“No one seems to talk much about Apple Leopard, the next version of the Mac OS. This is primarily because Apple, unlike Microsoft, is not talking about this next generation platform publicly,” Rob Enderle writes for MacNewsWorld. “Based on comments by Apple chief Steve Jobs it was slated to roll out about the same time as Vista originally was, but if what I’m reading is right, it too has run into problems and won’t show up until late 2007.”
MacDailyNews Take: Whatever Mr. “Microsoft Wrote the First Mac OS” Enderle is reading is wrong. His personal fantasy-land seems to know no boundaries. Walt Mossberg, who has indescribably more credibility than Mr. Enderle, says Apple Mac OS X Leopard is due in early 2007. Needham & Co analyst Charles Wolf expects Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will ship soon after MacWorld San Francisco in January 2007. And, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, certainly an authority on the issue, has never wavered from his June 2005 World Wide Developers Conference keynote announcement that Mac OS X Leopard will ship in late 2006/early 2007. In addition, just today, Gartner says Windows Vista has slipped yet again and targets a Windows Vista release in the April-June quarter of 2007! In short, Enderle’s scribblings and the material that regularly exits the rear end of a bull are genetically identical.
Unfortunately, Enderle continues, “If this Leopard vs. Vista scenario plays out this will place the most competitive Mac OS in history — on aggressively designed Intel based hardware — against what may be the most competitively exposed Microsoft desktop OS since Windows Millennium Edition in the market, in the fourth quarter of 2007. If Apple can’t at least double its small share during this unique event it should abandon the Mac OS as a dead end, because this kind of opportunity will never come again. If it does double share, which it could do by cutting a broad swath through the consumer market with a well designed media center-like product, it could dramatically change the market and remind the Linux folks that the desktop isn’t about FOSS — it’s about selling the products consumers want to buy. 2008 will be a critical year for Apple, Microsoft, and the Linux contingent. If Apple can’t significantly expand its presence by then in the PC market it is likely going to be finished with this segment. Its likely path in that case will be to focus more aggressively on the consumer electronics market it currently dominates.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple is profitable with the current Mac unit sales and market share. Sheesh. This idea of mainstreaming in the field of technology “writers” really has to be rethought. It’s clearly not working out.
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Related MacDailyNews articles:
Gartner: Microsoft Windows Vista slips again to June 2007 – May 02, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will allow Windows Vista to run on Macs – April 27, 2006
Apple ready to take back market share; may debut Windows virtualization in Mac OS X Leopard – April 21, 2006
Apple confirms ‘sneak peek preview’ of Mac OS X Leopard at WWDC 2006 this August – April 18, 2006
Apple to unleash Leopard on Microsoft’s Windows Longhorn; Mac OS X 10.5 due late 2006 – early 2007 – June 07, 2005
Big surprise: Enderle was wrong about Apple’s holiday quarter Mac sales – January 19, 2006
Enderle admits Apple’s switch to Intel not hurting Mac sales, says Apple ‘has never looked stronger’ – December 08, 2005
Tech pundit Enderle: ‘Microsoft wrote the first Mac OS’ – September 28, 2005
Enderle: ‘Surveys indicate demand for Apple’s products is dropping like a rock’ due to Intel switch – August 01, 2005
Tech Pundit Enderle: ‘This year will be more difficult for Apple Computer’ and iMacs in earthquakes – January 24, 2005
For more “Enderlunacy,” search for “Enderle” in the search box at the bottom of any page of the site.
Enderle:
Apple will double its sales of Macs if you will
increase yer intelligence by 100%. I’m not holding my breath.
haha, o.k., ‘this opportunity will never come again’, – this opportunity will be never ending, there wont be another major windows release after vista, look how long it took, its crumbling under its own weight.
Would look a lot nicer if you fix the grammar on that first sentence in the MDN take. Gotta busta cap inna one a them “IS”!
I know you guys don’t want to hear this, but the hated Enderle is right on.
Surprised MDN keeps putting him up. Death wish?
Enderle needs DEVELOPING DEVELOPING DEVELOPING DEVELOPING
Enderle is an idiot, but so is MDN. Enderle says Apple should abandon Macs if they don’t double market share, NOT Apple WILL abandon Macs if they don’t… MDN always skews the headlines to fit his whims.
It won’t take until 2008 for this to happen. Steve has absolutely no plans to be in the OS business in 2008.
I take that back… thought there was a comma after the whatever, which made me read it wrong. D’oh!!
Enderle is the top nutter in a sea of ignorant propagandists receiving brown envelopes from Redmond…
‘Hey boys, let’s try and sow the seeds of Apple giving it all up but for iPod…’
maczealot – 100% of zero is still zero!
Oh yeah Lepord vs. Vista
Like it’s even a contest
Who says we build a big bonfire and just chuck Enderle and Dvork in it
Vista…sheesh
“it was slated to roll out about the same time as Vista originally was”
I didn’t realize that Leopard was originally planned for release five years ago. I learn new things every day. Thanks, Rob.
There are a lot of iffy opinions in that article. ‘If’ Leopard comes out at the same time as Vista and ‘if’ Apple can’t double its market share, then Apple ‘should’ quit the OS business.
I wonder ‘if’ Enderle thought about what should happen ‘if’ the opposite happens? ‘If’ Leopard comes out before Vista and ‘if’ Apple can double its market share, then Microsoft ‘should’ quit the OS business. Now why didn’t he write about that?
Another one for the steaming death knell pile.
What an idiot.
Which OS seems to be on the way up?
Which company seems to be less troubled?
The truth is that Apple’s market share has nearly doubled and will most likely more than double again. OS X Tiger is now the measuring stick by which all other OSes are judged. In the mean time Microsoft is trying to figure out how to remain profitable in a shrinking market.
Check out the chart: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=AAPL&t=5y&l=off&z=l&q=l&c=MSFT
OK, tell me which company is declining?
Which company is finally advertising their systems (OS) and which instead talks about the programs written for their OS?
The press still has not quite figured out that Leopard is in fact going to beat Vista/longhorn to the market – when they do it will get huge press. After WWDC you will find Microsoft trying to get positive news as they will be only mentioned in how they failed to beat yet another Apple OS to market.
Apple will never abandon the Mac … But MS may discover that they can’t weather the storm that lay ahead for them!
He’s simply trolling for hits — what a whore!
Talk about twisted logic… A 4th grader could write better. No, make it a 3rd grader.
Leopard will be previewed next August.
Man, the world is full of morons, what a sad state we’re in.
Alright, Enderle is a tool. But I do agree with his assertion that this is a unique opportunity for Apple. The facts are depressing, namely:
-XP is 5 years old, and showing it, and STILL has 90% of the Market
-XP users are preoccupied by necessity with security, and XP STILL has 90% of the market
-PC boxes are ugly, poorly designed and are backed with poorer customer service, and XP STILL has 90% of the market.
-Microsoft tops lists of least-trusted brands, and XP STILL has 90% of the market
-Vista’s enhancements, modest though they may be, will be earth-shattering news to PC users, because they STILL have 90% of the market and are utterly unaware of what features Apple has. They care about what Apple has like Americans care that gas costs twice as much in Europe…in other words, they don’t care at all.
Regardless of who’s OS is better, Vista WILL take share away from Apple. So the challenge is to increase Mac sales now as a buffer, but to do so profitably. I’m glad they are finally moving on advertising. Keep it up!
Don,
you are mistaken: break it down like computer code – which is what it really is – and you’ll see each “is” is serving a function.
T.H.Troll,
you wouldn’t recognize “truth” if it kissed you on the lips – or performed some other act you’ve never before been party to.
Enderle has two points – maybe his wife put them there? – and they are:
1) Apple ought to be able to significantly increase its market share due to this ‘opportunity’ created by Microsoft’s failure-to-ship what was once perceived to be a competitive OS.
2) Apple ought to delay shipping its own OS update to insure they have:
– a) squashed as many bugs as possible
– b) tweaked the code to be as tight as possible
– c) included as many features as possible
Neither of these is a make-or-break benchmark for Apple, just opportunity knocking.
If Enderle can’t stop writing FUD to gain hit traffic, he will soon go offine and DIE!!!
I have forseen this.
uhhhhh uhhh…
if I can’t
DOUBLE MY
uhhhhhhh
POOOOOOOOOO
then
uhhhhh
it
uhh
won’t
uhhhhh
COME OUT
UHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Enderle is a tool.
Jobs is not going to exit the OS business. That’s just a stupid comment. If anyone should actually exit, it’s probably Microsoft. They can’t ship Vista… and even when they do, I can’t imagine it will be very usable. Vista will probably be the equivalent of 10.0-10.1. The problem is, Mac users knew what they were getting into when adopting 10.0. Windows users purchasing new computers loaded with Vista will not…
Apple needs to beat it’s security programmers with a board full of rusty nails right now.
I won’t say why, you’ll know if it makes the press tommorow.
It’s bad, really bad.
If Apple does delay Leopard until mid-2007, it will only be in order to further kick Vistas butt with yet even more features to really drive in the stake. I know nothing, but I predict a pre-Christmas release. Look at the 14 million iPods sold during Christmastime after a video iPod release last last fall. That is an opportunity too good to pass up if Leopard is ready.