Is Apple planning an OS switch?

MacNN ^ | 02/16/2006

[Panerai]

A professor at Rutgers University thinks Apple may be setting up to switch to the Windows OS. John Dvorak of PC Magazine writes that professor of psychology Yakov Epstein has noticed a few "coincidences" that point to Apple moving towards the Windows OS. Epstein's observations include the fact that the Apple Switch campaign is over, and "nobody switched;" the lack of FireWire connectors for new iPods as the PC world is the new "target audience;" very few consumers have switched to Macs after being more exposed to Apple products via the iPod; and the switch to the Intel-based microprocessor. Dvorak points to the fact that Apple has reacted strongly to Macintosh gossip sites, saying it is Apple's way of attempting to stem future rumors about product development.

The list of coincidences continues, with Dvorak noting an onscreen appearance by Bill Gates "during Apple's turnaround when Jobs was taking a pot of money from Microsoft," a comment by a Microsoft spokesperson at the Macworld Expo indicating that Microsoft Office would conitnue to be developed for the Mac for "five years" ("What happens after that?" asks Dvorak.)

"This switch to Windows may have originally been planned for this year and may partly explain why Adobe and other high-end apps were not ported to the Apple x86 platform when it was announced in January. At Macworld, most observers said that these new Macs could indeed run Windows now."

Dvorak says that a switch to Windows would make more financial sense for Apple, as it could allow Microsoft to do most of the work, put Apple in the mainstream to compete directly with Dell and HP, and with a little tweaking Apple could retain its GUI and perhaps even improve the OS. "Now with the cash cow iPod line, it can afford to drop expensive OS development and just make jazzy, high-margin Windows computers to finally get beyond that five-percent market share."

The main problem, according to Dvorak, would be appeasing the angry Mac lovers, whom he suspects Steve Jobs would be able to sooth with reminders that any program at all could run on a Windows-Mac, giving users the "best of both worlds."

[SlowBoat407]

Scrappleface?

[af_vet_rr]

All I need to know about this article is in the first paragrahp "A professor at Rutgers University".

You don't even need to know the location or college, because it's a "professor of psychology".

Unfortunately, this was done by Dvorak to probably generate traffic, which generates advertising revenues. I see this all the time, unfortunately.

Posting something controversial and that has no chance of happening, and that is basically being done for traffic - you will see a lot more of this in the future. Right now people don't realize it for what it is.

[anonymous_user]

Damn, they figured it out.
Last one out turn off the lights. I'm going to Disneyland.

- S. Jobs

[antiRepublicrat]

Epstein's observations include the fact that the Apple Switch campaign is over, and "nobody switched;"

Apple sales have gone up how many percent? Millions switched.

I'm glad he's not a professor of marketing. Every ad campaign has its end. It's hard for Apple to play the underdog anymore with them being firmly on top of the mp3 player business to the point that "iPod" = "mp3 player" as much as "Band Aid" = "adhesive bandage strip." Now they need another angle.

[Terpfen]

What uninformed IDIOCY. Literally every "reason" cited is anything BUT a reason why Apple "might" switch to Windows.

I wish I could laugh at this, but it's just too pathetic.

[chet_in_ny]

This better not be true. I feel as though I drive a Grumman Mail truck at work (Dell PC)... when I get home I always have my Porsche (the G4 with OS 10).

[solitas]

Dvorak drinks his bath water.

[BlazingArizona]

Some of my more excitable and radical fellow Mac fans feel like beheading Dvorak for this bizarre hypothesis (check out the discussion on Slashdot today). OS X is the main reason for choosing Apple over infidel machines. I do suspect that the next release of OS X will gain the ability to run a Windows application in a protected 'sandbox', to pull in all those people who say they would switch if it were not for the one crucial WIndows-only app they can't do without, but there would be totally no point in Apple running Windows.

[SunkenCiv]

Dvorak is just making his own fun. :') He also really dislikes Steve Jobs and vice versa.

[Sir_Ed]

I never got into that iPod and iTunes stuff, I just use my Macs to do work, but tell me...this "podcast" thing, would I need an iPod to listen to it, or can I just download it and listen to it while I'm working.

I always liked Leo LaPorte, Dvorak and especially the Woz.

Thanks,

Ed

[Petronski]

Check out "www.thisweekintech.com" and you'll find links to download the show in it's native mp3 format, playable on your desktop/laptop computer. I use winamp.


All the shows are there, some of them are in video, but with the video you're only getting talking heads, so the mp3 should be enough.

No iPod needed (I don't have one either).

[Petronski]

Dayum!

[RogueIsland]

Seems dubious at best. Even most of us who use Windows readily admit that OS X is one slick operating system. That and styling are what give Apple its entire niche -- they certainly aren't going to compete on price/performance. I don't see them giving up their niche advantage.

[Sir_Ed]

Thanks, Petroski!

Ed

[dighton]

Blew my BS meter to atoms.