Continuing its strong tradition of not understanding Apple or the Mac platform, the Giga Information Group has reached a couple of startling conclusions in a report issued today. The report is called IT Trends 2003: Desktop and Mobile PCs (read the full report in PDF), written by Rob Enderle, and is part of a larger study under the umbrella name of IT Trends 2003. The first conclusion is that the Mac platform is all but irrelevant, and heading into "obsolescence," and the second, and just as groundless, claim is that Apple will be "forced" to go to Intel in 2003. The succinct paragraph detailing Appleis doom:

Apple is being driven out of every segment but consumer: Companies are driving out non-standard hardware and both increasingly view Linux as a better alternative platform and UNIX as a platform they donit want to resurge on the desktop. The lack of management tools, pull back of key vendors like Quark and an anticipated drop in market share below 2 percent in 2003 are obsolescing this platform. Appleis continued technical disadvantage against Intel is expected to force them to adopt x86 technology by the end of 2003.

This will all be happening despite what Mr. Enderle characterizes as animosity towards Microsoft from its customers:

Microsoft animosity: The license changes instituted by Microsoft in the previous period have clearly forced policy changes that should shift business away from the company long term. This will be slowed by the unavailability of reasonable alternatives — but the bar for that “reasonableness” has been lowered substantially and we expect certain accounts, like government, to be unusually aggressive when considering the alternatives through 2003.

You can find the full report at the Giga Information Groupis Web site.