Macintosh in the Intel world
Posted by: EG Admin on September 07, 2006 2:07:07 AM (335 Reads)
Sound familiar? I bet it does, if not that's one of the weaknesses of Windows. Sure with XP they made huge strides in quality control by having a certification system for hardware drivers. It toke close to a decade for Microsoft to get such a system and the only reason they got it was being a market leader, Apple won't have that advantage therefore limiting the likely hood that they would be able to force the hardware manufacturers hand at participating in yet another hardware certification service.
Hardware is not the only issue, there is the issue of applications and games, Apple would either have to license Direct X, dot NET and other Microsoft technologies, or develop similar technologies. Yes it can be done, but what incentive would the application and developers have to well develop on both platforms? They don't have any and it would take time for them to have a reason, by then people would already switch back to Windows.
Stock holders, well yes Apple would make a profit off OS X but the real money would be made by the likes of HP, Dell and other computer manufacturer. One thing that sets Apple apart from Microsoft is it a software and hardware firm. True Microsoft has mice, keyboards and other computer accessories but its business is not the whole PC but the software running it. Apple on the other hand likes to control both aspects of the environment, which might have its limits but it's what makes them different.
So what is my point? Well I don't think Apple will venture into the mass market OS. But if they, I think the market will be disappointed to say the least. The thing that makes the Apple OS X so "stable" is the simple fact that Apple controls the hardware and drivers for said hardware, you open things up, cracks start showing and there would be a patch Wednesday or Thursday.
So what does this have to do with gaming? Don't fall into the hype of their dual boot system. Sure you can install Windows XP or Vista on a Mac, but you can play all the games you would on a PC build for gaming. Don't play games? Well me personally I would wonder why I would pay close to 2 grand for a Intel based computer that I as a professional would need Windows on.
Now I have nothing against the Mac, no rather I think if you have the money and all you need is a computer that looks "pretty" and is good for DVD playback and surfing the web then the Apple is for you.
UPDATE/FOLLOW-UP:
Well, I knew people would not fully agree with me but the amount of mail I have been getting has been amazing. One thing people have been pointing out is that Macintosh has released 5 OS X revisions in the time since Windows XP came out. Yes this is true, though most of these paid releases amount to little more than the free Windows updates and Service Pack 2. So while it's true they have had more paid releases there has been no "new" operating system.
On this same point, yes I know there are holes in it OS X and its subsequent releases have more built in features then Windows XP, none of these features are OS X exclusive all of them can be had by Microsoft software and third party developers. Another large part of the story is OS X is based off Free BSD, yes OS X is more polished then Free BSD, but that's just it that's all Macintosh is doing, polishing a freely available OS. So while they are having more releases, this isn't so surprising considering they are not the one developing the kernels, the GUI, and many other parts used for their OS they are just polishing others work and adding their own bundled software.
Saying this I am in no way saying Macintosh is doing anything wrong or for that matter incapable of making their own OS from the ground up, I am just providing the facts as they are here and now. Granted with XP Microsoft really has given their consumers the best bang for their buck, considering XP users got an OS and two major updates where as Mac users have had to buy four major updates.
Now yes Microsoft's new pricing plans might not be something to brag about but you have to look at it in there eyes, they have to offer an OS with none of the extras so they are less likely to be sued for Anti Trust and unfair market advantages. So they are doing that in the best way they can without hurting the consumer. Yes there are also issues with Blue Ray and HD DVD BUT these are issues from the makers of the players and the software makers NOT Microsoft, and of course there are the regulatory agencies that might come after them if they had that type of capabilities build in.
But these limitations are in no way a sign of weakness or lack of ability, they are just facts in the world of anti Microsoft/Large corporations. Though that is another editorial all together, so back to my point, I stand by my statement Macintosh will not be entering the mainstream OS market. They would be alienating all the long term customers; they would also be leaving behind a long stated mission of being different.
The Future of Apple, well my predictions anyway:
What do I see in ten years? I see Macintosh focusing their software development to add-ons to someone else's OS, whether it be Microsoft's or some new comer. I also see them being a high end PC manufacturer, why? Look at their ad campaigns, there big seller is you can run Windows on a Mac now. Some see this as a transition to move them to the Mac OS X, but myself, I see it as a move to get people on their hardware and in there pretty cases. For them that and the I-pod is where the money is at, so to an investor it might make sense for them to drop the OS business all together.
Think about it, what sets them apart from Microsoft and other OS venders? It's not the OS at its core it's just UNIX, it's their ability to control the hardware, the drivers, and yes there add-ons to an OS. Think about it, someone with the mind to could bundle Movie Maker (I Movie) and QuickTime and get them to run on ANY UNIX operating system. People have already got there GUI (Graphic User Interface) to work on other OS's including Windows.
So it makes since to drop the OS development completely and focus on Software as an add-on. Think about they could sell all the little things that make the OS X system great to everyone, growing there software revenue. For those too lazy or without knowledge on buying and installing there software, they would have there "Macintosh" computer with (for the sake of this article) Windows Vista, (or Novel Linux if you rather) and the software add-ons. Since they strive for quality they would write all the drivers and have their own updates system to keep their systems stable.
Anyway to anyone including market analysts that disagree with me, well all I have to say is "To each their own." Also you might want a better understanding of why something works well before you make your predictions. Keep an eye out for my fall buyer's guild I think you will find it useful. Until next time keep that gaming flam burning.
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Posted by: EG Admin on September 07, 2006 2:07:07 AM (335 Reads)
Well all the popular blogs are hinting at a new world order with the Apple OS X going main stream. Apple will be smart if they never, EVER go down that road, the profit margins and the level of quality will suffer. These are two major reasons I think that Apple will never let their OS be open.
Sound familiar? I bet it does, if not that's one of the weaknesses of Windows. Sure with XP they made huge strides in quality control by having a certification system for hardware drivers. It toke close to a decade for Microsoft to get such a system and the only reason they got it was being a market leader, Apple won't have that advantage therefore limiting the likely hood that they would be able to force the hardware manufacturers hand at participating in yet another hardware certification service.
Hardware is not the only issue, there is the issue of applications and games, Apple would either have to license Direct X, dot NET and other Microsoft technologies, or develop similar technologies. Yes it can be done, but what incentive would the application and developers have to well develop on both platforms? They don't have any and it would take time for them to have a reason, by then people would already switch back to Windows.
Stock holders, well yes Apple would make a profit off OS X but the real money would be made by the likes of HP, Dell and other computer manufacturer. One thing that sets Apple apart from Microsoft is it a software and hardware firm. True Microsoft has mice, keyboards and other computer accessories but its business is not the whole PC but the software running it. Apple on the other hand likes to control both aspects of the environment, which might have its limits but it's what makes them different.
So what is my point? Well I don't think Apple will venture into the mass market OS. But if they, I think the market will be disappointed to say the least. The thing that makes the Apple OS X so "stable" is the simple fact that Apple controls the hardware and drivers for said hardware, you open things up, cracks start showing and there would be a patch Wednesday or Thursday.
So what does this have to do with gaming? Don't fall into the hype of their dual boot system. Sure you can install Windows XP or Vista on a Mac, but you can play all the games you would on a PC build for gaming. Don't play games? Well me personally I would wonder why I would pay close to 2 grand for a Intel based computer that I as a professional would need Windows on.
Now I have nothing against the Mac, no rather I think if you have the money and all you need is a computer that looks "pretty" and is good for DVD playback and surfing the web then the Apple is for you.
UPDATE/FOLLOW-UP:
Well, I knew people would not fully agree with me but the amount of mail I have been getting has been amazing. One thing people have been pointing out is that Macintosh has released 5 OS X revisions in the time since Windows XP came out. Yes this is true, though most of these paid releases amount to little more than the free Windows updates and Service Pack 2. So while it's true they have had more paid releases there has been no "new" operating system.
On this same point, yes I know there are holes in it OS X and its subsequent releases have more built in features then Windows XP, none of these features are OS X exclusive all of them can be had by Microsoft software and third party developers. Another large part of the story is OS X is based off Free BSD, yes OS X is more polished then Free BSD, but that's just it that's all Macintosh is doing, polishing a freely available OS. So while they are having more releases, this isn't so surprising considering they are not the one developing the kernels, the GUI, and many other parts used for their OS they are just polishing others work and adding their own bundled software.
Saying this I am in no way saying Macintosh is doing anything wrong or for that matter incapable of making their own OS from the ground up, I am just providing the facts as they are here and now. Granted with XP Microsoft really has given their consumers the best bang for their buck, considering XP users got an OS and two major updates where as Mac users have had to buy four major updates.
Now yes Microsoft's new pricing plans might not be something to brag about but you have to look at it in there eyes, they have to offer an OS with none of the extras so they are less likely to be sued for Anti Trust and unfair market advantages. So they are doing that in the best way they can without hurting the consumer. Yes there are also issues with Blue Ray and HD DVD BUT these are issues from the makers of the players and the software makers NOT Microsoft, and of course there are the regulatory agencies that might come after them if they had that type of capabilities build in.
But these limitations are in no way a sign of weakness or lack of ability, they are just facts in the world of anti Microsoft/Large corporations. Though that is another editorial all together, so back to my point, I stand by my statement Macintosh will not be entering the mainstream OS market. They would be alienating all the long term customers; they would also be leaving behind a long stated mission of being different.
The Future of Apple, well my predictions anyway:
What do I see in ten years? I see Macintosh focusing their software development to add-ons to someone else's OS, whether it be Microsoft's or some new comer. I also see them being a high end PC manufacturer, why? Look at their ad campaigns, there big seller is you can run Windows on a Mac now. Some see this as a transition to move them to the Mac OS X, but myself, I see it as a move to get people on their hardware and in there pretty cases. For them that and the I-pod is where the money is at, so to an investor it might make sense for them to drop the OS business all together.
Think about it, what sets them apart from Microsoft and other OS venders? It's not the OS at its core it's just UNIX, it's their ability to control the hardware, the drivers, and yes there add-ons to an OS. Think about it, someone with the mind to could bundle Movie Maker (I Movie) and QuickTime and get them to run on ANY UNIX operating system. People have already got there GUI (Graphic User Interface) to work on other OS's including Windows.
So it makes since to drop the OS development completely and focus on Software as an add-on. Think about they could sell all the little things that make the OS X system great to everyone, growing there software revenue. For those too lazy or without knowledge on buying and installing there software, they would have there "Macintosh" computer with (for the sake of this article) Windows Vista, (or Novel Linux if you rather) and the software add-ons. Since they strive for quality they would write all the drivers and have their own updates system to keep their systems stable.
Anyway to anyone including market analysts that disagree with me, well all I have to say is "To each their own." Also you might want a better understanding of why something works well before you make your predictions. Keep an eye out for my fall buyer's guild I think you will find it useful. Until next time keep that gaming flam burning.
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