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Lack of 'Mac' Branding Raises Questions

Maybe not so far fetched....

Well... I just read an article on CNN put out by Time that the next big computer move is the web and not so much operating systems anymore. this is because the iphone has re-defined the web and computing experience and MS is losing ground fast. the biggest players are Apple, Google, and Facebook. The article claims that the entire internet is at stake.

Now with that being said, more and more is moving toward open source. While I think it would be amazing to bring OS X to generic lower cost PC's; and that would position Apple as the biggest OS out there (by giving people who cannot affort a mac... a mac on a $300 computer). I do worry about quality... OS X coupled with Apple's hardware is what makes the whole apple experience reliable, pristene, easy to use, and hassle free. I would hate to have it turn into another Windows (driver and compatibility issues because of all the different hardware).

We are definately hitting a whole new age of computing (mainframes are twindling faster and faster, the PC operating system is becoming irrelevant, mobile technology is on the rise, everyone is looking to the web [although I worry about storing my secure documents on a companies webserver and not my own PC behind my own firewall]). Basically you cannot do anything these days without being told, "oh you need to do that on our website" Some people's dogs even have their own website.

Here is what I percieve may be happening:

1. OS X being released to more mobile devices than the iphone (kinda like what MS tried to do with Windows CE).

2. Possibly a more home based OS X operating system for those who want to run it on generic PC's (kinda like what MS did at first with Windows XP Home and Vista Home Ultimate). the majority of sales is to homes and students. Most smaller retail companies can get by just fine on these stripped down OS's.

3. More beefed up OS for those who buy a true apple computer.

4. Possibly a whole re-invention of mac-pro and imac for the larger enterprises.

Of course, me being a developer and a heavy computer user; I will always buy a true apple with the full blown OS. I can also see me buying a stripped down OS X on a generic PC for my wife as she only really uses office type applications and the internet. She does not need a powerful computer. I am thinking of getting her a mini in the next few months.

I would like to have both at my home. Gives me the chance to experiment with writing more applications. I also see myself being able to introduce my church to the whole apple experience.
 
Apple is known for their control issues. When you buy an Apple product, you buy into their control. Which, admittedly, isn't necessarily a bad thing unless you build computers or jailbreak your iphone.

That's why I see OS X being available for generic PCs as highly unlikely. Apple's control issues allow them to refine and control the user experience, which is a huge selling point for them.

If it were to happen — and Apple is certainly in a position to do it — I could see them license OS X to HP or Sony or Dell. I do not see OS X being available off the shelf to install on any generic PC. By licensing it to another specific manufacturer, Apple could still retain a bit of the control they have over their user interface.

The only other thing that makes me think there's something to this rumor – not much. just something – is the push during the Intel transition to put 'Mac' in every computer offering they have, while separating 'Mac' from non computer offerings (i.e. the Apple Store employees, OS X). It's obviously a branding effort. I'm just not sure of the desired result. To differentiate their computers from the rest that may or may not offer OS X perhaps?

As I recall, there was a cryptic comment Steve made at a keynote years ago involving the then-CEO of Sony. Something about working together on computers someday. Anyone remember?
 
If OS X is ever going to go onto generic PCs in whatever shape and form, now is the time. The whole Vista and XP debacle has created a desperate situation for PC users, and if Apple can package OS X correctly - say install it in a boot camp or virtualization kind of way where users feel they are taking the smallest possible risk - then perhaps the time is right. But will Jobs relinquish this kind of control and is it the right thing to do? I don't know.
 
Of course there is no 'Mac' before OS X, the whole point is that they are showing off OS X as a platform.

OS X Leopard
OS X iPhone

Don't read too much into it.

The only alternative would be:
OS X Mac
OS X iPhone
But that leave Leopard out etc.
 
Interesting idea if Apple decides to release OS X for PC's. I don't believe it'll happen but if it did Apple should come up with a good way to stop users from pirating the software.
 
archi17 said:
I highly doubt it.
Read the FAQ on the Apple website, under "Is mac reliable?" it states:
Click to expand...

Good point, but hardly reliable. Back in the day when the G3/G4/G5 were released, Apple crapped all over Intel and Intel Processors. How much faster the G* were and antiquated the Intel processors were.

Funny how tunes change when the winds of business drive a ship to new shores.

Sorry, been watching Pirates of the Caribbean this morning. Arrrh!
 
If people bothered to make viruses for Mac, would there be just as bigger problem as there is for PCs?

if so... Lets keep OS X for Mac.
 
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

ZrSiO4-Zircon said:
Mixed feelings if Apple decides to sell to generic PCs....
Initial thoughts: It's the tight integration between software and hardware that makes a OS X so great.
Bringing OS X to the wild west that is the PC hardware world I think would devalue OS X to alot of people.
I dunno, I'll ponder about this :p
Click to expand...

I agree. OS X will loose much of its appeal if this were to happen. I hope Apple has something else up their sleve.
 
If Apple can make a 50$ iPod, they should be able to make a 300$ Mac nano. Give it a dual-core Atom, X3100, no optical drive (even PCs are starting to ship without one, i.e. the Eee Box), no FireWire (to differentiate from the Mac mini), maybe even 1 or 2GB RAM soldered on-board (no SODIMM socket), only 4 USB ports, Wi-Fi 802.11n, HDMI, etc.

Aside from a few specs, it does sound like an :apple:TV.

Introducing :apple:TV 2, a Mac for your living room, a Mac for your digital life. Includes Safari, Mail, iChat, iTunes, iPhoto.

edit: everyone is worried about the 'Mac' branding, but an iPhone/iPod touch isn't a 'Mac' yet runs OS X, hence the missing 'Mac' in 'OS X'. My 0.02$.
 
Well I hope Steve has a photographer on stage, because if Michael Dell walks out, I would seriously frame the photo of the crowds faces!

The only way I see this happening is in the low end PC market (sub $600). Apple doesn't really compete there and probably never will. They would continue to produce for the boutique market, which is a much smaller percentage with much higher profit margins.

That would really deal a huge blow to MS in the consumer market. I still think they're pretty safe in the corporate world though. It may give corporations the leverage they need to reduce their licensing fees from MS.

The dark horse here is the old rumor of OS X running windows applications natively. There were some bits and pieces floating around about this. Partnering with Dell and being able to run Windows applications would instantly open up the corporate doors for them. I don't hold a lot of faith on this, but it would make life interesting. Us tech folks like new and shiny things.
 
Seems to be just a branding exercise.

The authors of the original article are adding 2 + 2 and coming up with 10.
 
I really hope that that isn't true.

But I just realized something, and if this has been posted before, I'm sorry, I don't have time to read everything right now: 10.6 to be Intel only, well, that would exclude a lot of AMD chipped machines now wouldn't it??? So, they can't be making it for PC's. The Intel code won't work for AMD. AMD's is different.
 
Just chiming in along with all the others to say it will never happen. OS X sells Apple hardware, the real bread and butter of the company. OS X would be just as unstable as Windows if it had to try to operate on hundreds of device configurations instead of a few Apple dictated ones. (Note, some would say Leopard is just as unstable as Vista on a Vista-only designed machine - I don't know either way, just parroting comments of some of the pundits.)

Now how the heck do I give this story a negative rating...?
 
That would be a pretty dumb business move, I think. The profitability of selling OSs is going to be severely challenged as Linux and FOSS becomes more pervasive (which it will because it's the most cost-effective).

You're seeing that with ASUS and other small PC makers; they use Linux, and get to keep more from the sale of the device for themselves, avoiding the "Microsoft tax". People don't buy a VCR or a TV and then go buy an interface for it, and computers will increasingly move that way.

OS X serves as a way for Apple to differentiate its hardware and make the profits on that, which is the way of the future, I think. Not to mention more in line with their existing philosophy and support infrastructure.

If Apple wants to dramatically expand market share, they'd be much better off to try and increase their product line; particularly, that affordable, configurable headless Mac that everyone's been clamouring for forever. Then it becomes an extremely compelling sell by itself: one could buy this comparably priced piece of HW, and have the ability to run ANY operating system on it as needs change. Also, Apple would keep the range of weird HW to a minimum, so it would greatly reduce device driver issues, even on Windows.
 
yellow said:
Good point, but hardly reliable. Back in the day when the G3/G4/G5 were released, Apple crapped all over Intel and Intel Processors. How much faster the G* were and antiquated the Intel processors were.
Click to expand...

Well, in fairness, so did AMD chips which is why most PC gamers used them.
 
MacRumors said:
[ Their conclusion? Is Apple planning on distributing OS X to computers other than Macs?
Click to expand...

Ok, I know that it is not likely to happen but...

someone remembers this article:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1827485,00.asp

and these posts:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/161432/

In these last years the MacOsX on PC project has advanced, there are people over there that run (unsupported) OSX. There is also a firm selling them (Psystar). Apple did not sue them, so there are chances that they DO NOT have a case or that they have a DEAL.

True is that the shadow beta concept from the Dvorak article is not so sci-fi as it seemed to be... maybe jobs planned it from the start: who knows.

So it was for OSX on Intel and so it was for the apps on iPhone/iPod_Touch...

Just three days to know...

Ghibli
 
I hope not. Supporting OS X on PC would make it just as bad as Windows. Imagine needing driver support for every single piece of PC equipment that has been made since 2003!? No wonder Windows doesn't work. I hope you guys are wrong.
 
Much Ado said:
Of course there is no 'Mac' before OS X, the whole point is that they are showing off OS X as a platform.

OS X Leopard
OS X iPhone

Don't read too much into it.

The only alternative would be:
OS X Mac
OS X iPhone
But that leave Leopard out etc.
Click to expand...

spot on.
 
Exclusive new pics

Now....is this really what we want to see? :eek:

-Kevin

PS. No way this would ever happen!
 

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Digital Skunk said:
YAWWWN!!!!

Wake me when WWDC is here.

It'd be nice to run a stable version of 10.6 Snow Leopard on an HP Black Bird 002 though. :D
Click to expand...

O yes blackbird is a sweet machine, but I am waiting for Asus Predator )))) cant wait till this monday ...
 
I don't think this is going to happen.

These are simply the names of the platforms.
If you remeber the invite card, these are the 2 "bridges" and they're going to have a strong connection with the revamped .mac, a merge of iPhone and Leopard is shown in the big banner. That's it.
 
My issue with OS X on other PCs would be that I'd be scared they'd switch to an "activation" model. That's one of the pros of the Mac platform right now (although I think even some of Apple's high end apps have "activation" garbage on them :( )
 
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