Mac Scope

Fear and Loathing in Redmond

Stephen Van Esch - 2002.07.31

The rift between Microsoft and Apple seems to be growing wider. Barely two weeks after Microsoft spread a little FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) regarding the Mac version of Office and threw a bit of mud at Apple regarding the number of users upgrading to OS X, the announcement came that Apple and Sun would work together on the development of the OS X version of StarOffice. In a nutshell, a Mac version of OpenOffice will be available by the end of the year. A commercial version of StarOffice would likely be released soon after.

Seems it wasn't exactly true, though.

Still, the story introduces some intriguing possibilities.

A commercial version of StarOffice for OS X might shake the Redmond giant just a little bit. Why a commercial version? The main reasons is that many large companies have a very large mental block regarding software that is free or doesn't have the stamp of approval from a major corporation. Call it brand slavery if you want. Similar to most consumers, powerful brands are more trusted than the no-name or small name brands. OpenOffice? Might be here today, gone tomorrow. StarOffice? Oh, that's Sun, a perfectly reputable and stable company.

But that's beside the point. This collaboration could have specific benefits for both Sun and Apple. StarOffice has been on the market for some time now, and for the majority of its life it has been a free application. Even after all this time, it has had little impact in the corporate environment that pretty much standardized on MS Office years ago.

Even the ability to seamlessly open MS Office documents didn't seem to make a whit of difference to the IT department heads. As they always say, no one gets fired for buying Microsoft.

With this collaboration, Sun gets a bit of marketing strength behind StarOffice. While StarOffice might be a visible alternative to the tech groups, the average Joe has no idea that there's an alternative of MS Office. Sound familiar? Sounds like Apple about five years ago?

The last five years prove that Apple can take a moribund brand and spin it into something new and exciting. Imagine if the Apple magic was applied to StarOffice. With StarOffice front and center at a Macworld keynote, the corporate world might start getting the message that MS Office isn't the end all and be all office suite.

From this collaboration, Sun gets an excellent marketing vehicle that will raise the profile of StarOffice.

The realization that there are alternatives is what should really worry Microsoft. Five years ago, Microsoft was considered the only game in town. Now, Apple, Linux, and open source software are getting into the minds of the consumer and the IT directors.

While the excitement originally focused on operating systems, it's now moving to the applications market. Consumers and businesses are realizing that they may not have to pay the Microsoft tax after all.

Of course, Apple would also gain from this partnership. By promoting StarOffice, Apple would be able to move away from Microsoft. By using an Office alternative, Apple would no longer be subjected to the kind of ridiculous whining that occurred just before Macworld - the FUD regarding MS pulling Office for Mac could easily be ignored. Microsoft might pull Office support? Yawn. One less overpriced app to worry about.

From this collaboration, Apple gets out from under the thumb of Microsoft.

From the looks of things, everybody would gain in this arrangement. Well, everybody but Microsoft.

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