04/11/2008, 4:50pm, EDT
Friday, April 11th
Mac OS, iPhone a "threat" to MSFT dominance
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard is being labeled a threat to Microsoft's platform dominance, with the operating system's new features such as Spaces, and the Mac's ability to run Windows, being cited as symptoms of the effect. BusinessWeek writer Gary Morgenthaler states that Apple's OS is loosening a "20-year death grip" that Microsoft has had on the industry, especially when combined with VM solutions such as VMware Fusion or Parallels.
"So as you edit family pictures, you might use Mac's iPhoto," writes Morgenthaler. "And when you want to access your corporate e-mail, you can switch back instantly to Microsoft Exchange."
Morgenthaler argues that the upcoming iPhone 2.0 upgrade and the SDK will also help shift members of the Microsoft camp to Apple, since the combination of a dual OS platform with a developer-friendly device with immense popularity could be a winning combination.
He also states that the power and flexibility of the Mac OS kernel allows it to be condensed to as little as a megabyte to scale down to devices such as the iPod touch, whereas Vista's sits at around the gigabyte mark. Vista's patchwork nature has caused for slower computing performance, and notoriously slow disk access times.
Morgenthaler also cites Apple's technology innovation, such as the implementation of the multi-touch trackpads on the MacBook Air and Pro.
Filed under: iPhone, Apple, industry, software
Other story tags: Microsoft, Mac OS X, Leopard, Windows, Parallels, Fusion
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I don't see how they are losing a dime with that scenario.
Apple would need to license OS X on generic x86 hardware to be a serious threat to Windows.
I doubt this will have any negative effect on Microsoft unless switchers bought macs and "don't" run Windows where they did previously. VM's running windows will not negatively effect Microsoft.
I'm sure a lot of people on this board use Windows on a Mac, but this board is not indicative of consumers at large. There are developers, gamers, and people who need a particular Windows app, but that's a small part of the general public.
What you have done for your friends may be righteous in spirit, but it isn't legal according to the laws.
Mgpalma has an excellent point. The ability to run Windows is breaking the barrier. Many switchers actually do set up Windows and use it initially. As soon as they're comfortable enough in OSX, and realise how much smoother pleasant the experience is, they abandon their Windows.
MS may be still be making money on these switchers, but that is pretty much the last money they'll be making on them.