I'm not sure how many people are going to either be inspired/influence or pissed off by this, but I suppose now is as good a time as any to try and explain my point of view and try my hand at prognostication.
No entity changes their name (normally) without good reason. At least, not as a rule anyhow. Women don't change their last names unless or until they get married. Guys don't change their names at all unless either there is some darn good (usually) family-related reason, or they (and/or women) go into, say, the Witness Protection Program.
Likewise, companies do not change their own names lightly, either.
And in either case, it's usually a signal that their focus has changed in some respect, however subtle or grand.
Something not to loose sight of (and this is essentially the crux of the issue for those of us disconcerted to some degree with the name modification) is that words mean things. I'm sorry, but I don't know how else to say it. And whether it's two days, two months, or two years down the road, the ramifications of this seemingly-slight change by Apple are going to become apparent.
I think it's the degree to which "bad stuff is going to happen" that defines the differences between the two groups posting here. Clearly, even if we were all of the same mind on this issue, it'd still get a mention. However, and just as clearly, we aren't all of the same mind; and some of us are obviously a bit more nervous about this than others.
Why is this? Could it be that some of us have been up-close-and-personal when subtle-yet-significant changes in our professional lives have taken place, we were there to see it, and later were there to deal with the eventuation of it, and yet there are others here who have not been? Perhaps. But I'd like to think that I'm not paranoid, nor are the lion's share of other MacRumors posters who think as I do that there's mischief afoot in Apple's name modification.
You see, I've been around long enough to come to understand one thing: the future will be what the future will be, and it doesn't matter one d*** bit whether anyone believes it or not. Commodore Computers failing in business, and filing for bankruptcy. KMart filing for bankruptcy, and then turning around and buying Sears. Sony spending six figures on a performance coach (
Sue Beyer) only not quite a year later to outsource all the positions of the people whom she was there to coach into better performance. Germany signing a treaty of alliance with Russia, only to invade them at the earliest opportunity.
My point is that, grand or small, these things happen, and only those who sit there with blinders on and rose colored glasses who say "Oh, this is nothing to worry about. Everything's just fine." are later caught off guard and have their backs to the wall -- so to speak -- because they lacked the vision to know better.
I'm not writing this with any privileged insight into what Apple's -- or, frankly, Steve's -- next move is. None of us know it. But to see such simple-minded "situation normal" behavior when clearly things are not normal, and at a time when Apple is at a crossroads technologically and market-wise, is something that evokes strong emotions and requires a considerable amount of self-control not to spout off like some raving lunatic who thinks he's about to watch a great train wreck.
Steve is nobody's fool. He's obviously intent on catching up to Bill Gates in terms of power and prestige and surpassing him. And, if he's true to form, he'll do it with style and panache and (hopefully) a bevy of far-superior products. And heaven help the man or woman who stands in his way. The question is not so much one of whether Steve is trying to do this, but what will be jettisoned or cast off along the way which may just happen to be near and dear to our hearts.
All of us sitting here are fans of the Mac, whether we're all necessarily fans of Apple or fans of Steve Jobs, or even in agreement with my post or the posts of others here who have expressed their discontent. I think it's fair to say none of us want to see the Mac as a platform disappear from the face of the world. And I know at least some of us (myself included) don't want to see Microsoft allowed to gain any ground or have any advantage needlessly given up to them. I, for one, don't want to see Microsoft allowed to be left alone, so to speak, ever again with the crown jewels of technology. Yet, if Apple's company focus is taken off of their operating system and core apps, then I fear this is exactly what will happen. And whether others here have taken the time to really think through their emotions on this whole issue as I have, I'm certain this has to strike a chord with more than a few of you.
Apple needs to stay the course, to stay the in game, and when they do stuff like this, I fear they are in danger of losing the critical focus which keeps them in the game in the first place. A friend of mine (same one as I've referenced regarding the iPhone's lack of a real keyboard) told me he feels he'll know Apple is going down this path if or when he hears that Final Cut Pro and/or Aperture are being released for Windows. Perhaps that's true, but then again do we dare sit by idly and not care about those other events which would lead to such a knell?
Thoughts, folks?
~~~~~
