The Xserve G5 needed lots of fans, not so with the quad Xeon Xserve: they got so much more space inside because of less heat problem that the new Xserve have one more hd drive bay and a dual power unit.

You are just joining the long list of delusional Cassandras warning people that Apple will close in two years since what … ? 20 years as of today?

One thing to note is that while software needs to take advantage of multithreading to see performance gains on multi core systems, most applications will see a gain. For example, if you have 100 equal processes running on a single core system it will take twice as long as on a dual core system and 4 times as long as on a quad core system, just because they can run more processes concurrently. Though I agree, Apple has had a lot of experience with multi processor set ups and so can apply that to multi core.

tim:

The macbook shutdown problem was a heat problem, but it was to do with the detection of the heat, not the actual heat. A fan wasn't spinning up when it was meant to so the Macbook shut down to prevent damage.

Steve Jobs wasn't in charge of Apple until 1998, he wasn't at Apple from 1985 to 1997. 1997 was when it was on the brink of being sold off yet he came back, managed to get the iMac out and restore Apple to where it is today. He and his team saved Apple, not limited it

As for the iPod, for the past 5 years everyone has been saying "This year we're going to see someone wipe the iPod off the map" and every year these so called iPod killers haven't done anything. This year we have MS with the Zune. They might have a chance, but it's not like they haven't faced deep pocketed competition before from the likes of Sony and Dell. The iPod is here to stay, whether it will remain as dominant as it has been is another matter, but when iPod is synonymous with MP3 player it's going to be hard

I'll take some of that farm bet, too!

But if you chose the farm using similar logic to how you evaluate computers and computer businesses — perhaps I'll pass!

The PPC G5 chips Apple used before switching to Intel were a far greater challenge to cool than the current line of Core chips. Apple has explored and implemented some of the most sophisticated cooling solutions in the industry. And even before that, Apple would push cooling solutions to the limit by offering computers that Jobs insisted make no noise and therefore had to be engineered to cool with no fans. Jobs and Apple have expertise in the cooling of processors that the likes of Dell and others would have a hard time matching.

No, the current crop of troubles (shutdowns-discolored plastics-cracks, etc.) has more to do with Apple pushing the limits of the various technologies in the Macbook. This is Apple's notorious rev. A syndrome, and sadly it is the price many early adoptors pay to ride the edge of innovative design. But not to worry. In the long run, Apple always takes care of its rev. A customers and polishes out the unanticipated blems in subsequent revisions.

As much as you would perhaps like to see Apple's recent successes derailled, it's just not going to happen. Apple is like a sleek and silvery super train barreling through the world's computer and technology landscape. Microsoft on the other hand is like a worn out Union Pacific freight train that has been broken down on a side track for the past six years. Windows users can continue to wait at the station for their train to come, or they switch platforms and buy a ticket for the Apple Express. Those who do will marvel at the smooth ride, great service and free drinks. In either case Windows users would, at the very least, be wise not to play on the tracks.

You're making a bad bet. I'm not talking about just the farm. You're betting that the Macbook firmware update slows down the processor. That's not likely. It's much more likely that the fans start running at lower temperatures and keep running longer, possibly even faster. Don't believe everything Rob Enderle says, especially when he admits that he's just speculating: "What they appear to be doing is…" is not to be quoted as a statement of fact.

As for your farm bet, I'd like some of that action too!

If you really knew anything about Apple you would realize that Steve Jobs was not at Apple in the early 90's and it was ONLY after he came back that things there started to pick up. Have you ever heard of Scully? Spindler? or Amelio?
You sound like the typical Apple is going to fail again naysayer… nonsense. I too would like to know where that farm is .. Tim lets start a biddinig war!

Jan.