Stop the Noiz

Why Paris Hilton Could Take on IBM-Linux or Apple Better than Bob Enderle

Frank Fox - 2008.08.11 - Tip Jar

Popularity:

Bob Enderle, you ignorant slut.

I guess we can also say that Paris Hilton could probably present a better argument than you can about IBM and Apple - and as a bonus, Paris looks much better in a swimsuit than you ever will.

Paris Hilton talks more sense than Bob Enderle.

All your talk about Apple and IBM taking on Microsoft was the biggest pile of crap. No sane CEO at either of these companies has any false expectation that overnight they will be able to push their computers onto the enterprise market and just take over. I agree that Microsoft is vulnerable with the bad reception that Vista has been getting, but they are still selling XP, and that is a much bigger hurdle for Apple and IBM to clear.

Bob, you are confusing Windows as a single thing. In reality there is XP - and then there is Vista.

Let's face it, Microsoft has the same problem as Apple and IBM - how to get rid of XP. There are around one billion PCs running XP today (my good buddy Paul Thurrott keeps me up to date on these facts), and most of these billion computers aren't capable of upgrading to Vista.

The enterprise world isn't going to throw out this large investment without getting something back in return. Vista isn't rocking their world, and instead these companies will pay extra for Vista Business just so they can downgrade to XP. It's a plan that keeps Microsoft making money in the short term, but it only makes the XP inertia worse in the long run.

for the most part that is Microsoft's problem to deal with. Neither Apple nor IBM has to try to swallow the market all in one bite like Enderle suggests. They have years to work that problem down. All they have to do is break the monopoly power of Microsoft by creating enough viable competition.

Apple and IBM don't even have to cooperate the accomplish this. As long as they target people looking to upgrade from XP, they are effectively working together by default. Microsoft is going to get hammered from both sides, and neither alternative has to be seen as ganging up on poor Microsoft to do it.

Only the biggest Apple fans or Microsoft haters believe you have to eliminate Microsoft to defeat them. Microsoft has had a strangle hold on PC innovation for decades by virtue of its monopoly. Whatever they released has become the standard that everyone else had to follow regardless of technical superiority (or inferiority).

This is not the same as following open standards that everyone can use. Microsoft's standards are changed at its whim and will stagnate once they dominate a market. Just look at how Internet Explorer development stalled once Netscape was defeated - and compare that with today, where Firefox and Safari are both putting pressure on Microsoft to start innovating again or be left behind.

What the world wants is not to kill Microsoft, but to make them compete based on merit, not dominance. Let's see how truly innovative Microsoft can be with Apple, IBM, Linux, and others breathing down their necks and ready to peel away market share. That is how a free market is supposed to operate: competition drives innovation for the consumer's benefit and returns a nice profit to companies that merit it.

Monopolies are a great way to line the pockets of one company at the expense of others. Can anyone say $60 billion?

Sorry, Bob, but it looks like you may both need to consult with Paris before releasing your next plan on winning.

Join us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

Recent Stop the Noiz Columns

Dell XPS 13 Takes on the MacBook Air, 2012.01.20. Although Apple's MacBook Air wasn't the first ultrabook, it set the standard. How does Dell's new XPS 13 compare?
10 Reasons iPhone Users Should Like Android, 2012.01.12. Android is good for Apple, because good competition creates better products and more innovation.
Will Apple Introduce Its Own TV or Just Improve Apple TV?, 2012.01.11. Steve Jobs claimed to have "finally cracked" TV, but does that mean Apple will be introducing its own TV set?
More in the Stop the Noiz index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIfx, introduced 1990.03.19. This 'wicked fast' 40 MHz Mac trumped the 33 MHz DOS world.
February 14 in LEM history: 98: A perfect compact Mac - 00: Extended computer warranties worth the cost? - Making your PC work with your Mac - 01: Customize Microsoft Word - 02: Quadra revives a passion for computing - 03: Real world performance - DIY Pismo screen replacement - Best Mac for writing - 03: Fastest browser on the Mac - 06: 15" MacBook Pro - Impressions of a newly acquired Lisa - Finding and using free WiFi - Apple should liberate OS 9 - 07: New Mac mini cheaper than upgrading a Power Mac - 08: Falling in love with OS X
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay