ComputerWorld: Apple Is Here to Stay
ComputerWorld: Apple Is Here to Stay
by , 3:40 PM EST, March 7th, 2005
Apple is here to stay, according to an editorial by the editor-in-chief of ComputerWorld published Monday. Inspired by recent looks into IT's future that see Microsoft's decline without mentioning Apple as a part of that decline, Don Tennant wrote that it would be a mistake not to realize Apple's growing role in IT.
Mr. Tennant's piece harkened back to an interview he conducted with Microsoft founder Bill Gates when Big Redmond shipped Windows 95. In that interview, he asked Mr. Gates if it was a conscious decision to make Windows 95 look and feel more like the Mac OS (then Mac OS 7.5.x).
While Mr. Gates denied in direct attempts to copy the Mac ("We don't even think of Macintosh as a competitor," Mr. Gates told him), Mr. Tennant said that the reality is that Microsoft has often been perceived as a technological follower of Apple.
Why then is Apple today not seen as a threat to Windows? Most IT prognostication centers around Linux and Google as the big threat, but Mr. Tennant said that Mac OS X's Unix foundations mean that Apple is here to stay.
"The best technology may not always win," he wrote. "But it's not going to go away, either."
There is much more on the subject in the full article at ComputerWorld, and we recommend it as an interesting read, especially considering Mr. Tennant's role of IT-oriented ComputerWorld.
Observer Comments
"Mr. Tennant said that the reality is that Microsoft has often been perceived as a technological follower of Apple."
Well, that's certainly the "Duh!" heard 'round the world. 
Seriously, does anyone outside of delusional Windrone zealots doubt anymore that MS' whole modus operandi is to be the second guy into any market, after an innovator has already stepped in and created said market?
QuoteGuest wrote:
Seriously, does anyone outside of delusional Windrone zealots doubt anymore that MS' whole modus operandi is to be the second guy into any market, after an innovator has already stepped in and created said market?
I'll agree with that. But it's also not a bad business model. Dell has adopted this business model, and made a tidy profit out of it. So have thousands of other companies in any industry you can think of.
The truth is, there are few innovative companies, and fewer still profitable innovative companies (see the book, The Innovator's Dilemma). We hear about Apple because they are the rare exception that is both innovative and profitable.
Yes, but Microsoft doesn't simply copy a product, it makes extraordinarily poor knock-offs. Copying an innovator is only a good business model if your copies are cheaper, better known, or more available than the real thing. Microsoft's beginning to lose all three of those advantages, and without at least one of them, that business model leads to ruin.
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated February 12th
- Sat, 4:11 PM
- MacOS KenDensed - MacOS KenDensed: iPad 3 Frenzy, Big-time Apple & Steve Jobs, G-Man
- Fri, 8:10 PM
- News - Apple Sues Motorola Mobility in California Over German Case
- 7:54 PM
- Free on iTunes - OnLive Desktop: Windows & Office on Your iPad
- 7:43 PM
- Product News - Apple Rolls Out MacBook Air Configurations for Education
- 6:35 PM
- Just a Peek - Battle Pocket Bulge With The Hint for iPhone
- 6:01 PM
- Rumor - Apple Reportedly Bringing MacBook Air Styling to Pro Line
- 4:50 PM
- Particle Debris - The Hidden Gotchas of Browser Security
- 3:56 PM
- Apple Stock Watch - Analyst: Paying a Dividend Makes Sense for Apple
- 2:58 PM
- Deal Brothers - iMac 27-inch 2.93GHz Intel Quad-Core i7 processor: $1,999
- 2:45 PM
- In-Depth Review - Theodolite App for iOS is Breathtaking
- 12:52 PM
- Apple Stock Watch - Mizuho Securities Starts Apple Coverage with $635 Target
- 11:35 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Forum Poll: Are You Planning on Buying a New iPad?
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct
from Strider Software.
Mac RAM Upgrades: MacBook Pro 16GB kits $475, 8GB Kits for $119.99! iMac 16GB RAM Kits (4x 4GB) for $229.99! Mac Pro Memory 32GB Kit for $399.99, 64GB Kit for $889.99! Mac Hard Drives 2TB Seagate SATA II for $249.99! Click Here!
-
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Online Poker Mac.
This mac poker and online casino mac site
actually does the unthinkable, it actually rewards! -
-
-
-
-
-
