PING!
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Posted on 11/09/2005 6:14:06 AM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing
APPLE PUNDITS are predicting that the entertainment gear maker is set to take on Microsoft in an operating system war again.
According to Architosh, an Apple insider has told it that Apple's Messiah Steve Jobs is planning to make an announcement about expanding the Macintosh market share soon.
(Excerpt) Read more at volesoft.com ...
Will apple reclaim the spot they've had over the last decade or so(that they recently lost) as #2 OS?
There's been speculation that an intel mac will be seen in january. I suppose only time will tell, but the hurdle for them to reclaim the #2 spot isn't nearly as large as the one in front of them for #1.
(I'm talking about userbase/size)
>>>That is that a patent has been discovered that allows Apple to protect the installation of the Mac OS X to just Apple-produced hardware. The patent describes a process whereby users would be able to load one of three operating systems as their primary OS and then load a secondary operating system as their secondary OS
So Apple will allow Windows (and Linux?) to be installed on their hardware, but OS X cannot be installed on any hardware than Apple's.
Seems like a brilliant idea to me, it ought to bring into the fold the people who have been on the brink of switching, but have been held up because of software availability.
Apple will probably even make dual-booting a fool-proof process (iBoot?).
That question is based on a faulty premise. Most of the Linux computers sold in the Far East are reformatted by customers with pirated copies of Windows.
Mac OS X is currently the #2 operating system in usage, between Windows and Linux.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^Seems like a brilliant idea to me, it ought to bring into the fold the people who have been on the brink of switching, but have been held up because of software availability.^^^^^^^^^^^^
If Apple were to push their OS out the door to everybody, as much of a pro-linux guy as I am, I think they'd do some real damage to microsoft.
Linux's biggest problem is that we don't have a Steve Jobs. A master of marketing.
I've always questioned apple's vision of selling an experience, but I do understand it. Their software is stable very much in part because you have such limitations on hardware. There's less confusion on part of drivers and so on. But their price premium in my eyes has never been worth it, not for that much proprietary. If these OEMs didn't gouge the prices so much for the hardware when something went bad I wouldn't be so opposed to it.
^^^^^^^Apple will probably even make dual-booting a fool-proof process (iBoot?).^^^^^^^^^^^
Been done already. Fedora, Suse, etc. If anything, they could save alot of time/money by just repackaging LILO/GRUB like they did with KHTML to create Safari.(yes I'm aware of their mods)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Most of the Linux computers sold in the Far East are reformatted by customers with pirated copies of Windows.^^^^^^^^^^^^^
#2 by userbase, not by marketshare.
By apple's own numbers, they have roughly 25 million users.
Gartner projected linux to pass the mac this year(05) as #2 as well as IDC, who thought it more likely to have happened in 2003.
Apple is losing userbase to linux as well. Doesn't have to be much, but right off the top of my head I can think of a person who uses a mac, linux only. Linus Torvalds. It'd be plain stupidity to think he's the only one.
Mac is #3.
For U.S. retail store computer sales in September, Apple was reported to have a 6.7% marketshare - a big jump over previous reports. Gartner and IDC missed that prediction. Perhaps the figures you saw excluded OS products pre-installed on new computers?
I use Linux for servers, and it does a great job at that. But the Linux user interface is awful for the average desktop/laptop computer user. Frankly, it's stinks worse than Windows.
BusinessWeek is publishing an article tomorrow - November 10, 2005 - Apple's Growing Army of Converts - reporting that an increasing number of computer users are dumping Windows and switching to Macs.
PING!
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If Apple is going to take on Microsoft, they're going to have to do two things.
1) Apple branded office software that is compatible with Microsoft file formats
2) Buy a game software company and start by turning out great ports of PC games, and later start producing their own games
The first item is the only way they'll really make inroads into the business market. The server-client integration that Apple already has is terrific and cross platform, for the most part. The basic technologies are already part of Mac OS X, namely LDAP, Bonjour, and solid network integration and security. Office software that protects data, seamlessly integrates with file/print/document-sharing servers and is backward compatible with Microsoft Office would be a major killer, especially if the licensing is more generous, and the features more robust. A mere Office clone would be a disappointment, and it wouldn't match Jobs modus operandi.
The second item is a necessity made simpler by the transition to Intel's hardware. Now the only translation will be the APIs, and not on the machine code. If Apple purchases a company like MacSoft and applies their expertise to the porting of games that have never made it to the Apple platform, then the resistance to the purchasing of a Macintosh will be decreased further.
Better office software, better or equal gaming software.
Linux is however for people who like to be able to customise their OS to a heavy degree - it's sort of like car enthusiasts who like to get under the bonnet and fix up the engine. Mac and Windows is for those who can't be arsed.
Regards, Ivan
In the Linux world, there is no adherence to a consistent set of user interface guidelines, so each program has its own weird GUI. That may be acceptable to hobbyists, professionals and masochists, but it's a confusing experience for the average user.
Theoretically, it's possible that Linux could have a great GUI someday. It could happen if all of the developers agreed on a good common framework, like GNUstep. But that seems very unlikely, so I strongly recommend Macs over Linux for most users.
There is already Microsoft branded office software that meets each and every one of your critera.
Oddly enough, it's called "Office for Mac". There is absolutely no reason for Apple to take on Microsoft in this arena.
While I do like Microsoft Office for Mac, Apple can push the envelope by leveraging its high levels of innovation and the technologies already incorporated in its operating system.
Office for Mac has many shortcomings, and it really isn't a forward thinking software suite. There is plenty of space for innovation, but only a company like Apple would be able to challenge Microsoft's supremacy in the productivity software arena. Most of the advanced Office technologies are reserved for the Windows versions. These are the technologies used by big businesses in their workflow. Medium and small business don't, but they could. Apple could change this, and in time make inroads in big business.
I can't say you're wrong.
I use both the Office for the MAc (at home) and Office windows version (at work).
I can't really say that I have noticed any more features on the Windows version, and in fact the differences I have noticed in the area of user interface heavily favor the Mac version, in my opinion.
Now, could Apple or someone else trump the Office suite? Could be. But considering how entranched Office (Word and Excel) are, it would be an exceedingly tough nut to crack.
The differences are apparent in big business applications, but the only reason such technologies are only used in big business is because of its "complexity" to setup and maintain.
Apple has already made the move with iChat's Jabber and Bonjour features, and the VPN service built into Apple's server software is important too. Apple Mail integration, Backup 2.0, Dot Mac, and a lot of other features that can be harnessed for productivity are all developing at a rapid pace. Apple's Mac OS X "Services" are also an important feature.
I'm positive Apple is moving in the direction of releasing an enterprise level productivity suite, simple enough to deploy in small and medium size businesses, powerful enough to entice businesses to think about making the switch, and cheaper than Microsoft Office.
I think it's not having a large group of people ensuring a pleasant and consistent user experience. I use Linux, the UI and standard program and utility set still looks cobbled together.
Yellow Dog Linux. Quite popular. It'll even run an XServe faster than OS X. OTOH, don't forget that probably most current Linux uses are for servers, not desktops. Linux is definitely ahead of Apple in servers.
Linux also has an infinitesimally small marketshare of joe user, much higher only in the geek world.
Microsoft Office is already available for the Mac, and is generally considered better than its Windows counterpart.
I wish people would stop pointing out the obvious. I own a copy of Office for Mac, and yes - as an independent software suite for single use or small business use, it is good.
But if Apple is to really challenge Microsoft it has to have an enterprise, big business productivity software suite. There are features to Microsoft Office for Windows that nobody uses outside of mid to big business. Microsoft is NEVER going to port their Back Office, Entourage server, and other enterprise technologies to the Mac version.
Without the server back end support in a productivity suite, Apple doesn't have a chance of making serious inroads in big business. I've said in follow up posts that Apple has been laying the groundwork for their own version of these technologies for the past two to three years. If Apple ever decides to leverage their integration against Microsoft's supremacy, they stand a good chance of holding their own. I think this is especially likely if Apple's product is cheaper to maintain, easy to set up, and stable.
MicroSoft may be ready to give up.
Just kidding. Sort of.
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