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Will Microsoft pull the plug on Apple? | |
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| Time: 17:39 EST/22:39 GMT | News Source: ZDNet | Posted By: Byron Hinson | ||
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Is Microsoft going to kill Apple Computer? Some may say it's already happened, at least from looking at the relative dominance of Windows over Apple's Mac OS. But I'm talking about Microsoft pulling the plug on Office and Internet Explorer for Mac OS. Is this actually going to happen? I don't think so. Apple CEO Steve Jobs doesn't think it will happen, or so he said during a meeting I had with him last week to discuss this and other topics. I've heard the same from the people at Microsoft who develop the Mac applications. | ||
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| #1 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 1/29/2002 8:17:31 PM |
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If you ask me, it's a very relevent article. The proposed settlement does nothing to account for this situation. It's clear MS USES Apple to appear a good corporate citizen who even tolerates competition. But this is a disservice to Apple who could use a fully-featured Outlook, Access, etc... from MS, and it would be profitable for MS--of course, they have other concerns besides selling software.
On the other hand, if MS pulled support; we would have a new antitrust trial--clearly there is no incentive to pull support as MS's Mac products have always beeen profitable, have always led feature and innovation-wise (after all there would be no Word or PowerPoint w/o the Mac), and they have done so now for over 15 years. Very relevent considering that the Judge has a month to determine whether or not to accept that pathetic settlement. |
| #2 By 4379 (208.63.198.247) at 1/29/2002 8:23:36 PM |
| I was a Mac fan once. Back then I didn't know about computers, but now I know better. |
| #3 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 1/29/2002 8:37:38 PM |
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Peter, you do realize that this would be illegal, right? What excuse could MS provide? Their best apps started on the Mac, they've always been profitable, they have the workforce already skilled in the proper technology (and they are voted better than the PC versions so it's either really much easier or more powerful to program for the Mac).
In the Antitrust Case, MS said it's decision to do so was based on developers leaving the platform (they continue to attract new ones and the old ones (Adobe, Macromedia) have made millions more in the past three years than they ever did, Apple hasn't lost an inch of marketshare, they've blown up from a 1 Billion Dollar company to a 9 Billion Dollar company. MS has been investing in them (and reaping the rewards 300-500% over). How could MS possibly say that it's a good business move to pull out of the Apple market? Because that's what it would require in order to avoid Apple suing them for 30 Billion dollars. |
| #4 By 135 (208.50.201.48) at 1/29/2002 9:23:33 PM |
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sodajerk - It's interesting how you first state that Office on the Mac sucks, but then you go on to state it is awesome.
Word didn't originate on the Mac as it dates back to 1983 or so and was one of the first big reasons to buy a Microsoft Mouse... you are thinking of Excel which was written specifically for the Mac. Powerpoint was a purchased product, Forethought or something like that for the Mac. Which brings up another thing, mice were actually fairly common before the introduction of the Macintosh. I don't think most people realize that. |
| #5 By 3465 (206.20.132.147) at 1/30/2002 7:28:22 AM |
| Kind of the reverse for me. I hated Macs until I used one. Then I realized pc were so far behind in design and stability. |
| #6 By 2960 (156.80.64.157) at 1/30/2002 10:14:12 AM |
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Rats!
Ford has not come out and put in writing saying that "Ford Motor Company will build and sell cars for the 2005 model year.". I guess since there is no guarantee that Ford will be selling cars in 2005, I should start shopping elsewhere. In other words, this is the STUPIDIST, unresearched, unsubstantiated article that Coursey has ever written. It is unprofessional journalism at it's best, and nothing more than something to 'shake up the tribe'. What a load of sh*t TL |
| #7 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 1/30/2002 3:54:22 PM |
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Soda, where do I say Office is crap and then say it's great. I said the Mac version of Office is one of the better software titles MS produces; I didn't say it was great compared to other products, I said it was great considering a lot fo the crap MS produces.
As far as I knew Word did originate on the Mac--it actually was a WYSIWYG GUI using Postscript, then they ported to Win and couldn't implement the PS or WYSIWYG capabilities without fudging it. If you are suggesting there was an early WP with the same name that wasn't a GUI, well fine; the Word we know today started on Mac and was ported to Wintel. If you can prove me wrong, fine, I'll learn something in the process. #13, who says Mac Office is better? Hmmm, Kevin Brown won't be good enough for you because he leads the MBU... so how about Bill Gates -- of course, who's he? Apple's marketshare hasn't slipped; it's marketshare in PC shipments fluctuates quite frequently up and down; this has nothing to do with the installed base considering half the Mac users I know are running 8500's, Mac Clones, and older PowerPCs... i.e. Apple market share is not so much tied to shipments because their isn't market erosion from old installations, Mac users are very comfortable with the idea of a 5-8 year upgrade cycle rather than 2. So when you see numbers like Apple marketshare dips from 3.5 to 2.8 %, it's not really affecting marketshare... if anything, you'll find out 80% of those shipments were new users with 50% or more being former PC users. |
| #8 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 1/30/2002 6:13:45 PM |
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"Not only does a brand new version of Microsoft Office run on the Mac, but — and this is according to the company that made it — Office v.X for Mac OS X is actually better than its Windows cousin, with features available only on the Mac." This is from Apple's Mac Myths, which softies will fight with, but I'm sure MS has seen it. If they objected, they would change it.
"Mac OS X promised it and Office 10 delivered it," he said. He added that the new operating system lets you do things that you could "never do before" in Office." Hard to find particularly quotes particularly, most of Browne's comments come from live presentations; hence, I only know from streams, but here... “This is Word,” Browne said. “It’s the boldest, warmest, most inviting-looking version of Word that we’ve ever done, and very, very different from Word 2001” [speaking of Office v.X) At one of the more recent events, I really can't remember if it was MWSF, Browne was joking along the lines of "(Looking up over shoulder) Bill's not watching via satellite is he? I'd like to tell you this new version of Office for the Mac is the best version of Office ever made... and I think Bill would agree..." (yadda, yadda, I paraphrase, but relatively accurate.) Also, for those of you who think MS could rationalize diverting their Mac developers to other enterprises, remember these are people that only now how to program for the Mac and are treated as a separate unit, they track their own P/L. Here you go... " What of the future? “This is a strong business at Microsoft,” Browne said. “I was hesitating as to whether I should mention this or not, but I know some people keep track and some people are going to start writing their conspiracy theory articles.” Browne heads a business unit that’s responsible its own P&L, and he made it clear that while Microsoft is serious about making great software for the Mac platform, the Redmond giant’s motives are not necessarily altruistic: the fact of the matter is that there’s a great deal of money to be made developing software for the Macintosh. Browne was as candid as you’d want a business partner to be: “Our agreement with Apple ends next August. But Microsoft never walks away from money,” he quipped, raising a laugh. Then he turned serious again with a message for all Mac users: “This is a good business for us, so don’t worry that suddenly the world ends for us next August. We’ll continue to do this as long as it’s a good business for us, and Mac OS X, by all measures I know of, is a tremendous business for us.” " Explain to me how it would make sense to retrain or replace people who only know how to program for the Mac and put them into new divisions that MS already addresses with their own budgets and personnel, and not suffer actual losses from desolving a unit with considerable assets and investments and considerable profits as well when they track their business 100% separate from the rest of MS. It seems to me the loss of revenue (profitable revenue), loss of assets, cost of reallocation, cost of retraining, lost efficiencies by placing people in inappropriate positions or basic bloat by having new personnel in divisions that are already fine now... well, it seems that's not in the best interst of any company. This post was edited by sodajerk on Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 18:30. |
| #9 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 1/30/2002 6:30:44 PM |
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You've got a fool running your IS resources because the Apple has only moved about 300 MHz with little Mobo changes at all in that time without changing price much at all; whereas PCs have jumped a 1000 MHz and have declined in price about 40%. Don't know why you'd upgrade the slower evolving hardware with no price change vs. th faster evolution, significant price change.
The Apple community will be saved by marketshare, but Apple makes its profits off of product margins. To reduce those margins and speed the upgrade cycle would actually hurt their business plans. Just consider that last year they lost 50% of the value of their company, yet at the same time, they are a $9 Billion company today vs. a $1.7 Billion company in 1997 (that's a 530% increase) The 3.5% to 2.8% Figure--that's actually the decline for last year in Europe; I think most manufacturers experienced about a 20% decline--Gateway? Didn't they have a 100% decline, oh yeah! |
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