on 74-87% of all computers worldwide. OSX accounts for 5.8-14%. That's 14 in 100 at best. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems

Also, you might want to check your sheep / fox story. Sheep101 and wikipedia paint a very different picture. Although fox and birds are known to kill sick sheep and unprotected lambs, domestic dogs are by far the largest cause of predation of adult sheep in the British Isles.
I guess just because your handle is vulpine, you can't be expected to know everything about foxes.
You really should do some research before you post.
There is a wealth of information on the "interwebs".

... and Microsoft has a huge flock of sheep. No matter how you look at it, Microsoft isn't protecting its customers and they're morphing into foxes at an ever-increasing rate.

(Yes, I do know that dogs are the biggest predator of adult sheep, though not necessarily domestic but dogs gone feral. That doesn't eliminate the fact that foxes can and do attack sheep if they think they can succeed.)

Dumbass comment, as if you knew anything outside your hick US town you;'d know fox hunting was banned in the UK years ago.

- Foxes also don't kill sheep (as they are too large) - they kill rabbits, chickens and other misc. wildlife
- Wild/uncontrolled dogs kill sheep.

There are also no wild wolves in the UK and haven't been for hundred's of years, as were hunted to extermination, though there are those advocating their re-introduction as a means of controlling the wild deer population.

But Apple chose different strategy. They chose to eliminate any competition by introducing technology that has not been publicly available (the higher resolution display) and that will be hardly in enough supply to let anyone else use it too.

Mind you, there are no laptop displays with 2048x1536 resolution. From any maker, at any price. Not to speak of 9.7" diagonal size.

Not sure how many people will upgrade, but Apple made sure users will think twice, before buying another tablet, even at lower price.

Apple's not the only one who plays this game. Microsoft has always put out "Upgrades" that are really just bug-fixes with very few new features. I've been using the Windows 8 beta for a while and all I can see is that they have moved the furniture around and dressed it up with Metro. That's worth $85 to $259, huh.

Are you using Windows 8 on a tablet like I am?
I installed it on a Fujitsu Lifebook Tablet that was previously running Windows 7. I have to say that it is a leap forward in Microsoft tablet functionality. The first thing I noticed myself doing was using my fingers to manipulate the screen even while my convertible laptop was in laptop configuration. I did not do that in Windows 7. The larger icons and use of gestures makes the experience much more fluid.
Dual monitor configuration is very good I only wish that my desktop monitor was a touchscreen now.

For that matter, there's Samsung, Acer, Asus... Hey, the hardware's been there for years, maybe Microsoft really did learn something after all.

I know the hardware has been there for years. It just hasn't moved to the business desktop in any significant way.
ATM's have touchscreens and our process control system at work has touchscreen monitors.
Viewsonic has a monitor that accepts stylus input for graphic artists and architects. That would be cool in Windows 8 as long as it includes finger input like my Fujitsu Lifebook does.
I have used the HP Touchsmart. It has a limited feature overlay to the Windows operating system. It's similar to HTC Sense or Motoblur on phones and tablets.
If I can get a touchscreen monitor on windows 8, then we're talking.
Actually, I would like this touch monitor on an adjustable 30-45 degree angle. - better for finger and stylus input. That could conceal some clutter and wires on the desk.

That's exactly my point. Without developer support, Windows on tablets has been an abject failure and will continue to fail until software supports the change.

about it; anybody except, the Apple fanatics who need to point to the "failures" on the Windows side in order to heighten their joy.

But, the field is about to change and there is no doubt that, in 2 or 3 years, the tablets and smartphones supporting Windows 8 will make a huge impact in the mobile arena, and the head-start that both Android and iWhatever enjoyed, will be cut significantly and, may the better platform win. Google's platform nor Apple's platform, including the hardware and software and support, offer anything better than what Microsoft can offer, and it only takes time to catch up and pass Apple and Google. So, take joy while you're still ahead, and within 2 or 3 years, you'll be one of the first to be petitioning for anti-trust investigations against Microsoft for "taking over" another sector of computing. As we know from history, Microsoft may not be the first at defining or creating a sector in the market, but, when they enter that market, they tend to win or become a huge player.

Do I want to destroy Google or Apple? Not at all. I want them to be winners too. I want the competition to be evident from all directions. To me, the consumer comes first. But, I don't particularly like the fanatical devotion that so many people demonstrate for inanimate objects and the creators of those objects. It's pure insanity, and it mostly demonstrates a failure to mature on the part of those fanatics.

Your prognostication is based more on desire than physical evidence. So far, WP7 is doing little to defeat the stigma that WinMob 6.5 and earlier created for itself.

That said, I return to the argument that the hardware is more than ready for a true touch-centric Windows and I'll even point out that Windows 8 itself on those desktops and laptops seems a very strong contender for doing exactly as you say--though Win8oA is slated to be little, if any, better than you claim iOS is because it will not run any current desktop apps in any form whatsoever unless it's through a "Back to My PC" type of app which currently isn't available since W8oA isn't yet out.

Historically, Microsoft developed it's majority share by leaping out in front early--tied to the apron strings of IBM. Since then, Microsoft has followed others' lead through technology and relied on that majority share to stay in front. That lead is now eroding away as both iOS and Android have destroyed Microsoft's mobility platform and shown that Windows itself isn't necessarily the best OS for the task. But worse, Microsoft even when it tried to take the lead with a tablet version of Windows made one simple and major mistake: They did not develop and promote touch-centric applications for their own tablet OS.

That's their biggest problem today. You study even the reviews of the Win8 Public Beta and fully 50% of the testers absolutely hate the new interface and want to revert to the traditional point-and-click desktop. This resistance to change is going to drag development down, making that touch interface take even longer to reach global acceptance while both Apple and Android already have a touch-familiar user base which is rapidly growing. In the long run, if Microsoft doesn't effectively force that interface shift, they'll be lucky to maintain a 50% user share by the time the market stabilizes.

By the way, that fanaticism you abhor is quite visible on the Windows side as well--expressed very loudly as anti-Apple sentiment by those zealots.