MrCrowbar
Aug 24, 06:29 PM
One day I'll buy a mini - they look so sweet. And with a C2D they'll go sweet too!
Maybe dual optical drives like the Mac pro. This is getting standard on Macs obviously.
:p
Maybe dual optical drives like the Mac pro. This is getting standard on Macs obviously.
:p
rdowns
Mar 19, 05:50 PM
Haven't you heard?
Cold fusion is being suppressed, for now, just like the 100 mpg carburettor was. :)
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Get your attributions straight old man. I didn't say that.
Cold fusion is being suppressed, for now, just like the 100 mpg carburettor was. :)
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Get your attributions straight old man. I didn't say that.
razzmatazz
Aug 6, 09:53 PM
My cup runneth over with excitement.
Too bad I'll be in class all day tomorrow and won't get the minute by minute MR coverage...unless I bring my macbook to class with me. :D
haha! Yea I'm going to be glued to my Macbook watching the updates and jumping with excitement when something is announced :D
Then when the online video comes up on the apple website ill be watching it start to finish and nobody will be able to bother me lol :p
Too bad I'll be in class all day tomorrow and won't get the minute by minute MR coverage...unless I bring my macbook to class with me. :D
haha! Yea I'm going to be glued to my Macbook watching the updates and jumping with excitement when something is announced :D
Then when the online video comes up on the apple website ill be watching it start to finish and nobody will be able to bother me lol :p
mlayer
Apr 2, 11:54 PM
I thought this was about a commercial. Yes, there is an unknown percentage of people getting the light bleed problem. Fortunately I haven't, and I've been happy as a clam since I got the iPad 2. I just scored two baseball games using iScore and between innings, kept track of other games using MLB At Bat, and switched over to the NCAA tourney on occasion. If you asked me 15 years ago, when I had a Newton MP2000, if being able to do that would be considered magical, I'd probably have said no. But I'd follow up by saying that it's nearly everything I'd dreamed of as a sports fan.
cube
Mar 24, 03:33 PM
So then use Windows?
Why would I look at anything else if it were OK to use Windows?
Why would I look at anything else if it were OK to use Windows?
mrthieme
Nov 30, 06:03 AM
Apple has/had an agreement with Mc Intosh, the audiophile company not to do that. I wonder if they have resolved that by buying the company or a fee?
This is a possible limitation.
Rocketman
I was not aware of that, but breaking the agreement with Apple records not to get into the music distribution business has worked out for them I think.
It's funny, the first hifi company I thought of for an Apple HT product was Mcintosh, the complete opposite design asthetic. If I could choose I would prefer someone a little further down the price scale. Rotel would be a nice match, very good performance for the money, for speakers Paradigm comes to mind.
This is a possible limitation.
Rocketman
I was not aware of that, but breaking the agreement with Apple records not to get into the music distribution business has worked out for them I think.
It's funny, the first hifi company I thought of for an Apple HT product was Mcintosh, the complete opposite design asthetic. If I could choose I would prefer someone a little further down the price scale. Rotel would be a nice match, very good performance for the money, for speakers Paradigm comes to mind.
RITZFit
Jan 6, 03:49 PM
My teggy
Daveoc64
Mar 23, 07:13 PM
As far as I know there's three rules that have to be followed when designing an iOS app.
1. No porn
2. no flash
3. it has to be approved.
I really dont' think that's too much to ask.... especially since Apple has complete ownership of the app store. Nbody's forcing you to get their procuts... If you dont' like it, buy an Android phone.
That wouldn't be too much to ask, but there are dozens of other restrictions.
1. No porn
2. no flash
3. it has to be approved.
I really dont' think that's too much to ask.... especially since Apple has complete ownership of the app store. Nbody's forcing you to get their procuts... If you dont' like it, buy an Android phone.
That wouldn't be too much to ask, but there are dozens of other restrictions.
SirOmega
Aug 24, 11:21 PM
Yeah! I was looking at a bunch of minis for a rendering farm, and given the SSE performance improvement over the yonahs (the Pentium-M series have been weak in FP traditionally) this should be fun.
spine
Nov 29, 01:56 PM
I posted this a while ago - but I think Jobs was hinting that apple wants to be everywhere. iPod is a lifestyle product, as is the iTv.
Apple has proven that they have a true understanding of the user experience, and can spread that halo wherever a user may go. Hence the iPod's success, and perhaps the iTv and phone future success.
Bottom line, wherever there is media, apple wants to be there, showing everyone how to do it the best way.
Apple has proven that they have a true understanding of the user experience, and can spread that halo wherever a user may go. Hence the iPod's success, and perhaps the iTv and phone future success.
Bottom line, wherever there is media, apple wants to be there, showing everyone how to do it the best way.
kadajawi
Sep 7, 05:56 AM
"Sin City was 40 million, Renaissance 14 million �, A Scanner Darkly 8.5 millions"
These were cheaper because they relied on digital effects to make a visual impression, rather than a couple hundred tons of actual explosives blowing up a genuine Boieng 747 as you might have in a Hollywood blockbuster.
Good to see you mentioned 2046. Great movie ^^ Wong Kar-Wai is awesome.
Right, but there were tons of artists working on the overpainting of A Scanner Darkly. And they don't blow up 747 anymore... they did such things with Tora! Tora! Tora! and other old movies, but today there is a lot of CGI involved. Remember Batman Begins and how proud they were that the car scene was without any CGI?
Initial D had a tiny budget compared to The Fast and the Furious I and II, yet it had great car scenes with lots of drifting and a nice story. I thought it was by far superior to the Fast ... movies, and it's far more stylish. But it had the Infernal Affairs directors, so that's pretty obvious.
I think big budget today means the studios think it appeals to the masses. They will try to put in a star not for the acting talent or because the star fits in the role best, but because of the name and the promo. They movie will be made for the mainstream, so there will be a bit of a love story, some action scenes, or just some obscene humor. Maybe a remake. And don't experiment. Shouldn't be intellectually challenging. Boring!
Yeah, Wong Kar-Wai is awesome, though I prefer his Chungking Express. Dunno how the budget was on that one, but I'd guess pretty much non existant.
These were cheaper because they relied on digital effects to make a visual impression, rather than a couple hundred tons of actual explosives blowing up a genuine Boieng 747 as you might have in a Hollywood blockbuster.
Good to see you mentioned 2046. Great movie ^^ Wong Kar-Wai is awesome.
Right, but there were tons of artists working on the overpainting of A Scanner Darkly. And they don't blow up 747 anymore... they did such things with Tora! Tora! Tora! and other old movies, but today there is a lot of CGI involved. Remember Batman Begins and how proud they were that the car scene was without any CGI?
Initial D had a tiny budget compared to The Fast and the Furious I and II, yet it had great car scenes with lots of drifting and a nice story. I thought it was by far superior to the Fast ... movies, and it's far more stylish. But it had the Infernal Affairs directors, so that's pretty obvious.
I think big budget today means the studios think it appeals to the masses. They will try to put in a star not for the acting talent or because the star fits in the role best, but because of the name and the promo. They movie will be made for the mainstream, so there will be a bit of a love story, some action scenes, or just some obscene humor. Maybe a remake. And don't experiment. Shouldn't be intellectually challenging. Boring!
Yeah, Wong Kar-Wai is awesome, though I prefer his Chungking Express. Dunno how the budget was on that one, but I'd guess pretty much non existant.
gr8whtd0pe
Jan 23, 11:19 PM
yup 89 accord with 42,000 miles in it, 5 speed manual :D
HA! that's not to shabby off of a hood ornament.
HA! that's not to shabby off of a hood ornament.
KevanDual2.5
Sep 6, 08:56 AM
Maybe i am alone on this one....
I think the 24" iMac G5 is the beginning of the end of the G5 iMac. We all watched as the outstanding G4 iMac grew from a 15" to a 17" and finally to 20". While the stunning design remained the same, the 20" just didn't look as good as the 2 previous models. The proportions were wrong and it looked top-heavy.
I am sitting in front of an original 23" Apple Display (plastic rather than aluminium). The new iMac cannot be much smaller than it. I firmly believe that the 24" will be, and should be, as big as it gets. I just hope that heat doesn't become a problem with the Core 2 Duo chips else the G5 iMac may have to evolve into a new enclosure.
Anyone else have thoughts similar?
I think the 24" iMac G5 is the beginning of the end of the G5 iMac. We all watched as the outstanding G4 iMac grew from a 15" to a 17" and finally to 20". While the stunning design remained the same, the 20" just didn't look as good as the 2 previous models. The proportions were wrong and it looked top-heavy.
I am sitting in front of an original 23" Apple Display (plastic rather than aluminium). The new iMac cannot be much smaller than it. I firmly believe that the 24" will be, and should be, as big as it gets. I just hope that heat doesn't become a problem with the Core 2 Duo chips else the G5 iMac may have to evolve into a new enclosure.
Anyone else have thoughts similar?
Henk Poley
Mar 24, 02:34 PM
Could somebody give an overview of the price and performance range of this list of cards? Just numbers is kind of opaque.
aussie_geek
Oct 23, 08:21 PM
What do you think's in store for mwsf?
hmmm - lots of stuff (santa rosa MacBook Pros of course :p ).
Robed Old Woman clip art
Old Lady S Head
Face Expression Old Woman clip
Face Expression Old Woman clip
hmmm - lots of stuff (santa rosa MacBook Pros of course :p ).
poppe
Sep 1, 12:30 PM
My Guess:
iMac 17" - 1299
1.83 GHz
512MB RAM
160 SATA
8x DL
ATI x1600 - 128
iMac 20" - 1699
2.0 GHz upgradable to 2.16
512MB RAM
250 SATA
8x DL
ATI x1600 128 upgradable to 256 (As is already)
iMac 23": 1900 x 1200 - 1999
2.16 GHz upgradable to 2.33
1 GB Standard
250 SATA upgradable to 500 (as 17" and 20" is)
8x DL
ATI x1600 256
FW 800
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't say upgradable on 17" and 20" hard drives because we already know that.
In a dream world I'd say the 23" vCard would go to the x1800 or something
iMac 17" - 1299
1.83 GHz
512MB RAM
160 SATA
8x DL
ATI x1600 - 128
iMac 20" - 1699
2.0 GHz upgradable to 2.16
512MB RAM
250 SATA
8x DL
ATI x1600 128 upgradable to 256 (As is already)
iMac 23": 1900 x 1200 - 1999
2.16 GHz upgradable to 2.33
1 GB Standard
250 SATA upgradable to 500 (as 17" and 20" is)
8x DL
ATI x1600 256
FW 800
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't say upgradable on 17" and 20" hard drives because we already know that.
In a dream world I'd say the 23" vCard would go to the x1800 or something
Macnoviz
Jul 18, 01:53 PM
If people still drive to the video store to rent movies, then why are Blockbuster et al. going out of business? Everyone I know uses Netflix, not stores, nowadays, unless they don't have a computer, in which case iTunes is not their target market anyway.
Then you can't know that many people, I think you're forgetting there are still people outside of the US, and over here there still is a huge unexplored market for movie rentals. There are no companies that provide services like Netflix, and stores rule the market. If Apple uses the iTunes name for Movie Rentals, it will be a succes in Europe, either way.
Then you can't know that many people, I think you're forgetting there are still people outside of the US, and over here there still is a huge unexplored market for movie rentals. There are no companies that provide services like Netflix, and stores rule the market. If Apple uses the iTunes name for Movie Rentals, it will be a succes in Europe, either way.
hulugu
Nov 29, 09:09 PM
My thoughts exactly.
I'm all for the iPod, I'm happy with my 8GB red nano, but come on people, give the Zune a chance. Many of you are being petty, and I think that this is a stupid comparison.
There is only one Zune model anyway, are they comparing it to the countless models of the iPod?
Is that fair?
Are iPod Shuffles included? Is that fair, considering the price?
I can't access the link for some reason.
First, the Zune reviews have been nearly universally bad, so I think the Zune got a chance and failed.
Secondly, the Zune is number six on Amazon's Bestseller list when compared to hard-drive based players, following three models of the iPod and the Creative Zen Vision. However, the Zune is 17 when compared to all Mp3-players. What does this tell us? Is the Zune a good product, or has the Mp3-player market abandoned the hard-drive based market for flash?
Should other iPods been included, yes and here's why, the Zune has to compete with all the iPods, because it uses a different DRM-scheme and thus is in competition with the entire iPod market. That's the Zune's real problem, it's competing with the whole ecosystem now.
I'm all for the iPod, I'm happy with my 8GB red nano, but come on people, give the Zune a chance. Many of you are being petty, and I think that this is a stupid comparison.
There is only one Zune model anyway, are they comparing it to the countless models of the iPod?
Is that fair?
Are iPod Shuffles included? Is that fair, considering the price?
I can't access the link for some reason.
First, the Zune reviews have been nearly universally bad, so I think the Zune got a chance and failed.
Secondly, the Zune is number six on Amazon's Bestseller list when compared to hard-drive based players, following three models of the iPod and the Creative Zen Vision. However, the Zune is 17 when compared to all Mp3-players. What does this tell us? Is the Zune a good product, or has the Mp3-player market abandoned the hard-drive based market for flash?
Should other iPods been included, yes and here's why, the Zune has to compete with all the iPods, because it uses a different DRM-scheme and thus is in competition with the entire iPod market. That's the Zune's real problem, it's competing with the whole ecosystem now.
Lord Blackadder
Mar 4, 02:27 PM
In many ways, it's shameful today that we think that 60 or even 70mpg is somehow remarkable for a family car. :(
It certainly could be significantly higher. Public taste, laziness on the part of manufacturers and other things have all conspired to keep the bar set low on fuel economy.
In the US, there's one key reason why small cars don't sell (above and beyond the reasons I already listed), and that is that popular wisdom holds that you will die in a small car when someone in a large SUV or truck hits you. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy as people buy big cars because they don't feel safe in small ones, with the result that they become part of the "problem". Ultimately it's down to selfishness. Apparently people would rather kill someone else in an accident than risk being killed themselves.
It's idiotic, but this "wisdom" will only be unlearned slowly. Smaller cars are much safer now then they once were - safer than trucks and SUVs.
By way of a postscript, it's worth pointing out that today's safety and environmental regulations make it more difficult to make a car frugal, small and light than it was when Alec Issigonis designed the Mini. Also, aluminum construction (in smaller production cars such as the A2) remains nearly as rare and expensive as it was in the 50s.
But not the brand image... that could perhaps be the biggest stumbling block of all, it certainly is in Europe anyway.
True, and that's a shame, because brand image often matters than a car's actual merits. If the new Jetta is a turd, people will still buy it because the VW badge has cachet here that GM does not, at least in the realm of small cars.
I'm not going to stand up too much for GM, I've never held a high opinion of most of their products, but I have reasonably read good reviews of the Cruze and I hope they bring the diesel here.
Have to say my preference is for saloons... occasionally an estate (particularly A4 & A6 allroads, also 159 Sportwagons, that sort of thing), hatches (the bigger ones anyway) & estates can/tend to be a little boomy in my experience. Saloons also often have better body rigidity too.
The sedan body is the default in the US. Hatches and wagons are much rarer and therefore more interesting. In Europe it's really the other way around. When you're talking about mid-size or larger cars, sedans do generally have better proportions in my opinion (with a few exceptions - I like 5-Series wagon, and the 1990s Subaru Legacy wagon). Hatches look good on small cars though. The Focus, for example, looked stupid as a sedan but great as a hatch.
I do agree with you about the noise though - my Forester's rear suspension is sometimes very audible in the cabin, especially with the seats down. A few years before I bought my Forester, I used to mock it as the ugliest thing on the road, but I've gotten used to it and while it's never going to be attractive it does have a certain pleasing purposefulness in its proportions. Even though a lesbian couple I know call it my lesbian wagon. :rolleyes::D
It certainly could be significantly higher. Public taste, laziness on the part of manufacturers and other things have all conspired to keep the bar set low on fuel economy.
In the US, there's one key reason why small cars don't sell (above and beyond the reasons I already listed), and that is that popular wisdom holds that you will die in a small car when someone in a large SUV or truck hits you. It's a self-fulfilling prophesy as people buy big cars because they don't feel safe in small ones, with the result that they become part of the "problem". Ultimately it's down to selfishness. Apparently people would rather kill someone else in an accident than risk being killed themselves.
It's idiotic, but this "wisdom" will only be unlearned slowly. Smaller cars are much safer now then they once were - safer than trucks and SUVs.
By way of a postscript, it's worth pointing out that today's safety and environmental regulations make it more difficult to make a car frugal, small and light than it was when Alec Issigonis designed the Mini. Also, aluminum construction (in smaller production cars such as the A2) remains nearly as rare and expensive as it was in the 50s.
But not the brand image... that could perhaps be the biggest stumbling block of all, it certainly is in Europe anyway.
True, and that's a shame, because brand image often matters than a car's actual merits. If the new Jetta is a turd, people will still buy it because the VW badge has cachet here that GM does not, at least in the realm of small cars.
I'm not going to stand up too much for GM, I've never held a high opinion of most of their products, but I have reasonably read good reviews of the Cruze and I hope they bring the diesel here.
Have to say my preference is for saloons... occasionally an estate (particularly A4 & A6 allroads, also 159 Sportwagons, that sort of thing), hatches (the bigger ones anyway) & estates can/tend to be a little boomy in my experience. Saloons also often have better body rigidity too.
The sedan body is the default in the US. Hatches and wagons are much rarer and therefore more interesting. In Europe it's really the other way around. When you're talking about mid-size or larger cars, sedans do generally have better proportions in my opinion (with a few exceptions - I like 5-Series wagon, and the 1990s Subaru Legacy wagon). Hatches look good on small cars though. The Focus, for example, looked stupid as a sedan but great as a hatch.
I do agree with you about the noise though - my Forester's rear suspension is sometimes very audible in the cabin, especially with the seats down. A few years before I bought my Forester, I used to mock it as the ugliest thing on the road, but I've gotten used to it and while it's never going to be attractive it does have a certain pleasing purposefulness in its proportions. Even though a lesbian couple I know call it my lesbian wagon. :rolleyes::D
darkfiber
Apr 2, 08:09 PM
Is this the same Narrator that does the Ken Burns films?
That is actor Peter Coyote. Probably most famous for his role of the federal agent in E.T. Along with many acting roles he has done tons of narration as well. Not sure about Ken Burns films, but he has narrated something like 50 plus documentaries. He was also the voice for Oracle commercials. He did the first iPad commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BvVcSkNkA)as well. Here is his IMDb page...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001075/
and Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Coyote
That is actor Peter Coyote. Probably most famous for his role of the federal agent in E.T. Along with many acting roles he has done tons of narration as well. Not sure about Ken Burns films, but he has narrated something like 50 plus documentaries. He was also the voice for Oracle commercials. He did the first iPad commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2BvVcSkNkA)as well. Here is his IMDb page...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001075/
and Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Coyote
Billy Boo Bob
Jan 2, 02:57 PM
I wouldn't mind seeing some Skype integration alongside the cell... When in range of a Wi-Fi, be a Skype phone (optional)... When out of Wi-Fi range, work as a cell.
Granted, it's not as smooth sounding as a real cell phone, but the way the kids in the house burn up minutes during the day, I'd rather have them use Skype so they can call their friends all they want. That is when they are wanting to talk privately (like most of the time) rather than use MSN Messenger. Maybe some Wi-Fi / Bluetooth option to use it through audio iChat, too. :-)
I doubt that they would do that, though. Especially if they end up being a virtual carrier... They'll want you to use up minutes like any cell carrier.
Granted, it's not as smooth sounding as a real cell phone, but the way the kids in the house burn up minutes during the day, I'd rather have them use Skype so they can call their friends all they want. That is when they are wanting to talk privately (like most of the time) rather than use MSN Messenger. Maybe some Wi-Fi / Bluetooth option to use it through audio iChat, too. :-)
I doubt that they would do that, though. Especially if they end up being a virtual carrier... They'll want you to use up minutes like any cell carrier.
MacSA
Aug 29, 09:08 AM
Does anyone know how much the Core Duo chips will be now that we have Core 2 Duo. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Intel were reducing the prices again. If thats th case, i'd be a bit disappointed to see the Mini stay the same price.
KnightWRX
Apr 26, 01:33 PM
Its a trademark. Give me a break. What do you think the "typed drawing" said?
Try again Knight.
Try again what ? It's not a word mark, it's a typed drawing, meaning you could trademark Pet Store too if it is a different drawing all together (different font, different shape, different color).
It's basically a logo trademark, like let's say : :apple:
Try again Knight.
Try again what ? It's not a word mark, it's a typed drawing, meaning you could trademark Pet Store too if it is a different drawing all together (different font, different shape, different color).
It's basically a logo trademark, like let's say : :apple:
kalisphoenix
Jul 20, 01:42 AM
You are probably nursing those MS shares you bought at $90, hoping for a better day. It is not coming anytime soon sorry to say. Buying is about momentum. Apple has it and MS does not. Vista already has a great deal of bad press and it has not even hit the street. eWeek and other journals are already writing about Vista security vulnerabilities. That is not a good sign. Vista features and functionality has been scaled back numerous times. That too is not a good sign.
Vista will sell more copies in its first two weeks than Leopard in its first year. As several hundred thousand years of humanity have demonstrated, rhyme and reason matters little.
Who would have imagined that the common view. amongst the informed computer community, was MS was trying desperately to draw close to even-up with Apple? About the time MS established Windows 2000, they were at the top of the computer world in just about every SW market there was.
....and they still are. The anti-Apple and anti-Linux advertising games are defense, not offense.
They finally had a very stable desktop, server platform, mail server, yellow pages, browser, office suite, SQL engine, and so on. But once they reached this pinnacle, two things happened (or at least two I want to talk about). One, they became way too greedy with their predatory licensing. It just went through the roof. If you have never purchased SW at the enterprise level, you do not understand how expensive this has become. SW can cost (at least) as much HW at the enterprise level.
No doubt, but I don't see businesses exactly fleeing in droves.
The second thing that happened at MS is best described in a quote "When Alexander looked at his empire, he wept for there was nothing more to conquer." Instead of continuing on the path of R&D, they tried to find "new worlds to conquer", secure in the knowledge they had indeed subdued all competitors who could challenge them. Sun had tried to mount a charge in the early-mid 90's. Fortunately for MS, Sun's CEO lacked the wherewithal to do more than file lawsuits. Linux suffers from the exact problems that have plagued the Unix community; they cannot unify because they have no leadership.
Sun's ailments are a lot more complicated than that, as are SGI's. Most of their problem is that their workstation prices make Apple's seem like bargain-bin deals.
Gah. The Linux community doesn't want to unify. In fact, not unifying is the core of their philosophy. The vast majority of Linux users (ie, non-n00bs) don't really give a crap about mass adoption of Linux. Many even view such a possibility with horror and disgust. The only priority is choice. It's why there are 415 distributions (none of which are compatible with each other), 9,843 window managers (none of which have remotely similar configuration options), and 3.43x10^15 terminal emulators (none of which actually emulate terminals any better or worse than any other one).
Waving the "king of the OS hill" prize in front of a bunch of Linux users/developers will only result in them staring at you like a dog that's been shown a card trick. With very few exceptions, only n00bs (and uncomprehending businessmen who think they can somehow profit) want mass adoption of Linux.
Vista will sell more copies in its first two weeks than Leopard in its first year. As several hundred thousand years of humanity have demonstrated, rhyme and reason matters little.
Who would have imagined that the common view. amongst the informed computer community, was MS was trying desperately to draw close to even-up with Apple? About the time MS established Windows 2000, they were at the top of the computer world in just about every SW market there was.
....and they still are. The anti-Apple and anti-Linux advertising games are defense, not offense.
They finally had a very stable desktop, server platform, mail server, yellow pages, browser, office suite, SQL engine, and so on. But once they reached this pinnacle, two things happened (or at least two I want to talk about). One, they became way too greedy with their predatory licensing. It just went through the roof. If you have never purchased SW at the enterprise level, you do not understand how expensive this has become. SW can cost (at least) as much HW at the enterprise level.
No doubt, but I don't see businesses exactly fleeing in droves.
The second thing that happened at MS is best described in a quote "When Alexander looked at his empire, he wept for there was nothing more to conquer." Instead of continuing on the path of R&D, they tried to find "new worlds to conquer", secure in the knowledge they had indeed subdued all competitors who could challenge them. Sun had tried to mount a charge in the early-mid 90's. Fortunately for MS, Sun's CEO lacked the wherewithal to do more than file lawsuits. Linux suffers from the exact problems that have plagued the Unix community; they cannot unify because they have no leadership.
Sun's ailments are a lot more complicated than that, as are SGI's. Most of their problem is that their workstation prices make Apple's seem like bargain-bin deals.
Gah. The Linux community doesn't want to unify. In fact, not unifying is the core of their philosophy. The vast majority of Linux users (ie, non-n00bs) don't really give a crap about mass adoption of Linux. Many even view such a possibility with horror and disgust. The only priority is choice. It's why there are 415 distributions (none of which are compatible with each other), 9,843 window managers (none of which have remotely similar configuration options), and 3.43x10^15 terminal emulators (none of which actually emulate terminals any better or worse than any other one).
Waving the "king of the OS hill" prize in front of a bunch of Linux users/developers will only result in them staring at you like a dog that's been shown a card trick. With very few exceptions, only n00bs (and uncomprehending businessmen who think they can somehow profit) want mass adoption of Linux.