Paul Graham of Y Combinator recently penned a thoughtful essay called Microsoft is Dead, and he provides reasons that, if you’re a steady reader of this blog (or the news, really), shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to you.
Graham theorizes that Microsoft’s armor was mortally pierced in the mid-2000s by four main factors.
- Google, the leader of the tech industry today as it becomes apparent the desktop means less and the network (internet) more. A few years ago, search suddenly became a killer app, and Microsoft was late to the party and still shows zero signs of catching up.
- Gmail, as it showed that (a) Google wasn’t just about search and (b) web-based software could be every bit as rich and powerful as thick-client applications.
- Broadband internet, which afforded more people than ever access to the internet and a means away from the suddenly-constrictive desktop.
- Apple, which is what I’d like to talk about more.
As I’ve said all along, Apple’s threat just isn’t because of the iPod, it’s because of OSX. OSX is the trojan horse for Apple, and it’s being expanded to the device level with AppleTV and the iPhone. And of course OSX powers every Mac out there, making a computing platform so attractive that you simply just don’t hear about many Windows enthusiasts outside of hardcore gamers and those still infatuated with building their own rigs part-by-part.
Thanks to OS X, Apple has come back from the dead in a way that is extremely rare in technology. Their victory is so complete that I’m now surprised when I come across a computer running Windows. Nearly all the people we fund at Y Combinator use Apple laptops. It was the same in the audience at startup school. All the computer people use Macs or Linux now. Windows is for grandmas, like Macs used to be in the 90s. So not only does the desktop no longer matter, no one who cares about computers uses Microsoft’s anyway.
Instead of starting with computers and diluting platform strength by moving into unassociated devices like wide-screen TVs, Apple chose the opposite path: embrace the platform as the core, and move outward into consumer electronics. But — and here’s the rub — only diversify into peripheral goods that extend your platform’s role in the technology world.
Taking this line, Apple found a way to push OSX into the technology world aside from just computers. And the beauty is that the more devices run OSX, the more OSX-powered Macs are sold.
Think about that. Apple made the platform the nucleus while every other OEM couldn’t — because they didn’t own the platform. They were just hardware partners for Microsoft, the platform provider whose focus happened to be the business markets.
Apple never licensed OSX out and ditched their hardware business, because if they had, their platform penetration strategy would have died on the vine. They needed the control of the experience, and that meant platform plus hardware plus design.
This is how Apple is threatening Microsoft, no matter how many smug Microsoft MVPs will scoff and say otherwise. It all began with Apple having the chance — in the throes of financial and market weakness — to develop OSX from the venerable NeXT platform and grow it into what we see today. The fact that Apple has Microsoft eating dust in music doesn’t hurt either. Same will be true for movies, and if the iPhone lives up to its hype, mobile phones too.
But don’t forget: OSX is the key to Apple’s success. It has been over the past seven years or so, and it will continue to be moving forward.
86 responses so far ↓
beanie // April 8, 2007 at 4:10 am
Google search is killer application? What did it kill? I think it either took away other forms of advertising or created a new one or enhanced existing advertising. Did not do much to Microsoft. Microsoft saw a market, search engine, that it could enter and did so.
Mac vs PC // April 8, 2007 at 4:29 am
All Apple is doing is making better and better hardware and software, if Microsoft could say the same then maybe they would be at-least holding their own…
http://www.switchingtomac.com
Nimish Batra // April 8, 2007 at 5:17 am
“killer” app doesn’t mean it kills something.
For God’s sake, did Halo for the Xbox kill anything at all?
“Killer” as in it was responsible for the explosive growth of something else. Something else could piggyback on it’s success. Such as the internet. Or Google’s other initiatives.
Jeff Ventura // April 8, 2007 at 7:50 am
beanie: You don’t understand what a killer app is, let alone Microsoft’s history.
harryitguy // April 8, 2007 at 10:03 am
I want to say that your article is a stretch, but that would be too generous. Your premise is wrong and you never showed anything that Microsoft has actually fallen.
“But don’t forget: OSX is the key to Apple’s success. ”
That’s just not true. Apple’s success comes directly from the iPod, with a second direct connection from the Apple store. We wouldn’t be having this discussion if it weren’t for the success of the iPod. Do you think anyone cared about OS X outside of fanboys (and some Unix guys) before the iPod was released? No. That’s exactly why Apple Computer became Apple Inc.
You also say that Microsoft has experienced a downfall as if it’s commonly understood. I don’t think that’s commonly believed.
Microsoft raises financial forecasts. “20 million Vista Licenses sold in a month” (4/4/07) http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/market_news/article.jsp?content=D8O9UO1G0
More Apple computers are out there. Have they done any serious damage to Microsoft? No. In 2003 1.8% of the computers connecting to the internet were Macs. Now 3.8% are Macs. Microsoft had 93.2% of the machines. Now 87.3% are Windows based. That’s a nice improvement for Apple (and Linux), but does not mean the death of Microsoft.
http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp
lrd // April 8, 2007 at 10:28 am
Why does there need to be one winner all others be losers? Why can’t companies win at what they excel at?
With Apple’s recent comeback, I liked to think we’re back at pre -1995 where no one company has
a stranglehold on any particular essentail part of the web and the cost of competing for someone else’s market share has become challenging to the point that you better know what you’re doing.
lrd // April 8, 2007 at 10:34 am
I hope this competitive trend continues. And if this means that companies like MS & IBM play a less influential role going forward then so be it.
If the current trend does continue, the web may be broken up into several streams. One for businesses and their need for standards and the others for consumers and their ability to choose among competing products.
lrd // April 8, 2007 at 10:36 am
If AppleTV and/or the iPhone succeed in the coming months and years, I think the latter will most definitely be the case.
Zero-Sum Game « François Schiettecatte’s Blog // April 8, 2007 at 11:41 am
[...] I just read this essay (by way of Apple’s role in Microsoft’s downfall) by Paul Graham of Y Combinator explaining why Microsoft is [...]
Dirk Gently // April 8, 2007 at 12:18 pm
The key here is not what platform, but what you do with it. They all have their flaws……Mac’s do seem to have a habit of “just working”…..but you pay for that. Linux is getting better, the last few years has seen Ubuntu among others duck into the user friendly tag…while Microsoft seem stuck in the “it’s our hardware, we decide how it gets used…..oh and by the way, you need new RAM because we want to run a little application to spy on you and we don’t want you to notice the drain.”
The only reason Microsoft are hanging on is because of the deal they have with retailers to pre-install, the games industry, who really only make for Windows….and because most people learn to suffer the little quirks Microsoft dish out because they don’t know there is an alternative or how to use it.
The bottom line is how things work for what you want to do….the more you use Microsoft and the deeper you look the worse it looks, but for the average user, enough works……mostly.
Sunday Morning Reading « Island in the Net // April 8, 2007 at 12:19 pm
[...] Ventura writes about Apple’s role in Microsoft’s downfall. The agent is [...]
Thomas // April 8, 2007 at 12:24 pm
@harryitguy - I believe this essay has some merit. Certainly MS is not dead dead, but like a dragon whose armour has been compromised by several stratigically placed arrows, it is circling the sky in a slow motion downward spiral. In this case, the dragon will likely not die but will be greatly diminished. You fail to see this because IT guys live off MS like parasites under the scales of the dragon. Over the next decade the role of the IT guy will also diminish about tenfold. No longer will the world require such laborous attention to keep a broken system hobbling along. No longer will users have to suffer the arrogance of little IT napoleons to tell us we cannot use certain features or plug in certain devices because of real or imagined “security” reasons. When a truely secure system arrives in the business world, and those who hold the purse strings see that they no longer need to pay your salary, you will be cut loose and set adrift, and that will be a fine day indeed. No, you don’t see it because you cannot afford to.
Do you sense that I disdain you and your gestapo bretheren? Well guess what, silent masses of workers feel the same way.
Sam // April 8, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I take the opposite view. OSX on any PC? I would have been on Apple OS years ago were it not for the hardware monopoly the OS requires. It has inhibited and stifled the growth of Apple and almost bankrupt the best OS product available. It was when formats were working across platforms that people decided to cough up the extra for the eyecandy of a Mac.
Bill // April 8, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Sam, I think that the company almost died when the MAC OS was licensed to clone makers.There were 2 or 3, UMAX, POWERTower or something like that and I think another. Jobs returned and killed the clone business by no longer selling the OS license. This was in the mid to late 90’s. Since then, the return of Apple or resurgence has only expanded. I am not sure if there were price differences. As far as the death of MS, I think that the game as kind of early. Obviously, MS needs to change to catch up.
Thomas // April 8, 2007 at 1:10 pm
@Sam - The fact that OS X is integrated to work only with Apple’s hardware is what allows it to be the “best OS product available”. The hardware “monopoly” provides consistency. It is a flawed paradyme to believe there is an ideal to be had by having the OS produced by one company and the hardware by another. This vision is the source of most of the critical problems in the Windows world.
The growth of Apple was “inhibited and stifled” not by OS X being tied to Macs but by bad management before OS X arrived on the scene. Stellar management has lifted the company out of the ashes, and, contrary to your conclusion, the iPod eco-system and more importantly, OS X, tied as it is to Apple’s hardware, are the vanguard of Apple’s meteoric rise.
Furthermore, even if Macs look sweet to the eye, they are not merely eyecandy, not merely empty calories. They look good because they are designed well; they deliver; they have substance. A Mac is not just a snack, but a banquet of highly nutritional goodness. And it’s true, a good meal costs a little more but byte for byte it’s a better value.
Jeff Harrell // April 8, 2007 at 1:17 pm
In response to the very first comment, among whatever else Google killed the notion of the bookmark. I can’t remember the last time I bookmarked anything except through Magnolia, and that was purely for sharing purposes.
Chuck // April 8, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Sam,
Years ago was 1997. The Mac OS was licensed to Umax, Power Computing and Motorola. Why didn’t you buy one then? I just don’t buy the argument that Macs are more expensive anymore. They used to be, but not now. And with all the crap that gets loaded onto a new PC from Dell and HP, vs. the iLife suite that comes with a Mac, it’s a no brainer. If computing is an experience, then Apple wins, hands down.
MS is dead, or dying. Look at XBox, MSN and Zune and I will show you three products that are losing money. Only their OS and Office products are keeping the company afloat.
When someone says “dead” they mean that MS is not a major factor anymore in where the computing experience is headed. They just exist. And like Jobs said, “MS deserves the money they have made, they just make lousy products.” How true.
JulesLt // April 8, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Lest we forget, the NextStep predecessor to OS X was also available as an off-the-shelf OS, but - like OS2 - was rejected by the market - as was OpenStep (an implementation of the Cocoa framework that worked on Windows, amongst other OS). That was probably another thing that put Jobs off the idea of being in the OS market, rather than the platform market.
harryitguy - it’s worth contemplating the following statistic. On 5% US sales, Apple made 50% of the profit of Dell and HP combined (which is about 50% of the market). A good sign that Apple’s products are over-priced, but also something that puts the company in a strong position to invest in R&D. And unlike MS, it doesn’t have to engage in loss making products (Zune, Xbox) in order to grow market-share.
If you start talking about the consumer market - i.e. machines people choose, rather than have chosen for them - they’re doing even better than 5%.
Whether it’s a death-knell for MS is another point altogether - MS are still growing in the server and mobile market, and in the years to come that’s likely to become far more significant. Who cares if consumers are using Macs, so long as the services they connect to are running .NET software on Windows servers. IBM do pretty well without selling PCs anymore.
5th trend : 3rd world computing. India is the Windows programming workshop of the world. China will be the Linux one. The more MS combats piracy in those unprofitable territories, the more they reduce their ecosystem (the growth of Windows and Office was helped by tacitly ignored piracy - every pirated copy of Word also meant a no-sale for WordPerfect).
George Smiley // April 8, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Apple’s margins on computers are higher not so much because their machines are overpriced. Two other factors are more important: (1) Apple supplies its own OS, and so does not pay the Microsoft tax, as all PC manufacturers must; (2) Apple competes largely at the higher end of the market, where margins are better for everyone, not just Apple. Selling $499 POS boxen filled with crapware at Wal-Mart helps market share, but it doesn’t do much for the bottom line. Would you rather make the margin on a Casio digial watch, or a Rolex?
Bill // April 8, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Once again, Macs do not cost more than similar hardware configurations. To compare a PC price to the standard 2.66GHz Mac Pro Quad’s $2,499 price tag, a similarly configured Dell Precision 690 would run you $3,448—around $950 more than the Mac Pro.
Apple MacBook Pro vs Dell Inspiron 9400
Processor 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo
MBP= $2,199 DELL= $2,681
MBP has loads of included software, including iLife. DELL almost nothing for free. I have not checked the iMac comparison but will get back to you all. Happy Easter.
Bill // April 8, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I found a recent comparison with similar hardware here:
Apple 20″ iMac = $1,499
Dell XPS 210 w/20″ Digital LCD= $1,489
http://www.systemshootouts.org/shootouts/desktop/2006/0926_dt1500.html
harryitguy // April 8, 2007 at 3:35 pm
@Thomas. Are you kidding? You’re comments are funny. They’re high on personal attacks and low on substance.
You say that the role of the IT guy will diminish tenfold. What are you basing that on? Statistics would be nice. I can tell you what will happen. The role of the IT guy will go in 2 directions at the same time. It will be further behind the scene and at the forefront of business.
Everybody is trying to get smaller, faster, and more agile. Information technologies such as mobile computers, handheld devices, virtualized systems, connectivity without boundaries, web based apps, and other innovations will lead the way.
You say that you will no longer have to worry about what devices or apps you can use. I wonder if your CFO agrees. I can make the argument that preventing you from installing ActiveX apps, Limewire for the Mac, or some other non-business app will save the company money. And you will lose that argument every time.
But let me let you in on what’s actually going to happen. PC’s will begin to go away, especially in a corporate environment. There’s going to be more virtualized systems, whether they are Blade PC’s, Handheld PC’s, Thin Clients, or a number of other technologies that make the bloated PC unnecessary. This PC substitute may run Microsoft software and it may not. Either way, it will be closer to “truly secure” than a PC, Mac, Linux, or other OS can be. Each part of the user experience will be compartmentalized.
Let me let you in on a little secret. As IT continues to automate business and itself, users that don’t have business acumen will be cut loose and set adrift, and that will be a fine day indeed. No, you don’t see it because you cannot afford to.
IT is not going anywhere. The use and acceptance of technology is growing. It’s constantly automating business and itself. So you better get used to us, because chances are you’re leaving first.
P.S. The funniest thing about all of this is I posted my original comment on a Mac.
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beanie // April 8, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Jeff, I know what a “killer app” is…the electric chair…old joke.
Interesting that the signature from iTunes is “Apache”. Should be Apache (Darwin) if they are using MacOSX server. Do you think they deployed iTunes with a bunch of Linux servers?
Apples can run Vista so Microsoft wins since Microsoft only sells the OS. Apple wins because they want to sell the hardware. So both are winners.
Alexandre // April 8, 2007 at 4:46 pm
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Top Posts « WordPress.com // April 8, 2007 at 7:58 pm
[...] Apple’s role in Microsoft’s downfall. Paul Graham of Y Combinator recently penned a thoughtful essay called Microsoft is Dead, and he provides reasons that, […] [...]
efialte // April 8, 2007 at 8:45 pm
I think it’s quite uncorrect to rule out the role of the pixar story in the struggle between microsoft and apple. pixar was used as a trojan horse to penetrate the core of Disney creative business: the simple fact that Steve Jobs now controls that Disney paradise sounds at the same time as a powerful marketing factor and as a huge development possibility.
Thomas // April 8, 2007 at 8:49 pm
harryitguy - There is, of course, some truth in what you say, however, I think it is very telling that you see your ilk as being increasingly at the center of the business universe both “behind the scenes and at the forefront of business”. Any business that allows IT people to have an increasing influence on business decisions will find itself struggling to compete.
Your industry was born out of the need for businesses to harness the power of computers and to manipulate information efficiently. This is a valid and indispensable endeavor in order for businesses to operate in today’s world.
But the sad and ugly truth about your vocation is that as MS systems became available and dominated the automation of business in the ’80’s and 90’s, the IT workforce expanded tenfold (figuratively) - in lesser order to bring business into the world of desktop computers and workstations - and in much greater order to simply maintain and secure the shoddy products provided by Microsoft. This happened at the expense of IT people fulfilling their original mission: installing the infrastructure and serving the user/worker with the best and most productive tools to get their jobs done. Somewhere along the way the servant became the master and told the workers and management what tools they would use and how they would use them.
IT got away with this because nontechnical CFO’s and other key decision makers deferred their decision making to IT without question. Big, expensive mistake! Because MS products were so insecure the primary emphasis became security. Security above all else. Security above productivity. Security above efficiency.
Security that should have been provided out of the box by MS.
Security was and is the mantra whispered endlessly into the ear of management. The fear of insecurity keeps the IT budgets fat and keeps management serving at the bidding of IT.
A good CEO who is worth his salt makes sure he understands IT and scrutinizes the recommendations made by his IT staff. Do the recommendations truly add value to the business or are they self-serving, are they perpetuating of poor decisions made in the past, do they mirror the inefficient corporate culture of Microsoft.
Many CEO’s , CFO’s, whatever, would do well to reevaluate the old ways of doing things and make sure IT people understand they are plumbers, not businessmen. And if they want their enterprise to become smaller, faster, and more agile, traditional IT decision makers should be the last people they turn to for advice.
And if you think pc’s are going away any time soon, you have proven my point. The technologies you describe will augment the pc, not replace it. And if anyone brings these new techs to the business world, it will be at the kicking and screaming of IT people…unless, of course, it runs on an insecure and unstable form of Windows or relies on MS Exchange server.
And did you really write your first post on a Mac? Hey, you da man!
ongboonlay // April 8, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Naw, I don’t you can kill off MS so easily. Certainly, the other options (only two: Mac and Linux) are getting better everytime - Mac more than Linux. But MS is mainstream and nobody is really big enough to take its place. The future, I think, is multi-platform and Internet based software - like Google docs and spreadsheets. When that happens, then all we need is to be internet compliant and it doesn’t matter which platform you use. Everything will run everywhere anytime.
thewilleffect // April 8, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I always find it funny how everytime I read something like this taughting the end of Microsoft, the Xbox Division is always ommitted from the conversation as if it doesn’t count because it’s not making money hand over fist. If you look anywhere at Microsoft, the Xbox is surely the place where the entire company should be looking to emulate.
I’ve never seen a division of any company jump into a market and not be just some faceless megacorp out to just steal our money. Most of people’s anger and outright will to see the “downfall of Microsoft” steams from a bad experience with Windows Blue Screens and the like. I find that hardly fair to cast that across the whole company.
Wadhah Hussain // April 8, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I do not totally agree to what you say in this article. I am a hardcore Mac user, that being said, it is not possible to pinpoint MS weaknesses in an article this short and give OS X all the credit.
Microsoft has been making mistakes for long time, from secrurity holes to bad business decisions. They have over the years overcome and been overcome by random issues which would make it impossible to list here.
Microsoft made the smartest move in the tech industry and that was opening up their OS to devleopers and giving it up in forms of lisences. They are now running 90-95% of the world’s computers by lisence AND have control over the OS market. May I remind you of the “compulsary” Vista upgrade with the purchase of a new computer (even if you would want XP, it would be a strech to aquire it at this point).
So therefore MS has made mistakes, and so did Apple. Apple won the jackpot with the iPod mixed with crazy advertising campaings, while MS built their market over the last 20 years or so with no “jackpots” involved.
It all comes down to the preference of the end user. I prefer OS X for my work while others need Windows to work. The business part of it is just a reflection of who wins the hearts of the end user, and yes that includes the people standing at the tech store getting fed crap from the salesman so he can make his commission.
Wadhah
surrogate // April 8, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I’ve been a Mac user for 24 years, and OSX has done nothing but made me happy I’ve been loyal though I’m forced to use Windows puters at some of my clients. So far Vista seems a cumbersome and tempermental animal when I’ve played with it. I wish Microsoft well, but so far? Vista looks to me to be a bust.
digitallite // April 8, 2007 at 10:17 pm
We’ve come a long way and I, for one am happy that Apple has come to the fore and made all the great products I love. I’ve been using a Mac since 1984 when the computer was barely usable by todays standards but the OS and the couple of apps were absolutely revolutions in the computer world. [insert Apple history here] Today I can see that on many fronts Apple is clearly superior to Microsoft in so many ways and should they prevail to knock Microsoft off their perch would that be ultimately good for Apple? Could they or would they want to produce both the hardware and software that dominated the computer landscape. I think it would be a daunting task and while it would be good for the consumer it remains to be seen how that might affect Apple as a corporate culture.
What I hope to see is that the computer and associated industries takes some cues from Apple in the “values” department and begin to produce better, more useful products. Time will tell if the rest of the players can make a the necessary commitment.
Jeff Ventura // April 8, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Just a point of clarification: as many of you have noted, I don’t mean that Microsoft is literally dead, as in no longer viable. Any dolt who understands business at a basic level will understand that MS is doing quite well from a financial standpoint.
What I mean but MS’ armor being mortally pierced is that MS no longer competes on the edge of innovation or tech zeitgeist, instead giving other competitors like Apple and Google berth when before they would have had none.
Apple is on an upswing, and Microsoft the opposite. And I don’t see this changing.
Matt // April 8, 2007 at 10:37 pm
If this is the end of Microsoft, then they shouldnt probably be buying more land to expand their Redmond Campus into Bellevue.
Microsoft isnt perfect, but they must be do something right.
I work in Seattle - every single business I see (outside of the editing companies) use XP. Microsoft isnt going to fall. At least in the forseeable future.
Jeff Ventura // April 8, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Matt: MS will still own business and the mainstream desktop market. It’s just that moving forward, nobody who’s into computers or is a technology fan uses MS anymore. The buzz has moved past MS, leaving them the business market, relegating them to this era’s version of IBM.
egil hardanger // April 8, 2007 at 11:31 pm
You know, I’m no great fan of Microsoft, and I’ve craved an Apple laptop for some time.
Despite this, I find the tone of your article offensive. In terms of money up front, Apples are more expensive, new or used. Sure, down the road there’s a lot less heart/headbreak and maybe they do END UP costing less. However, in my world, and for millions of others, life is all about getting the cash to do something.
Not only your article, and Graham’s comments you saw fit to reprint, but comments as well are replete with the arrogant “nobody who’s into computers uses MS anymore.” (taken from the comment from Jeff, above) Well, a hearty “kiss my ass” to all who share such sentiment.
I am into computers. I have a friend that sells Apples all day to come home and bang away at a Linux partition. He is into computing, and knows full well the advantages of OSX.
If Apple was so universally appealing, he’d make enough commission to actually buy one.
This kind of techy snobbery seems to be everywhere…forums that are there for questions to be asked are full of hierarchical derision.
Change your tone. Get real. My kid gets this kind of crap at school for not wearing the “right clothes”.
Arguing over the hypothetical winner is IT masturbation at best.
Jeff Ventura // April 8, 2007 at 11:38 pm
egil: sorry you disagree. I can’t, however, say I’m going to change my tone.
Apple machines are not more expensive, incidentally. I’ve refuted this myth somewhere upwards of 200 times, and I don’t have the compunction to do it again. The only time a PC winds up costing materially less is when the exercise is reduced to building a PC part-by-part from discount online vendors such as Newegg, and while that’s neat and all (I went through that stage too), it’s not the market Apple chases.
Every tech luminary and a-list tech blogger I know, with VERY FEW exceptions, is running Apple kit. Some run Linux, which, after basic investigation, will show itself not to be MS technology either. As for hardcore MS enthusiasts, they’re simply not out there en masse anymore…at least outside gaming/hobbyist/DIY circles.
It’s not a snobbery, egil — it’s an observation. If the observation is offensive to you, then you disagree with me and Paul Graham.
Regardless, I am real, and if we can’t agree, so be it. Not everyone needs to agree. I can live with that.
egil hardanger // April 8, 2007 at 11:51 pm
On the superiority of Apple, we agree.
I am talking about the human element. I ask and listen to folks like you when I need to know. I simply feel it’s unfair to say that those who are “into” computing won’t touch MS. I am as into it as my life will allow, and I don’t know where you’re at, but I need a couple hundred more to go the Apple route, and I will someday.
In short, I am saying that LOADS of people are fully aware of your point. Not all of them can make it happen. Perhaps as Apple claims a broader market share, they will become more accessible to all.
There is simply a snide tone to these discussion that rakes on me. I root for Apple/Linux. However, in terms of your/Graham’s comments, I am an anomaly.
Have a good one!
Matt // April 8, 2007 at 11:53 pm
I think there is one more thing that is being left out of the argument. As it stands right now, Apple is winning future users. It’s kind of hard to explain what I mean by this, but over the last two years, I’ve seen the balance of Macs vs. PCs at my college (Notre Dame) go tremendously towards Macs.
Opponents might just quickly say that we are talking about the trendy, super rich college student with no worries here. We can debate the reasons for their switching all day; however, the fact remains that the future decision makers of the business world are rocketing towards Macs.
Mark // April 8, 2007 at 11:56 pm
I’m seriously contimplating a Mac for my next computer. Laptop, of course.
bhupen // April 9, 2007 at 12:06 am
MAC is the future! I wish I was born with a MAC besides me, since I am so used to using Windows, I really have not had any taste of MAC. Should someone go for it and buy MAC even if they have never used it ? How can you say that MS is behind. The ranking summary shown by alexa.com shows msn.com is second this week. http://alexa.com/ MS not behind, it will always be ahead or around us.
danski // April 9, 2007 at 12:38 am
Great article
My views that both has a very different consumer market, and the directions both companies are moving in, varied other than the common denominator - consumer products
Mac has more than just OSX which is the direct competitor for Vista or XP, Mac deals alot on hardware as well such as macbook, G5s, Xserve, Ipod, and maybe in future iphone, itv? Where Microsoft’s a predominately a software giant, trying to re-invent itself in the face of stiffer competition from Google than Mac.
Not forgetting this fine line - Microsoft and Mac have been working together on many projects - Mac Office, and even XBOX uses Mac architecture. We cannot ignore the partnership of Jobs and Gates.
Mac will never replace Microsoft and although i defer the notion that Microsoft is dead, the former ‘evil empire’ is no longer as influential as they would like to be. I see Google, Linux and other Open Source solution to be the potential Microsoft Killer….. for example. I see Open Office would kill off Microsoft office, and Linux for Windows platform.
For Hardware, it is unfair to make any comparison because Microsoft does not make hardware, and the prices for hardware can differ so much! In Singapore, we can easily build a superb machine on microsoft windows less than 1000 that most hardcore gamers would go for, but for tech saavy, designers, and higher income consumer would want form over function. And while most would prefer the familiarity of Win XP over learning OSX, i think there is a market for Windows users. I for one, am a MAC fan, and i have been using Mac for a long time since uni, but i do own a few PC for development purposes and of course, gaming, an area which Mac has chosen not to compete openly with Microsoft’s dominance and understandably why.
Steve // April 9, 2007 at 12:46 am
Mostly self congratulatory pap, this item. It was the iPod OS and hardware, and content solution, not OSX, that put Apple in the catbird seat.
David // April 9, 2007 at 1:13 am
Can’t go past the best page in the universe. Open your eyes, Apple have brainwashed you.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
mourner // April 9, 2007 at 1:44 am
It’s so sad. Microsoft was alive and kicking just yesterday. All of a sudden, it’s dead. Life without Microsoft will never be the same. Even my grandma has switched to a Mac now.
You seem to be pretty upset about it, considering the number of posts about Microsoft that you have on your blog - reminds me of Anna Nicole Smith and the tabloids. There comes a time in everybody’s lives when they have to stop worrying about the dead and move on. I’m sure the tabloids will soon get over Anna Nicole. Will you ever get over Microsoft?
Claudious // April 9, 2007 at 2:34 am
“It’s just that moving forward, nobody who’s into computers or is a technology fan uses MS anymore. The buzz has moved past MS, leaving them the business market, relegating them to this era’s version of IBM.”
Why does it have to be about buzz when it comes to Macs? I built my own computer, taught myself how to use it, repair it and maintain it, much like a regular Joe working on a 50’s car in his garage. And I love it because of this.
I didn’t buy my computer in a mall. It’s man computer, not a piece of fruit. And it was cheaper.
And for the record, I do graphics, design, music and more on my PC. Technology plays a major role in my life.
MS isn’t perfect, but they are far from dead. And while Steve Jobs sits in his office congratulating himself for the iphone, Bill Gates and his lovely wife were recognized by People magazine as individuals committed to make positive changes in the world through extensive philanthropy.
Maybe Zune is no big deal. Getting a meal to a soul that deserves one might be.
– C –
Firestarter // April 9, 2007 at 2:49 am
When it comes to innovation Apple and MS are totally different…
MAC is a closed system, So it has be Apple who will innovate and bring new stuff…
Where as in case of MS it provides a platform for innovation. MS need not essentially innovate.
I mean you can build a system of your own install it in your car run Windows on it…
Can you ever do such a thing with MAC ? no ? it a locked system.
talamar // April 9, 2007 at 3:56 am
I thnk your article is viewed only from one side and it glorifies Apple in some way.
For myself, I don’t see any need to argue about wether MS or Apple is better and which one will overlive. I use Windows PC and I am fine with it. Other people uses Macs and they are fine with it.
inferior_poet // April 9, 2007 at 5:55 am
I definitely agree with Firestarter.
there are application with MS that does not work pretty well with Apple.
Dmitri // April 9, 2007 at 6:23 am
I maintain that the biggest issue with Mac OS is the fact that developing for it is hell compared to a thing like .NET. This is what wins it for Windows - just look at the number of developers now moving from C/C++ and Java.
So I wouldn’t be too quick about burying Microsoft. They still come out with some pretty good stuff.
Jeffrey // April 9, 2007 at 8:57 am
Hi.
don’t you think apple might actually make more moeny by selling Mac OS X to whoever wants to install it? that way, Apple gets profits from another aspect as well. moreover, lots of windows users are used to customizing their computers and things like that.
my friend an avid windows fan was mentioning things like mac has lack of options as compared to windows, in terms of tweaking. for example, overclocking the cpu. also we can;t upgrade our macs when the hardware gets outdated! we jsut gotta get a new mac! which kinda sucks dun u think.
i know all this good stuff abt apple and its creativity and good design, i am a mac fan as well and it was a lil hard to take but its true.
looking at iphone, no replacable batteries for business people on-the-go?! no 3rd party software?! i hope someone finds a crack or bypass for this 3rd party crap apple likes to limit their users on.
Is Microsoft in trouble? « Kevin Daoust (dot) Com // April 9, 2007 at 9:00 am
[...] Microsoft is becoming weaker over its competitors. The other is a blog post by Jeff Ventura called Apple’s Role in Microsoft’s Downfall which looks more at the OSX side of [...]
Apple’s role in Microsoft’s downfall. « Everything is Illuminated // April 9, 2007 at 9:23 am
[...] Which is Talked about more here….. [...]
Angus McQuarrie // April 9, 2007 at 9:45 am
What Paul Graham says rings very true, but it isn’t the whole story. To say that anyone who cares about computers uses Macs or Linux is disingenuous to people who are into video games. Many analysts believe Microsoft’s courting of the video game world is the reason they’ve thrived for so long (and perhaps why they’re still alive now). I’ve written a write-up from the perspective of how Apple can deliver the final blow through Apple Gaming
jesusworshipculture // April 9, 2007 at 10:36 am
Actually, MacBooks are no more expensive than their top competitor at Dell–and once I chose the affordable Mac software instead of the insanely expensive MS Word and its cronies (which as an intelligent person I can’t stand using anyway), I ended up spending about $200 LESS on a Mac than I would have on a PC.
What I don’t understand in the arguments above is how one “pays for” the fact that Macs “just work.” My 18 year old LCII just works. My 10 year old Apple PowerPC just works. That hasn’t cost me a penny.
My 7 year old PC broke down about 2 years ago, after nearly $1,000 worth of trying to keep it running for the “sake of my clients” who stubbornly insist on using PCs. My 2-year-old laptop literally fell apart about a year ago, so I threw up my hands at all of the money Microsoft and its associates have cost me and bought a MacBook. A long life of computing happiness? Priceless!
dadinaught6 // April 9, 2007 at 10:47 am
jeffrey,
the reason apple’s brand is so strong is based on the fact that you can’t pirate/build your own/3rd-party it. They can control their brand and their product.
Macromedia Flash Fan // April 9, 2007 at 10:50 am
Whose game are we playing anyway?
I am PC user. I have used Macs in the past. With all due respect, I did not like the way Macs run. I have to give them credit for some handy applications which Vista recently stole, but other than that, nothing.
But what bugs me is not whether Macs are better than PCs or not. It is this blind groupy attitude that I see in people using either platform. We as consumers should not give a fig who wins or loses, as we get our business done on any computing platforms. Macs are doing better? That’s great. All it will do is push Microsoft to make their products better. Which eventually is supposed to be best for the end user. I am now using a Linux based Nokia Tablet . It works great, and I did not even want to install the XP theme on it. Who cares?
Consumers should wake up! Too loyal for a PC or Mac? Imagine the frustration you may get once all your bucks are in their bank accounts, and you are holding on the phone waiting for their mercy to replace a product, or help you troubleshoot the system.
Eidolon Night // April 9, 2007 at 11:15 am
“you simply just don’t hear about many Windows enthusiasts outside of hardcore gamers and those still infatuated with building their own rigs part-by-part”
These few have a huge effect on the market. People see games constantly released for Windows. They see guys with lights and windows on their PC. They see the fancy gaming computers on DELL. It’s like free advertising for Microsoft.
The entire hardware control idea is seriously flawed.
thefoulfish.wordpress.com
David // April 9, 2007 at 12:08 pm
A few weeks ago at the airport I saw a guy running Vista and asked him “what was so special about it” and how he liked using it. He was thrilled. The things he showed me, which he felt were so impressive, were things my last Apple G4 did five years ago and no where near at good as what’s on my MacBook today.
Thank goodness for Apple. If they make it I will buy it. I’m looking forward to buying the iPhone this summer. Why does Mircosoft remind me of the Big Three American Auto Makers? Crysler Ford GM and MicroSoft. Thanks but… No Thanks.
Tom // April 9, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Nice article. I was one of those IBM era IT guys .. then came Novell … MS … Linux … I was one of the earliest adopters of Linux. The only reason I run Windows now is for Photoshop. I would love to ditch Windows machines for Mac, but the investment I have in PCs makes it unreasonable for now, (although they are dual boot into Ubuntu, the Mac-inization of Linux.) All the people who know me who rely on my years of computing tech exprience hear me telling them to get Macs now. The new Macs are beautiful appliances.
The only thing I don’t like about Mac is Finder. If there’s a Windows Explorer for Mac - then I’m sold. And it would be nice to be able to get a truly supported generic OS/X for the PCs I already have, (yes I heard about some bootleg versions out there) but I heard the reason they haven’t done it is because the mass migration would overwhelm Apple support. Great article.
Ziemo // April 9, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Nice blog
Jordan // April 9, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Interesting article!
Justin V // April 9, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Apple is smart, too smart. Is it just me or is Apple
Apple is slowing flipping the tides on MS. Apple is attacking consumers slowly but surely at all angles. Music moives, soon to be Tv and cell phones. Things assoicated with everyday living, things that we use and come into contact countless times.
People today are used to seeing the Windows and feel alienation when expose to OSX, with the exception of iTunes. Apple is slowly making people feel more comfortable with OSX. Soon after people are constantly expose to OSX with everydays living, it going to be MS, that’s going to be alienated.
If Apple keeps hitting the consumers they will have a stonger precscence, regardless of the “marketshare”..
Will // April 9, 2007 at 3:58 pm
I have come to think of Apple’s tactics as more of guerrilla warfare. In military tactics the best way to bring down a much larger opponent is through guerrilla tactics. Not attacking the main force, but smaller forces one the perimeter and gradually demoralize the opponent. This is what I feel Apple is doing. While they are now attacking the OS platform head on, it is only a recent development. Their true goal seems to be to bombard consumers with everything Apple except PCs. Then after people are using Apple products for music, video, communication, gaming? (probably not) and their lives are surrounded by Apple products and they are familiar with the style and operating system Microsoft will be an easy target. Yes I said Microsoft would be an EASY target.
And that my friends is actually how Apple will take down Microsoft, not one fell swoop, but by gradually picking away at everything else.
Jeff Ventura // April 9, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Tom: try Pathfinder.
http://www.cocoatech.com/pf4/
helpless // April 9, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Microsoft will forever have my support. Apple hardware and software is about as useless as the fruit itself (and not when eating it).
lunawolf // April 9, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I’m technologically challenged, but I do know that one can’t argue with results. In the time it took my family to go through three PC’s, my significant other has had one Mac. Count it: one. It works at the same efficiency it always has and it has never displayed a Blue Screen of Death so familiar to Microsoft users. I use a mac now and an amazing thing happens: my essays aren’t lost to oblivian if I accidently forget to save every three minutes. I can go a whole day without having to watch my computer shut itself off. Nice. Can’t wait to get an iPod.
Jeffrey // April 9, 2007 at 5:47 pm
dadinaught6 ,
why have a strong brand when u can expand your customer base?
i’m sure the brand will be equallly strong when they let others use mac os x on their pc.
that is contestable, and apple is unlikely to do that,
however,
iphone! the problems with iphone! replaceable battery! lack of 3rd party apps! big problems that make people with o2 or hp or palm PDAs hard to make the big jump
pple will prob buy it cos it looks nice.
MacGrrl // April 9, 2007 at 10:37 pm
What I know about “IT guys” is that they aren’t so much “it” anymore.
The ones I know are struggling to find work. They are all Microsoft certified and no one cares.
I find it interesting that the Big Deal IT guys in my world are intimidated by my little ol’ PowerBook. “There are the photos for the presentation on my desktop”.
“Uh. Can you put it on my flash drive for me?”
Good thing Microsoft sanctioned you to know your stuff….
When I clicked, dragged and dropped, he said “It really IS that easy??”
Yea. It really is.
It really does just work.
Some day, the concept of one’s computer just working will be as expected as it is with any other product. Like your car, your refrigerator, your TV.
Unless and until Microsoft gets that, they will continue to lose market share and while they will probably never be dead dead…. they won’t be able to maintain their current Goliath standing.
villageatmidway // April 9, 2007 at 10:54 pm
No one has likely ever loved their pc like Apple lovers love their Macs. There is an intangible charm and aesthetic to the Mac user experience—even from early on, that pc’s have never offered me. Plus it just works. I like my Mac. I wouldn’t enjoy using anything else.
My newest Mac is turning 8 this year.
Jeffrey // April 10, 2007 at 12:33 am
wow. 8 yr old mac. i suppose you use ur mac for pretty basic stuff like music, internet, chat and word processing, right? definitely not for games.
seriously, macs can’t be upgraded. that isn’t an issue with u guys?
paralleldivergence // April 10, 2007 at 2:06 am
Two points:
I believe it’s the iPod and not OSX that is driving Apple’s popularity. If iTunes for WIndows was never released, I don’t think iPod would be anywhere near as popular as it is.
Microsoft don’t have to innovate. Innovation’s all about software and the army of Windows developers out there are producing some incredible software that’s simply not available for OSX. Doesn’t matter it’s on an OS that’s 5 years old. It’s new software. Much of it you get for free or for beer money. The developers code for XP because of the huge market place. What MS have to do is make sure they never alienate their developer base and always keep them happy.
I go both ways. I write my blog on an iMac, I made my avatar on an iMac. I play with the iLife suite. But when I work, I have to work with my PC. That’s the difference. Until my “customers” change, I can’t and I don’t see it happening in the short term.
(un)relaxeddad // April 10, 2007 at 2:12 am
I look at the stats for our organization’s websites and Mac platforms total 5%. Better that it would it have been but still not mould breaking. Mobile PDAs users have been making calls from Windows Mobile for some time.
And Thomas, I’m a Mac user, big time. But in my experience, Windows installed by professional, paranoid, meticulous IT guys remains secure. We’re an academic institute, someone tries to hack us everyday. They don’t get in. Businesses go under through poor marketing and strategy, not because of using Microsoft or listening to IT guys. The 1% of IT guys who extend their empirical experience into every other area of human life are legendary but untypical - you find blowhards everywhere you go. And I think you’ll find that Apple Macs are designed by - guess - IT guys! Bill Gates - bit of an IT guy, bit of a businessman. Larry Ellis, the Google founders…Good and bad business people come from every walk of life.
iphone « pk: repercussio // April 10, 2007 at 2:16 am
[...] is not my idea, I actually was prompted to it by this blog. Watching Steve Jobs was fascinating. The increasing importance of the internet in home [...]
Reports of death are greatly exaggerated « Stuff-O-Rama // April 10, 2007 at 4:57 am
[...] Jeff Ventura agrees with Paul Graham’s assertion that Apple, particularly OSX, has been key in ‘the downfall’ and this is where I think both are flat wrong. You’d have to been a fan of Columbian Marching Powder to thing that OSX’s 4% marketshare vs Windows 96% marks some kind victory for Cupertino, in fact many of the Apple Acolytes don’t want OSX to become more popular because it’ll make it a target for hackers (oh yes it will) and nothing destroys the cache of being a member of a tight knit community than going mainstream. Also Apple’s turn around is due to the iPod not OSX and the truth that dare not speak it’s name is that Windows is the most popular OS to plug an iPod into not OSX. [...]
stufforama // April 10, 2007 at 5:03 am
http://stufforama.wordpress.com/2007/04/10/reports-of-death-are-greatly-exaggerated/
Apple's Domination « Cathartic Prose // April 10, 2007 at 11:09 am
[...] I was checking in with “Graceful Flavor” the other day, reading his article entitled: Apples Role in Microsoft’s Downfall when it occurred to me that there was some irony at play here. There has been much chatter about how [...]
miamitom // April 10, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Jeff: Re: Pathfinder - awesome … good to see a decent tree-based file manager for Mac … now if we can just get Adobe to port to Linux - that’d be the complete death of Windoze, … And did anyone forget - the GPL allows Microsoft to legally release their own Linux distribution … wouldn’t that be a hoot! “MS-Linux” HA! I doubt anyone would trust it though … there’s this “big sinister corp” feeling about MS from their strong arm licensing agreements in the past that have also left a bad feeling … does anyone remember the anti-trust suits, and that several nations have actually banned MS in favor of Linux …
WinFan // April 12, 2007 at 12:50 pm
To those who argume about PCs being as expensive as Macs….for the manistream (to slightly high end) $1000-1400 machines, have you actually applied a Dell coupon and THEN compared the price difference? Have you tried to find a coupon for Apple? And I don’t mean someone who has his gf working at Apple etc etc.
There are relatively few people who buy $2500+ quad core machines.
So you can bleat all you want but PCs ARE cheaper than your Macs.
And let’s not even go down the road of trying to upgrade your Mac yourself.
Also, how many times have you actually see the dreaded blue screen with WinXP?
I use PCs at work (as a developer) and home so I think I know more than the average population on computers…certainly more than your wannabe cool english lit/humanities college student.
Bill // April 13, 2007 at 1:22 pm
WinFan, many of the comparison included the DELL coupon and results were par and often better, so you are wrong. Just look up and read or google mac vs PC price, iMAC or Pro or laptops. Also, you can upgrade processors, video cards, RAM, drives, etc.. on a MAC. I upgraded the CPU on my first MAC that I bought in 1995, which was a 6100, I upgraded RAM, Vid card, drives and CPU on a MAC G3 beige and a MAC G3 tower and a MAC G4 Tower. You should research what you write so not to look stupid. Macs are very upgradable and have been upgradable for over 10 years. I build PC’s too and I know what I am talking about. You just just a MAC hater for what reason? I know your type and deal with you people from time to time. An applicatio specialist from a company that I use told me she hates MACS, but had no answer as to why. Get over it. Also, I work on many computers at many sites and have seen the BSD numerous times. So just what are your qualifications since you do not even know that MACs are upgradable and you can’t use a search engine?
OSX Leopard's necessary -- not regretful -- delay. « gracefulFlavor // April 14, 2007 at 11:25 am
[...] in the text, it’s that we see here is the emergence of a brand-new form of OSX (and remember, OSX is the key to Apple’s future, not the iPod, not the standalone Mac, not Apple TV) which is something Apple realized long ago [...]
lunawolf // April 23, 2007 at 4:25 am
How many times a day does a little annoying balloon pop up in the right hand side of the screen on a Mac? I just want to know. I’m using my mom’s computer and I’m telling you, this shit sucks. Haven’t had the BSD yet, but I’m not running much on it, just in case. I uploaded firefox cause Explorer kept ignoring me. It just told me “not responding.” Another great Microsoft product. I could go on…
Microsoft is Dead. Long Live Microsoft. « Techno babble from an IT guy named Harry // April 27, 2007 at 2:07 am
[...] that Microsoft Is Dead. Then some more people got together, declared victory for Apple (Apple’s role in Microsoft’s downfall), and piss on Microsoft’s grave (gotta love [...]
lijfbp pnfvz // June 7, 2007 at 1:21 pm
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Laughing IT Nazi // March 3, 2008 at 1:51 am
Thomas-
IT guys live off MS like parasites under the scales of the dragon. (Some one hates IT wonder why?)
Over the next decade the role of the IT guy will also diminish about tenfold. (Wow can you get me the next winning lottery numbers since you’re making predictions and all. Just wanted to know if it was possible)
No longer will the world require such laborous
(Oops typo, next time fix that or you will appear unprofessional or ill educated.)
attention to keep a broken system hobbling along. No longer will users have to suffer the arrogance of little IT napoleons
(Sounds like some one has a phobia to napoleon complexes, something you may want to talk to your therapist about. Just a suggestion.)
to tell us we cannot use certain features or plug in certain devices because of real or imagined “security” reasons. When a truely
(another typo)
secure system arrives in the business world, and those who hold the purse strings see that they no longer need to pay your salary, you will be cut loose and set adrift,
(Again got those winning numbers yet? With all these predictions how about helping a guy out)
and that will be a fine day indeed. No, you don’t see it because you cannot afford to.
(Judgmental, you have no idea what anyone but yourself could afford)
I think it is very telling that you see your ilk
(You say that with such antagonism, try smiling when you say that)
as being increasingly at the center of the business universe both “behind the scenes and at the forefront of business.” Any business that allows IT people to have an increasing influence on business decisions will find itself struggling to compete.
(Again with the predictions, what makes you the expert? Where are your credentials, what makes you qualified to speak on this subject and why should I care what you have to say?)
Your industry was born out of the need for businesses to harness the power of computers and to manipulate information efficiently. This is a valid and indispensable endeavor in order for businesses to operate in today’s world. But the sad and ugly truth about your vocation is that as MS systems became available and dominated the automation of business in the ’80’s and 90’s
(What are your sources of information, where’s your credibility?),
the IT workforce expanded tenfold (figuratively) - in lesser order to bring business into the world of desktop computers and workstations - and in much greater order to simply maintain and secure the shoddy products provided by Microsoft(You need to be careful, with out proof or valid sources you could be opening yourself to a slander suit). This happened at the expense of IT people fulfilling their original mission: installing the infrastructure and serving the user/worker with the best and most productive tools to get their jobs done. Somewhere along the way the servant became the master and told the workers and management what tools they would use and how they would use them
(One word credibility?).
IT got away with this because nontechnical CFO’s and other key decision makers deferred their decision making to IT without question. Big, expensive mistake!
(I hate sounding like a broken record but Where are your facts to this statement. Credibility, you need some.)
Because MS products were so insecure the primary emphasis became security. Security above all else. Security above productivity. Security above efficiency.
Security that should have been provided out of the box by MS. Security was and is the mantra whispered endlessly into the ear of management
(are you ever going to let me have those lottery numbers?).
The fear of insecurity keeps the IT budgets fat and keeps management serving at the bidding of IT
(Where are your facts?)
A good CEO who is worth his salt makes sure he understands IT and scrutinizes the recommendations made by his IT staff
(I said facts not opinions.).
Do the recommendations truly add value to the business or are they self-serving, are they perpetuating of poor decisions made in the past, do they mirror the inefficient corporate culture of Microsoft
(Credibility, who are you and what makes you qualified to make this statement?).
Many CEO’s , CFO’s, whatever, would do well to reevaluate the old ways of doing things and make sure IT people understand they are plumbers, not businessmen. And if they want their enterprise to become smaller, faster, and more agile, traditional IT decision makers should be the last people they turn to for advice
(Credibility got to have some from you before I even consider you as worth listening to.).
And if you think pc’s are going away any time soon, you have proven my point
(How so?).
The technologies you describe will augment the pc, not replace it. And if anyone brings these new techs to the business world, it will be at the kicking and screaming of IT people
(How so? Elaborate, and don’t forget the credibility, got to have it.)
…unless, of course, it runs on an insecure and unstable form of Windows or relies on MS Exchange server. Do you sense that I disdain you and your gestapo bretheren
(Someone has a NAZI Fetish, admit it you wanted to Adolph when you grew up.)
Well guess what, silent masses of workers feel the same way.
(Again with the predictions, and now your adding mind reading to your list of talents. Hey where are those winning lottery numbers I requested?)
Where did you come up with those ideas? Man you should really write for Def Comedy Jam or something. You would do well, that spiel was comical.
Do me a favor; get down off your soapbox and out of the closet. Are you there yet? Well welcome to the 21st century! You really made a proverbial ass out of your self with that collective dribble.
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