Apple Not Thinking Different Enough

from the keep-trying dept

Well, this post won't help my reputation among the Mac fanatics here, but it's a good Business Week article about why Apple's new iMac isn't as big a deal as they advertised. Sure, it's nice. And, yes, it will probably sell a lot. However, for Apple to grow, they really need to start thinking beyond the Mac. The writer points out that the iPod "Mac-only" strategy was silly and is likely to hold Apple back. If they were really "thinking different", they would realize that the Mac shouldn't be the center of their world any more.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    u2604ab, 11 Jan 2002 @ 3:09pm

    oddly, I agree

    I've surely bashed you in the past for being anti-mac; Nonetheless, I agree: Apple went overboard on the hype, and while cheap-imitations of the form-factor will surely trickle down to the windoze masses, for Apple to really break out, they've got to stop produce stuff that doesn't revolve around their OS.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Lee, 11 Jan 2002 @ 3:16pm

    I disagree

    It is a no brainer that Windows is a crappy, virus ridden, kludge.Eventually even the most clueless Windows user will get tired of wrestling with their operating system and other software. Apple may have only 5 percent of the market, but it is the top 5 percent.

    Business Week? Yeah, they are a good source of advice. We are in an economic depression, PC makers for most are in trouble, but Apple made money this year.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Ed, 11 Jan 2002 @ 4:02pm

    Re: I disagree

    Apple reported a net loss for FY 2001, which ended on 29-Sep-2001 -- that's the most recent data I can find, and while I'm not saying that PC makers are in any better shape, the numbers don't paint a rosy picture for Apple: revenues are down significantly from the previous year.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    mhh5, 11 Jan 2002 @ 4:25pm

    I disagree too...

    What else does apple have other than their OS? Of course they have to make Mac-only hardware. The only non-Mac strategy that I think is reasonable is for Apple to develop software for PC hardware. But if they want to sell hardware, they should stick to hardware that supports their software. Otherwise, Apple is just Dell or IBM. Apple's bread and butter is their software, and they have to support it with hardware. And since no one else makes Apple-compatible hardware, it would be foolish for them to dilute their own marketshare.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    sb, 11 Jan 2002 @ 6:45pm

    Re: I disagree too...

    apple, dont go away mad, just go away
    why exactly was gates forced to invest in this 1980's lefover? go away. no one needs a mac. only people who need to find a niche. same people who watch rocky horror

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    gogo, 11 Jan 2002 @ 7:35pm

    Re: I disagree too...

    My friend, you are sorely mistaken. Apple's 5% of the market is the top 5%...without Apple technology, Music, Movies and all other forms of media would be different if they even existed at all. Mac's may not be for everyone, but they are the machine of choice for the digital artist because, frankly, there is no other choice...Windows just dosen't cut it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Mayor Quimby, 11 Jan 2002 @ 10:16pm

    Oh Please!

    Did Business Week dredge up an OLD story, this kind of stuff has been said about Apple for years.

    If Apple went to the Windows OS they could not afford to innovate. They would have to produce the cheapest hardware to compete with the other cheap hardware makers.

    Windows would not evolve much past its current point, there wouldn't be much reason.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    TommyBoy, 12 Jan 2002 @ 3:59am

    Apple makes Macintoshes

    BusinessWeek does seem to resent that Apple won't follow its sage advice, the same tired refrain over and over. Of course ALL pc makers should just make Windoze machines. That's the biggest market. What first year MBA student would tell you NOT to differentiate, if the market was actually users of PCs, not just users of Windoze PCs?

    Mac-only is the way of Apple, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't S.J. built the company, grown it, revived it, made it a staple of pop culture, over the last 20 years?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    alternatives(), 12 Jan 2002 @ 11:20am

    Re: Apple makes Macintoshes

    >Mac only is the way of apple< br>
    Obviously you are but a babe. Because Apple BUILT the firm on Apple ][+'s.

    And you are deluded if you think JOBS 'built' the firm. Without Woz, there would be no Apple.

    When Jobs 'built' hardware it was a failure. Apple ///. Lisa. NeXT. Only when he took OVER someone elses's work has Jobs had success. Pixar, Apple ][, and Jeff Raskin's Mac.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jan 2002 @ 9:22am

    Duh!

    Windows/Intel machines are a commodity product. The margins are so thin that Dell makes about a nickle per machine sold. Apple would fail dismally because they don't know how to produce in an industry that requires every thousandth of a cent to be shaved from production and sales costs. Apple can only survive by preserving its niche product, and it can only do that by depending on its OS.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    Mike (profile), 14 Jan 2002 @ 9:30am

    Re: Duh!

    The point of all this wasn't that they should be making Windows machines... but that they shouldn't limit themselves to only focusing on the iMac. The suggestion was making devices like the iPod that weren't designed just to work with the iMac - and instead turn Apple into more of a consumer electronics company, rather than just a niche computer player.

    And, actually, I believe Dell's margins are a bit better than you described. While other companies are struggling, Dell actually has done a good job keeping their costs well below others, so they can retain larger margins than other PC manufacturers.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    mhh5, 14 Jan 2002 @ 11:41am

    Re: Duh!

    While I'm all in favor of turning Apple into a Sony, I don't think it will happen until their OS gains more ground. And it won't gain ground unless they make popular products that only work with their OS. I'm sure some analogies with Sony's MiniDisk format are somewhat appropriate here....

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.