John C. Dvorak

John Charles Dvorak (born 5 April 1952) is an American columnist and broadcaster in the areas of technology and computing.

1980s & 1990s

 * The nature of the personal computer is simply not fully understood by companies like Apple (or anyone else for that matter). Apple makes the arrogant assumption of thinking that it knows what you want and need. It, unfortunately, leaves the “why” out of the equation — as in “why would I want this?” The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a “mouse”. There is no evidence that people want to use these things.
 * In a review of the Macintosh in The San Francisco Examiner (19 February 1984)


 * The Noisiest buzz in the industry lately has been over the emerging use of cable TV systems to provide fast network data transmissions using a device called a cable modem. But the likelihood of this technology succeeding is zilch.
 * "The Looming Cable Modem Fiasco" in PC Magazine (12 September 1995)


 * The AmigaOS remains one of the great operating systems of the past 20 years, incorporating a small kernel and tremendous multitasking capabilities the likes of which have only recently been developed in OS/2 and Windows NT. The biggest difference is that the AmigaOS could operate fully and multitask in as little as 256K of address space. Even today, the OS is only about 1MB in size. And to this day, there is very little a memory-hogging CD-ROM-loading OS can do the Amiga can't. Tight code - there's nothing like it. I've had an Amiga for maybe a decade. It's the single most reliable piece of equipment I've ever owned. It's amazing! You can easily understand why so many fanatics are out there wondering why they are alone in their love of the thing. The Amiga continues to inspire a vibrant - albeit cultlike - not unlike which you have with Linux, the Unix clone.
 * "Inside Track", PC Magazine (22 October 1996)

2000s

 * When I hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, I see that the System Idle Process is hogging all the resources and chewing up 95 percent of the processor's cycles. Doing what? Doing nothing?
 * "XP Decay" in PC Magazine (9 September 2003)


 * People are always looking for the be-all-end-all super perfect Linux. It will never happen until Microsoft does Linux. Oops. Did I say that?
 * PC Magazine, "Inside Track", (26 June 2007), p. 1


 * The absolute deterioration of the wiki concept is just a matter of time. Once spam mechanisms are developed to eat into these systems, the caretakers will be too busy to stop the public-driven deterioration.
 * "The Wikification of Knowledge" in [[w:PC Magazine|PC Magazine] (11 July 2005)]


 * There was always something about Creative Commons and its name that bugged me, too. The name sounds like a variation of the once-powerful Common Cause political-action committee. A ring of days gone by — nostalgia. All I see here is making the very easy and simple U.S. copyright laws more complex for no apparent reason, except maybe as a protest.
 * "Creative Commons Humbug" in PC Magazine (18 July 2005)


 * If [Apple] is smart it will call the iPhone a "reference design" and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else's marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures. It should do that immediately before it's too late.
 * "Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone" in MarketWatch (28 March 2007)

2010s

 * The tablet market has only succeeded as a niche market over the years and it was hoped Apple would dream up some new paradigm to change all that. From what I've seen and heard, this won't be it.
 * "Hello, giant iPod Touch" in MarketWatch (29 January 2010)


 * I hate to use that term [iPad Killer] since the iPad is probably dead anyway.
 * No Agenda podcast #177 (February 2010)


 * The Apple iPad is not going to be the company's next runaway best seller. Not if the industry can help it. … with the iPad, Apple may have irked its somewhat new partner Intel Corp. Intel gets spanked by nobody.
 * "The iPad faces industry backlash" in The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch (12 February 2010)


 * Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs. In fact, he's about as thrilling as dental floss.
 * Wake Me Up When Apple's WWDC is Over in PC Magazine (12 June 2012)


 * [A]s for my prediction that [the iPhone] would be a bad idea for Apple to pursue, anything can still happen. Time is a cruel mistress.
 * "Wrong? Dvorak blames his 'getting screwed over' by Apple" in NetworkWorld (27 June 2012)


 * Nobody can deny that Apple is fashionable, and most iPhone users buy the newest so they can be fashionable. To do this right, Apple needs a new phone every quarter.
 * Giddyup, Apple! in PC Magazine (29 June 2012)


 * I consider this situation to be dire for Apple. When the iPhone 5 arrives shortly, it will be crunch time for the company. ... It may be the last important iPhone.
 * Why Apple Actually Lost to Samsung in PC Magazine (28 August 2012)


 * Within the decade, Microsoft should have a minimum of 300 stores. They should do as well as the Apple Stores … [Microsoft] is going to experiment with holiday pop-up shops this year in various cities. I predict they will be hugely successful.
 * "Microsoft Retail Stores Will Rival Apple Stores" in PC Magazine (3 October 2012)


 * If Apple has a flaw, it's the inability of the company to crush competition using the kind of aggressive tactics that companies like Microsoft and Intel have always applied.
 * "Apple's Swan Song" in PC Magazine (14 January 2013)


 * [O]ver time, I have come to realize that I was right about the iPhone and the smartphone in general. It has become a plague on humanity and a general annoyance. The iWatch will be worse.
 * An Open Letter to Apple: No iWatch, Please! in PC Magazine (9 July 2014)


 * If [Apple's upcoming watch] can't replace the iPhone completely it's a goner.
 * The Apple iTime Is Destined to Fail in PC Magazine (30 July 2014)


 * One thing that always bothers me is the attention the iPhone camera gets. The latest will have image stabilization, advanced phase focus, 4K video, 60 fps video, 240 fps slo-mo, and all sorts of features. That said — these are still just pinhole cameras on steroids. The only good thing they do is allow citizens to take more and more videos of crimes.
 * Apple's Travesty of a 'Live' Event in PC Magazine (9 September 2014)


 * Unfortunately, the public is all gaga over the idea of replacing a card swipe with an NFC pass-over using a smartphone. Go ahead and believe that. But if you think it is also hacker-proof, you'll be in for a surprise. It's no safer than using the mattress to stash cash. At some point, you can expect to be robbed blind.
 * Apple Pay: What's the Big Deal? in PC Magazine (22 October 2014)


 * The computer division of Apple will eventually become a genuine albatross around the company's neck. So it's better off as a standalone company focused on computers.
 * Apple Should Spin Off the Macintosh - Making a separate company for MacOS PCs is smart for all involved in PC Magazine (22 June 2016)


 * Apple mentions the Mac less and less at its big events. The company knows that the machine is a drain on resources that detracts from its new core business ... Mac will be phased out and the whole line will be replaced by iPads.
 * Apple Is Ready to Ditch the Mac in PC Magazine (7 December 2017)