Mac Scope

Apple Should Follow Microsoft's Suggestion

Stephen Van Esch - 2002.07.17

The cat's out of the bag. Microsoft, the cute and cuddly monopoly that wouldn't dream of harming a competitor, has let the world know that it's Not Pleased with Apple and its promotion of OS X. In fact, Apple's lack of promotion has hurt Microsoft's bottom line because Office v. X isn't flying off the shelf. If more people adopted OS X then more people would be buying the OS X-only version of Office. Or at least, that's the way Microsoft sees it.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel - that's how ridiculous this charge is. Let's go over the basic arguments:

Office v. X is too expensive. I mean, come on, $499 for productivity software? Sure it's a sweet piece of software, but there are other places I can spend $499 when AppleWorks is installed on the iMac and iBook for free.

OS X's uptake is just fine, thank you very much. OS X has garnered millions of users. Could these be the same users that look at the v. X price tag and laugh?

Apple is getting a bit too uppity for Microsoft's taste. The sword dangles here. Who saved your bacon, Apple? Who keeps Office on the Mac platform? Who is you're sugar daddy? Of course, Apple has come a long way in the last five years. Maybe too far for Microsoft.

Even with these sound arguments, I think Apple should roll over on this one.

Microsoft has pretty much given Apple carte blanche to promote the living heck out of OS X. Think of the possibilities. Maybe Apple could start a cross-country tour called The OS Challenge. XP in this corner; OS X in that corner. Two users take a run at executing simple computer tasks.

May the best OS win.

Apple could also run a few ads about the software that comes bundled with OS X. Oops, no need for Office v. X, because AppleWorks is there. You can also dispense with a few after-market apps like MP3 players and movie creation software.

A few ads about the lower overall cost of ownership might also be in order. "Breaks less often than the competition." Well, we can't mention the competition by name, but you get the idea.

Maybe the "fewer viruses" angle would work? No Outlook, so no you'll never have to look like a complete moron when a virus spams your friends.

Promoting OS X means gaining more Mac users. While Apple could milk the installed base (as Microsoft seems to be suggesting), it's already realized that there's a vast Windows market available to them. The Switch ads show that they're aware of it and are pursuing it.

So where does that leave Microsoft? If Microsoft is serious about wanting OS X to gain market share, they must realize that the gain will come at the expense of their own OS. What can they say? Improve OS X market share, Apple, but don't convert Windows users to get it? Ridiculous. If, on the other hand, they don't want Apple to thrive, they have to clam up and sell fewer Office suites.

Apple should do as Microsoft says in this case and prove that OS X is a superior platform that everyone should be using.

Stephen Van Esch is the founder and president of the E-learning Foundry, an online training resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual, since he's also fluent in Windows and French.

Recently on Mac Scope

Connecting with the broader Macintosh community, 2007.04.06. "But beyond the very minor celebrity status that came with being published on Low End Mac, it gave me a real opportunity to participate in the Mac community."
Hardware failure, that rare Mac headache, 2004.07.09. Macs are usually pretty reliable, but a hardware failure after just two-and-a-half years is still disappointing.
Still waiting for iTunes Music Store Canada, sort of, 2004.06.23. While the pay-per-tune model makes sense, Apple's post-purchase copy management flies in the face of Canadian copyright law.
More in the Mac Scope index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac IIci, introduced 1989.09.20. The fastest Mac to date, the 25 MHz IIci was a real workhorse and a big hit.
February 12 in LEM history: 99: $4,320 for a 'free' iMac - 01: 10 Commandments of Macintosh - High-end word processing for free - 02: 8 OS X gotchas - Working less with my Mac than with my PC - Microsoft Office v. X - 03: New Zealand's Mac mag - 04: Nothing else is a Mac - 07: On Mighty Toaster Wings - Jobs stirs up DRM hornet's nest - OS X 10.2 best for Classic? - 08: Too much software choice is not a blessing - A month with Windows
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