A possible roadmap to Apple becoming a "software only"-company.

[NickFalk]

(Well they'll probably still be making iPods). Pure speculation of course, just for the fun of it, possibly not really likely, but anyway, here goes:

1.) 2007: Apple completes the Intel Switch. CPU sales are better than ever, a lot of windows-geeks buy a mac just for the fun of it, knowing they'll be able to install Windows on the great looking box, even if they never get their head around OSX…

2.) 2008-2009: Apple's sales flatten out at around 5-6% of the total market.

3.) 2009-2010: Apple buy a reasonably sized WinPC vendor, allowing this company to make Mac-compatible PC's at the lower end and at a lower cost. This works a charm, further increasing OSX's market-penetration.

4.) 2011-2012: Apple sign a deal with one or two high-profile PC-vendors (SONY? HP?) The companies will start selling Mac-compatible computers.

5.) 2012-2013: Apple's market share is blossoming, and Apple decides to offer "Mac-compatible licenses" to anyone interested.

The following price-war leads to Apple no longer being able to compete in the hardware market. The company decides to scrap it's hardware-division, as licences is by now a big, fat cash-cow…

Any thoughts?

 

[AmigoMac]

Software only company two OS X versions after Leopard.

 

[Zaty]

Sure, and in 2014 MS goes out of business because their market share has dropped to 0.9%. Seriously, Apple won't become a software only company in the foreseeable future.

 

[mcadam]

I don't think this will happen. Apple are to good at making hardware. It's obvious imho that their soft- and hardware are thought out together, fx the iBook and iLife apps are based on the exact same concept: not for the pro, but very, very handy for anyone else. Easy to understand and and meaningfull to use. You'll want to bring it with you everywhere and use it for many different things.

And as you say, they'll still be making iPods. And probably not only that. I bet they are experimenting with lots of different concepts for items like that (as their resent patent on some kind of tablet-thingy shows).

Also, the iPod is a great example that their hardware influence their software, fx: Apple makes iPod - people start making podcasts - apple implement a podcast function in iTunes.

A

 

[NickFalk]

As I said, this is not really likely, but you never know. Anyway, I especially think it could be a good idea for Apple to buy another vendor to take care of the low-end, under a different name. This way they would be able to cater for a market they can't really go into without tarnishing their quality image.

 

[neildmitchell]

5.) 2012-2013: Apple's market share is blossoming, and Apple decides to offer "Mac-compatible licenses" to anyone interested.

Apple has already dealt with clones back in the day, dont think that Apple will ever get into licensing after that.