Today Microsoft announced that it plans to delay the consumer launch of its Windows Vista operating system to January 2007 from its earlier target of the second half of 2006.
“Few things could have done more damage to the 2006 PC market then the slip of Windows Vista. This will have an adverse impact on a broad cross section of components and platform PC suppliers who depend on the 4th quarter to make their numbers. The big issue is consumers typically do not wait to buy, and will chose to buy something else and now wait until later in 2007 to purchase their computers,” Rob Enderle writes for Technology Pundits.
“Now all eyes turn to Apple with what now is an unprecedented opportunity to take major market share in the critical 4th quarter,” Enderle writes. “If their expected Media Center competitive product can make it to market as expected, they could gain significant share in a market looking to buy new product but now only seeing it from Apple. I personally can not recall Apple ever getting an opportunity like this.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Will Apple now finally lift the veil of secrecy and advertise Mac OS X to the general public?
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Related articles:
Microsoft delays Windows Vista again – this time until January 2007 – March 21, 2006
Apple in secret deal with Microsoft to hide Macintosh from world? – January 19, 2006
Why in Jobs’ name doesn’t Apple advertise the Macintosh? – October 27, 2005
More would switch from Windows to Mac if Apple advertised more effectively – September 04, 2005
Forrester analysts: Apple should advertise Mac OS X Tiger on television and in movie theaters – April 29, 2005
Mac fans line up for new operating system as passberby asks ‘what is a tiger?’ – April 29, 2005
Apple posts QuickTime movies of Mac OS X Tiger features in action – April 13, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple advertise Mac OS X on TV? – April 12, 2005
Why doesn’t Apple show its patented Mac OS X ‘Genie Effect’ in TV ads? – October 07, 2004
Top Ten things Apple needs to show the world about Macintosh – July 30, 2003
Happy 30th Birthday Apple!!!!!!!!!!!!
once again I find myself agreeing with those who the rest disagree with.
apple aren’t aiming to be the biggest
they aim to be the best
1% increase a year will do fine
a max c. 8-9% is more than enough to keep them very busy indeed
My grandbaby is 6 months old today. If MS releases Vista by the time she can read, that’ll be fine with me.
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This is simply a ploy by Microsoft to copy features that are in Leopard.
Make absolutely no mistake about that.
youre seeing from the latest Finder patents that Apple is learning and becoming more difinitive with its patents, thats at least one way that they can encourage Microsoft not to steal their ideas.
I think you know including you MacDude that windows is just a poorly copied, poorly designed, poorly implemented rip-off of the Mac. Thats why everyone has such problems, and bad experiences with it.
In the real world, not just limited to IT people we use a MAC.
Apple wants to be independent at all costs, even now.
Backwards incompatible in the Business-world.
Or .. losing the Apple color if mass marketing its Mac OS X . x
and losing its identity.
Apple is unic and impossible at the same time.
I love Apple … jgd !
Carlo – “This is simply a ploy by Microsoft to copy features that are in Leopard”
It’s only the consumer launch that’s being delayed. Probably till just after the Apple Expo, in an attempt to curtail the press excitement about Apple’s new releases. Apple could counter that very effectively by explaining that Apple created the original and Microsoft only offers a pale imitation.
Apart from any other considerations, if Leopard were revealed today, Microsoft wouldn’t be able to add any new features into Vista by January. They can’t even offer what they originally promised within their ridiculously elastic time scale, so you needn’t worry about extra features being included.
Whats OS X?
Good job we didn’t rely on Microsoft to crack the Enigma codes in the war or I suspect that their solution would have been released by around 1947 and counting and still be incapable of doing the job reliably, or quicker than a hundred monkeys with pencils for that matter. Mind you I’m not actually sure which side they would have been on anyway, now I come to think of it, especially with Steve Balmer being a Service Pack 2 version of Hermann Goering .
On one hand we have the good old post office creating a Colossus within 9 months from nothing to crack an ‘unbreakable’ code and on the other we have Microsoft unable to create a White Elephant of a ‘glossy’ update to Windows in 4 years, that, to (jack) boot still couldn’t match its performance in that particular task. Wonderful Boys Own stuff old chap.
While the comment that Intel is having some ramp-up problems with their new processors is valid, that is to Apple’s advantage since Apple’s market share is so low. If HP’s — and Dell’s and Gateway’s and Lenovo’s — sales are depressed because Vista will not ship in 2006, Apple will be glad to accept a small part of their competitor’s unused Intel processor commitment to put into Intel Macs. In other words, if the competitors cancel shipment of only 10% of the new Intel processors because of Vista being unavailable, that might allow Apple to at least double its market share. And I have read that Apple has worked it out with its vendors to be prepared for that level of increase in the Mac market.
I still advocate iTease, Windows capable limited versions of the iLife suite. As with iTunes for Windows, give them a bastardized version of what MAC OS is really like.
Let me see if I understand this.
Apple creates media buzz by releasing great new products on a fairly regular basis.
M$ creates media buzz by delaying and re-delaying the release of a 2nd rate product.
Bartender, I’ll have whatever flavor Kool-Aid Enderle is having.
Now if you’ll all excuse me I have to get back to putting new cover sheets on my TPS reports
OS X Tiger hasn’t hasn’t made any appreciable gains going up against XP; an OS from 2001. Vista will still arrive on thousands if not millions of corporate desktops in November. To most people, Leopard means something seen on Animal Planet.
Apple already advertises a lot to the general public. I cannot count the number of websites I have seen over the past week-and-a-half that have had Apple Flash ads; ads that showcase (briefly) all that can be done on Apple’s new iMac & MacBook. Apple does advertise, just not the way we expect it to – think different!
Note also: Apple’s ‘main’ store is online, which is where most of the clickable Flash ads link to.
Good examples can be found at the Fairfax newspaper sites: http://www.smh.com.au and http://www.theage.com.au; I also noticed the ads a lot at Wired’s website.
MDN: Plan, as in I’m sure Apple’s always got a plan up their collective sleeves…
fieroken88
Whats OS X?
First put it in my butt, then I’ll tell you.
Apple is too slow (for whatever the reasons) to roll out new products.
This delay of Vista could be a blessing in disguise for the PC makers. Since Intel is having problems meeting demands for its chips no reason to bring out a new OS if there are no computers for it.
Yeah the advertising for OSX:
1. No viruses.
2. No wait
3. No weight.
MacDailyNews Take: Will Apple now finally lift the veil of secrecy and advertise Mac OS X to the general public?
No. Because there is no good way to advertise your OS in a TV commercial, and certainly not in still print.
The Apple Stores exist as living OS X advertisments, amongst other things.
Wow, Enderle sets up a strawman argument.
The thing is that PC manufacturers won’t so much see reduced sales because by and large most of the public don’t know what Vista is, about it being delayed, about it having features removed etc. The problem for PC manufacturers will be that their sales won’t be massively increased which is what they would be hoping Vista would do which is what they need because their profits are being squeezed by having to cut corners on prices to keep ahead of the game.
Apple meanwhile can effectively do what they want, they have a core bunch of customers who will buy their products and keep them going plus they have the quality of products to gradually build market share and convert new customers into part of their loyal base. Whilst the other companies fight over the tiniest scraps in order to continue to grow in order to hide their lowering margins and lost/moved/switched customers apple charge what their products are worth and because they don’t have to worry about being the cheapest they can afford to make their products as good as possible.
Apple may have a small market share in comparison to Windows but in reality that’s not what they’re up against. They’re up against other PC manufacturers, in comparison to them they look far more competitive and every increase in their share reduces someone else and closes the gap that much more. It would be fascinating to see what the levels of churn are for the various computer manufacturers, how many people buy the same make of PC continuously as opposed to flitting around? In comparison, how many people go Mac and then don’t go back?
That’s a typo. It’s supposed to say January, 3007.
I loved this quote from the article…
“In short, this reminded a lot of folks critical to Microsoft’s long term success how dangerous it is to be tied to any one vendor which is never wise for any dominant vendor to do because it increases, dramatically, the need for a secondary vendor”
WHOA! Is someone actually recognizing that MS is just as dangerous as a sole vendor as people claim Apple to be? And is that person Enderle? Holy crap!
“Will Apple now finally lift the veil of secrecy and advertise Mac OS X to the general public?”
No. There’s nothing the general public can learn from a 30 second commercial on an OPERATING SYSTEM that will lead to sales. Produce a memorable commercial that will get people thinking and that will at least lead them to the stores.
Roberto sez,
“Few things could have done more damage to the 2006 PC market then the idiotic inane comments from Rob Enderle. This will have an adverse impact on paste and other craft materials for dribbling cretins. The big issue is why I am allowed to submit my ripoff drivel-filled articles,” Rob Enderle scribbles for Kindergarten Kockups.
“Now all eyes turn to Apple and I know cuz I read it somewhere and I copied everything to write this article so I can pay for my Cocoa Krispies and model glue,” Enderle writes. ” I personally can not recall my name or what year this is.”
Spudnik
and you cannot spell…
check it again, dumb ass. End of story