Apple´s future

[koim]

I´ve done some thinking.

I´ts clear that in this situation. Apple will never "take over" the computer market. People will continue to use PC´s for this simple reason:

PC´s are the standard of computers.
You could compare it with cars. PC´s would be the ordinary car that everybody buys, that can be fixed at the local auto-repair shop.
Macs are different though, they use an entirely
different and expensive gasoline. And you need to travel further to get it fixed.

Not sure if I hit the spot there, but the point is nevertheless, that if you´ve got a PC, you can easily buy a new motherboard, prosessor and so forward in your local computer shop. Because it´s standard around the globe.

Mac´s have another motherboard architecture as far as I´ve understood.

Now, what if Apple developed Mac OSX to work on x86 processors. Apple would continue to sell computers, Apple´s computers would be quality assured PC´s with OSX pre-installed.

(As far as I understand, the only differnce between a PC and Mac nowdays is the processor and motherboard?)

 

[edX]

I´ts clear that in this situation. Apple will never "take over" the computer market.

i certainly hope they don't. i don't want all the virus and other problems that go with being the major platform. i hope apple never rises aboe 20% market share at best.

as for the rest of your post, i would agree. in fact there are probably a dozen or more threads on the site that say exactly this. and that's the way it should be. i will never mind paying a bit more for an apple product as long as they continue to make a product that i find superior to all other alternatives.

 

[RacerX]

The best solution would be to have four or five platforms. Even if Microsoft only had 50% market share while the others made up the other 50%, the computing world, even for Windows users, would be much better. With Windows at 50%, the abilities of viruses to move about freely would drop off significantly as every non-Windows system would stop them from continuing on.



Of course we could have the same effect if Microsoft put out a secure product, but that would kill the antivirus industry which is currently making Microsoft almost as much as any of their products.

 

[Sogni]

*Looks at thread title, reads first line and thinks:
Not another one...

*Uses all his strenght to restrain himself from lighting a match...

*Goes back to doing more productive and/or fun things with his time.

 

[cellfish]

Originally posted by koim
I´ve done some thinking.

I´ts clear that in this situation. Apple will never "take over" the computer market. People will continue to use PC´s for this simple reason:

PC´s are the standard of computers.
You could compare it with cars. PC´s would be the ordinary car that everybody buys, that can be fixed at the local auto-repair shop.
Macs are different though, they use an entirely
different and expensive gasoline. And you need to travel further to get it fixed.

Absolutely true. Most technicians will simply look at a Mac, say that they can't fix it, and then make fun of the Mac user from plain ignorance.

Now, what if Apple developed Mac OSX to work on x86 processors. Apple would continue to sell computers, Apple´s computers would be quality assured PC´s with OSX pre-installed.

Here's the thing I'm worried about. How do you assure hardware that is, in every sense of the word, a piece of scrap? I used to sell the hardware and use the hardware and I have to say that I hate it and refuse to use it now. It's fast, it's inexpensive but my God is it not 'me.' Apple, despite Motorola's laziness to create a new processor, has a brilliant architecture to work with. The processor is just as aesthetic as the machine is. To be honest, going to x86 while a possible solution in the short-term would just suck. Those processors are damn hot, they require extremely loud fans and frankly don't seem to process in the same snappy way that the G3 and G4's do. Sure they're fast, but I don't find them efficient personally.

 

[RacerX]

Originally posted by cellfish
Absolutely true. Most technicians will simply look at a Mac, say that they can't fix it, and then make fun of the Mac user from plain ignorance.

That is why I don't have to work on Windows systems anymore! Every customer that is made fun of by some PC tech is a solid client for me. When I started this I thought I would have to do both Macs and Windows to make enough money to survive, but it didn't take long (all via word of mouth) for me to become almost Mac only. Most of the remaining Windows systems I take care of are for friends or are print servers now.

Yep, love when people alienate customers.

 

[cellfish]

I used to be part of the group that would make fun of users. However, as I got older, I also became more of a moralist (stopped pirating software for instance). The more I saw people make fun of the Mac, the more I wanted to switch out of spite. I just felt that I would rather be part of a group that KNOWS their computer is better than part of a group that has to insult someone for 24 hours and 7 days a week to try to convince them that their computer is better.

 

[fryke]

tormente: not another one? this is _opinions_ we _need_ these threads here... although we don't need the same arguments all over again, i think this thread looks good this far. i especially like RacerX's post about the 50% solution. that would be good, i think.

apropos statistics... of 99% of desktop operating systems, more than 66% are UNIX or similar (i.e. Linux and Mac OS X are UNIX or similar, Windows isn't). all statistics lie.

 

[kalantna]

The rumor circulating around the IT community here at work is that Apple is gearing towards becoming a software only company. If you have seen the new Gateway commercials I think they may be looking to Gateway to take over their hardware production. (The new Gateway portable laptop looks an awful lot like a Titanium G4.) See http://www.gateway.com/work/promotions/notebooks/p4.asp?seg=ed for a peek.

Even if Apple does not make this move I think it's about time that they choose another processor. The average user will look at Apple's fastest (1.25 ghz) and compare it to Intel's (4.0 ghz) and, as far as speed goes, the purchase becomes a no brainer.

 

[koim]

I forgot one point though; What if Apple "took over" the computer market? You would have ONE company making the computers, OS and software.

So much for the free market.

Of course, this is never going to happen.
But I just figured, Mac sales going up. How will the future be shaped for Apple and Macs?

 

[RacerX]

Personally I want to see Mac sales increase, I want to see Solaris sales increase, I want to see AIX sales increase (and prices to come down), and I would love to see more people using versions of Linux and BSD. I would love to see OS/2 Warp make a come back and Irix appear on a less expensive workstation solution from SGI.

I personally don't want a Mac only world any more than I want a Windows only world. The industry is out of balance and it is suffering because of it.

As for Gateway, I don't think they are long for this Earth at this point. They pulled out of the Asian/Pacific market, they pulled out of the European market, they are closing stores left and right. They have laid off 75% of their work force. They even moved from San Diego to Poway to save money. Apple has never been that bad off even back in the dark years of 96/97.

And as I have said many times in the past, Gateway has a reputation for making the worst PCs around. Everyone I have ever known that has worked with them would never buy one. I wouldn't wish a Gateway on my worst enemy... Okay maybe I would, but that is beyond the point.

 

[evildan]

Originally posted by kalantna
The rumor circulating around the IT community here at work is that Apple is gearing towards becoming a software only company. If you have seen the new Gateway commercials I think they may be looking to Gateway to take over their hardware production.

I couldn't agree with you LESS... if you watch the Gateway commercials, they are positioning themselves against Apple. They are loosing the race against their PC counterparts, so they have picked a battle that they feel they can win, one against Apple. They are hoping that more PC people will respect them and they might possibly bring back some "Mac switchers".

I will stop buying Apple if they use Gateway to manufacture their computers. Gateway is one of the worst PC companies since Packard Bell!

 

[Manta]

People who are comparing PCs to the Mac market are missing the point...I dont think Apple cares about expanding their share into world domination...too many problems in controlling a market of that size and as has already been proven by Microsoft an unworkable situation/failure.

The dissapointing thing about Microsoft is not that they are purposely anti-competitive etc but that they are happy to make a product that is near enough but not quite good enough knowing full well they create a product which requires repairs/updates and is essentially disposable, to further their revenue streams when they have enough already...

The double irony for me is not that they want to make billions but that with the billions they have in R&D etc they could easily become a more stringent monopoly and demand certain standards by manufacturers etc so that their product is more consistent...this is of course where everyone would go crazy and an anti monopolistic/ anti-capitalist revolution would start...but hey what would the world be without irony...

Gateway is on the way out...we really only have three major vendors here now, Sony, Dell and Apple and I can easily see the day when there are only two..pick which ones they will be...

As long as Apple continues to innovate, even all the little areas and details, their product as a whole will stand its ground. Sure they need faster processors but Im not worried that they could be losing market share...I dont think so...