These are interesting times. The worms keep coming. OS X continues to stay virus and worm free and yet there is still just one web page that I can find on security at Apple.com. Even Paul Thurott is saying that Apple could take down Microsoft.
And if we accept that fact--and we should--then it isn't so crazy to believe that Microsoft might, in fact, fall to Apple. After all, Bill Gates himself believes a company like Apple is what his company should fear the most. Maybe he's right. And maybe it's all the more true because he's wasting so much time and energy worrying about that red herring Google.
Maybe.
Perhaps Apple is just biding their time. Yet you just never know with Apple. Could Apple really have become a music company? Apple has always done a pretty good job of riding one horse while changing to another mount so maybe that is it. All the computer stuff is just a diversion. Just look how long they rode the Apple II while moving to the Mac.
Apple has an unprecedented opportunity unfolding in front of them.
According to the Sophos poll, which received more than 1,000 responses, 35% of business PC users blame Microsoft for the attacks, while 20% blame systems administrators for not patching systems quickly enough. Unsurprisingly, nearly half, 45%, of respondents said that the virus writers do need to take the blame.
This would appear to be fantastic good news for Apple. Yet will Apple rise to the opportunity? Apple has a way of going its own way and not in the direction that people necessarily expect or want.
Probably the biggest challenge is that for Apple to unseat Microsoft, Apple will need lots of partners. The reality is that Apple does not work well with most partners. There's lots of evidence over the years that Apple doesn't even like to be helped. Apple likes to do things their way.
I find MacSurfer articles a good measure of where Apple is headed. It would be interesting to count the iTunes related articles and compare them to computer related articles. Somehow I think there has been a cosmic change. Almost all the opinion articles relate to what Steve is going to do with the iTunes pricing.
Also the last few times I've gone into an Apple Retail Store, I get the feeling I'm in an iPod accessory store not a computer store.
Of course if Apple is just busy working on their Intel powered machines, maybe this whole music fascination is just a diversion until Apple has all their computer ducks in a row.
The one safe bet with Apple is to wait and see. I still believe we'll see an authorized version of OS X running on Intel boxes from other manufacturers beside Apple at some time in the future. It just makes too much sense. Apple would be a lousy commodity hardware producer, and only by OS X running on commodity hardware will we see significant market share gains by Apple.
As to the pricing of iTunes songs which seems to be worrying everyone, here's one other thought to consider. It's more than just a pricing issue, it's a software issue. Everyone who thinks Apple has sophisticated back end systems has never worked with Apple's systems. While I cannot personally attest to the ITMS back end software, I am betting that creating different pricing levels would likely be a huge challenge for Apple.
This isn't related to this post, per se, but as somebody who used to be in Apple sales (though probably not in the department I'm about to question you about), I wonder what your take on or speculate as to what on earth could have happened to cause Apple to launch and cancel a promotion within a day...by which I mean the "Test Drive a Mac Mini for 30 days" promo that was cancelled after a single day...
Posted by: Wes McGee | September 02, 2005 at 05:58 PM
About Apple selling OSX for commodity boxes.
Do you still think that Apple is reducing its investment in the computer hardware business? Or maybe you didn't argue that, but it seemed that's what you meant when you wrote about Apple's move to Intel.
I understood it as Apple would now have Intel shouldering way more of the hardware development costs allowing Apple to focus more on iPod, music, future consumer electronics, software, apps, and maybe OSX for new hardware vendors like Dell, etc.
On this note, did you hear that Intel is promising to deliver a new computer form factor called the Hand Top in mid 2006? For me this points towards Apple working with Intel to develop software for Intel developed hardware platforms. And these OS X based platforms could then be licensed to other manufacturers.
Maybe then with the new Platforms business (plus Music, iPod) Apple can grow fast enough to cross that size hurdle they never felt they could to compete for serious PC marketshare. Besides, Intel provides them a serious partner and serious resources to help Apple grow into a mainstream PC company.
Posted by: Alex in Los Angeles | September 06, 2005 at 04:22 PM
Apple will be around for a long time yet.
Posted by: Deane | June 06, 2007 at 10:42 AM