MACES-Maybe Apple Ceases Existing Soon
The other title I was considering was Apple's Long Slow Death Spiral March.
I was an engergetic Mac user from 85-96. In 1984 I remember following all the press on the Apple Lisa, and checking it out in the local showroom at Galactica Computers. Hell, I still have two Lisas gathering dust in the basement, as collectors items. In the heady days of the mid 80s, Apple ruled the day with a real live innovations they stole from Xerox, and others. No one could have touched them if they were not so greedy, and if they had opened their truly great operating system to Intel processors. But that didn't happen did it? Instead Apple gouged their loyal customers with operating system upgrade costs and the like, so that even I, a diehard Mac user, turned my back on them in 96 in disgust. There were simply not enough reasons to stay using them, and the upgrade path was more expensive than Wintel boxes, and there was not that much difference in the applications anymore. Office was Office, whether you ran a Mac or Intel box, and with Intel dominating the work environment who needed the conversion hassle.
Today, I checked out Apple's web site, genuinely hoping for some sign of intelligent life, some truly killer application! I found none, and the only thing of interest to me was the Broadcast streaming server. Apple's progression from the only great computer on the planet, to also ran is so sad. I had hoped that the experience Jobs gained with NeXT would inspire great things in the new BSD based X. But nothing truly great has evolved. Darwin seemed like such a winner in theory, but in practice Linux is kicking their ass on the server side, and of course Windows has all but killed them on the desktop side. Other than a small group of print professionals and film wantabees I do not see a lot of traction for Apple in the market.
And the switch campaign, please! With Lindows, and Walmart delivering a $300 desktop and a $800 laptop, the only companies that should be using the switch campaign are running Linux! The weird thing is the company that should be worried is Microsoft, with their latest greedy approach to licensing, and draconian measures, the switch to Linux campaign will surely move from the servers of the world to the desktop!
Sometime this year Linux will eclipse Apple in market share, and with this milestone, the wind is shifting for Linux on the desktop!
Lookout Redmond, the Penguin has teeth! Nasty bird! |
