Future Apple strategy

[roadbloc]

not at all.

IBM just surpassed Microsoft in value (market capitalization): the first time since 1996

Apple overtook Microsoft before that.

Investors are calling for the CEO of MS Steve Ballmer to step down

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/us-microsoft-idUSTRE74O8BQ20110525

as the article above points out: "An investor who put $100,000 into Microsoft stock 10 years ago would now have about $69,000 worth."

Compare that to Apple and tell me Microsoft is not in decline.

The fact that you think Microsoft is in decline over something as small as what you've posted above is beyond me. You clearly have no idea what you are on about. Microsoft are not going anywhere.

Major companies values are forever changing and swapping places with one another. Just a look at your major supermarkets proves that.

 

[*LTD*]

The fact that you think Microsoft is in decline over something as small as what you've posted above is beyond me. You clearly have no idea what you are on about. Microsoft are not going anywhere.

MS will still be around for a long time. Even if they do cede the consumer market to faster, leaner and meaner players they will still have the enterprise market.

Yay for Outlook.

Hopefully Apple won't make substantial inroads in the enterprise. It's bad enough that MS has to deal with embarrassment in only one market, never mind two.

 

[ender land]

I don't buy into this "Microsoft will be king forever" nonsense. I will give them 10 years before their market share is down 50%, more than 60% of their software products are gone, and the company has laid off over half its employees.

Who is going to replace them at an enterprise (ie large business) level?

Larger companies are incredibly slow to change over massive amounts of internal infrastructure from one version of Windows to another - let alone transitioning off Windows entirely!

 

[chown33]

All of this is true, but it is also true that if you forget to pay your bill, they lock you out of your data.

Don't want to pay the new rate of 150% above the old? OK, good luck getting at your content!

control means owning the equipment and having root access.

Anything else is delusional.

How is that different from any other contracted service or utility?

If you don't pay your electricity bill, you won't be able to run your equipment.
If you don't pay your ISP bill, you won't have an internet connection.
If you don't pay your rent, you won't have a place to run your enterprise from.
If you don't pay your employees, you won't have much of an enterprise to run.
And if you don't pay your taxes, you won't even have an enterprise.

Or are you suggesting that every business must be a completely self-sufficient enterprise, producing all its own electricity, gas, water, and owning all its own property, buildings, internet equipment, etc.? I'm not sure how you'd purchase employees or governments, but you'd have to own them, too. And even if you own your internet connectivity equipment, you still have an upstream provider or peer to contract with.

The only sane answer is that every enterprise decides what tools to use, what services to outsource, and what to keep in-house. There are both benefits and risks of loss that accompany every choice. There are no completely safe decisions, and no completely safe enterprises. Anything else is delusional.

 

[KingCrimson]

Who is going to replace them at an enterprise (ie large business) level?

Larger companies are incredibly slow to change over massive amounts of internal infrastructure from one version of Windows to another - let alone transitioning off Windows entirely!

Don't pay attention to the trolls. They will type any kind of nonsense when it comes to their MSFT-hate.

 

[AppleScruff1]

not at all.

IBM just surpassed Microsoft in value (market capitalization): the first time since 1996

Apple overtook Microsoft before that.

Investors are calling for the CEO of MS Steve Ballmer to step down

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/us-microsoft-idUSTRE74O8BQ20110525

as the article above points out: "An investor who put $100,000 into Microsoft stock 10 years ago would now have about $69,000 worth."

Compare that to Apple and tell me Microsoft is not in decline.

Market value isn't the true measure of a companies success. Microsoft's market value is about half of what it was a decade ago, yet it's profits have doubled. Do you consider that decline? Microsoft had record profits last quarter, is that decline?
Apple surpassed Exxon for one day in market cap value. Do you really think that Apples tangible assets are anywhere near Exxon's?

 

[Silas1066]

How is that different from any other contracted service or utility?

If you don't pay your electricity bill, you won't be able to run your equipment.
If you don't pay your ISP bill, you won't have an internet connection.
If you don't pay your rent, you won't have a place to run your enterprise from.
If you don't pay your employees, you won't have much of an enterprise to run.
And if you don't pay your taxes, you won't even have an enterprise.

Or are you suggesting that every business must be a completely self-sufficient enterprise, producing all its own electricity, gas, water, and owning all its own property, buildings, internet equipment, etc.? I'm not sure how you'd purchase employees or governments, but you'd have to own them, too. And even if you own your internet connectivity equipment, you still have an upstream provider or peer to contract with.

The only sane answer is that every enterprise decides what tools to use, what services to outsource, and what to keep in-house. There are both benefits and risks of loss that accompany every choice. There are no completely safe decisions, and no completely safe enterprises. Anything else is delusional.

I can't build my own power plant or local exchange to run my business.

I can, however, build out my own private cloud and databases.

Call me silly, but the idea of handing over my data and intellectual property to an Indian or Chinese labor camp somewhere in the "cloud" just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Foreign authorities can seize my data (this has happened), the facility can get bombed by Pakistan, or I can just get bent over the barrel by my provider.

I don't hate MS, but I am critical of their quality control and business practices. They make some good products (MS Access for instance), and a lot of bad ones.

Apple is a whole lot more than a phone company and the minute it decides to become another RIM, there will be trouble.

 

[chown33]

I can, however, build out my own private cloud and databases.

Is anything preventing you from doing that?

Has this thread really turned into an "I don't trust the cloud" commentary?

Apple is a whole lot more than a phone company and the minute it decides to become another RIM, there will be trouble.

Then I suggest making a contingency plan, in case your fears become reality. If you foresee problems with a supplier, it's always best to have a contingency plan already developed and ready to deploy.

 

[Silas1066]

Then I suggest that you make a contingency plan, in case your fears become reality. If you foresee problems with a supplier, it's always best to have a contingency plan already developed and ready to deploy.

Well I certainly like where Linux/Free BSD is going. I wish I were more of a Linux guru (I know enough to be productive, but not to build an enterprise from it).

The amount my current company pays in licensing for Microsoft, Cisco, and SAP is completely absurd. Most CIOs simply don't know that there are alternatives.

One of the great things about OSX Server was no user licenses required. The thing could be set up and you could attach 50 people to it, no worries.

I don't use MS Office. I use OpenOffice and NeoOffice. Both free.

 

[KingCrimson]

Market value isn't the true measure of a companies success. Microsoft's market value is about half of what it was a decade ago, yet it's profits have doubled. Do you consider that decline? Microsoft had record profits last quarter, is that decline?
Apple surpassed Exxon for one day in market cap value. Do you really think that Apples tangible assets are anywhere near Exxon's?

Except that MSFT's record profits are due to ancient business(Windows + Office). Gaming is now turning a tidy profit, but it's small compared to WinOffice. By contrast, Apple has brought new massive profit engines with regularity:

iPhone - 2007
iPad - 2010

 

[*LTD*]

Except that MSFT's record profits are due to ancient business(Windows + Office). Gaming is now turning a tidy profit, but it's small compared to WinOffice. By contrast, Apple has brought new massive profit engines with regularity:

iPhone - 2007
iPad - 2010

Spot on.

Don't forget Macs, though. Lion + MacBook Air, for example. Not as big a shift as the iPhone and iPad initiated, but it's significant. We'll see that over the next few quarters.

 

[mac jones]

I'm a bit worried about what happened today. I've been amused by the whole secrecy thing in the past. Occasionally it's anti-climatical, and the press leaves scratching their heads cursing that they made the trip.

But you would think Cook would want to make a good first impression, right? But todays 'update' was preceded by a lot of anticipation that inevitable didn't satisfy on any level.

So you've got to ask yourselves this: Is this first impression just that, a first impression, or is it what we have to expect for the future.

 

[Liquorpuki]

I'm a bit worried about what happened today. I've been amused by the whole secrecy thing in the past. Occasionally it's anti-climatical, and the press leaves scratching their heads cursing that they made the trip.

But you would think Cook would want to make a good first impression, right? But todays 'update' was preceded by a lot of anticipation that inevitable didn't satisfy on any level.

So you've got to ask yourselves this: Is this first impression just that, a first impression, or is it what we have to expect for the future.

When the 3GS was released, I think people were even more underwhelmed. One of the touted features on that thing was a freakin compass.

Personally, the antenna, camera, and SIRI are enough to make me want to upgrade. With the SIRI acquisition, Apple now has almost $200 million worth of speech recognition/language modeling/AI R&D they'll probably use for streamlining the user experience. Very cool

 

[*LTD*]

I'm a bit worried about what happened today. I've been amused by the whole secrecy thing in the past. Occasionally it's anti-climatical, and the press leaves scratching their heads cursing that they made the trip.

But you would think Cook would want to make a good first impression, right? But todays 'update' was preceded by a lot of anticipation that inevitable didn't satisfy on any level.

So you've got to ask yourselves this: Is this first impression just that, a first impression, or is it what we have to expect for the future.

Too early to tell. Give it about 4 more quarters for a better picture.

 

[ender land]

I'm a bit worried about what happened today. I've been amused by the whole secrecy thing in the past. Occasionally it's anti-climatical, and the press leaves scratching their heads cursing that they made the trip.

But you would think Cook would want to make a good first impression, right? But todays 'update' was preceded by a lot of anticipation that inevitable didn't satisfy on any level.

So you've got to ask yourselves this: Is this first impression just that, a first impression, or is it what we have to expect for the future.

I don't think any of these changes were really things he had any direct control over

 

[AppleScruff1]

Except that MSFT's record profits are due to ancient business(Windows + Office). Gaming is now turning a tidy profit, but it's small compared to WinOffice. By contrast, Apple has brought new massive profit engines with regularity:

iPhone - 2007
iPad - 2010

Profit is profit no matter where it comes from.