In July '95, Apple Computer was Prepping its Brand New Mac OS,
FireWire was an Emerging Technology, and iPods... (What iPods?)
| by Joe Leo, Columnist |
continued... from: previous page
In contrast, when Microsoft uses the same ingredients to build its next generation OS, first code-named Longhorn and then changed to Vista and released five years after its inception, it shows just "Why Windows Vista is a Little Long in the Horn (Tooth)." To use a previous example, Microsoft did to Vista what Apple did when they added color to their OS in 1987.
And today? The top story in Macworld magazine--though not the front page feature on the magazine cover--is the question posed, "Is Apple Moving away from its Roots?"
Macworld's Jim Dalrymple writes, "Apple CEO Steve Jobs shocked many people during his Macworld Expo keynote in January 2007 when he announced the removal of the word 'Computer' from the company's name. The name change reflects the company's newfound emphasis on consumer electronics."
Rob Frankel, a corporate branding expert whom Dalrymple interviewed, says, "The company is growing. It should be met with huge applause because they know where they are going and because the market has finally caught up with them."
With Mac sales on the rise, 36 percent more than it had in the same second fiscal quarter back in 2006 as Macworld's Dalrymple reports, Frankel comments, "This is flying in the face of its (Apple's) repeated supposed demise."
Aha! The Mac's new face... 12 years later.
"They are selling more computers despite their market share and rumors that there is not enough software and the perceived higher purchase price (of Mac computers)-- that's some pretty heavy lifting," adds Frankel.
Frankel-ly? (Frankly) It's a sign of the times. It's the "Shift in Newton's Law" or the "Deep Impact" yet to come from the advent of the iPhone. And it all seems to have started with the iPod, which never mind the halo effect, is still a driving force behind Apple's quest to "Command and Conquer."
But some things just never change. (Like plugging our past stories that relate to the new one).
Microsoft is facing more antitrust issues, this time, from the other side of the world. The E-Commerce Times (a sister publication of MacNewsWorld) reports that, "The European Commission is poised to raise the limit on daily fines that Microsoft may face if it does not bring itself into compliance with remedies aimed at addressing its past antitrust behaviors..."
And Apple's Mac OS? It still sells for $99, which System 7.5 sold for in July 1995. Though Mac OS X Tiger in July 2007 is really $129, but still $99 in a sense after you account for inflation.
Just like Macworld's Galen Gruman wrote back in July 1995, the Mac OS is even more stable today, and it will certainly not be the last one Apple creates. (And Microsoft and the competition are the ones playing catch-up to Apple this time around).
The Mac's new face. It sure looks good, doesn't it? (Is that a smirk we see on Mac's face?).
ADDITIONAL SOURCES:
Macworld magazine-- Vol. 12, No. 7 (July 1995)
Macworld magazine-- Vol. 24, No. 7 (July 2007)