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For six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Reasons to love Apple

Newsobserver.com: "Let's talk a minute about Apple's fortunes in a Microsoft-dominated world. It's true that running out of inventory just as people are getting ready to make purchases for the coming school year hits Apple hard, because education is a key market. Apple called it an 'inconvenience' to its customers, but it's a punch in the gut to the company ... And although attention has been on the success of the iTunes online music venture, not to mention the phenomenal sales of the iPod, Apple's biggest source of revenue is still computers ... Consider the superb Mac OS X operating system, whose latest version was just previewed at a developer's conference in San Francisco. Apple can surge ahead on technology like this precisely because its market share is low and because it retains tight control over Macintosh hardware. Every OS X upgrade can focus on breakthroughs, while Microsoft has to spend countless programmer hours worrying about compatibility issues with different kinds of equipment and add-on devices. A nimble company can sometimes get the drop on Bill Gates. So yes, I like Apple, even though I don't use a Mac."

I don't know why it amazes me when I see a bit of insight from an unexpected source, but this guy hit Apple's advantages right on the noggin: Because it is a (relatively) small company with a tiny installed base, it can deliver software breakthroughs much more quickly than a behemoth like Microsoft. That is one of the reasons I like Apple as well, though of course it's more complicated than that.

[ Posted at 11:09 AM | Permalink ]