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The future of Apple.

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I had been discussing this topic for a while with my dad last night. So I figured I'd bring it here.



So, what do you think will happen in the future of Apple, and what do you think will happen when a new CEO takes over when Job's retires?


Enjoy. :)
 
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My guess. Apple will take over. Become Microsoft. tick a bunch of people off and decline as Microsoft is now. Jobs won't be around forever. Although, the direct fate doesn't necessarily hinge on him. Besides, that's how technological life cycles work don't they?
 

eric


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there are so many variables, including the technological rise of India and China. my guess is that while apple is slowly eating away at MS's lead, any number of other upstarts or technologial breakthroughs and thier accompanying patent holders may blow both of them (and IBM/SUN/HP/etc) out of the water. who knows, maybe that net based workstation revolution is right around the corner...
 
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it's really hard to say, from my point of view the workstation market isn't a huge market.. at least profit margin wise, so you've already seen some of the traditional players bail from it. MS has the advantage in that regard as they only have to pay for R&D on the software, which is a much higher margin all in all.
 

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i guess i'm talking workstation in philisophical terms - not actual "workstations" more like old, old-school IBM terminals, though obvioulsy updated and with some onboard storage - but likely more portable, or invisible (like set top boxes - or actual tvs with some internet browsing ability built right in, mini-"laptops" or mega-pdas, iphones, refrigerators, ebooks, etc).

the way things are going, with more business models going "free", this kind of makes sense. have you read the electric car article in one of the latest issues of wired? very intriguing.
 
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I think that MT technology will boom, and Apple is in the lead already with the MT touchpad on the Air and screens on the iPhone and Ipod Touch.

Microsoft has something similar, Surface, but it's technological use of cameras makes it unfeasible to use as screens.

I can see that Apple will change, once again, how users interface with the computer. They popularized the mouse. Next, they will popularize multi-touch screens, from Perceptive Pixel.

I think Apple will dominate the user and design market and Microsoft will dominate the business market.
 

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I think Apple will dominate the user and design market and Microsoft will dominate the business market.

so... status quo, eh? ;P
 
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lots of smart people at the top run that company I would imagine. not just jobs.
 
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Steve Jobs is a true visionary. Apple today is reminiscent of the NeXT line of products. Steve pushes the envelop of technology, design and innovation. He truly thinks out side of the box.

I'm sure he has hired people under him that share the same Zen. Apple has culture. Microsoft and PC's have clutter.
 

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Steve Jobs is a true visionary. Apple today is reminiscent of the NeXT line of products. Steve pushes the envelop of technology, design and innovation. He truly thinks out side of the box.

I'm sure he has hired people under him that share the same Zen. Apple has culture. Microsoft and PC's have clutter.

I agree. I think Jobs has surrounded himself with like-thinking individuals at the top. This is quite different from the first go-around, when Apple was just struggling to establish itself in the market, relying on execs from other, more mature industries. Phil Schiller, in particular, seems to share the stage with Jobs quite a bit. I wonder if he isn't the one being groomed to be Jobs' successor.

Anyway, Jobs has built a culture at Apple that won't soon be forgotten as it once was when he was seen more as an unstable/disruptive force back in the early 80s. Maybe I'm wrong, but I trust that Apple won't forget what happened to them back then.
 
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I think Apple will dominate the user and design market and Microsoft will dominate the business market.


That has always been my kind of thinking. I think Microsoft and Apple could team up to form some sort of software to allow Mac's to become more 'business friendly' (I really don't know how to word that any better). I would really like to see something like a version of MS Word for iPhone... this would really be the ultimate product for some on-the-go business people, especially those who don't want to carry around a laptop.
 
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I have this nagging feeling inside me that Apple would go the route of Microsoft, especially with the hype over the iPhone and iPod Touch. And that Apple will no longer "heed the masses" but would be more profit-motivated, and when everyone starts to use Mac, there'd be nothing special about it anymore.
 
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more profit-motivated, and when everyone starts to use Mac, there'd be nothing special about it anymore.

That is a really good thought! I never thought of that! But, perhaps, Apple will release a new computer like Mac that will be even BETTER than mac?
 
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I would like to see what would happen if Microsoft introduced their own line of computers.
 

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yeah, i don't think that would happen.

the console industry is a whole different animal, but one thing is mostly the same, you don't get rich off of hardware, it's all about licensing, peripherals, contracts, etc. MS is pretty comfortable, i doubt we'd see an MSPC of any sort unless the environment of home computing were to drastically change.
 
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yeah, i don't think that would happen.

the console industry is a whole different animal, but one thing is mostly the same, you don't get rich off of hardware, it's all about licensing, peripherals, contracts, etc. MS is pretty comfortable, i doubt we'd see an MSPC of any sort unless the environment of home computing were to drastically change.

....And, why does Apple make their own OS AND computer? Because Apple can develop the hardware, that's why!


If MS released their own line of computers, I don't think they would sell like hotcakes, just because the OS (And performance) matter most to people, for the most part. There are most likely people out there who would give these computers a try- I would, even though windows isn't exactly my 'favorite' computer software/ peripherals company. Also, chances are the actual product and built in software would NOT be made by Microsoft, (unlike Mac). Of course, though, Microsoft would have to make the hardware, i.e. CPU and such, and if I am correct they do not make processing components for computers. Some other factors that must be put into consideration is the technology and how it is laid out, if you will. By this I mean will there be a big, bulky, [and most of all ugly] CPU? Or would they develop it like the iMac and cram all into one, thin, all in one machine? Of course, they have enough money for R&D (Research and Development) to try these things, and other different layouts, but the bigger thing is would they want to try to market such an item like an all one? Apple has this unique to iMac, and would Microsoft be willing to risk their reputation into being "copy cats"? Most of all, though, they most likely couldn't price these kinds of all in ones much less than the iMac, could they? They obviously can't, unless, of course, the specs suck, and the OS was new, fresh, and good for the average person who just wants to have fun with their computers? What about compatibility, which would be important for people who want to use their old computer games that were XP compatible on this new OS? There would be so many factors to consider, and most are big factors that could change the computer completely, or perhaps even the whole computing INDUSTRY, like the PC did when it was first rolled out a long while back. I'll end this post here, and have others step in to throw in their 10 cents [two cents no longer works with these inflation rates].
 
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Apple = the future of technology.

It will one day rule the market.
 
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Apple = the future of technology.

It will one day rule the market.

So we think. Before Apple started out, I'm sure that's what people said about Microsoft. Ya never know, the next thing thing could be right around the corner-and it might not be Apple.
 
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So we think. Before Apple started out, I'm sure that's what people said about Microsoft. Ya never know, the next thing thing could be right around the corner-and it might not be Apple.
Actually I believe Apple predates Microsoft ;)
 

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