How Do You Sleep at Night?

As I watched the sex scandal debacle surrounding President Clinton in late January, I couldn't help but let my thoughts drift toward Apple Computer.

While the feeding frenzy of the press pursuing a U.S. president is certainly much more serious than the fortunes of a computer company, nonetheless, certain comparisons can be made.

Like Mr. Clinton's frequent missteps, so have the frequent missteps of Apple Computer. Some openly wonder how Mr. Clinton, a man at the pinnacle of world power, could risk it all by a sexual indiscretion.

At the same time, it seems handlers of Apple Computer over the years have flown in the face of common business sense and have flirted with disaster...that of the demise of one of the most innovative computer companies ever to exist.

The story of Apple Computer is an amazing one. Those faithful who love and revere the legendary ease of use of the Mac OS winced many times as the losses mounted in 1996 and 1997. While Steve Jobs apparently has secured a bandage over Apple's gaping wound, it is still unclear just how Apple will recover financially from its woes.

Concerning the Macintosh, market share figures don't always give an accurate account. It is widely known that PCs running Microsoft Windows are replaced at a greater frequency than Macintosh computers. This in itself spells doom for the Macintosh as it relates to market share.

We all know that millions of older Macintosh computers are still in everyday use in our nation's public schools. For that matter, there are still millions of Apple IIs in use in many of those same schools. What Apple Computer cannot afford to happen is to lose these schools to the PC world when they upgrade. Unfortunately, there is some evidence this is happening. Face it, with all the bad press Apple has received the past two years, what school district wouldn't weigh its options on another platform without such baggage?

It's like the press saying over and over that the president is guilty of lying and sexual indiscretion. Despite whether the accusations are true or not, after awhile it begins to sink in and there are those who "convict" before all the evidence is in.

Much like a president under siege, I feel that's what's happened to Apple over the past two years. In many ways, Apple already has been tried and convicted by the popular press, convincing the public that the Macintosh has lost its "relevance" in the marketplace.

The sad commentary is that if Windows is the only operating system that has relevance today according to the press, then what will happen if Microsoft captures the lion's share all other relevant technologies and applications? It is entirely possible that Bill Gates could control all desktop computers by 2005, that is, if companies like Apple go under.

"Where do you want to go today?" If a scenario such as this is played out, no matter where you go, Mr. Bill will be right there with you.

I don't know about you, but that scenario doesn't make me sleep better at night.