Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core 8GB kit $232 / 4GB kit $116 / 2GB kit $72. New Macbook 2GB DDR3-$65. HARD DRIVES available -- Free shipping / LIfetime warranty.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, iMac's, MacBook Pros and more. Optical Drives for Apple iBooks, Powerbooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros in Stock. Call 1-800-941-7654 Click Here.

Other World Computing: Big Deals on Big LCDs: 23" 'TrueHD' up to 2048x1152 + USB2 Hub & WebCam $279.99. Specials on 20" to 30" from $167.99. Freight from only $3.95!

Poker Mac Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

The Mac Webb

How Macintel Could Spell Trouble for Windows

- 2005.06.15

For the past three years, I have been arguing with all comers regarding Apple's future. Many positioned the Mac OS transition as the first step to Apple running an OS license program. After all, this would not be a new venture for Apple, having licensed several vendors in the mid-90s - to mixed reviews.

My response has always been that licensing the OS transforms Apple from a multibillion dollar company into a multi hundred million dollar company. I went on to add that Apple would crumble under the weight of cheap Intel boxes and Microsoft Office, eventually dwindling into obscurity.

Then the winds changed, and the Apple world found itself changed in the most significant ways. The bomb fell at WWDC. The move to Intel was upon us.

My first reaction was that this was a response to the fact that Apple could not foresee a way to get the top PowerPC chips into its popular portables. My second thought, and the one I still stick by today, is that Apple needed the Intel DRM offering to launch the Apple Movie Store. This eliminates the major barriers to convincing the studios that Apple can protect movie downloads from illegal use.

As I think more about the current situation and the move to Intel, it becomes apparent that one of the goals (not the only one) of the transition will be market share. Apple fans know that for all the praise Apple has received over the last five years, lack of market share has continued to be an issue. The debates over the importance (or lack thereof) of Apple's market share are constant when you get an Apple fan and a Wintel supporter in the same room.

In the end, Apple has decided that it needs to grow market share.

Looking back over its work with iTunes, the iTunes Music Store, and the iPod, it seems that Apple has been positioning this transition for a number of years. Apple diehards are aware of Wintel-only iPod users who are now more interested than ever to try Apple products.

Apple has been working to change the game from simply a hardware discussion to an integrated system approach - the digital hub. This focus has set them up nicely to make the shift to whatever processor provides the best user experience. Apple fans consistently tout the ability to be more productive running Apple products. This will not change regardless of the processor - Mac users will simply open the box and begin working as they always have.

If we follow the path to its logical end, we see a world where you can spend a premium on Apple hardware running Mac OS X or you can simply buy a copy of the OS to run on your white box Intel machine.

The benefit for Apple - they no longer have to carry the market, spending huge numbers to innovate on each release. If users want a tablet system running OS X, someone will license the software and design a product.

The drawback - open competition with Microsoft, something that the uneasy partners have not had since Apple lost the last war.

In Apple's favor, the next war will be fought over digital entertainment, media, and content. This is a battleground where Apple is much better equipped to win.

The initial casualty will most likely be Microsoft Office for Macs. The good news for Apple fans is that we have been waiting for years for a Mac developed alternative to the Office juggernaut. Picture a world where you can buy an Apple Office suite for Macs and Linux.

As nervous as I am about this change and its effect on my bond with Apple, it appears that Apple management has not made this decision lightly. Looking back on the past five years, a road map has been followed to position Apple for the next ten years. The prospect of Apple's next generation seems bright.

I will keep an open mind and look for new offerings (movies, music, and applications) and updated hardware.

In the end, it will still come in an Apple box and do the things I need done. Maybe things are not too bad after all. LEM

Kevin Webb spent the last seven years selling technology consulting services. Of that time, at least two years have been devoted to trying to convince the world that the Macintosh is the pinnacle of the computing experience. He is the proud owner of eight Macs, ranging from a new iBook to a Classic. You can read about his newest computer in Kevin Webb's PowerBook G4.

Recent articles by Kevin Webb

Links for the Day

Recent Content on Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice 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.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." 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.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, 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.


Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Video Cards
Email Lists

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.