“I get suspicious over seemingly minor little changes. A recent ‘little change’ got me thinking that Apple might spin it off its computer division into something I’m calling the Macintosh Computer Company: the renaming of OS X back to MacOS,” John C. Dvorak writes for PC Magazine. “Because what’s the point… unless something is up?”
“The reasons to do this are obvious and simple. PC sales are flagging. While the market for desktop computers and laptops is still enormous, it’s seen as dead. You can see it in all the worldwide tech reporting. It’s become a boring replacement market as people keep their systems longer and longer,” Dvorak writes. “This means the computer division of Apple will eventually become a genuine albatross around the company’s neck. So it’s better off as a standalone company focused on computers, pretty much like it was pre-2001 when the iPod showed up.”
“Apple, Inc. benefits in all ways, but mostly it gets out of the moribund computer business insofar as its shareholders are concerned. Mac end-users and its community would not know the difference for years to come,” Dvorak writes. “It also allows the Mac to break free from the Apple walled garden, which seems to be centered on the phone, giving the computing platform more versatility outside of the Apple enclave.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The reason for the change from the always-inelegant “OS X” back to the Mac with “macOS” was to make it fit with the rest of the company’s operating systems (iOS, tvOS, and watchOS). You don’t make something fit and work with everything else in your company’s portfolio (Continuity) as a precursor for spinning it off.
When has Dvorak ever been right when it comes to the Mac?
Let me count… yes.. Answer is never.
He was claiming Apple was going to go x86 long before it happened and peoe said the same thing then – “when has he ever been right?”
Lol
Yeah.. cant remember that… Then again broken clock is right twice a day.
1. List a fact or two.
2. String together a bunch of nonsensical theories that lead to an unexpected or novel conclusion.
3. …
4. Profit!
That’s the Dvorak Way™.
I guess #3 is actually “dupe people into reading your dumb article with its click-bait headline and rack up the ad revenue.”
He’s completely off his meds this time.
It’s all about the Apple ecosystem and how all Apple devices work together seamlessly.
He’s sounding like a market analysis. Throw away the future for a bagfull of money now.
Nope. Dvorak just have to stop giving Apple his idiotic advices. That is it. Dvorak does not know what he is talking about.
Why should he start making sense now in his doddering old age? Thoughtful & intelligent Apple advice from Dvorak is an oxymoron.
Agreed.
There are three facts everyone should know about Dvorak:
1. He’s a bloated gas bag
2. He’s been off his meds since the 90s
3. He and Rob Enderle were separated at birth
I thought he’d moved to Jurassic Park.
Yup just when Apple closes in on a seamless experience between all of its devices it separates the core product and allows it to go off on its own way whereby such seamless interaction would become less assured. Makes sense to me NOT. You hear nothing but people saying they can’t do ‘real’ work on iOS devices so what possible sense could there be for the foreseeable future for it to be cut free from those very devices that people perceive can do their work and thus breaking them away from the overall Eco system? This guy gets madder and madder by the day.
I know its SOP to knock Dvorak, but if Apple hurts Mac productivity in the 3rd party apps by adopting too many silly iOS ideas in a new Mac OS, then I would be for it.
I rely totally on 3rd party apps for content creation, and I know those developers are tired of being whip-sawed by Apples change for the sake of change mode, done in order to appease the iOS entertainment consumption crowd. They have to spend a lot of time and money reacting to Apples changes in that area, which flows downhill to those who actually produce things.
No, apps like Pages etc. are no longer sufficient except for very basic office use, I haven’t even opened an Apple app in the iCloud group for at least two years. I produce HTML5 motion graphics. Web apps, etc. Nothing from Apple applies, yet it still is the best OS out there for content creation.
And obviously iOS apps are created on the Mac.
Apple, don’t mess with that. If you go too far in adopting iOS conventions for the Mac, it will go badly. Example: touch screen type interfaces for what I do; laughable at best.
I am just saying don’t go too far. If you do decide to go there, then yes, sell it. There are plenty of ex-Apple employees out there who could make it work in another company.
Apple relied on pro users when Wintel ruled the world. That’s all they had. No, Apple “rules” with the iPhone, and frankly doesn’t need pro users the same way it used to.
The number of people who need more horsepower than a top-if-the-line iMac is very few, considering the size of the market. I honestly think Apple is making the right decision by not siphoning resources to create a computer for the sole use of perhaps 1% of their users.
Dvorak is writing an online column. He needs readers. He needs hits. Nothing more. Sadly for him, he likely burned his bridges years ago with Apple insiders, so he isn’t able to gather any real insight. But it matters not to him. As long as he gets those hits.
(So why is MDN facilitating him by linking to his column? Oh yea, MDN needs hits too.)
It’s clear now… As Apple moves to make the Mac more interoperable with iOS devices, it’s obvious they intend to halt collaboration between the two platform divisions.
Yeah, Dvorak is an idiot.
The name OS X was a bit confusing, since officially (according to Steve Jobs’s explanation), OS X is the core OS running in ALL Apple devices. Mac OS X is the desktop version of OS X; iOS is the mobile version; tvOS is the TV version, etc. Because all of that hardware was using a version of OS X, calling the desktop version Mac OS X created a source for the naming confusion. Now that it is MacOS, (or macOS), it is all clear and consistent: macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS are all versions of OS X running on various types of devices.
And no, there is no benefit for Apple spinning of Macintosh; having total control of the development platform for ALL OS X variants it critical for maintaining cross-platform scalability and consistency of user interface across the eco-system. Macintosh is still the only platform that can be used for development of applications for all other hardware platforms of the Apple eco-system.
“Macintosh is still the only platform that can be used for development of applications for all other hardware platforms of the Apple eco-system.”
I hope you are right, and that Apple sees that. There may be some indication that they do based upon SOME recent events but I am a bit concerned about the devil that may be in the details.
When the developers of the third party app that I use the most, all ex-Apple employees who grew up on Mac,admit that they are now actively considering, just “considering” believe me, that is NOT where they want to go, but…… if they go, I would have to go with them, its that important to my business. I believe it won’t come to that, but……..never thought i would even think it was possible.
Hoping for the best.
Dvorak is an interesting read but nothing else. Apple wouldn’t even be around if they listened to him. As I write this on my iMac 5K.
Dvorak really is the Court Jester of the Kingdom of Apple.
His click bait trolling aside, isn’t Apple the only ones making a decent profit on Desktops and Laptops? Why sell it off?
They could name the new company Claris. How could it fail?
Microsoft dinosaur pundit from the past … At least his ridiculous take on trends has not changed!!
Apple doesn’t need Dvorak to provide them with bad advice, Tim Cook is providing Apple more with plenty of mismanagement, poor decisions, and myopic vision.
I see you took my advice.
Nice new nick!
Sadly, same old lack of insight.
Why do you bother?
I love this guy. He comes out with some zingers once in awhile when he forgets to take his meds.
Dvorak Quotes:
“The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a ‘mouse’. There is no evidence that people want to use these things.” (1984)
“Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone” (2007)
“The tablet market has only succeeded as a niche market over the years and it was hoped Apple would dream up some new paradigm to change all that. From what I’ve seen and heard, this won’t be it.” (2010)
“Within the decade, Microsoft should have a minimum of 300 stores. They should do as well as the Apple Stores …” (2012)
“Apple Pay – What’s the big deal?” (2014)
The guy is a special kind of stupid.
When Dvorak speaks the whole world listens……………………………to someone else.
Is he still alive? brain-dead for decades, however…
The Dvorak haters here are as nasty and unkind as the Trump haters. Falling over yourselves to see who can post the most derisive and ugly comment.
As Apple fans we should better than that.
Dvorak and Trump mentioned. Ok there is our daily dose of idiots.
It’s impossible to compete with those filled with hate.
Just leave them to wallow in it.
What a sad existence.
I agree with Dvorak, surprisingly. But it would be nice to see the Mac owned by someone who cares.
One of the most stupid ideas i have heard
… Idiot.