Ars Technica Posts An Apple Year In Review

by , 11:30 AM EST, December 31st, 2003

In a few hours, 2003 will be history. As is typical during this time of year, people look back on the events of the past 12 months to get a bit of perspective; to see where they have been and where they are heading. News sites are also replete with reviews of people, companies, or anything of interest, so, of course you'll get a report or two detailing Apple's doings.

One such report comes from Ars Technica, which has posted a rather in-depth look at the highlight and lowlights of the crew at 1 Infinite Loop. Here's a bit of the article titled, Mac.Ars takes on 2003: the year in review:

2003 was a big year for Apple, and arguably its most successful in over a decade on a number of metrics. Apple's stock hit its highest point since May 2002, and after spending most of the rest of that year and first part of 2003 in the US$13-17 range, is now comfortably above US$20. Apple also said goodbye to one of its CPU stalwarts which had been in its lineup since 1997 — the G3. 2003 also looked like the beginning of the end for the oft-maligned G4 processor family for Apple with the long-awaited introduction of the G5 (PowerPC 970). Finally, Apple played a large role in the reinvigoration of the online music sales market with its launch of the iTunes Music Store in April. This week, Mac.Ars looks back on Apple's 2003 — the good, the bad, the ugly — and looks ahead to what 2004 might hold for Apple.

The article is divided into categories; Pro Desktops, Consumer Desktops, Pro Laptops, Consumer Laptop, Software and Gadgets (which takes a look at apple software, like iLife and Panther, and things like the iPod). There's a rather complete synopsis of the happenings in that category for the past year, and a prediction of what may come next year. After each of these section is a "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" rating. While it's a lengthy read, it is well worth the time, so stop by Ars Technica for the full article.

The Mac Observer Spin:

The Ars Technica review of Apple's offerings this past year is an absolute must-read. Author, Eric Bangemen, has done an excellent job in succinctly laying out all of the great things Apple has done, while giving out the straight poop on things not so great. We highly recommend that you take the time to read the article.

Mac.Ars takes on the year in review