Posted on 06/22/2006 1:20:41 AM PDT by Swordmaker
Like Apple, Microsoft is also acting upon competitive pressures -- but Apple is going after Goliath while Microsoft is trying to protect its flank. It feels threatened by open source software, such as Linux. Linux and programs that run under it are also typically much less expensive than Windows and Windows programs.
"Warning: Flying Pig Sighted" and "Hell Freezes Over" were among the many headlines of computer publication articles and online posts about two recent even s that have shaken the computer world.
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) , and the Linux community, longtime adversaries offering largely incompatible computing platforms, are putting aside some differences for the sake of computer users. This is creating a new set of decisions that savvy computer users, and those responsible for them, should examine.
Strategy, Not Charity
Apple started the ball rolling last year when it announced it was moving to Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) chips, which have traditionally been used to power most Windows PCs. Then in April of this year, it announced the free download of Boot Camp software to let Windows XP run on Intel-based Macs.
Meanwhile, Microsoft announced in April that it would begin providing technical support to some users of Linux, the open source operating system that's a competitor to Windows. Specifically, Microsoft will support Linux running on Microsoft Virtual Server.
Microsoft also created a Web site, Port 25, to facilitate communication with Microsoft customers using Linux and other open source software.
Both Apple and Microsoft are making these moves for strategic rather than altruistic reasons -- but users will have more options, and that is a good thing.
Mac Users Get It All
With only about a 2 percent share of the personal computer market, Apple has been trying unsuccessfully for years to persuade users of Windows PCs to switch to more user-friendly and reliable -- though more pricey -- Macs.
The Mac's unique selling proposition has always been that it's different, and, by extension, Mac users are different and more discriminating. Now Mac users will be able to run Windows as well as the Mac operating system on their beloved Macs, along with the many Windows-only programs.
Apple has tried in the past to become more of a standard, briefly allowing other companies to make Mac clones.
This latest gambit appears to be an acknowledgment that for better or worse, Windows is the standard -- so why not let Mac users have their cake and eat it too?
Apple is hoping that more people in business, educational and home settings will now opt for a Mac rather than a Windows PC.
Microsoft Under the Gun
Running Windows on a Mac isn't risk-free, however. There are security issues and hardware requirements. The computer news and information site Cnet has put together a FAQ to address these concerns.
As a testimony to how fast things move in the computer and computer publishing industry, about a week after the release of Apple's Boot Camp, book publisher O'Reilly announced the availability of a book about installation and operation. The book is in the form of a US$7.99 PDF download.
Like Apple, Microsoft is also acting upon competitive pressures -- but Apple is going after Goliath while Microsoft is trying to protect its flank.
It feels threatened by open source software, such as Linux. Linux and programs that run under it are also typically much less expensive than Windows and Windows programs.
Despite opening up to it, Microsoft doesn't like Linux. With its Get the Facts campaign, it disseminates information trying to dissuade people from using Linux.
Its new effort still promotes the use of Microsoft products, specifically those to manage Linux. Commendably, Microsoft also wants to help Microsoft and Linux products run smoothly on the same network.
Macs for Everyone
What all this means is that there's less reason than ever to stick with Windows just because it's the standard.
The Mac isn't only for educational users and those in the art and design communities. You can run thousands of Mac business programs on the Mac -- and now with Boot Camp, you can also run many more Windows programs as well.
Linux also deserves a serious look for business users running networks and small business and home users. Linux distributions from Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT) and Novell (Nasdaq: NOVL) , for instance, largely overcome the greater challenges in installing and using Linux.
Linux Online offers comprehensive information and resources about Linux, including Linux distributions and application programs.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has delayed the release of Windows Vista, the next version of its Windows operating system, until next year. It's still unclear what improvements Windows Vista will have over Windows XP, the Mac or Linux. What is clear, though, is that the options make computing, and the choices surrounding it, more interesting than ever.
If not for IPOD income feeding the Apple company income, the computers division IMO would have sunk already.
The easiest way to use websites that want Internet Explorer is to get Safari Enhancer. and then set the "user agent" in the debug menu to "Windows MSIE 6.0" and the website will think its talking to a Windows computer and most things work fine.
Safari Enhancer also gives you some neat tab handling features....
The Macintosh business may be small relative to the totality of the PC business, but revenues are high and customers perhaps the world's most loyal.
Macs aren't going away any time soon, and the OS and hardware are both getting radically better at the same time the Windows platform has been stagnating.
That may change somewhat with Windows Vista, but the beta doesn't seem to have set the world on fire. Most reviews have been tepid at best, savage at worst.
D
Exactly what part of the following facts do you fail to understand?
. . . For every 75,000 Macs sold, Apple earns $100 million in revenue (not including attach rates for software, service, and peripherals), while every 500,000 iPods equates to approximately $100 million in revenue, according to the firm. . . .
Apple sold ~4,750,000 computers in 2005... and this year sales numbers are up 37%. If, as the above quote states, Apple earns $100 million per 75,000 Macs sold, then that translates into 63.3 times $100,000,000, or $6,333,000,000 ... that's a little over SIX BILLION DOLLARS in sales reveunes from Macs. Apple sold ~37 million iPods in 2005... which translates into 74 times $100,000,000 or $7,400,000,000 in sales... which looks impressive and is... but the profit MARGIN on Macs is much higher than the profit margin on iPods. Profits are far higher from Mac sales than from iPod sales.
As I mentioned, Mac sales are UP 37% this year over last... and 2005 Mac sales were up 28% over 2004 sales... and iPod sales are projected to level off. If the figures are correct, then Mac sales could top 6.5 million and earnings over 8 billion dollars just from Macs.
I haven't even turned my Mac on in 3 months. I just don't like it.
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