what if....

Apple makes money on hardware it sells. The OS is there to sell the hardware. So I doubt we will see this happen.

Especially when you think back when Apple had clones.

 

It would cause too many instabilities, and with all of the different combinations of hardware that would then be out there OS X would either become very bloated or it would require searching for drivers like windows. I think that the bet is how it is now, people are able to hack it onto their own hardware, but apple doesn't have to bother with all of those drivers, and those people know it. It would still be bad for apple, but the only way that they could is if they liscened it to another computer maker and strictly controlled what hardware could be put into their computers.

 

So I take it you want Apple to make it nicer for this guy to use Mac OS X on his PC? Because in the end Apple would have to implement some key scheme like MS to try to limit piracy. And the nicer Apple makes it for buyers to use Mac OS X on PCs the less macs they would sell and less money they would make. I think the clone years taught Apple a lesson they won't repeat soon. If keeping Apple profitable and cranking out great software is a weird reason then so be it.

 

I don't believe the OP in that thread mentioned piracy, only the breaking of the EULA.

 

Yes linux does fine, but where is the Industry standard software? The Photoshops, Final Cut Pros, the Avids, Quark? That and linux doesn't just work, only after you tweak a certain distro for your machine does that distro work. And nothing guarantees that the app you got from a friend will work on your distro.
Linux is good, but IMO it's not yet ready for primetime.

 

From what I was able to gather from your OP, you wonder if consumers could have the freedom to buy any computer and then load OS X on it right? If this is the case, then why would people bother to buy a Mac? Granted their are certain esthetic qualities that most of us like, but I think a lot of people would save themselves the money and buy a different computer and then simply load OS X on it. At the current $129, it's not that big of a deal. This would kill Apple's profitability. Hardware currently has margins of around 30-33%. There's no way OS X has those margins at the current rate.

Even if you were to say that the price could be raised (to say $150, or even $200 for a single license), the gains made in sales would be offset by increased piracy and more people who would simply stick with Windows (after all, they got it with their hardware purchase ).

That pretty much destroys the practicality side of your hypothesis, sorry.

However, now let's discuss the merits of such an action from a consumer standpoint, as opposed to a corporate one.

As OS X users have a limited amount of hardware choices (especially when it comes to notebooks and towers), consumers would see large benefits from OS X being made available on other machines. If Apple doesn't sell a 12" ultra-portable notebook, then a consumer can go buy a Sony or Lenovo which does and simply install OS X. Similarly, a person who wants a medium-powered tower can configure one from Dell/HP and then load OS X. This offers great advantages for those consumers who aren't getting what they need from Apple's narrow product spread.

However, this also means that there are more chances for the hardware and software to not get along. OS X and Macs play nice right now because one company works on both. They are tightly intergraded and designed to complement one another. The same cannot be said for 3rd party PCs running 3rd party OSs. How is HP/Dell/Sony/Lenovo to know if the consumer wants to run OS X or Windows? How is Apple to expect and anticipate every possible piece of hardware that could run OS X? Quite simply, it cannot be done. The nearest one can get is what Windows is right now, and considering all the factors, we must give kudos to Microsoft; it isn't an easy task.

All in all, I wouldn't know exactly what to think/believe if such a thing did happen (though I doubt it will). I still happen to like Apple hardware (even if my mbp keys have stopped working) and you'd find me a tough customer to sell a generic black PC to.

 

I didn't mention him regarding piracy. I linked to him as someone who has installed Leopard on a PC and his sob story of not being able to afford a mac is lame and inconsistent. Yet another person who would not buy a mac not because he couldn't afford it but because he chose not to. Read his posts. I mentioned piracy because if Apple facilitated install on PC it would flood the torrents more than it does now with hacks.

I did read your posts and if you don't feel like explaining why the sale macs wouldn't really be impacted, maybe you could explain how this would make an impact on hard core gamers. Don't get me wrong. I'd like see more people use Mac OS X and I would like to see all the games come natively to the Mac. I just don't think your suggestion would do either and would only result in Apple losing control of their money base which is and always has been hardware. The clone years and companies like Dell show that people will buy cheap hardware thinking they get what they want and end up with less than they expected. Even if Apple didn't license their OS any company could build PCs and sell it with Mac OS not installed. Cheap hardware cuts into low end Mac sales as it did in the clone years. Apple is not MS and won't be. MS maintains their business through a monopoly. Linux is in the market because it is financed by big money players and offered free. Apple has a business model for a reason.

 

I'm having a hard time understanding this sentence. Are you implying that most people, if given the choice of greater hardware selection at lower prices, would choose to keep buying hardware from Apple?

I would be. You have to remember how business works. Like I said, it's all about what makes money. Hardware is a cash cow for Apple. The lesson has already been learned that clones don't work out as well. It's sort of the reason you don't see IBM in the PC business anymore.

 

Then what exactly would be the point of Apple selling a copy of OS X for other PCs? For a niche market that would like it? It seems to me that the legal liabilities would far outweigh the benefits for Apple.

The jury's still out. Gates and Co. have been on it for several years.

 

Sorry boss. Not going to happen. There is nothing in it for Apple. Their market share is growing faster than any other manufacturer and their margin on hardware is huge.

 

Period. QED

 

Cold fusion might be a problem, but I think something can be worked out. World peace might be a problem, but I think something can be worked out. (By the way, you're on a forum now, so you would come across as a lot more intelligent if you wrote in English rather than text-speak. No need to rush; you don't get any prizes for speed or using the fewest number of characters here.)

--Eric

 

What if... this thread had a relevant title?

 

Yes. Because we should just let everything that doesn't directly affect us just happen with no concerns. Isn't that how the Nazis took over half of Europe?

Ok, that's a bit extreme. But yes, it does affect all current mac owners. The OS will become larger due to the amount of hardware it will now have to support. OS development time will take a lot longer due to the amount of configurations that will have to be tested (and I'd rather not wait 5 years between each version of Mac OS). And, in the long run, its not really going to do much to expand the capabilities of the platform.

I know you mentioned that it will attract gamers and game developers but I doubt it. Windows is still a much easier OS to develop games on and I'm guessing that most PCs will end up simply having a dual boot setup.

 

No one doubted that you were. We're just trying to show you why your idea, however well intentioned, doesn't really work in the real world.

I have no idea how well you speak English, but you seem to have chosen to write English out very poorly in this thread. I think that poster, in his own sarcastic way, was pointing out to you how using correct (or at least somewhat respectable) grammar and punctuation can only help. However, we aren't the grammar police, so let's move on huh?

Again, he was pointing out how certain things are very difficult to accomplish. What you write off as "doable" Microsoft has been struggling with for several years. The same fate would probably be dealt to OS X under your plan.

I wasn't aware there was a winner or loser in this thread. I also am not aware as to how you were "defeated." Your idea may have been defeated, but that doesn't mean YOU were defeated.

I'm going to have to ask you to stop ad hominem-ing yourself

 

No...otherwise I would have just called you a troll. I have no problem doing that to people I think are trolls.

Because some other people write crap posts, that means it's OK for you to write crap posts? Whatever...that was just some advice which you are, of course, entitled to ignore; feel free to write as badly as you want. (I'll just start skipping over the posts....)

Right. Apparently the point zoomed over your head. (Namely, that just wishing for something and saying "I'm sure it can be worked out somehow," without having any idea what you're talking about, doesn't actually work.)

OK, if you say so....

--Eric

 

I understand where you are coming from and I think most people feel this way because they would like to buy a Mac, but feel they are a little overpriced. That, or they feel that they would like to build their own Mac machine like has been going on around the forums. I used to feel the same way as well.

However, being a Mac user, I've come to understand what great benefits come from a company controlling and creating the hardware and software aspect. Look at Microsoft, it's a mess when it comes to drivers, compatibility with certain hardware. I don't think Apple would be able to "work something out" with many hardware developers like MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, FoxConn, DFI, and so on.

I'm not trying to convince you or change your mind, but honestly, hardware and software control is what makes you appreciate and like Apple products so much. It makes Mac, exactly that, Mac.

 

The reason why Eric5h5 is bashing you for your text speech is because it's simply hard to read. In his weird way he's just asking you to write better so that others can read it a lot easier. Even I have to admit that your posts are a pain to read through ... plus it has the unintentional affect of making you look less intelligent.