Apple Out of Luck and Out of Business

Dateline: The Future.

"Well, now that Apple Computer is gone and the Macintosh is dead, the PC world is definitely going to be a safer place.

"There will no longer be any question of compatibility in the workplace, because everyone will be running one flavor of DOS or Windows, unless of course they need some industrial strength system like Sun or whatever. But they are the few. Windows is for everybody.

"Publishers will eventually see the light and convert their inferior graphic systems to the future operating system, Windows NT. Then anyone running one or another of the flavors of DOS or Windows out there will be compatible with printers and service bureaus. In time, graphic designers and other content creators will see the light and will convert (or should I succumb). They cannot make a living on an outdated computer forever. It was inevitable.

"The writing was on the wall when Apple co-founder Steve Jobs returned to the company peddling another outdated operating system, NeXT. The hoopla over what was to be Rhapsody eventually ran into reality. Apple never delivered a state-of-art modern operating system. The smoke and mirrors died out and attempts to prop up the System 8 wained with consumers. Apple-branded network computers never made it to market. IBM pulled the plug on PowerPC chips. Despite Jobs' best efforts, the MacOS could not be ported to Intel technolgy quick enough. The bottom dropped out..."

Will these words be written at some future date by a technology writer, pronouncing the death of Apple Computer. It's not likely.

Granted, it's certainly been a roller coaster ride for Mac devotees of late. Assessing the status of the Apple Computer and the Macintosh is like predicting the life cycle of computer technology.

To understand why Apple Computer and the Mac will be around for the forseeable future, all one has to do is look around: major downsizing, renewed focus, on schedule products releases, on schedule to release what could be another revoluton in computing (Rhapsody), the best and fastest computers in its history...the list goes on and on. Apple is a long way from throwing in the towel and it very well looks as if Steve Jobs is the right man at the right time. Yes, Jobs makes crazy decisions that no one understands. But isn't that kind of direction what has made the Mac great? Why, he's even considering staying on permanently. Indeed, we'll be in for a wild ride for sure. Name another computer company that creates that kind of excitement.

Personally, I'm buckled in and bracing for more. What I see coming from all of this is perhaps some of the most insanely great products in the history of computerdome...can lightning strike the same place twice?

Contrary to popular believe...scientists now say "yes."

The "Bashing" of the Mac

I don't know about you, but I have had my fill of Mac bashing. Since Apple announced its (admittedly) enormous losses earlier this year, one magazine after another has decided to take its shot at Apple. While Apple has deserved some serious criticism by industry writers, I can't get over how negative the articles have been.

Take for example Business Week's "Death of an American Icon" lead article several months ago. Numerous other examples could be cited, such as the Wall Street Journal's coverage (it uses Macs) and network television's coverage of Apple's woes.

Long-time Mac users know all too well the company's tremulous past. If your a recent Mac convert, try reading "The Accidental Millionaire: The Story of Steve Jobs" or "Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything." It is easy to see had it not been for Jobs and the Mac, there probably would not be an Apple Computer today.

I guess what bothers me most is the dismissal by large number of computer users of the Macintosh as a viable platform. I have found, by large, this category of "Mac Basher" has not used nor understands the Macintosh. If anyone ever questioned the Mac platform as being viable, they should talk to small and large businesses that use it (and believe in it) exclusively for high-end graphics and video production.

Apple has made its bed hard, so it is understandable that the company would at some point go through major upheaval to survive. I have never known an Apple retail outlet that did not have its share of customer relations problems. For whatever the reason, Apple dealers just never seemed to "get it" when it came to dealing with its bread and butter. Folk liked what they saw so much they, like I, overlooked arrogant attitudes of salespeople and bought Macs anyway.

When the first Power Macs were introduced I recall visiting the only authorized Apple store in Memphis, Tennessee, to see a demonstration. I was particularly interested in the machine's capability to run Windows applications, as the organization I worked for at the time ran "Bill's Boxes" almost exclusively. Upon asking a salesman for a demonstration, I got the abrupt answer: "Why the #$@*! would anyone want to run Windows on a Macintosh?" My answer: "For one thing, I work for a company that has 60 DOS machines!" It is this type of attitude that lost the interface war for Apple. If Apple would have not stood on its laurels for so long and licensed its OS, there is a good chance many of us who must settle for Windows 95 at our workplaces would be running System 7 or 8 or whatever today.

I believe in Mac technology, enough so that I have upgraded extensively this year during Apple's darkest hour. In the end, it is loyal Apple users that will continue to make the Mac OS a viable alternative to the Windows onslaught.