Global Shake Up of Mega Proportions!!!
What is all this? "Computers Gone Wild", "Trading Places" or "Techno Mixed Up"? What is going on here? We will now have "Apple Mac Intels" and although there has not been an anouncement most likely Dell PowerPC's!
This all started some years ago when little Stevie came back home and had supposedly rescued Apple from a halocust of sorts. Stevie's ego pissed off more than a few people including IBM. Stevie chose to close out a clone market that could have helped IBM and Apple get some market share. In so doing Jobs condemmed the best technology to taking a back seat to Intel's. Apple and Jobs made the classic Sony Betamax mistake. We all know what happened to Beta(who?)max! Is it any wonder Apple is still able to hang onto their puny 3% of the market. No wonder IBM chose selling their (Best Technology) chips to 3 game console manufacturers rather than Apple's stagnant market. Now the real challenge is on Apple's back, in making a change to an inferior chipset. At this point they could have made their stock holders very happy by continuing to offer the O.S. licensing to the other computer manufacturers who will surely annouce Power PC models (including Sony, Toshiba, HP, Dell, etc.). But will that happen? Now Jobs has left the door wide open for Miscrosoft, IBM, NEC and others to form partnerships to fill that OS gap, which I believe Microsoft is been working on this very moment. The one where Apple appears at this point to be the Ultimate winner of, if they are smart enough to take advantage of it. The one where Microsoft dies and is basicly left with only their old faithful diehards to make OS'es for on soon to be trashed "WinBoxes". But don't forget Microsoft's future includes some millions of "Power PC" game consoles (entertainment appliances but computers just the same) that will undoubtly overcome in numbers Apple computer sales in a very short time. If you believe Microsoft is rolling over barring their neck for Apple to take a chunk out of, your either very infantile in thinking or severely senile, and don't forget brainless to boot. The future will prove us right or wrong on this matter.
But Jobs actions provided the catalyst for a Major Revolution where hopefully neither Apple or Microsoft will "Die"! The decisions made behind closed doors can only be guessed at and they are unfolding as we speak in this forum. After that fateful moment, of IBM telling Apple to take a hike, it is no surprise, that Apple is making a switch to Intel (will this prove to be another Apple blooper). Apple has in it's illustrious past made some diffinite "Giant Blooper" (boners hopefully this doesn't add to that list) mistakes including the firing of Steven Jobs but most of all in what it did with it's "Best in Field" R&D department. At the time the most talented group of designers in the computer universe were wrecked havoc on by Apple's ignorant big wigs! Apple shut em down and they went elsewhere, some with Steven Jobs to Next Computer and some formed their own company "BeOS". The result of of this disastrous break up in great minds, is that with the return of Steven Jobs was the developing of OS 10 (very good for Apple), and the terrible dimize of perhaps the only true ground up developed 64 bit OS in "BeOS". It ran on either platform, designed as a media OS, it was a superlative answer for our computing future and it had come from the minds of Apple people. OS 10 although being a good system does not have true ground up built roots. It's a Unix style 32 bit clone, converted old world kernel, not too different from "Linux"! Jobs, when he took back over, knew full well that "BeOS" (which was being offered to him) was superior to "Next Step" (even in just the kernel alone) but chose to line his pockets further with the purchase of his dyfunct company over buying "BeOS". Capable of running on multiple processor (like in many not just two) units. The entire world lost a great step that had been taken in OS developement in a totally new 64bit kernel that has become just a footnote in computer history. Apple's refusal to license out it's OS for other computer manufacturers could posibly be it's own death. After all Apple is just another computer manufacturer and that although big n famous in name has not proved so in numbers. This could have been the opportunity to spread the word and use of Apple products. Betamax has already proven that Jobs choice on this front will be a failure.
Back to the gap and who will fill it!
So Apple's challenge right now is in converting their OS to Intel Architecture and at the same time begin to market and convert that OS for use on present Intel boxes. Will Jobs allow this? Most likely he evenually will. As these so called "Windows" machines will continue to be made using Intel chipsets, but the gap is sure to close with new "Power PC" computers coming out with "Cell" technology and beyond. Great opportunities ly ahead for Apple, but will Jobs pull his head out of his arse long enough to take that market share from already established "Windows" fans and devotees? Will he eventually change his sick n sad business mind into permiting licensing of it's now fabulous OS for universal release on all market fronts? Envy, revenge, gloating egos, and reputations are on the line here, along with billions of dollars and millions of jobs and our future needs being met. Microsoft is not rolling over any time soon and will evenually reveal what they have been working on besides Longhorn (and believe me they have). Longhorn being just a front for an all new ground up developed 64 bit OS, release date to be announced. Yes Longhorn is scheduled to be released just a few months off and it will be. But you can count on it being stripped of many of it's most inovative features that won't be released until their multi chipset (Cell Tecnology) capable, (ground up for real) 64 bit OS (in developement for past 3 to 4 years) is released one to two years from now.
Where could Microsoft come up with such an inovative ground breaking basis for an OS. We only have to look back a few years to the sale of "BeOS" to Palm and wonder. What has Palm been doing with a 64 bit OS meant for computers? Are we to believe these developers labor is for nought? Will real reason "BeOS" was bought out finally be revealed? Could they be just a front for Microsoft being smarter than Jobs and Apple? Could this be the kernel Microsoft is secretly engineering into the real new "Windows"? It absolutely may very well be and to that end I wish them well. If that indeed is true. Somethings up for sure at Microsoft! Only Steven Jobs ego and licensing stand in the way of Apple really being a global market player in these Revolutionary times! This time Stevie won't have the "Next Step OS" rabbit to pull out of his hat and save the day with IBM's (failed OS attempt) kernel. Sure he's cried alot about IBM and company beating him to the punch, and throwing the first sweet swing of revenge in telling him no! No, to what even he has claimed as the best computer chip technology available today and in the future. IBM is on a long road back to a larger piece of the market puzzle. Making sure concrete steps toward an enlightened, more competitive, open market in the future. But this tactic of avoidance and deception in Apple's marketing will rear up and bite Stevey and all of us that have used some sort of Apple( all of us) technology and know that in that realm, Apple will always be superior even if they become just a footnote. Apple was born of the realization of the fact, that in the world of ideas there is always another one waiting to be born. Apple can ill afford to allow Microsoft to beat them on this ground with a better idea. Everything we know about computers is now being turned up side down, leaving hundreds of questions yet unanswered. Will Microsoft prove you right, despite it's octopus like hold on the computing world and die? Can Apple really clean up on these latest developements and announcements? After all we're talking almost instant converting of an OS to steal away millions of today's windows users. Or will they ultimately make the "Sony Betamax Syndrome" a reality once again and will it be they that becomes just a footnote in technology history not Microsoft.
My hope is for a better world in that there are no more monopolies. Where finally all of these companies see the benefit in helping each other to survive, because ultimately we all are the winners and the losers in their wars and battles for ego supremacy. We lose if any of today's tech players bow out and are condemmed to losing the big game, for our market dollars. Best scenario in my book is an Apple OS 10 version capable of running on both architectures and licensed to run on a Dell as well as a Toshiba or Sony "Cell" run PC. My vision is of global participation in partnerships fostering new inovation to a cleaner, brighter, faster, better future computing world. Nobody loses then except for a few inflated egos in Gates and Jobs. As it should be though, "WE" no matter what, will be the Winners and they will be the Whinners!
How Microsoft Will Die