Why support Mac OS X and Linux?

I can understand about Linux, but not the mac. Why one should try to support a platform which is so tightly kept closed and exclusive by the parent company?

Unless Apple opens up the OS X or sells it as buy of the shelf and ready for all PC OS which is not gonna happen any-time soon, it wont get as many adopters ready to spill out premiums for Macs and MB/MBPs. At least Macbooks and MBPs are worth the money for those looking for quality portable solution. But thanks to cheap ULV thin and light notebooks and netbooks which can cater to needs of 90% of students and general public, I dont see their penetration increasing any-time soon.
 
Shripad said:
I can understand about Linux, but not the mac. Why one should try to support a platform which is so tightly kept closed and exclusive by the parent company?
Unless Apple opens up the OS X or sells it as buy of the shelf and ready for all PC OS which is not gonna happen any-time soon, it wont get as many adopters ready to spill out premiums for Macs and MB/MBPs. At least Macbooks and MBPs are worth the money for those looking for quality portable solution. But thanks to cheap ULV think and light notebooks and netbooks which can cater to needs of 90% of students and general public, I dont see their penetration increasing any-time soon.
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You speak wisely my friend. :)
Totally agree to you.
 
mac os is just a glorified device driver.

Wonder why the author did not talk of the other OS builds floating around the web. He could increase the market in those segments too imo.
 
Shripad said:
I can understand about Linux, but not the mac. Why one should try to support a platform which is so tightly kept closed and exclusive by the parent company?
Unless Apple opens up the OS X or sells it as buy of the shelf and ready for all PC OS which is not gonna happen any-time soon, it wont get as many adopters ready to spill out premiums for Macs and MB/MBPs. At least Macbooks and MBPs are worth the money for those looking for quality portable solution. But thanks to cheap ULV thin and light notebooks and netbooks which can cater to needs of 90% of students and general public, I dont see their penetration increasing any-time soon.
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Actually the major developers who still develop for Apple's desktop OS are the ones who have been developing for their platform's since the days when Apple actually spent more money on making great products rather than like now where they make lousy or semi functional products and then spend a significant amount of money on marketing them.

Back in the 80's and 90's Apple had great hardware and software and developers chose to write professional software (especially DTP) for it not because it was better than widows or any other platform, but because it was the most well suited platform or even because it was the only suited platform for such kind of software. Even my company as well as Adobe which have been the fore founders of DTP have had only Mac versions of their popular software for more than 10 years before developing windows versions of their product lines. If you want to do DTP you simply had to buy a Mac. There is no other alternative. Even after Windows versions came out. Most of these companies had more sales from Mac versions than from Windows. Its just as mentioned in that blog. If 700 of every 1000 of their customers buy the mac version, it does not really matter whether windows had 90% market share and Mac only 10%. Its not surprising that my company always had both Mac and Windows versions even for their new product lines till recently.

But this is changing in recent days with the arrogance and neglect Apple is showing towards its desktop customers as well as its developers. Many customers of DTP software are no longer seeing Mac as an ideal platform because of the the numerous problems they are facing and how all their software is broken after every OS update. From an OS for professionals, Mac OS has turned into an OS for casual users. Developers on the other hand have been developing for the platform only because of the customer base. If the customers themselves are moving away from the platform, there is no reason for the developers to continue. Even my company which has always been hand in hand with apple has been showing signs of being more Microsoft friendly these days. The newest product released by my company is Windows only for the first time and there are plans for a Mac version only after checking out how much market demand there is for the mac version. This time my company chose to spend the money for marketing or brand advertising rather than on developing a Mac version.
 
^^ Honestly my views were more from the point of end user than developer.

I have read this guys blog and sure for medium to large enterprises, it makes sense to develop for Mac.

But the examples he took are so insignificant in large picture. THe games like that sell for OS X better because 1. its pathetic and dated , and 2. Only Mac owners will tend to spend $20 on such things.

Still I have seen soo many startups who still dont develop for Mac even after testing success in market. I asked the small company who developed hospital management software if they have version for a Mac and they said no and they also said they dont intend to bring it out even when Mac penetration in healthcare sector is actually on the rise. And mind you this is no new company. They are in business for good 10 years.
 
Linux: I know that Linux is thoroughly used in enterprises. So, knowledge about Linux is a valuable asset. For me its about 'workmanship'.

Macs: I read about this quote from Seymur Cray of Cray Super Comp.: "I just bought a Mac to help me design the next Cray. -
Comment on Apple's purchase of a Cray which was intended to help them design the next Mac."

I beleive in this quote 'Variety adds to spices...' - helps avoid monoculture which in turn will help me think in more dimensions...
 
@Shripad: You do understand that one of the core brand attributes of the Mac OSX is its limited availability right? :)

That limited availability lets Mac remain for specific-purpose applications and lets Apple also make the smoothest, most polished and stable UI experience out there. The limited hardware platforms it is available on is for a reason. Even if they have only very less market-share, the only real alarm signal for Apple is if Mac users starting shifting, the existing community is very very loyal to Apple and I don't see that changing for a while.

Finally, the brand is also a cult. Owning a Mac is just 'cool' innit? :)

I respect Apple for the fact that they have used strong product design and great marketing to create this cult brand. A brand that went mass with the iPod/iPhone but still retains its cult aspect. Kudos.
 
-D.Payne- said:
@Shripad: You do understand that one of the core brand attributes of the Mac OSX is its limited availability right? :)

That limited availability lets Mac remain for specific-purpose applications and lets Apple also make the smoothest, most polished and stable UI experience out there. The limited hardware platforms it is available on is for a reason. Even if they have only very less market-share, the only real alarm signal for Apple is if Mac users starting shifting, the existing community is very very loyal to Apple and I don't see that changing for a while.

Finally, the brand is also a cult. Owning a Mac is just 'cool' innit? :)

I respect Apple for the fact that they have used strong product design and great marketing to create this cult brand. A brand that went mass with the iPod/iPhone but still retains its cult aspect. Kudos.
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Actually the MAC's growth during the recession period has outshone that of a declining PC base... That marketshare figure though low, has grown at a rapid pace in the last 5 years, indicating sooner rather than later support for MAC should increase.

MAC is not a cult its just a D&G or Versace of the computer world, if you want to flaunt the money buy a MAC is the Mantra in most of the developed nations.

The bottomline is, its making a lot of money for its shareholders second only to google in the last 10 years. Almost all new products receive an iconic status, it is almost shielded from the normal economic restraints of other products (IE it can increase its pricing, and yet see a growth in sales)
 
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