[opendtv] Re: I'm starting to feel sorry for, and worry about, Apple

  • From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 2 Aug 2010 08:00:06 -0400

At 6:37 PM -0500 8/1/10, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
The PC was an open platform. Anyone could write software for it, and anyone could build the hardware. So the business community latched onto that, because it solved the problems they had.
The Mac, instead, was this little toy, with an 11" monochrome screen, all-in-one funny little guy, and only the software made available from Apple. Defintely a computer only for special applications. 

This is completely UNTRUE.
Anyone could write software for the Mac. And the little 9" monochrome "toaster Macs" were soon replaced with 24 bit (actually 32 bit, which included an alpha channel) color Macs - and this was YEARS before 24 bit color became commonplace on PCs. Microsoft actually used the Mac to develop most of the office applications. As I already mentioned, the first app I bougth for my 1984 Mac was Microsoft Word.
The sole source versus multiple vendors for hardware issue was a factor for some corporations. But they WILLINGLY bought into a sole source for the OS and the most important productivity applications. 




 When I bought my first Mac in 1984, the FIRST application I bought for
 it was Microsoft Word.
The business community in the early days went to all sorts of different software packages, Craig. They did not go to Microsoft generally, except for the operating system. Microsoft didn't even have a built-in web browser at first. 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.
Nobody had a web browser until there was a WEB. The war was already over by the time Microsoft created Explorer to kill Netscape. It was their monopoly power that allowed them to do this, and ultimately got them into trouble with the regualtors. 




 And all of these were decimated by Office, BEFORE Windows 95.
Eventually, sure, but meanwhile Apple had lost the opportunity, simply because they were this walled garden that sold these odd little computers for the evangelists. And they are still operating that way. That's why they do well with kids and with non-business related applicances. With those few odd exceptions you keep bringing up.
Give it up Bert. You are describing the computing world from which we have evolved. Apple is now one of the largest manufacturers of "PCs," and they are growing in the corporate marketplace.
What is FAR MORE IMPORTANT, however, is that they are growing in the corporate world thanks to their transition to mobile computing devices. MacBook Pros are coveted by road warriors, and a very high percentage of the Fortune 500 are developing apps for the iPhone and iPad.
Apple lost out with business and industry because they insist on being a walled garden. I'm not the only person who naturally steers away from walled gardens.
Apple is no more of a walled garden than Microsoft. What was and still is different is that they chose to be vertically integrated and control both the hardware AND the software. Apparently this strategy is paying off today.
Microsoft and HP are now moving toward vertical integration. HP bought Palm to get WebOS and Microsoft just became an ARM licensee. We are now moving away from "open platforms" to a range of devices that are built around highly integrated -system on a chip - silicon.
And Apple is showing the way and capturing the most profitable segments of these emerging markets. 

http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/apple-microsoft-hewlett-packard-google-dell/7/30/2010/id/29380?camp=syndication&medium=portals&from=yahoo

Regards
Craig


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