Apple - to be admired?

You have to admire Apple for making so much money. Yet they seem to also retain credibility. They have a fan base that suggests to the world that Apple products are fantastically designed, work intuitively, and are a "lifestyle" accessory.

On the 26th of May it was announced that Apple overtook Microsoft in the league of companies and became the largest "tech" company in the world. Only Exon Mobil are larger.

Often news of Exon or Microsoft is not so good. Its often about how their stuff does not work so well, what nasty people they are, or just another funny picture of Bill Gates. News about Apple is often only good.

What I do not understand are the following:

As the makers of an MP3 player that has moving parts rather than solid state they manage to charge five times the amount of an unbranded product.. In fact all their products are much more expensive, but their packaging is wonderful.

Most of their items are proprietary. This means that they have some element of protection and work best or only work with other apple products. For instance if you want a dock for your iPod, it will have to be an "Apple" dock made under license. No standard usb connections.

They use "cheap" manufacture. Whilst everyone does this - the spotlight has recently been on Apple due to the suicides in their subcontracted factories.

Like everything else - their stuff breaks or becomes obsolescent. iPod's batteries wear out, and it is common for people to mention that they are on their second, third, or fourth product. Such loyalty!

The secret of Apple seems to be their appearance and function - not just packaging, but how their products look and feel. Against other similar products their menus work more intuitively and the "buzz" around the product gives you a feel good factor that can forgive any issues that arise.

The fact remains - they stretch their brand as far as they can. This is about price and profit. Are they about to be uncovered as just another corporate?

Sunday Times - Gadgets of the Week

Hubert Dias put together what is now the Orbitsound T12 last year. It is now on sale in Harrods, John Lewis, and Amazon. Reviews have been very positive, including the following from the Sunday Times."WHAT IS IT? This British-designed speaker system provides stereo sound from a single speaker housed in a smart bar-shaped cabinet. Many rival television sound bars employ digital trickery to provide the illusion of surround sound from a single cabinet that contains multiple speakers, but the Orbitsound does not take this approach. Instead, it reengineers the principles of stereo reproduction to provide a true stereo sound field from a single compact enclosure that is uniform throughout the room rather than having one sweet spot. This, of course, sounds like nonsense, but InGear has tested one and it worked well, whether connected to a television source or using the built-in iPod dock. SHOULD I BUY ONE? If you opt for a sound bar to sit under your TV, it’s academic exactly how many speakers are housed within it. Even so, this innovative, well-made kit is powerful yet easy on the ear.

"http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/gadgets_and_gaming/article5252031.ece

They do identify the key problem about new technology - when you explain Airsound to someone you can get:

Its not possible (and I know my stuff)
or
I don't care (I dont listen to sound, and I am not that interested)

As the article above says - it worked well - but if you need to hear a demonstration and you don't live near to Harrods, we would happily arrange one for you if you live in the Wiltshire/M4 corridor.We do have an offer on the T12 at the moment. To find out more visit