Comments on: Retail Sales Still Stink http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/ Macro Perspective on the Capital Markets, Economy, Geopolitics, Technology, and Digital Media Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:04:19 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: cvienne http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-194062 cvienne Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:59:03 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-194062 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/art-cashin-on-secular-cycles/#comment-191098 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/art-cashin-on-secular-cycles/#comment-191098

]]> By: Thor http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193528 Thor Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:33:13 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193528 Matt - Part II - Here are some articles on the true cost of a PC vs a Mac http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090415_602968.htm And here is a study on the speed of Windows XP running on a Mac - the site also lists a number of other studies they have done. http://www.barefeats.com/bootcamp.html And yet more tests from a different group on speed http://mac.sillydog.org/archives/001182.php And yet another - http://www.gearlog.com/2006/03/21/index.php And a fourth http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9003111/Hands_on_Running_Vista_on_a_MacBook_Pro I could pick apart pretty much every other claim you've made in your last two posts but I think I've more than made my point. have a super night! Matt – Part II -

Here are some articles on the true cost of a PC vs a Mac

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc20090415_602968.htm

And here is a study on the speed of Windows XP running on a Mac – the site also lists a number of other studies they have done.
http://www.barefeats.com/bootcamp.html

And yet more tests from a different group on speed
http://mac.sillydog.org/archives/001182.php

And yet another -
http://www.gearlog.com/2006/03/21/index.php

And a fourth
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9003111/Hands_on_Running_Vista_on_a_MacBook_Pro

I could pick apart pretty much every other claim you’ve made in your last two posts but I think I’ve more than made my point.

have a super night!

]]> By: Thor http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193523 Thor Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:13:35 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193523 Matt - Touched a nerve I see. Look pal, you took a request for advice by I-Man and turned it into an anti-mac rant, you made a number of rather questionable claims and rattled off a number of incorrect statistics. Your response to my post was also full of a number of factual errors. Clearly, not everyone on this blog is highly computer literate, I am, and I call bullshit when I see it. You lost your credibility when you suggested, to a self described non computer savvy poster (I-man) that he buy a pc and load it with Unix. Seriously? Is that your professional advice? Matt – Touched a nerve I see. Look pal, you took a request for advice by I-Man and turned it into an anti-mac rant, you made a number of rather questionable claims and rattled off a number of incorrect statistics. Your response to my post was also full of a number of factual errors. Clearly, not everyone on this blog is highly computer literate, I am, and I call bullshit when I see it. You lost your credibility when you suggested, to a self described non computer savvy poster (I-man) that he buy a pc and load it with Unix. Seriously? Is that your professional advice?

]]> By: matt http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193517 matt Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:28:24 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193517 @Thor: "I was able to post something I know just a little bit about" You don't know what you're talking about or you're being completely dishonest. Macs are using PC hardware (yep, that Intel and most of the satellite components are the same as you find in a PC), so that "well-documented" speed difference is your wild imagination. You can get identically spec'ed PC hardware (with higher quality components) that will run the same. PS: I used to be responsible for a large z/VM implementation. Yeah, I know a thing or two about virtualization. How about you? Grow up. You are clearly part of the Apple cult. All of the fantastic claims that you are making about Macs are easily replicated on other platforms. @Thor: “I was able to post something I know just a little bit about”

You don’t know what you’re talking about or you’re being completely dishonest. Macs are using PC hardware (yep, that Intel and most of the satellite components are the same as you find in a PC), so that “well-documented” speed difference is your wild imagination. You can get identically spec’ed PC hardware (with higher quality components) that will run the same.

PS: I used to be responsible for a large z/VM implementation. Yeah, I know a thing or two about virtualization. How about you? Grow up.

You are clearly part of the Apple cult. All of the fantastic claims that you are making about Macs are easily replicated on other platforms.

]]> By: Thor http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193500 Thor Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:32:03 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193500 Manny - do some research on the netbooks before you buy one, they are not all created equal. Make sure you try to type on one as well, I'd love to buy a netbook buy my hands are too big to type effectively on one. I agree with you on the fashion statement, but that's only going to take a company so far, and certainly not 10 years far like it has with Apple. The Razr was all the rage when it came out 4 years ago and that was mostly due to it's coolness factor - how is Motorola doing now? You can make a product that many people will buy because it's fashionable, but if you do not produce a quality product that coolness factor isn't going to help you hold on to, or increase, sales. Manny – do some research on the netbooks before you buy one, they are not all created equal. Make sure you try to type on one as well, I’d love to buy a netbook buy my hands are too big to type effectively on one.

I agree with you on the fashion statement, but that’s only going to take a company so far, and certainly not 10 years far like it has with Apple. The Razr was all the rage when it came out 4 years ago and that was mostly due to it’s coolness factor – how is Motorola doing now? You can make a product that many people will buy because it’s fashionable, but if you do not produce a quality product that coolness factor isn’t going to help you hold on to, or increase, sales.

]]> By: Mannwich http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193492 Mannwich Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:16:44 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193492 @ahab: Hilarious! My kitchen is quite outdated as well, although that's not by choice. The $18K we would have used to update the kitchen went to replace a badly deficient roof in 2008. Gotta love those old houses. You ARE, of course, right about Apple. Total fashion statement. Think I'm going to buy one of those cheap netbook computers. A friend of ours from NYC who was in town this weekend had a Lenovo netbook and I loved how small it was. Said I could probably buy one for a little more than an I-Phone. Think I'll do that. @ahab: Hilarious! My kitchen is quite outdated as well, although that’s not by choice. The $18K we would have used to update the kitchen went to replace a badly deficient roof in 2008. Gotta love those old houses.

You ARE, of course, right about Apple. Total fashion statement. Think I’m going to buy one of those cheap netbook computers. A friend of ours from NYC who was in town this weekend had a Lenovo netbook and I loved how small it was. Said I could probably buy one for a little more than an I-Phone. Think I’ll do that.

]]> By: FromLori http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193477 FromLori Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:39:18 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193477 ROFLMAO potential jobs being created... http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2009/07/06/true-unemployment-rate-already-at-20.aspx ROFLMAO potential jobs being created…

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/topstocks/archive/2009/07/06/true-unemployment-rate-already-at-20.aspx

]]> By: Thor http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193469 Thor Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:58:22 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193469 Sorry for my rant - I forgot that I'm mostly talking to a group of end users :P Sorry for my rant – I forgot that I’m mostly talking to a group of end users :P

]]> By: call me ahab http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193468 call me ahab Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:57:03 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193468 digdan- funny shit dude digdan-

funny shit dude

]]> By: Thor http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/07/retail-sales-still-stink/comment-page-3/#comment-193467 Thor Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:54:01 +0000 http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/?p=32267#comment-193467 Guys - As I've said, I am in no way a Mac evangelist. My opinion on the Mac vs PC debate this has turned into is based on having supported both platforms at the end user level for 15 years. I-Man asked for my professional opinion and for once I was able to post something I know just a little bit about. Rain on my parade why dontcha? ;-) Bottom line - if money is not an issue (as I-man stated) why would you not buy a Mac? These arguments about XP vs OS X are comical. I'm running XP, OS X, and Linux on my Mac right now. As I've said Windows runs faster on my Mac than it does on my Dell, this isn't just me spouting bullshit, the speed difference is well documented. Try running three simultaneous VM's at once on a stock PC and let me know that works for you - when you're finished building it out so it can actually run without choking on the processes, let me know how much the end result ended up costing you. Also, let me know how much time and/or money you spend every year protecting your PC from viruses and and Spamware. Software on Mac vs PC - again, comical, you can get any piece of software in the world to run on a Mac because you can install any OS that runs on an intel chip on a Mac. Mike and Matt - do either of you know what a VM is and how it works? :P Guys – As I’ve said, I am in no way a Mac evangelist. My opinion on the Mac vs PC debate this has turned into is based on having supported both platforms at the end user level for 15 years. I-Man asked for my professional opinion and for once I was able to post something I know just a little bit about. Rain on my parade why dontcha? ;-)

Bottom line – if money is not an issue (as I-man stated) why would you not buy a Mac? These arguments about XP vs OS X are comical. I’m running XP, OS X, and Linux on my Mac right now. As I’ve said Windows runs faster on my Mac than it does on my Dell, this isn’t just me spouting bullshit, the speed difference is well documented. Try running three simultaneous VM’s at once on a stock PC and let me know that works for you – when you’re finished building it out so it can actually run without choking on the processes, let me know how much the end result ended up costing you. Also, let me know how much time and/or money you spend every year protecting your PC from viruses and and Spamware.

Software on Mac vs PC – again, comical, you can get any piece of software in the world to run on a Mac because you can install any OS that runs on an intel chip on a Mac. Mike and Matt – do either of you know what a VM is and how it works? :P

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