I think the move to port iTunes to Windows was genius. People whine about the fact that it only works with the iPod, but supporting many different hardware platforms is a daunting task -- this'll make more of them WANT an iPod.
Apple has made a maneuver such that market share is no longer dependent on the OS of the machine -- Apple no longer has 3% market share... they have 60-70% with the iPod. Getting people to switch to the Macintosh was a bold move -- and it semi-worked, as I'm sure a few PC users took that bait and went out and bought a Macintosh. But with iTunes for Windows, more people will own Apple hardware -- not necessarily a computer -- but some sort of Apple hardware that will make them think about Apple the next time they decide to purchase.
I don't think Steve Jobs is a God -- just close. He's a great visionary, and I have faith that his team can continue to do the right things over time. People expect the market share to simply jump up to 10 or 15% over the course of a few months, and then call the effort a failure because it didn't do so... that's just lame thinking.
It's similar with laws, and I'm going to bring up a controversial topic -- legalization or decriminalization of marijuana. People want it decriminalized NOW. That's not gonna happen in my lifetime, as far as I can see -- it takes time to change peoples' minds, and what would the world be if laws just changed overnight? We'd never know what's legal and what isn't. Plus, what if it's the WRONG decision? People would support and applaud the government for a quick decision and action, and if it turned sour, blame them for the damage it caused. Change takes time, and we have to make sure it's the RIGHT change.
The same goes for Mac OS X on the Intel platform. Sure, it'd be cool, but that's all we can say now -- we can't say if it's plausible right now. You can't say for sure whether it would be good or bad for Apple to do that, short of your own preference. What if you wanted it, it happened, and it backfired? What if it had more bugs than Windows due to processor differences and the amount of code that had to change? You want it to happen? Stop and think about it. People know what kinds of damage rash and ill-thought out decisions bring. We can't hope for it tomorrow.
I think Apple's right on track -- turning heads and puffing out their chests like the big boys do because they can now. I think there are some good ideas in this thread -- more exposure, like Apple-branded WiFi in airports sounds neat, but would need some thinking through. Maybe by 2005. Apple prides themselves on the perfection of their products, and rushing something to market is just a bad idea all the way around.
I think we need more partnerships, like AOL and iTunes, Pepsi and iTunes and VW and the iPod. But not TOO much -- not so much it looks like Apple is selling out and can't exists without the partnerships.
Get the Apple logo and brand into people's heads. Make them think twice the next time they walk into a Circuit City or Best Buy. I like the idea of being able to purchase an iPod at an airport... maybe Apple stores at the airport? Maybe iPods sold through the in-flight catalogues? Just imagine a wealthy businessman making his red-eye flight home on the 20th of December without a gift for his son in college -- until he opens the catalog and is presented with the Apple iPod.
