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Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J R KARY who wrote (13456)	5/11/1998 9:55:00 PM
From: Adam Nash	Respond to of 213177

Adam thanks for the OS edification but tell me about the 3 years NeXT was purchased in 11/96 as the Copland replacement OS and Mac OS 10 is scheduled for 3 Q 99 . Was it just discovered that Rhapsody as presented in last years WWDC wasn't to be ? (be like in being not BE the OS running on Mac and INTC) Regarding the "box" stuff that is the way AAPL refers to its OS on its WWDC site . I know you are loyally painting a happy face but how many more systems can AAPL sell to its choir while waiting for 3 Q 99 ? I am concerned that AAPL has accepted a limited position as a niche systems provider . Regards, Jim K. Sure, let's see what I can do. First, I want to say I am not just "loyally painting the happy face." I am an Apple skeptic, largely because I have "been inside, and seen the strings that run the puppets." (to paraphrase from Jerry McGuire) However, I've also seen the real strengths of Apple's stuff, and I'm excited to see that they are finally not going wasted. Anyway. To answer your questions in order (please remember, this is just MHO) 1) 3 years is an exageration, since it was 12/96 NeXT was acquired, and it took 3 months to do a full technical eval of Rhapsody. However, remember, Rhapsody was Gil's plan (I mentioned this in an earlier post). Mac OS X is Steve & Avie's plan. Honestly, it will take them a year to ship a quality product that does what Mac OS X promises. That time is necessary also to give 3rd parties time to rev their apps. I think they want all 3rd parties ready to go before Mac OS X ships. That's why Carbon compiles to both Mac OS 8.x and Mac OS X. 2) Rhapsody as presented last year could have been, but I think they are saying that their research shows the market didn't want it. It was stated that developers didn't want an all new codebase. Rhapsody, WWDC '97, offered alot, but it assumed that hurdle, which I think proved insurmountable, a new codebase. 3) I was just teasing about the box stuff. Apple used Yellow and Blue (as a joke from the slides, really), but all these rumor sites made up Red and Green and Black, etc. 4) Apple has a niche of the computer market like Honda has a niche of the car market. I know it's a tired analogy that falls apart on technical issues, but from a business point of view it is accurate. AAPL 1998 is trying to create a viable, growing business around the Mac OS. I understand what you are driving at, though. Fact is, Apple has a lot of hurdles to clear, and always will. Apple will have to grow the Mac OS business beyond traditional markets. It remains to be seen if Quicktime, Carbon, iMac, all, or none of the above will be the way they do that.