A Brave New World for Apple

Most of us have heard (and know well) the arguments. The Mac is easier to use. The Mac is cheaper to use. The Mac is for creative professionals ... and so forth and so on.

As Mac fans, we all know the truth...and the truth will set you free, right? Well, in the computing world, this just has not been the case.

My concern for the Mac faithful is that so much of the technology out there is tailored to the Windows world, and it's just not about software availability any more. It's hardware. It's Internet access. It's being part of the main stream.

In 1998, Mac OS users face no less than three versions of the Windows onslaught...Windows 3.1, Windows95 and Windows NT.

In the past few months we've see Apple Computer successfully reverse potentially disastrous decisions by Intuit (publishers of Quicken) and others. At MacWorld recently the faithful were told that more than 100 developers have lined up to provide software for the second coming of the Macintosh, the iMac.

While this certainly good news, one has to wonder how long it can last. The number of boxes sold to run the Mac OS means market share and market share is what many developers look at before committing to invest time and valuable resources.

At least for now, the major players should follow Microsoft's lead and continue development efforts on the Mac. What continues to concern me is how many smaller Mom and Pop operations can do the same. It's a brave (and cruel) new world. What a developer "wants" to do may not be enough to keep him in business.

I don't want to be labeled as another Apple pessimist at a time the company is on a upswing. While three consecutive profitable quarters, successful product introductions, and the coming of the amazing iMac consumer computer all point to Apple getting back to the basics, the company desperately must do something to again revolutionize the personal computing experience if it is to really make a difference.

While the iMac is one heck of a re-entry into the consumer market, the operating system it runs is historic Mac OS. There's not a lot new here. However, this could be changing now that Apple has FINALLY determined what its software strategy will be (let's hope it stays with this one). And while we're at it, let's hope Mac X can bring some really, really great innovation to the platform.

We are witnessing the emergence of a Brave New Apple. Steve Jobs is having a ball calling the shots at the company he co-founded...and don't let anyone tell you anything different. Jobs loves his role as savior of Apple and will do any and everything to bring Apple back to past glories.

There is hope on the horizon. The iMac deserves our attention and the attention of the computing world not only for what it is, but for what it isn't. The iMac isn't just a repackaged box of old technology, it represents a departure to something new and different the computer industry hasn't seen in some time. The iMac represents a rebirth of the legendary Apple Computer.

However, it's time for Apple to take us beyond the hardware and do something again that will really change the world.