JamieG Analysis

It is well documented that the Mac is gaining considerably in the number of computers sold. In real terms, the Mac has never done better then it is doing today. Lets have a look at this in today’s blog.

Apple Mac Computer market share of the home computer market is flying high, however, the better indicator to me is the following.

“But the number that blows my mind for Apple developer connection members, we have now crossed a half-a-million members. Isn’t that amazing? So the developer community at Apple is thriving.”, Steve Jobs WWDC 2007.

And as a technologist and developer, I am seeing the Mac popping up everywhere.

The move to NextStep, or sorry, OS X, a UNIX based operating system, is starting to really pay off.

I remember hearing a comment dropped in a podcast recently.

“The Mac is getting more and more like the PC every day.”

And really, I would have to agree with that, but not to similar I would hope. An example of this methodology is that.. The one button mouse simply does not work to well on a mac any more.

Looking back not many years, apple was struggling to develop a new OS, OS9 was the go, and it was failing the company.

As a head of all technology in a post production company for film and TV at the time. The only Mac I would install was one just so I could open Mac files, when graphic designers came in. They where slow and crashed far more then a PC. The system was just sub-quality, bloated and over simplified. I simply did not have time for it. Employees coming on-line who where Mac users would usually complaine, but once we forced them to use XP, and trained them. They shut up quickly and started to feel the reliability and speed advantages. At the end of the day, a Computer is only a tool.

Apples issues where staring to snow ball. The new version of the OS had failed to appear and was many years late. The word on the street was that all the work done on it was a waist. It was simply a big bunch or rubbish code. It was a “start from scratch” dilemma, and this time, get real programmers.

I expected Apple to go the way of commodore and other computer companies until.. Steve Jobs saved the day, and took control of the company and released NextStep as the new Mac OS. (I find it so ironic, as people where so surprised that Apple was able to port the OS from PowerPC to Intel so fast. NextStep was Intel based. So in real terms, PowerPC-OSX has always been a bastard child anyway. OSX-Intel is pure blood)

So NextStep was reborn with a largely a new user interface and methodology of use. But really, it was still the same old UNIX core under the hood. It has taken a while, but technical and power users are moving towards OSX, not just because of the unix heart, but because, OSX, is, in many ways, a very young and lean operating system. The leg irons of legacy support are not very strong, and Apple has the option to look at a history of ideas in OS development and pick the one that work best. This is an important issue, as unlike Windows, different libraries (parts of the operating system) have been adopted and superseded over the years. However, Windows, even in the latest version, still has all the libraries and implementations available in the OS. This makes it bloated and far harder to program as with more options bring complexity and unreliability.

So, in real terms, Apple and OSX makes a world leading hardware set and operating system. A fantastic platform to launch into a computer dependant future. It is very much a computer for the USER. It has a user friendly interface but under the hood, its a dynamic platform that can answer the needs for the most demanding user. No surprise its gaining points.

Still, if your doing a good job and supplying a good product why move? What is going wrong with Microsoft?

Unfortunately a lot. Vista is simply a older bloated chunky OS with a pretty new dress.

or for another analogy..

OSX is the quality luxury car, while Vista is a Hummer, Both are great cars. Both are more suitable for certain tasks. However, OSX is shaping up the be more suitable for the general independent user.

Lets look at where Microsoft has gone wrong.

Microsoft make it very hard to purchase XP over Vista. I have had all the people I know using Vista, back grade to XP. Usually paying to do so. The incompatibility, overtaxing even newer hardware, bugs etc. This issue has encouraged people to think twice before they buy. To think twice, is to consider Mac. (Or god forbid, Linux.. Go Linux)

Still, Vista is a decent OS, looks great, and in many ways a good job by Microsoft. Moving forward with the massive legacy ball and chain is a triumph. Still, one would consider, it probably is a good time to start from scratch and for Microsoft to release a new OS that is not intended to be backward compatible. Its a hard process and takes many years. OS9 to OSX is an example of this. (But this would be much harder for Microsoft due to the massive legacy market)

Microsoft are currently, in my opinion, producing some of the best code they have ever done. (Apart from historically purchasing it, or copying it.) Still, I feel another reason Microsoft are not doing as well as they probably should be is because, many of the people around when Microsoft where truly consider the right hand man of the Evil one, are now running companies or CTO’s, CIO’s, CEO’s and other decision makers. They have long memories and deep down are not sure they could ever trust Microsoft. So if there is an alternative, they consider it.

I personally have witnessed this many times over the early years of my computer career, and really, with the Mac new abilities, I am a big fan of it and wish it the best.

And finally, I would simply like to say.

The Mac is not for everyone, but it has never been more suitable for more people then it is today.