Apple’s stock has risen to a peak level based on things like sales of non-computer consumer goods like the iPod. Is this a fluke?
It depends. If you own an Apple computer then you have to conclude it’s a divine economic signal. And you’ll certainly enjoy reading the articles in this online edition of BusinessWeek.
As many of you know, up until recently, I was in an exclusive, committed relationship with another computer operating system. Since I switched to using an Apple computer I find myself surprised by how enticing Apple’s products are. Increasingly, I wonder why hasn’t Apple done better?
Well, ironically, in a world of tenuous personal relationships, people’s relationship with their primary computer operating system is probably the strongest social force we have. Everyone knows at least a dozen people who have left a marriage with at least one or two kids because the they felt that their life wasn’t going in the right direction. How many people do you know who abandon one computer operating system because it isn’t serving their needs?
Let’s face it: the bond between a person and their operating system is a powerful and beautiful thing. Maybe we should pass a law that formally recognizes it.
P.S. If you want a better practice, check out this Ultimate Guide.
Please don’t confuse the op-sys with the hardware. Apple makes good hardware, and restricts options as much as possible to their own – simplifying the need for extensive software. If you only support two CD maker’s drives, you can spend time on making it right that you can’t if you try to support two hundred. And Apple does very good work.
Alas, the things I looked for when I first got a system simply were not available from Apple. Or Intel. Or IBM. Or Amiga. Or – well, you get the idea. But the hardware and software was available as third-party add-ons to what were then called IBM-compatibles – and DOS (and later Windows) could handle them, but Apple forbade anyone from even trying. Yes, I’d like to see more support for things like DVD writers – but don’t blame Windows, it is a market failure. Apple decided to develop one (they are a hardware company) before the rest of the market did. But does Apple sell, say, a cash-register system for one-person businesses? There are a number of WinTel ones – and Bill Gates may not even know it. Or care.