“The introduction of Microsoft Windows Vista and its’ many confusing and progressively expensive flavors has opened up a er, period of opportunity for Apple (formerly Apple Computer),” Doug Mohney writes for The Inquirer. “Will Steve Jobs take a really bold chance to increase his market share or just play it safe with his little fiefdom of iPods, iTunes and forthcoming iTV? Operating systems may not be sleek and sexy to Steve, since he realizes he can make more recurring revenue off of music at a dollar a pop than selling decent hardware. However, Vista is being beaten like a dead horse by the mass media…”
Mohney writes, “If Apple was serious, and I mean really serious, about gaining more PC market share, they’d realize they need to license/sell their operating system to another hardware manufacturer or two. Sure, Apple’s tried the license route before with mixed results, but it’s about time to bite the bullet, look into the mirror, and realize they should try something bold. Apple should license their operating system to Dell.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Fortune: Michael Dell reiterates he’d love to sell Apple’s Mac OS X if only Jobs would license – January 22, 2007
BusinessWeek’s Hesseldahl: Gartner report that Apple should license Mac OS to Dell belongs in trash – October 20, 2006
Gartner: Apple should quit hardware business and license Mac OS X to Dell – October 18, 2006
Michael Dell say’s he’d be happy to sell Apple’s Mac OS X if Steve Jobs decides to license – June 16, 2005
Fortune: PC makers realize Mac OS X is superior to Windows, they’re wooing Steve Jobs for licenses – May 26, 2005
iPod success opens door to Mac OS X on Intel – March 04, 2004
Steve license anything to Mikey Dell ? He’d rather license directly to Billy Gates, if forced to license anything.
iTv won’t be any significant part of apple’s marketshare.
Gee, Vista seems to be almost as underwhelming as Zune.
Oh, and Dell would be at the bottom of Apple’s list of potential licensees!
Poppycock! If you have 200% growth, expanding market share, and more importantly market momentum…why would you license OS X to DELL of all people. They’re the definition of mediocrity.
The whole problem with Windows and Microsoft is the multitude of hardware and manufacturers. Some see this as a plus…but it’s not. It leads to the lowest common denominator of a product. Vertical integration solidifies product excellence. Apple designs the hardware. Apple designs the OS. Apple designs many of the apps. It all works. And it works exceedingly well.
No they bloody well shouldn’t. They are going to sell well enough themselves so why rope in a bottom feeder?
It would be the same as giving in to the loco’s in Norway over iTunes/iPod DRM issues.
That would be immensely stupid.
Did you listen to the Macworld Key note?
Jobs quoted Alan Kay as ‘Anyone who is serious about software should make their own hardware’. He added that Apple is following that direction even now. So there is no question of licensing the software.
Macuser
I cannot wait until the bomb that is Leopard will drop. To paraphrase The Crystal Method “Now is the Time”………
Don’t license it to Dell, license it to corporate and individual users, at a price equal to whatever Apple’s profit is on a mid-range iMac, plus a premium for the increased support costs.
-jcr
This is unlikely to happen. Given Leopard’s apparent June release– which feels like a long time coming, even if it isn’t– I think Apple is going the blow-them-out-of-the-water approach. It would be interesting to see a head-to-head battle between OS X and Windows, but ultimately, Apple is a “product company” (Steve’s term). They want to make the complete thing– there is no soul without the body.
Steve knows what he’s doing, softly, softly . . . .
The Inquirer writes such junk. Not just because of its questionable grammar (“its” never has an apostrophe after it; “opened up a er, period of opportunity”) but because of its transparent rhetoric suited to an idiotic reader base. If you’ve ever read the British tabloids The Sun or Daily Mail, this type of propaganda will scream out at you as the BS it really is.
Since when was it Apple’s job to make money for Dell?
It would, to a degree, be very fun to pull the rug out from under Microsoft. Can you imagine seeing their stock drop a large percentage in a single day. Oh the glorious fun that would be. But in the end it would not be worth helping Dell and risking the experience by separating the hardware from the software.
Basically Steve Jobs is a sadist. He is very slowly torturing all the pee-cee companies out there. Every few months he releases something new that sends them into a new round of pain. It doesn’t kill them, just more pain in a different place than before.
Apple’s sales and financials are increasing at wonderful rates — no need to get greedy at this point. Sure and steady wins the race.
license to anyone but dell then seem em squirm, trouble is, amd would squrim cos apple would force anyone wanting to work with them to their standard
RS: “it’s” is used with an apostrophe as a possessive pronoun.
ive actually come to agree… they should price it at a premium and have serious restrictions on what machines dell could put it on, though, so that apple doesnt have to compete with dell on the crappy $400 machines… that would increase the software availability and strengthen the mac platform. people would be less wary of switching to mac if they knew they wouldnt be locked into one manufacturer.
Why? Most Dell users will have to upgrade their hardware to run Vista anyway, so why not buy a Mac upgrade instead? There’s virtually no price difference and the Mac and the Dell and unlike the Dell the Mac will run both Mac OS X and Vista.
What’s next?? – Product activaton, thats what. Mac OS musr NEVER – NEVER – NEVER be made avalible on on Apple Hardware.
Product Activation = EVIL
Then it wouldn’t be an Apple, it would be another horrendously ugly, junky looking Dell.
Guys like that just don’t get it and never will.
“Leopard’s apparent June release…”
Why do some people think they know when Leopard is going to be released? You don’t know anymore than the rest of us.
“”If Apple was serious, and I mean really serious, about gaining more PC market share,”
Um, does the writer realize that Apple is a HARDWARE company?
MW slowly, as in the tide is slowly turning.
“Operating systems may not be sleek and sexy to Steve, since he realizes he can make more recurring revenue off of music at a dollar a pop than selling decent hardware.”
I’m sorry but this makes no sense at all. There’s no connection between “operating systems” and “decent hardware,” and Apple’s revenue comes primarily from hardware, not music.
I don’t know when it’s going to be released, but based on recent posts on the web, the APPARENT date is in June. Was this somehow offensive? I hope it’s tomorrow. Sensitive much?
Peterson?
I liked Cringly’s opinion from over a year ago. Steve ought to give Tiger away for free, bootable on PCs, once he releases Leopard. That will just kill Vista’s sales.