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To: Halfmanhalfamazing

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.


8 posted on 11/10/2005 12:23:01 AM PST by coconutt2000 (NO MORE PEACE FOR OIL!!! DOWN WITH TYRANTS, TERRORISTS, AND TIMIDCRATS!!!! (3-T's For World Peace))
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To: coconutt2000

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.


11 posted on 11/10/2005 1:32:03 AM PST by John Valentine
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To: coconutt2000
Apple branded office software that is compatible with Microsoft file formats

Microsoft Office is already available for the Mac, and is generally considered better than its Windows counterpart.

17 posted on 11/10/2005 7:16:51 AM PST by antiRepublicrat
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To: coconutt2000

Both are good ideas, but I don't fully agree.

Apple is not a small company, but I don't know if they have the resources to take on that much all at once.(perhaps some mergers would change that)

They'd have much better luck by pushing technologies already available.

They already re-packaged one OSS technology, KHTML. That's called Safari. They could(should) repackage open office.

Then just focus in on the games.

And being UNIX, Apple's OS compared to windows is the better OS. Including gaming.


22 posted on 11/10/2005 5:48:22 PM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing (You upgraded to Linux? No, I'm not surprised your computer works properly now. Amazing, no?)
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