Tuesday, May 27, 2003
If Apple's rotting, then I hope it keeps up the pace
It's five months into the calendar year, and already I've read no less than five articles referring to Apple as "rotting", "rotten to the core", or some other poorly-executed pun. While these articles are often written out of cluelessness, sometimes out of denial, and occasionally raise one or two good points in among all the doom and gloom, it's hard to imagine a more difficult five-month stretch to be an Apple basher. This year, Apple's innovations seem to be rolling off the assembly line in the order of about one per week. So in case anyone is on the verge of giving in to the alternate-reality that the perennial Apple-bashers seem to live in, here's a recap of just some of what Apple has managed to pull off so far in 2003:
Keynote: This software can already do so many things so effortlessly at version 1.0 that PowerPoint still can't pull off at version 10.0. It's so easy that a fifth grader can master it in a few hours, yet so powerful that the CEO of a Fortune 500 company can use it to present to an audience of thousands.
AirPort 802.11g: Apple practically invented wireless Internet, so it only makes sense that Apple would be the first to bring the next-generation wireless spec to market. I was lucky enough to be there in July 1999 when Steve Jobs passed the original iBook through a hula-hoop without breaking its Internet connection, and in the four years that have passed, I've seen first-hand how this amazing technology can change the both the home and the workplace. Other companies can run all the commercials they want; it doesn't change the fact that Apple leads the industry in the wireless game by years. And now with 802.11g, the gap has widened even more.
12-inch and 17-inch PowerBooks: It was no surprise that Apple was the first to bring a 17-inch laptop to market, but keeping it an inch thick and throwing in a glow-in-the-dark keyboard made it seem as if Apple was just rubbing its competitors' noses in the dirt. But the ultimate insult had to be the 12-inch PowerBook, Apple's first foray in the direction of the thin-and-light notebook. The only thing Apple failed to build into this tiny beauty was waterproofing sufficient to protect against the gallons of drool that have poured its direction.
Safari beta: I don't think you can show up your opponents any more stunningly than to release an unfinished product that kicks the crap out of every established competitor. Innovations like SnapBack, the new bookmarking system, built-in ad blocking, integrated Google search, and tabbed browsing aren't nearly as important as the speed. Not content to rest on its lead in the browser wars (how impossible would that have sounded a year ago?), Apple has released no less than five versions of Safari beta this year, each significantly better than the last.
iLife: Apple already had a lead a mile long in the digital photography, digital video, and DVD creation categories, which meant only one thing: it was time to increase the lead. iPhoto 2, iMovie 3, and iDVD 3 can combine to bring any multimedia-inclined PC user to tears. iPhoto 2 in particular is so stunningly simple and powerful that a fifth grader who has just learned how to use it can turn around and teach a group of fourth graders how to use it.
the $799 eMac: In one sense, this might be the biggest innovation of all. Now, even those on a tight budget can own a G4-based Mac with a 17-inch monitor and a slew of software for under eight hundred dollars. Remember the days when Macs used to cost more than comparably-equipped PC's? You've got to love the irony.
iTunes Music Store: In one day, Apple did more to bring the music industry into the digital era than all the established players in that industry could accomplish, combined, in the decade prior. Nevermind the fact that Apple is a computer company, not a record company! You kind of get the feeling that Apple could step into the fishing rod industry tomorrow and turn that world on its ear just as easily.
I'm sure I've left some important things off the list. The past five months have been so fast-paced in the Macintosh universe that you need a Palm handheld just to keep up (hey, Apple, how about innovating that industry while you're at it?). The amazing part is that there are still seven months left in 2003. We know that MacOS X Panther is just around the corner. There are rumors that new G5 PowerMacs with the fabled PPC 970 processors are coming sooner than later. Apple has promised to bring the iTunes Music Store to long-suffering Windows users this year. And beyond that, who knows what else Apple secretly has waiting on the horizon? Go back and read the above list again, and ask yourself if you could have predicted any of it back on January 1st, 2003.
When it comes to all things Apple, I'm psyched about the last seven months of 2003. If you're not, you're crazy. I hope that the detractors go right on writing their "Apple is rotten to the core" diatribes -- we all need a good laugh now and then. Your comments are welcome.
It's five months into the calendar year, and already I've read no less than five articles referring to Apple as "rotting", "rotten to the core", or some other poorly-executed pun. While these articles are often written out of cluelessness, sometimes out of denial, and occasionally raise one or two good points in among all the doom and gloom, it's hard to imagine a more difficult five-month stretch to be an Apple basher. This year, Apple's innovations seem to be rolling off the assembly line in the order of about one per week. So in case anyone is on the verge of giving in to the alternate-reality that the perennial Apple-bashers seem to live in, here's a recap of just some of what Apple has managed to pull off so far in 2003:
Keynote: This software can already do so many things so effortlessly at version 1.0 that PowerPoint still can't pull off at version 10.0. It's so easy that a fifth grader can master it in a few hours, yet so powerful that the CEO of a Fortune 500 company can use it to present to an audience of thousands.
AirPort 802.11g: Apple practically invented wireless Internet, so it only makes sense that Apple would be the first to bring the next-generation wireless spec to market. I was lucky enough to be there in July 1999 when Steve Jobs passed the original iBook through a hula-hoop without breaking its Internet connection, and in the four years that have passed, I've seen first-hand how this amazing technology can change the both the home and the workplace. Other companies can run all the commercials they want; it doesn't change the fact that Apple leads the industry in the wireless game by years. And now with 802.11g, the gap has widened even more.
12-inch and 17-inch PowerBooks: It was no surprise that Apple was the first to bring a 17-inch laptop to market, but keeping it an inch thick and throwing in a glow-in-the-dark keyboard made it seem as if Apple was just rubbing its competitors' noses in the dirt. But the ultimate insult had to be the 12-inch PowerBook, Apple's first foray in the direction of the thin-and-light notebook. The only thing Apple failed to build into this tiny beauty was waterproofing sufficient to protect against the gallons of drool that have poured its direction.
Safari beta: I don't think you can show up your opponents any more stunningly than to release an unfinished product that kicks the crap out of every established competitor. Innovations like SnapBack, the new bookmarking system, built-in ad blocking, integrated Google search, and tabbed browsing aren't nearly as important as the speed. Not content to rest on its lead in the browser wars (how impossible would that have sounded a year ago?), Apple has released no less than five versions of Safari beta this year, each significantly better than the last.
iLife: Apple already had a lead a mile long in the digital photography, digital video, and DVD creation categories, which meant only one thing: it was time to increase the lead. iPhoto 2, iMovie 3, and iDVD 3 can combine to bring any multimedia-inclined PC user to tears. iPhoto 2 in particular is so stunningly simple and powerful that a fifth grader who has just learned how to use it can turn around and teach a group of fourth graders how to use it.
the $799 eMac: In one sense, this might be the biggest innovation of all. Now, even those on a tight budget can own a G4-based Mac with a 17-inch monitor and a slew of software for under eight hundred dollars. Remember the days when Macs used to cost more than comparably-equipped PC's? You've got to love the irony.
iTunes Music Store: In one day, Apple did more to bring the music industry into the digital era than all the established players in that industry could accomplish, combined, in the decade prior. Nevermind the fact that Apple is a computer company, not a record company! You kind of get the feeling that Apple could step into the fishing rod industry tomorrow and turn that world on its ear just as easily.
I'm sure I've left some important things off the list. The past five months have been so fast-paced in the Macintosh universe that you need a Palm handheld just to keep up (hey, Apple, how about innovating that industry while you're at it?). The amazing part is that there are still seven months left in 2003. We know that MacOS X Panther is just around the corner. There are rumors that new G5 PowerMacs with the fabled PPC 970 processors are coming sooner than later. Apple has promised to bring the iTunes Music Store to long-suffering Windows users this year. And beyond that, who knows what else Apple secretly has waiting on the horizon? Go back and read the above list again, and ask yourself if you could have predicted any of it back on January 1st, 2003.
When it comes to all things Apple, I'm psyched about the last seven months of 2003. If you're not, you're crazy. I hope that the detractors go right on writing their "Apple is rotten to the core" diatribes -- we all need a good laugh now and then. Your comments are welcome.
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