Mac Scope

Inside the Box

Stephen Van Esch - 2001.01.16

After shaking up the computer world with sleek hardware designs, Apple is finally getting serious about pushing the "other half" of their business: software.

What's inside the box is essential to the Apple business, but it is widely ignored in print and ad campaigns. After all, a curvy iMac looks much better on a billboard or bus than a screen on icons and menu bars.

Several articles, however, point out that hardware sales cannot be driven by software. In a nutshell, iMovie might be a fantastic piece of software, but it's not something that's likely to encourage someone to drop some money on an iMac. Pretty much any mainstream software available for the Mac can be had on the Windows side. Granted, not all of the Windows equivalents are as polished as Apple software, but the average user won't be able to tell the difference.

While Apple would like software to drive hardware sales (and I'm sure they're hoping it will happen), turning out killer apps for both platforms may be the best way for Apple to generate revenue in the long run.

iMovie is available only for Apple users. Would Apple benefit from releasing a low-cost Windows version of the same software? iMovie currently doesn't generate a lot of revenue for Apple. It's bundled free with most new Macs, and Apple offers it as a $49 download to other users, but I can hardly see this as one of their bigger sellers - most Macs capable of using iMovie already have a free copy.

Offering a comparably priced Windows version would add to Apple's bottom line and get users who wouldn't buy a Macintosh to contribute to buy Apple-branded products.

If Apple released great apps that outperform competitors on both platforms, the potential could be enormous. By most accounts, the movie software bundled with Windows ME is a pale shadow of iMovie.

Over time, if people in the Windows world use Apple software on a regular basis, they may begin to wonder what they're missing. If the software is so great, what's the rest of the system like? They may greatly enjoy iMovie (or other Apple software products) and may then take a look at OS X. They may reason that the great user experience they have with Apple software may be extended to the operating system. The only problem for them would be the fact that OS X only runs on Apple hardware.

And then Apple makes a hardware sale.

Join us on Facebook!

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Macintosh Portable, introduced 1989.09.20. The nearly 16 lb. behemoth was innovative but not a smashing success.
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