And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. — Steve Jobs to Business Week, Oct. 12, 2004
“Recently, we’ve heard the announcement by Microsoft that Windows Vista for consumers will be delayed until January 2007. As I scan the Internet articles, I see that many have attributed this delay to, variously, the incompetence of Microsoft, the evil plans of Microsoft, or, perhaps, simply the overwhelming challenge of fielding a modern Windows OS for PCs,” John Martellaro writes for The Mac Observer. “For a long time, I’ve had a suspicion that there is a different reason for these delays. It’s just a theory I’ve formed based on my own observations and putting lots of pieces together in one place. Bear with me for a paragraph or two while I set this up. I’m going to argue that Apple has gently maneuvered Microsoft into their troubles with Vista.”
Martellaro writes, “I believe a decision was made to drive Microsoft into a bind with Apple’s disciplined consumer focus. This was because Steve knew that Bill hates to lose and wants to one-up everything Apple does. Knowing that weakness, Apple decided to:
• Exploit Microsoft’s greed and over-confidence
• Exploit Mr. Gates’ fascination with Apple’s nimbleness and innovation
• Leverage Apple’s consumer orientation unfettered by business constraints
• Leverage the fact that Apple’s sales are fueled by the purchase authority of individuals and the emotional reaction customers have to Apple products
• Emphasize OS security – knowing that the consumer Internet would likely become a more and more dangerous place.
“I don’t think this was a war plan written out in detail. I think it was the gut instinct of a very smart Apple CEO who nursed the plan along and let it flourish,” Martellaro writes.
Full article here.
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Related articles:
Microsoft employees call for heads to roll over continual Vista slips – March 27, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Albatross, er Vista could slip even more – March 27, 2006
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Microsoft reorganizes moribund Windows unit – March 23, 2006
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Forbes: Microsoft’s Vista slips again – Steve Jobs must be waking up a happy man this morning – March 22, 2006
What’s the difference between Mac OS X and Vista? Microsoft employees are excited about Mac OS X – March 22, 2006
Vista delay causes Windows-dependents slump in pre-market trading; Apple rises – March 22, 2006
Enderle on MS Vista slip: ‘I personally can not recall Apple ever getting an opportunity like this’ – March 21, 2006
Microsoft delays Windows Vista again – this time until January 2007 – March 21, 2006
Sounds good to me. Lets go with it.
Billy Boy has been played!!!
Steve could help out here and send Micky over to help out.
What a Micky mouse outfit it would be then!
“Redmond Start Your Copiers”
If that isn’t someone taunting another to fall into a trap I don’t know what else is…
http://themacobserver.com/columns/hiddendimensions/2006/20060403.shtml
“Bill hates to lose. . .”
The first understatement of the year award.
Take a look at Microsoft’s stock: INHX
Does the link work ?
http://www.google.com/finance?q=INHX
the full article link links back to this page. We need a fix
Interesting – comparing a computer company with a music download company. Me thinks Bill won when Steve surrendered with MacIntel which should run Vista quite well.
That’s a stretch.
So apple forced Microsoft to be crap by being good themselves and concentrating on products and markets they felt the could succeed in? Personally I think that saying it was an elaborate plan on Apple’s behalf gives Microsoft too little credit for self destruction.
I am not sure “maneuver” is the right word, but the delay of Vista ceratnly has an Apple factor or more specifically an OS X factor. OS X sets up the bar, and the bar is raised several times during the course of Vista development with each release of OS X. Consequently, Vista has to be readjusted to make sure it is “competitive” with OS X when it finally comes out.
Um, no — Apple has innovated the OS in such a great way that MS is unable to compete.
Apple took the very painful path of switching to a modern platform which allows rapid development of emerging technologies and is able to handle an ever growing system load.
Windows has been unwilling to leave support for older hardware and software behind. This has boxed them into a corner.
Undoubtedly, they will create a new OS without regard to previous Windows users that will usher in a modern era for them. Until then, it’s going to get ugly. And in fact, leaving existing users behind will get even more ugly. heh heh heh
I disagree with this article. If these are the real reasons behind Steve’s logic for running a company then I am worried. I’m sure these issues come up, but do you really think this is what is driving the business plan at Apple? This is business not high school revenge. I think profit margins, R&D, and advertising are much higher on the list then these things.
A more likely scenario is that Microsoft brought all this upon themselves by not thinking far enough ahead. In contrast, Apple has done just that and has consistently produced superior software.
As he writes, I don’t think this was a deliberate plan to begin with as Apple could have no way of predicting how long it would actually take Microsoft to get Vista out the doors.
However, they have to an increasing degree stepped up the pressure, and moving the WWDC to September was a cunning move that in my opinion forced Microsoft to move the intro of Vista, or they would have launched a Vista that would look like a silly copy of Mac OS X 10.4.
Microsoft could easily end up looking like they finally had lost it to Mac OS X if they launched at the same time as Steve Jobs announced hot new features in 10.5.
I think Apple simply went back to what Apple does best: make consumer software that’s easy to use. Apple plays this “niche” very well and it works.
Microsoft wasn’t drawn into anything. They never decided what kind of company they are. They just aren’t Apple. That non-focus is tearing the rapidly spinning juggernaut apart.
It was easy to see coming. MS should break up into more competitive groups with separate missions.
I hope that Apple is able to keep focus on their core competencies, but it is easy to forsee the dicipline breaking down with the likes of iPod WiFi. You can argue this is a best-in-class product, but does Apple make an extensible iPod platform or do they control the whole iPod ecosystem?
Apple should try and avoid destroying third-party markets and avoid causing resentment in developers. Apple’s come a long way in embracing developers, but they need to keep focussed on building the best possible platform and that’s done with outside help, not a closed system and not an everything-approach.
Lets keep the ideas fresh and recylcing and work together without compromising our ideals or our product for political/internal reasons.
That goes for you too, reader.
That makes about as much sense as giving all the credit to Ronnie Reagan for ending communism by forcing the Soviets to outspend their military budget.
Do not ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity.
Son, I hate to say this but, you’re an idiot.
…And, take that finger out of your nose.
Steve Jobs = Ronald Reagan
Reagan was largely credited with the fall of the Soviet Union by ramping up U.S. defense spending, specifically by developing advanced and sexy weapons systems like the F-117 stealth fighter and the B-2 stealth bomber. The Soviets, afraid of falling behind, then tried to play a game of tit-for-tat by also pouring money into defense.
Unfortunately for the Soviets, decades of communism had devasted their infrastructure and economy, and the Evil Empire simply fell apart at the seams in the end.
Not exactly a perfect analogy because Apple has been able to achieve much more than Microsoft for 1/10 the money, but I think the author is totally correct. It sorta makes sense how Jobs jabbed that Microsoft at MacWorld when showing off Tiger that they “couldn’t copy fast enough,” almost as if he were goading them into making last minute changes in the feature set to try keep up with Apple.
And Windows, just like the Soviet Union, lacked the infrastructure to accomodate a rapid development environment.
Soooooooooooo vague.
We read on this forum a week or two ago the suggestion that Microsoft had been brought to grief by the fact that it had had to try to make VISTA compare to OSX.
The author of the article must read MDN..
Yeah but Microsoft now says that are “people-ready”!
Of course, [url=”
“]this[/url] is who they were talking about. (No offense, if that’s one of you guys.)
“but do you really think this is what is driving the business plan at Apple?”
The author says
“I don’t think this was a war plan written out in detail. I think it was the gut instinct of a very smart Apple CEO who nursed the plan along and let it flourish,”
So, I think Steve Jobs is driving the business plan. It just so happens that it has had an unintended but some might say welcome side effect.