“There are fewer Macintosh than Windows applications, but with four or five award-winning word processors, who needs sixty? Equating Macs to Lexus and PCs to Ford, a friend noted the Lexus might be limited to camel and black floor mats only available from the dealer, but who in their right mind would buy the hot pink Escort floor mats at Wal-Mart? I’ve often quipped Mac software going PC become best sellers while PC software moving to the Mac become forgotten. There is truth in that,” Marc L. Rubinstein writes for The Gray News.
“PhotoShop, once exclusively Mac, flourished on PCs while titles like Corel Photo waned. AutoCAD, had a Mac version for about six months: almost no one bought it. Mac apps were easier to use, more like real drafting – and opened and saved AutoCAD files,” Rubinstein writes. “The Summer of 1992 rollout of Excel for Windows was anti-climactic; the Mac version had been out for years. PowerPoint started as a Mac HyperCard stack. Years later Microsoft bought it.”
Rubinstein writes, “I point these facts out to everyone commenting about the lack of Mac software. I ask why they abandoned VersaCalc or Lotus 1-2-3 for Excel, or gave up Word Perfect, WordStar or Lotus Notes for Word – why they abandoned perfectly good PC software to use Mac products on their PCs? That usually stumps them.”
Full article here.
I’ve been arguing these points for years with people. Hey ya know what, just because you can buy Windows software at the counter of your local gas station doesnt mean it’s a good idea.
In the Mac world, it’s survival of the fittest. Only good software makes it to the platform and only the best stays around. It really is a quality vs quantity argument. The last major hurdle to this argument is about to be squashed over the next few years. I just hope it doesn’t dilute the quality of programs available for the Mac.
“…why they abandoned perfectly good PC software to use Mac products on their PCs?” (Rubinstein)
It stumps them because they don’t have any sense of history. They, like the sheep they are, simply regurgitate whatever FUD they hear.
Example, I still get people that otherwise seem normal tell me that Macs are great for artist but not for doing “business”.
Sadly this is not a myth – sure the major business applications are covered, but the ONLY weakness in the mac platform is a lack of software. This is purely a result of market share, but it is Windows ONLY strength.
CADD – no real solutions (there are some, but none that comes close to autocad
Embedded development – not much to choose from
DSP – development – nothing as far as I know
RAD development – If you use BASIC,Cocoa or Java you are fine – if you use C++ you are toast
Games – Mac has some, but PC has 10 times more
There are many areas where the mac software is best in class, but there are many where there is no suitable alternatives. I would name some more, but I am in the process of writting them for the mac, so do not want to give others any ideas.
Do not get me wrong, I belive most users could switch to the mac and never look back, but the fact that 20-30% of the population can’t, creates fear in 70% even though they will never encounter a need that can not be covered by the mac. This is the great thing about the intel switch – you can always dual boot or run a fast vertual PC to run those, so the 70% that can do with out can take the chance with out fear!
PowerPoint did not start as a HyperCard on the Mac.
From Michael A. Russell paper entitled “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations”, “In April 1987 the Forethought Company from Sunnyvale, California published PowerPoint 1.0. PowerPoint was originally named ‘Presenter’.”
http://www.gst-d2l.com/TLC/TLCProj.html
TFA: “Like Microsoft attempted, many PC developers making Mac versions merely recompile code heavily optimized for x86 chips and Windows. Ignoring hardware creates highly inefficient code.”
Sounds like what Apple is asking its developers to do for the Intel Macs. I said before, I’ll say again: This is gonna be ugly.
“Sadly this is not a myth”
“CADD – no real solutions (there are some, but none that comes close to autocad”
Nonsense… I’m cert’d with AutoCAD and hands down, VERSACAD is easier to use, and certainly more productive!
“Embedded development – not much to choose from”
Are you smoking crack? There is easily three to 5 times more embedded development software and resoruces for the *nix community than Windows… If it can be compiled on BSD (and virtually all *nux code can), or runs in x11, it will run on a Mac natively.
“DSP – development – nothing as far as I know”
Again, nonsense, a G5 is fast enough that you don’t even need DSP boards to develop on in many cases, and for those you still would, there are UAD1 or the TC PowerCore and some other Mac-compatible DSP boards…
“RAD development – If you use BASIC,Cocoa or Java you are fine – if you use C++ you are toast”
First of all, Cocoa is not a language, but a set of APIs, and most of Mac code was written in C++… (It’s BSD *nix, remember? *nix was born out of C over 35 years ago!
Geez!
“Games – Mac has some, but PC has 10 times more”
I forgot to mention games… Your right…
But, I never understood why people play games on PCs when they can get a perfectly good xBox or PS2… but for that matter, I never understood the attraction to games either. I use my Mac to actually work, not screw around needlessly
bobby…. you hit the nail on the head like no MDN take ever could have…
There are a plethora of programs that big business relies on that are based on either small programs compiled for windows or bigger ones without a mac alternative.
Macs are fantastic as home machines or small business or even workstations, but as Sputnik so ironically often points out, the REAL IT World realizes that currently switching to Mac would in many cases be a nightmare.
Much to the chagrin of some Mac Dreamers, Windows isn’t going away anytime soon.
The beachball is also annoying.
Bobby,
CADD — No real solutions? I would propose Vectorworks, MacDraft, VersaCAD, BOA CAD, etc. (Additionally, I know a great mechanical engineer [designed such things as the original hiding windshield wipers back in the 60s, the original T-top on the Thunderbird, the mechanics of the Jarvic 7 artificial heart, and several satellites, etc.] who refuses to update to the newer versions of AutoCAD because they are worse than earlier versions — all flash and no real substance. The only reason he sticks with AutoCAD at all is because he has written a huge amount of LISP sofware for it to customize it to work the way he wants it to.)
Just because AutoCAD is the most prevalent does not make it the best nor should it be considered the standard by which all other should be judged. Remember — There are more cockroaches on this planet than people. That does not make them a higher life form.
I agree embedded software development tools are few and far between the same with DSP tools and even FPGA related tools.
You have already countered your own arguement with the RAD tools. I know of no one who does RAD work directly in C++. (Nor would I suggest anyone do it. C++ is not designed to be a prototyping language.)
Games? Yes, there are many, many more games for Windows than Macintosh. However, how many games do you need? I used to play games on my Macs … even got a copy of WorldBuilder years ago to make my own games. However, I got bored and moved on. I suspect the same is true of many Mac users.
There will always be niche software pieces that will only show up on one platform or the other. I am still waiting for something equivalent to Analytical Graphics’ Satellit Took Kit to show up on the Mac. But at over $100,000 for a full blown setup (all the different modules I have used), I doubt there are many Mac users who can justify it.
Yet when it all comes down to it, for the software that 99% of the general population use Macintosh has two or three or more good versions in each segment.
“Much to the chagrin of some Mac Dreamers, Windows isn’t going away anytime soon”
Guess what, I dont dream that Windows goes away. Ive said it all along I dont care if most people use Windows as long as I get to use my Mac. What does that mean? It means that Apple is viable enough to do what we see them doing today, which is leading the PC industry in innovation and design. Thats good enough for me. I’ll take 10% marketshare for the Mac any day of the week and I dont think thats too outrageous to predict. There have been a lot of people over the last few years who have switched successfully. There are a lot more who could, it’s just they are afraid and ignorant (not in a negative sense) to what alternatives are out there. Time and word of mouth is changing that, but it takes time.
I’m not dreaming that Microsoft is going away, I’m reading the signs.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=5y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=
RE: Shadowself
RAD in C++ is the best way to do RAD. On the PC I have used Power++ (Way back to when it was Optima++) and C++ builder (I prefer Power++’s purer approach, but it was discontinued). RAD is not just for prototypeing. I love Cocoa – if I could compile for windows then I would switch to Objective-C/Cocoa in a heartbeat. Unfortunatly, no one pays me to write for the mac – (though I do everything I write cross platform now). But herein lies the problem. The mac is my prefered program, but I can not eliminate my PC as hard as I try – why – because the programs I need are not all there. Admittedly I am wierd – I write embedded OS’s, using tools that are only available for the PC, and I write windows applications to talk to our embedded products (traditionally using RAD C++ so I do not have to be a windows extert). But nearly every company has some windows only application that they need. WINE and VPC/dual booting will get most of us there (sadly probably not me).
How many games do I need – not many – but they need to be the same ones my friends are playing. Games matter to kids, andmore importantly to developers. I know of many developers that will not buy a mac soley because they can not play their game of choice (not me I own 4 macs now – one PC that I use for only what i have to).
Back to the Macintel, it gives almost everyone (includeing me, if i can get a parallel port for it) a computer that can run OS X 90-99% of the time and run windows the 1-10% that you have no other choice. This will increase the mac market share and make more companies develop for the mac. Perhaps in 5-10 years, windows will be a niche player. Most windows users I know would be Mac OS X users in a heartbeat if they could be guaranteed to run all their programs – that day is coming.
No one wants the mac to win more than me, but we have to start doing things to fill all the holes out there rather than declaring it a myth. It is a real issue and it must be addressed, not ignored.
Try this one: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?t=1y&s=MSFT&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=AAPL
I agree with Bobby.
I love my mac but I have to use a windows machine for a few apps. I would like to add the following consumer apps to the list of missing mac apps:
Home Architecture/Landscaping Design – I know there is “Sketch-up” but what about something under $400.00.
GPS/mapping software – I’ve been trying to get the GPS manufacturers (Garmin, Magellan) to support MacOSX. GPSy doesn’t count since it still runs in Classic mode which will go away with Intel based Macs.
Bobby makes good points.
Add to that list:
Project Management, real state, and law software
Oh I forgot.
There are a lot of subscription services on the internet that only work with the Windows version of Explorer.
I think one of the biggest problems for mac is perception. You can get software, just not at walmart, where the average consumer shops. So if you can’t go down the street and get software you need, then it appearsthat there is none.
Bobby,
In reply to:
“CADD – no real solutions (there are some, but none that comes close to autocad”
Right. No cad program in the world comes close to the features of autocad.
Big, Cumbersome, Slow, Crude, just to name a few.
Autocad exists for the same reasons windows exists – initially sell cheap to establish a large user base and become the standard. Compared to most cad programs, autocad just plain sucks!
I think bobby makes some good points. I’d take a 10% market share any day of the week. Business is one place Apple needs to really work on, and they are making steady progress. But right now I think they are really going after home users. Apple have made iLife & iWorks into an awesome package that ties everything together. I can use my EOS 350D, digital camcorder and CD collection to make a website, picture book, family newsletter, my own music and much more. Steve isn’t dumb, he knows that Micro$oft will be massive in the business sector for many years, but eventually they will diminish because of their terrible record of security issues related to the Windows family. Longhorn will not stop the tidal wave of viruses and worms, because they insist on backwards compatability.
I think the next 10 years will be a very interesting time for us Mac heads, Steve is a great businessman, over 30 years in this fierce industry has proved that very fact.
I am devastated Steven Gerrard has decided to leave Liverpool F.C.
RE: JEG
What exactly would you want in that project management and real estate management programs? (I have started on the formor and may be doing the later for my brother-in-law) These are spare time projects, so do not expect anything soon – unfortunatly they keep getting put off for paying contracts.
Sorry – everyone else. Were it not for spammers I would just give out my e-mail!
I’ve said it before…
One of the issues is “branding.” AutoCAD is a great example–if there’s no AutoCAD, there’s no way you can do CAD on a Mac. Forget VersaCAD and all the others–no AutoCAD, no CAD on a Mac. The example I’ve also used was QuickBooks. No QuickBooks, no accounting. Forget that there’s MYOB, AccountEdge, etc. (Yes, I know, there’s now QuickBooks for Mac).
Essentially, people have picked up the “brands” from the Windows and PC world. Thus, if they can’t find the “brand” on the Mac, then it obviously can’t be used. No AutoCAD: Macs can’t do CAD. No QuickBooks: Macs can’t do accounting.
With respect to games, however, this is where “brand” is important. While many will agree that certain games are “all alike” (eg, First-Person Shooter games), people don’t want to play “Marathon”, they want to play “Quake.” Forget that the graphics may be better, the gameplay better, etc. etc. etc. They want to play “Quake.” Thus, no “Quake”, no Mac games.
Sixty? Ha! MS Word is the best, who needs 60 apps?
Bobby
Sorry… When I said project management I meant an equivalent to MS Project that you could run natively on Tiger. Compatibility with MS Project is obviously a must have. Maybe there is something like this but I have not found it.
In real state I was referring to internal non web based applications used by realtors (sorry I don’t have more detail – I’m not a realtor).
If you are looking for product ideas for software on the Mac you could also look at medical applications for docs. that run their own practice. I have heard this area is currently underepresented in the mac platform.
JEG
Have a look at FastTrack for Project Management. A very good alternative to MS Project, easier to learn and has some nice features MSP doesn’t.
But I do agree, that the author is over simplifying things. The lack of reasonable Mac apps in many categories and lack of options in others holds the Mac back. They like to tout “over 10,000 Mac titles”. Pfft! I bet Windows has 10 times that many.
In the corporate world, we need Records Management and GIS. And we want them from the major players in those markets, not no names. Because we want compatibilty with our existing systems.
“Add to that list: Project Management, real state, and law software”
Project Management: Merlin
Real Estate: Agent Business Builder
As for law offices, check out this article to see how lawyers are using Macs.