Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates will be remembered as two of the biggest tech luminaries of their time, long after both have passed on. Anyone who has seen Pirates of Silicon Valley will know how both Apple and Microsoft's histories are deeply intertwined, and how closely - and often not - Jobs and Gates worked together.
As Apple has just posted record-busting sales figures for the opening fiscal quarter of 2012, the amount of intrigue in the company based in Cupertino, California is at an all-time high.
After strong holiday sales and the launch of the new iPhone 4S, allied to the much-delayed drop of iOS 5, we did indeed expect Apple’s earnings call to break records once again, and like clockwork, Tim Cook’s company did not disappoint shareholders.
This year's CES has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that 2012 is going to be the year that the computer market at large is going to catch up with Apple. At least, it will in the world of ultra-light, ultra-portable notebooks like the MacBook Air.
Phil Schiller and associates took to the Guggenheim Museum in New York today to hold a special event which couldn't have been further away from the traditional format that we grace Apple product launches for. In a smaller, stripped down event, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing introduced a strategy which was all about education. No specifications, aesthetics or launch dates for the media to speculate and report on, instead we saw a straight to the point presentation which featured innovation, new applications and a vision to change the face of education across the world, not for profit, but for the good of change.
To coincide nicely with the impressive educational announcements made today in New York, Apple have also released iTunes 10.5.3 which adds synchronization support for the newly announced interactive books.
Running out of patience with the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 rumors? Well, then you have come to the right place, as today has brought about some new speculative chatter, this time pertaining to the capabilities of the expected Apple TV set. In the last ten years, Apple has been on a rampage with the sole mission of revolutionizing and improving the music, mobile and portable device industries and it would take a braver man than me to say they have succeeded in doing so, and then some.
Remember netbooks? Those cheap, or at least cheap-ish little computers that were supposed to be the death of all 'real' notebooks just a few short years ago? What happened to them?
Apple has made great strides over the last few years, with the iPhone setting the company on its way to what is fast becoming world domination. It's only a matter of time before the company seeks to colonies the moon and start construction of its Death Ray.
It's an old argument that has been doing the rounds online for as long as I can remember, and the chances are it will be doing the rounds long after we have all given up hope of declaring a real winner. The argument is, of course, about who is the king: PC, or Mac.

