Because it promotes the brand, and if PC users like Safari, they might be more inclined to buy a Mac in the future.
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Apple Philosophy of no choice
- Thread starter MBX
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Because it promotes the brand, and if PC users like Safari, they might be more inclined to buy a Mac in the future.
It does not. However, having people use Safari to browse the Web does generate revenue. Apple, like most other browser developers, receives payment whenever its browser is used to access certain websites. This was one of Apple's explicitly stated reasons for releasing Safari for Windows.
It is true that Google pays Mozilla a cut of the revenue generated when Firefox users conduct Google searches. But I've never seen actual confirmation from any credible source that Apple receives similar payments for searches from Google or any other search engine.
If you can post a link to a source that can confirm that Apple receives payment "whenever its browser is used to access certain websites", I'd love to read it...
The fact that Mozilla gets paid for its browsers would at least give you an indication that there is money to be made there. Remember that Mozilla's browsers are also given away. Steve Jobs was reported to have said that Apple was leaving money on the table by not having Safari on the Windows platform. Certainly the Windows version serves other Apple purposes, but Apple's primary purpose is to earn return on investment for its shareholders. Unfortunately, the computer press tends to ignore the fact that the computer business is a business. As a result, most computer fans have no idea how most computer companies generate revenue.
After going through eight pages of Google hits, I managed to find one reference to Safari for Windows that seriously deals with the financial implications of the release. You may read it here.
My main point was about your statement that "whenever its browser is used to access certain websites". It needed some additional clarification for it to make any sense to the average reader. I'm well aware that some of the search engines having been paying for traffic, from various sources. I've derived a good chunk of my income via the Net each year, since '94.
At any rate, re: Apple's monetization of Safari: It's not a trade secret, so you might as well come out and say it in plain, understandable English -- some search engine are willing to pay for traffic originating from browsers' search boxes. And as long as these search engines are willing to play the "we can monetize your brower" game, that dance is likely continue.
All that said, thanks for your link to some real-world evidence that Apple has this sort of agreement with Google in regards to search traffic sent via Safari, etc. Everything I've read on the subject to date has been written by some "hack blogger", and I'd yet to see any of them citing a source for their claims.
Re: The computer "press": Unfortunately, many of today's "bloggers" who cover "tech" get their paychecks from established mainline media companies for basically regurgitating some company's latest press releases as a "news article", or otherwise producing what most newspaper publishers from the first eight decades of the 20th Century would have called "$#@!".
But then in-general, the MSM or "mainstream media" isn't what it used to be... Facts are less important than voicing the "right" opinion, and news has become entertainment.
I don't think revenue is the prime factor. I think it's mostly related to brand exposure - get more eyeballs looking at Apple products instead of the alternatives - primarily internet explorer.
I also think it plays into Apple's motives to erode people's dependency on internet explorer that MS tries to push with technologies that are tied to IE (such as Active X). There are still a bunch of websites that are still hard coded to either only work with outdated versions of IE or utilize Active X to require its usage. That and user apathy is still the reason why IE remains dominant. Apple wants web companies to design their website with more open standards that they are pushing with Safari. More of a web presence of Safari means that more and more sites will look towards support of those other browsers.
The fact that the software costs nothing is a nonissue. Nobody really sells browsers when you consider IE is included with Windows and Firefox (the next competitor) is free. You do not have to sell software for it to make a profit in some way to justify the development costs.
I also think it plays into Apple's motives to erode people's dependency on internet explorer that MS tries to push with technologies that are tied to IE (such as Active X). There are still a bunch of websites that are still hard coded to either only work with outdated versions of IE or utilize Active X to require its usage. That and user apathy is still the reason why IE remains dominant. Apple wants web companies to design their website with more open standards that they are pushing with Safari. More of a web presence of Safari means that more and more sites will look towards support of those other browsers.
The fact that the software costs nothing is a nonissue. Nobody really sells browsers when you consider IE is included with Windows and Firefox (the next competitor) is free. You do not have to sell software for it to make a profit in some way to justify the development costs.
Business isn't only about making money. You can't say that it is. There are other considerations. If a business doesn't make good products and treat it's customers well, It won't be profitable for long.
And leave the personal comments out of this. If you have a personal problem with me, PM me. We'll talk about it. You mistake passion and strong views for "baggage".
Reverend, I'd love to hear more about what it was like working for Apple. Sounds like a cold joint, contrary to what a lot of people's image of Apple is.
It's not just the mainstream press. Neither is it the limited to bloggers because the problem predates bloggers. Much of the computer industry coverage reads like the blow-by-blow of fights between 15-year-old boys. Go onto any website or most computer oriented publications. There may be in-depth arguments about the technical side of the issues. They may be well-founded or nonsense, but they tend to be on point. Analysis of business decisions and strategies tend to go all around Job's barn--pardon the pun--in an effort to stay as far away from the most obvious answer. The obvious answer will usually be found if you follow the money.
Working For Apple
Working for Apple.. it's not a that they are cold hearted .. it's not that some efforts aren't made to placate the employees with minor rewards and pieces of paper that seem to make it all better.
If more the corporation that are like Apple, which is only about profit.
If there was a law that required all american companies to give back part of what they take from us.. then maybe Apple wouldn't look and have felt so bad.
But they go though a lot of trouble to act like your family and that they might actually care about your loyalties to the company and you hard earned awards.
But that is the lie, .. that all companies like Apple wish us to believe. Then we'll work harder for less and not even care that we're being taken advantage of by the people you should be able to trust.
Apple not a bad company.. the people and products are great. But it's internal policies and the like that allow the employees to be used and abused like most companies is the real problem.
If life had not been what it had been, I would still be working there and still looking forward to retiring from there. But life doesn't always give you want you want.. just what you need. I still use Apple Products and so does much of my family.
Mr. Jobs could do right by all his employees, he just hasn't yet.
I'm making a wish that his heart may be enlightened and that he sees the error of his ways.
To learn more.. look at this posting.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/638489/
Working for Apple.. it's not a that they are cold hearted .. it's not that some efforts aren't made to placate the employees with minor rewards and pieces of paper that seem to make it all better.
If more the corporation that are like Apple, which is only about profit.
If there was a law that required all american companies to give back part of what they take from us.. then maybe Apple wouldn't look and have felt so bad.
But they go though a lot of trouble to act like your family and that they might actually care about your loyalties to the company and you hard earned awards.
But that is the lie, .. that all companies like Apple wish us to believe. Then we'll work harder for less and not even care that we're being taken advantage of by the people you should be able to trust.
Apple not a bad company.. the people and products are great. But it's internal policies and the like that allow the employees to be used and abused like most companies is the real problem.
If life had not been what it had been, I would still be working there and still looking forward to retiring from there. But life doesn't always give you want you want.. just what you need. I still use Apple Products and so does much of my family.
Mr. Jobs could do right by all his employees, he just hasn't yet.
I'm making a wish that his heart may be enlightened and that he sees the error of his ways.
To learn more.. look at this posting.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/638489/
To the pro-capitalist, if you had lost your job in the current recession you may be singing a different song. Capitalism drives innovation my balls. Since when was innovation more important than people's livelihood?
Not wanting to derail the thread, isn't the reason for Safari on Windows that it promotes awareness of Apple as a whole? iPod users see iTunes and Safari's UI and think about switching to an OS that has the same stylings throughout. Same reason as quicktime.
Not wanting to derail the thread, isn't the reason for Safari on Windows that it promotes awareness of Apple as a whole? iPod users see iTunes and Safari's UI and think about switching to an OS that has the same stylings throughout. Same reason as quicktime.
There's one tab option missing and you are ready to define a new ideology. Nice.
Apple's current philosophy of limited options (I am referring to hardware), I truly, honestly believe is in direct contrast to the Apple of the 90's. Back in the 90's the Pre-Jobs Apple had more options/configurations/computers than you could shake a stick at. It was ridiculous the amount of options out there.
Steve came back, axed that way of life and introduced the Pro and Consumer laptop/Desktop computers. 4 models make the decision fairly inviting.
Apple's current philosophy of limited options (I am referring to hardware), I truly, honestly believe is in direct contrast to the Apple of the 90's. Back in the 90's the Pre-Jobs Apple had more options/configurations/computers than you could shake a stick at. It was ridiculous the amount of options out there.
Steve came back, axed that way of life and introduced the Pro and Consumer laptop/Desktop computers. 4 models make the decision fairly inviting.