Apple’s Macintosh product line is neglected and on its way out, according to Daniel Lyons. In an open letter to the Mac at Newsweek, Mr. Lyons, also known for his work as “Fake Steve Jobs,” claims Apple made it clear during its World Wide Developer Conference keynote that iOS 4 is the new king and the Mac is little more than an afterthought.
“So what did [Steve Jobs] talk about? He talked about iPads, and the App Store, and iBooks, and videogames. He talked about the new iPhone 4, with new video-chat software called FaceTime and a gyroscope that lets you shoot missiles into outer space and take pictures of Saturn or something,” Mr. Lyons said in his open letter to the Mac. “But one thing Steve didn’t have much to say about was you. In fact, he didn’t talk about you at all. That’s not how it used to be. Remember the old days?”
According to Mr. Lyons, Apple’s iPhone and iOS 4-centric theme for this year’s event for developers is a clear indication that the Mac has lost its place as the company’s cornerstone.
While it’s true that Apple is focusing more on the iPhone and iPad, along with iOS 4 right now, it doesn’t mean the Mac and Mac OS X have become second-class citizens. The timing of this year’s annual WWDC event fit nicely with the iPhone’s update cycle, and next major update for Mac OS X is still months away.
The timing of next year’s WWDC even may fit well for a more heavily Mac-focused event since Mac OS X 10.7 will likely be just about ready to ship.
The Mac is also a vital tool in the printing and publishing industries, music and video production, professional photo editing, and also the only platform Apple officially supports for iOS 4 app development.
The Mac and the Mac OS as we know it will eventually be replaced with something new — but still a Mac — just as the original 128K Macintosh and the original Mac OS have been reinvented several times. When that happens again will be on Apple’s terms, and Monday’s keynote event most likely didn’t signal the Mac’s path to the scrap heap.