“Now isn’t the greatest time to be Steve Jobs. Apple is in the midst of a pretty nasty financial fiasco that is starting to look more menacing every day. Microsoft is gearing up to take on Jobs’ franchises, iTunes and the iPod. Even the Fake Steve Jobs, whose “Secret Diary of Steve Jobs” blog had techies buzzing over the last few months, has given up the ghost — for now,” Lee Pender writes for Redmond Channel Partner Magazine.
MacDailyNews Note: Yes, Redmond Channel Partner. What, you don’t read it cover to cover?
Pender continues, “But, even without the Fake Steve Jobs around to clue us in to the real Steve’s innermost thoughts, we can imagine that what really has Jobs down in the dumps these days is the inevitable fact that no matter how cool Leopard is — and no matter how many shots Jobs takes at Microsoft — the new Mac OS will barely make a dent in Windows’ almost obnoxious OS market share.
“First off, it’s questionable as to how far advanced Leopard is compared to Vista. Beyond that, Apple has always been ahead of Microsoft in the OS innovation game, but that creativity lead has never translated into a serious competitive run at Windows… the fact remains that the Mac OS is, these days, the stuff of graphic designers, enthusiasts and zealots. In fact, the only reason I’m writing about it here is because it’s mid-August, and there’s not a ton of news about anything else right now,” Pender writes. “So, while Jobs may roar at Microsoft and Vista, his new OS will likely hit the market more like a purring kitty than a deadly cat of prey. No matter how cool or advanced it is.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If ignorance is bliss, then 80+% of PC users sure are blissful. Now, what happens when they figure out that only Apple Macs give them two computers for the price of one – and often at a price lower than the other OS-limited PC makers? One fact stands out above all others: when people really use a Mac and a Windows PC for awhile and you ask them to choose one, the vast majority choose Macintosh. So, relying on solely on ignorance is a risky proposition. The more people that get a Mac, the more people they will tell about it. And what happens when millions face Vista hardware upgrade time? One thing’s certainly for sure, Apple cannot run “get a Mac” campaign materials enough. Regardless of whether Redmond Channel Partner Magazine’s Pender is right or wrong – there’s no way to know – we can smell his fear across the Internet. And we like it.
Related articles:
Analyst: Apple’s new Mac OS X Leopard sets new bar, leaves Microsoft’s Vista in the dust – August 08, 2006
Sophos: Apple Mac OS X’s security record unscathed; Windows Vista malware just a matter of time – July 07, 2006
Leopard attack on Vista: Apple taunts Microsoft with much faster operating system launches – July 05, 2006
What Microsoft has chopped from Windows Vista, and when – June 27, 2006
Windows Vista rips-off Mac OS X at great hardware cost (and Apple gains in the end) – June 13, 2006
Computerworld: Microsoft Windows Vista a distant second-best to Apple Mac OS X – June 02, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft collapsing under its own weight, Gates has driven Windows Vista into the ground – April 20, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Forget the iPod’s halo; the real Mac sales will come when people face Windows Vista upgrade decision – January 16, 2006
Analyst: Windows Vista may still impress many consumers because they have not seen Apple’s Mac OS X – January 05, 2006
Windows users who try Apple’s Mac OS X Tiger might not want to go back – June 07, 2005
No, he’s not right. And if everyone was paying attention Steve Jobs said he is keeping several Leopard features top secret for now. From what I’ve seen Leopard has already taken a killer size byte out of wimpy Vista already and were only getting started here folks. Say what you will but right now Vista is dog slow and takes up to many resources to do simple things and the upgrade path for those who want to go there is basically toss your old PC because it won’t work.
Is it just me? Mshit users talking about Vista as though it was a shipping OS? Comparing Vista, currently vaporware, to Tiger or Leopard? Show us Apple users the consumer version of Shitsta running on a PC
(not the beta testers version) and then do a comparison. Apple users have had the best of 2 worlds: OSX and Mac hardware for what, 5 years. In that time Vista has been delayed, parred down feature by feature to what amounts to, what some call a service pack. Making light of OSX features are the signs of frustation on the part of desparate Windows users not stisfied with the decline of their own OS.
To you Windows users: bend over for MS
MS might be gearing to take on iPod + iTunes, but with 70% of 2007 model cars offering iPod integration, it has a lot of catching up to do!
Regardless of how much of this FUD is written, consumers will vote with their wallets. Mac market share is growing.
god, I’m getting sick of these over-sentimental cat allusions.
“purring kitty” for heaven’s sake!
Hey Pender!
If you’re scared, say you’re scared.
It’s amazing how much these people are running around trying to discredit Steve and Leopard.
You don’t see Santa running around trying to convince everyone that the Great Pumpkin isn’t ready to take over Christmas. He’s not really worried about the competition.
~M
And Vista is the OS of 6-week wonders from trade schools giving Microsoft CE certifications to anyone who can memorize the answers to a few questions. Is it any wonder that IT departments don’t want Macs in their domain? The real reason is because they haven’t memorized a set of canned answers to support questions.
By the way there is a typo in the second paragraph. it should read “the new Mac OS will barely make a dent in Windows’ almost obnoxious OS. Market share?”
:-O
Mshit users talking about Vista as though it was a shipping OS? Comparing Vista, currently vaporware, to Tiger or Leopard? Show us Apple users the consumer version of Shitsta running on a PC
We do not need to. You are not our customer target. And, as it is obvious, it worked for our customer target: they talk ’bout Vista as if it was there alive and kicking, comparing features that are just on paper (aren’t we the best in marketing we in Redmond or not?) with features that are working on Mac OS X. And you talk about Steve RDF ? that’s a joke, right?
We do not distort reality, we make our customers live in a different one. Pffff, distortion: CREATION, this is what we do. AND that we can create out of vaporware shows how much better than Apple we are. THEY have to make things real in order to be believed. WE just make people DREAM and believe in a reality that is only ours. You’ll never make a dent with reality when we deliver dreams!
PS
This message is for Windows faithful users. Mac user can’t see our light.
Mac people just don’t get it. I bet none of you are CIOs yearning to switch to Apple.
Microsoft is aimed at the Enterprise market. Windows, including Office, BizTalk, Commerce Server, SQL Server, Visual Studio, ASP.NET, SharePoint, Active Directory, Project Server, and all the rest, even Internet Explorer, are all aimed at the Enterprise market. The greatest needs of the enterprise are collaboration and version control, and that is where Microsoft is king. The closest thing Apple has to SharePoint is the Time Machine. Outlook has been sharing calendars, reserving rooms and resources, and allowing people to invite each other to meetings for years; iCal won’t do that until Leopard. Outlook has had notes and to-do lists since its inception; Apple’s implementation of those features in iCal is much better, but it doesn’t come out until Leopard.
Even if Windows had superb security, it isn’t designed for consumers and standalone professionals. When my Windows computer has a problem, it refers me to my system administrator, which is fine in the office, but not at home, where the system administrator lives in my bathroom mirror. Microsoft doesn’t get the consumer market.
Apple, on the other hand, is aimed at consumers. They have no products for BizTalk, Commerce Server, SQL Server, Visual Studio, ASP.NET, SharePoint, Active Directory. They can’t compete with Microsoft in the Enterprise because they don’t have the products.
In terms of numbers of computers, the Enterprise is market is larger. Just the Navy has more Windows computers than some countries have people. That means as long as Microsoft concentrates on the Enterprise, and Apple focuses on consumers, Apple will always have a small market share. In other words, Apple can’t kill Microsoft because it doesn’t have the weapons and it isn’t on the right battlefield.
Apple shouldn’t worry about market share overall. For the time being, Apple should concentrate on its market share among consumers. That is where it can eat Microsoft’s lunch.
I’ll take purring over deadly pussy any day.
MW: blood
Gimme iq, That’s what Secure empty trash is for.
Not even Time Machine could restore from a Secure Empty Trash. Or you could just turn off Time Machine!!!!!
“the Mac OS is, these days, the stuff of graphic designers, enthusiasts and zealots”
Oh, and the, uh, 50% of Mac buyers at Apple retail stores that are new to Mac.
Oh wait, they must all be graphics designers, enthusiasts and zealots.
Man, that’s a lot of graphic designers.
Correction: my earlier comment should have read:
‘A. <Steve Ballmer grunting> “plop”.’
And the other Sasquatch, I am so with you. Why can’t Apple release earlier versions of OSX for x86, like 10.2 or 10.3?
Tie the newer versions to Apple hardware, that’s fine. Give it away for free download like a linux distro, or sell it for $20.00 a copy.
Think about it. Apple’s not going to be making money off of these older OS’s anyway. Bundle them up with demos of iLife 04 or something. Windows users are going to have to buy new systems when Vista comes out, sometime in the next few weeks-months-years, whatever. In the meanwhile, let more people play with the OS and apps, and just mayble they’ll head to the back corner of CompUSA or the Apple Store instead of going to Dell, BestBuy or WalMart. Put a pop up disclaimer warning people that once they experience computing free from dialog boxes, viruses and spyware, they may not want to go back to Windows. It can also inform them that there is a butt load of new features on 10.4 and 10.5 that’s only available when you buy a new mac.
Some of the people who do this will be cheap bas#$^ds and not buy new systems from Apple. But guess what? They’ll buy Mac apps. More people buying Mac apps equals more people writing Mac apps. The old systems will break down eventually.
Let the revolution begin! Long live Comrade Steve!!!
Hey, guys,
I had no idea this was out here. Just found it today. For the record, Redmond Channel partner magazine (self-promotion here: rcpmag.com) is a monthly magazine for Microsoft channel partners. We’re independent of Microsoft, though, so we certainly don’t have to eat what Microsoft feeds us. And, most of the time, I don’t think we do.
Also, I had an old iMac (bought one back in 2000 when my PC kept crashing) for years and loved it. I just sold it last year, in fact, and it was my only computer during all that time. I would love to see the Mac and OS X make a serious dent in Microsoft’s market share. I just don’t realistically see it happening…
Anyway, thanks for reading. Sorry I didn’t discover this before.
Lee