White Magic

Apple introduced their Intel based imacs and powerbooks today at the Macworld Expo.....6 months ahead of schedule. How the hell does Steve Jobs pull it off, time and time again? We design hi-tech products at SGI too, but this chip I am working on was supposed to ship on Nov 05, then slipped to Jan 06, and has now again slipped to March 06, and Im not even sure it will tape-out in March. I might be comparing apple(s) and oranges here-pun intended, but the industry is similar. While this probably explains why SGI has been in penny stock for almost a year, and got delisted from the NYSE, whereas Apple doubled its stock price in the last 3 months(from ~$40 to ~$80), I still know how easy it is for shipping dates to slip in this industry. Steve Jobs has a plan and his folks at Cupertino are all fired up.
iPod sales tripled this holiday season, compared to the last, iTunes sales is fast reaching a billion songs, and imac and ibook/powerbook sales have never been higher. Currently, Apple is the place to be, for a tech-worker like me. And, I so should have bought Apple shares at $45 3 months ago. I still know I should buy it now at $80, since I think it has potential to go upto $150, if not more. So people, if you have the money, I suggest you go for it.
Apple and Google are going to rule the world(atleast for the next few years). They are tommorrow's Microsoft and Yahoo.
Apple stunned the world a few months ago, with the introduction of the Nano, quickly followed by the iPod video and the iMac G5 with FrontRow. 3 amazing products released one after the other, right in time for the holiday season. iPod owners, are almost angry with the pace at which Apple churns out newer versions of the product. You buy an iPod now, and in 3 months, it will be "so last year". While some are angry, I for one, am personally awestruck by the pace of development at Apple, and admire them, and applaud them for the challenge they pose to their competition.
Apple Gear to crave for:
1) Ipod Video the 60 gb one, since it boasts 20hrs of music playback-6hrs more than the 30gb version. Video playback (a meagre 2hrs) leaves something to be desired, however. I also love the fact that it has composite out, so you can watch movies on tv. But I am going to wait for a version with a radio tuner/transmitter, bluetooth, and higher playback time, and I dont think I'll have to wait for long. Hopefully my 3rd gen holds out till then.
2) Imac (G5/Intel) - have u seen a cooler desktop. Unbeleivable design, all behind the screen, with a built in isight camera, wireless, and a remote. Arguably one of Apple's best products ever. Great Price too
3) Mac Book Pro - Intel Dual Core processor, supposedly 4-5 times faster on the spec_int and spec_fp benchmarks. Also has iSight built-in. A little pricey, and I would love to know their battery time, knowing how notoriously power hungry Intel processors are, and considering Apple has suspiciously not mentioned this anywhere on their spec sheet/site. I will however wait for a smaller, lighter laptop, with Intel Inside, since I love my 12" ibooks size, mobility and battery power(4-6hrs depending on apps).