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Apple was just ahead of their time. They were delivering a superior, end-to-end experience before people expected such a thing from computers. The masses have c

Apple was just ahead of their time. They were delivering a superior, end-to-end experience before people expected such a thing from computers. The masses have come to expect that now and Microsoft is shifting, later than they should have, to the in the right direction.

InclinedPlane 14y ago
Apple really wasn't ahead of its time. Back during the 80s and 90s the extent to which a Mac or a Windows PC was "superior" was highly debatable. There were solid points on either side and it was never an apples-to-apples comparison. But things changed. First, everything got cheaper. The average PC in 1995 is vastly more expensive than a tablet, smartphone, or laptop today. Second, Apple got a whole lot better. They upped their game by leaps and bounds. If you gave someone in 1990 who is using a Mac an iPhone they may not have any clue that the two devices bear any sort of relationship, and in many ways they don't share very much underlying technology. Apple spent the 2000s pivoting, again and again. Pivoting to services and digital goods (music and apps). Pivoting to mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad). Pivoting at the very foundations of their core software (MacOS -> OS/X and iOS). Making not one but two very significant CPU architecture pivots (PPC -> x86 & ARM). And on top of all that they honed their design and execution to an amazing degree. That's the new Apple. They've taken over the market not by starting "ahead of their time" in the 80s or 90s and then waiting for the market to catch up. They've done so well precisely because they've kept running and kept innovating. It's all about the OODA loop. MS has struggled with structural and cultural problems which has limited its agility and giving it some blind spots in key areas, though they are starting to get better.
- cwisecarver 14y ago
  I guess what I was trying to say is that Apple has always had a walled garden. They've always controlled the hardware and the operating system. Because of that they've always had a better experience. They didn't have to support the white box PCs from hundreds if not thousands of manufacturers. Microsoft always aimed to do that and considering the task they did a fairly decent job. But there were always problems. The rise of digital appliances like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod have made people come to expect that level of stability and it-just-works experience from their computers. Apple had that before people expected it. In the 90s and early 2000s consumers shrugged of the bad driver support, random crashes and litany of costly OS upgrades from Microsoft as just how things worked. Moving towards computing as an appliance task, while hard for techies to swallow, seems to be the way things are going. As more people with varying levels of technical prowess get involved the successful companies will be the ones that keep the experience stable. Building a walled garden is the easiest way to do that. Apple did it in the 80s. Microsoft is taking a great step towards building their own with the launch of Surface. I wish them all the luck, competition is great for the market. I just wish they would have done it sooner.

InclinedPlane 14y ago

Apple really wasn't ahead of its time. Back during the 80s and 90s the extent to which a Mac or a Windows PC was "superior" was highly debatable. There were solid points on either side and it was never an apples-to-apples comparison. But things changed. First, everything got cheaper. The average PC in 1995 is vastly more expensive than a tablet, smartphone, or laptop today. Second, Apple got a whole lot better. They upped their game by leaps and bounds. If you gave someone in 1990 who is using a Mac an iPhone they may not have any clue that the two devices bear any sort of relationship, and in many ways they don't share very much underlying technology. Apple spent the 2000s pivoting, again and again. Pivoting to services and digital goods (music and apps). Pivoting to mobile devices (iPod, iPhone, and iPad). Pivoting at the very foundations of their core software (MacOS -> OS/X and iOS). Making not one but two very significant CPU architecture pivots (PPC -> x86 & ARM). And on top of all that they honed their design and execution to an amazing degree. That's the new Apple. They've taken over the market not by starting "ahead of their time" in the 80s or 90s and then waiting for the market to catch up. They've done so well precisely because they've kept running and kept innovating. It's all about the OODA loop. MS has struggled with structural and cultural problems which has limited its agility and giving it some blind spots in key areas, though they are starting to get better.

cwisecarver 14y ago
I guess what I was trying to say is that Apple has always had a walled garden. They've always controlled the hardware and the operating system. Because of that they've always had a better experience. They didn't have to support the white box PCs from hundreds if not thousands of manufacturers. Microsoft always aimed to do that and considering the task they did a fairly decent job. But there were always problems. The rise of digital appliances like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod have made people come to expect that level of stability and it-just-works experience from their computers. Apple had that before people expected it. In the 90s and early 2000s consumers shrugged of the bad driver support, random crashes and litany of costly OS upgrades from Microsoft as just how things worked. Moving towards computing as an appliance task, while hard for techies to swallow, seems to be the way things are going. As more people with varying levels of technical prowess get involved the successful companies will be the ones that keep the experience stable. Building a walled garden is the easiest way to do that. Apple did it in the 80s. Microsoft is taking a great step towards building their own with the launch of Surface. I wish them all the luck, competition is great for the market. I just wish they would have done it sooner.