[opendtv] News: The 'i's have it: the small Apple guns for Windows
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 10:31:12 -0500
More Apple analysis here. There are a few interesting tidbits within.
=46or example, did you (or Mark Schubin) know that=20
Sony built some of Apple's first Powerbooks, or=20
that Sony President Kunitake Ando was one the=20
head of Sony's Vaio PC division?
The article relates:
In San Francisco, Mr Ando was fulsome in his=20
praise for Apple's software, and the two=20
companies are working together to develop the=20
market for high-definition (HD) digital video.=20
Apple and Sony would make a powerful partnership=20
in the home entertainment world, where Intel and=20
Windows-based media PCs have so far failed to=20
make much impact.
Regards
Craig
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/analysis_and_features/story.jsp?story=
=3D601265
The 'i's have it: the small Apple guns for Windows
With two new machines and Mac sales rising, the=20
company is reaching out for converts.
Stephen Pritchard reports
16 January 2005
Steve Jobs looks to have done it again. The man=20
who came back to Apple, launched the iMac PC and=20
iPod music player and saved the company from what=20
had seemed an irreversible slide into oblivion=20
last week announced a couple of radical new=20
products smaller and cheaper than anything Apple=20
has made before - but which could dramatically=20
grow the brand.
Speaking at the MacExpo show in California last=20
week, Mr Jobs unveiled a low-cost portable music=20
player, the iPod Shuffle. At =A369, this is based=20
on Flash memory rather than the iPod's miniature=20
hard disk, so holds fewer songs. But the=20
technology allows Apple to go after the low end=20
of the market, currently dominated by companies=20
such as iriver and Creative.
More significant still, though, was the=20
much-rumoured announcement of the Mac Mini. This=20
small, square box comes without a screen or=20
keyboard. It also comes at a very keen price:=20
=A3339 for the simplest version in the UK (though=20
Americans can buy it for $499, or =A3265). Analysts=20
have gone as far as describing the Mini as a=20
"disruptive" technology, and one that could give=20
Apple a foothold in corporate computing.
Mike Davis, senior research analyst at Butler=20
Group, says banks could be tempted to buy the=20
machine as a low-cost, compact alternative to=20
Windows computers or terminals from firms such as=20
Wise. Apple's operating system allows companies=20
to disable external ports and even the hard=20
drive, making the machine extremely secure. Other=20
businesses pushed for space, such as retailers,=20
might be drawn to the Mini.
But Apple will hope that the machine sells in=20
quantities to home users too. The Mini even comes=20
in a neat box with a carry handle so buyers can=20
take it home with ease. It is this sort of design=20
touch that Apple's rivals try to copy, but rarely=20
manage with as much flair.
The Mini is designed to appeal to computer users=20
who have a screen and keyboard already. Some will=20
be Mac users who are upgrading, but the real goal=20
is to win over customers of Microsoft's Windows.
There is evidence that this had started to happen=20
even as the Mini was still in the design labs.=20
Apple's latest quarterly results, also released=20
last week and covering the Christmas season,=20
showed Mac shipments were up 26 per cent on last=20
year. While analysts had expected Apple to=20
announce strong iPod sales, the boost to the Mac=20
business was more surprising.
It seems Apple's computer business is benefiting=20
directly from iPod sales. "The 'halo' effect [of=20
PC-owning iPod users moving to Macs] seems real=20
to me," says Ted Schadler, principal analyst for=20
consumer technology at Forrester Research.
In addition, some of the problems that are=20
affecting other parts of the IT industry also=20
appear to be working to the benefit of Apple.=20
Macs are, for now at least, not as attractive to=20
virus writers and spammers as Windows machines.
IT experts also point out that the Mac operating=20
system is inherently more secure. "Microsoft and=20
its partners will struggle to improve Windows=20
against viruses and spam until Longhorn [the next=20
version of Windows], and that is two years away.=20
In the meantime, Windows customers might move to=20
a Mac because it's safer," suggests Mr Schadler.
Apple did disappoint some, though, by not=20
launching a com- puter with features like hard=20
disk video recording (PVR) built in. It will sell=20
a connector to allow the Mac Mini to use a TV as=20
a monitor, but the company is content to leave=20
features such as video recording to third parties.
"It was a conscious decision to keep the Mini=20
clean," says Mr Davis at Butler Group. He adds=20
that it comprises tried and tested, rather than=20
cutting-edge, parts so it is cheap and easy to=20
build; limiting features will also limit Apple's=20
support costs.
And the Mini could well prompt a whole family of=20
new, third-party accessories. The iPod economy=20
already consists of hundreds of accessory makers,=20
and the latest companies to add iPod support are=20
the car makers: Mr Jobs announced deals with=20
Volvo, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz at MacExpo.
Mr Schadler predicts that companies such as=20
Kodak, Bose, Griffin and Sony could develop=20
"iLife" appliances, the name for Apple's suite of=20
consumer digital media software programs which=20
also received an update at MacExpo.
Bose already makes iPod accessories, and Sony's=20
president, Kunitake Ando, joined Mr Jobs on stage=20
at the Expo. Sony has worked with Apple before -=20
the Japanese company made some of Apple's=20
earliest PowerBook portables - and one of Mr=20
Ando's previous posts was as head of Sony's Vaio=20
PC division.
In San Francisco, Mr Ando was fulsome in his=20
praise for Apple's software, and the two=20
companies are working together to develop the=20
market for high-definition (HD) digital video.=20
Apple and Sony would make a powerful partnership=20
in the home entertainment world, where Intel and=20
Windows-based media PCs have so far failed to=20
make much impact.
Motorola is building mobile phones with support=20
for Apple's iTunes jukebox software, and=20
Hewlett-Packard licenses the iPod. Around 7 per=20
cent of iPod sales in the last quarter were HP=20
branded. Apple is clearly no longer as averse to=20
licensing its technology as it was when Mr Jobs=20
returned to the company.
It is a tantalising prospect and certainly enough=20
to keep the Mac rumour sites - one of which was=20
sued for its pre-Expo reporting - busy for some=20
time.
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