Whether for good or for bad, Apple is wedded to combined proprietary software & proprietary hardware. This decision was made and now they are STUCK with it. Once they make a machine that can run native windows, there is no longer a compelling reason to have a Mac OS. i.e., Apple either becomes a wintel clone maker along the lines of Dell, Compaq etc or it becomes a pure software maker, trying to peddle OSX i.e., another Be. Let's face it, OSX is not so insanely superior to windoze that 95% of the computer world (or even 10%, for that matter) will abandon windows for it. OSX just isn't worth one shelling out for a second OS. As we have pointed out on this board, Apple will be playing with fire if they make OSX PC native -- UNLESS they can come up with some proprietary hardware that makes OSX/Mac work demonstrably better than OSX/PC, with OSX/PC working atleast as well or better than windoze/PC. In short, Apple is between a rock and a hard place.
My bet is that switching is not happening (or at least it's nothing to brag about) and Apple doesn't have any cards left. Making native OSX for PC would be a last, desperate lunge. As much as I would love to see them succeed at this, I'm not sure I want my money depending on it.
Dan |
