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sigh In the past, Apple allowed other companies to license the OS and sell it on different hardware. The only reason this stopped was because Steve Jobs forced

by omouse 18y ago

sigh In the past, Apple allowed other companies to license the OS and sell it on different hardware. The only reason this stopped was because Steve Jobs forced the renaming of a particular version of the OS so that the contract would no longer apply (it covered version X.Y, they changed it to X.Z) Also, what's wrong with seeing Mac OS X in Walmart on discount machines?

theklub 18y ago
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. I think it would be good for apple in fact. They are missing a huge market segment.
- ja2ke 18y ago
  Apple has deliberately ignored that potential "huge market segment" for years, to great success. Their brand, at least in the eyes of regular consumers, is probably perceived as a bit overpriced, but you know you are paying for a singular solid quality experience. The opposite is true of Windows and PCs, where I think generally (at least using my parents as a barometer) the feeling is that you're taking a bit of a gamble. Allowing 3rd parties to build licensed OS X machines would do little for Apple but destabilize their platform, which is currently built on the premise that 100% of the package from the pre-installed apps to the OS to the casing to every component inside is vetted and tested to work well together by Apple's army of genius proto-wizards "in beautiful California." That would be utterly destroyed the moment people could buy a 3rd party computer which pops up the "Mac OS X" logo on boot, and then immediately asks the user if they want to install the AOL trial, Google toolbar, Yahoo toolbar, and Dan's Discount Video Editor EX Lite Edition (Upgrade today!).
teej 18y ago
I don't want the people in the discount computer market walking into the Apple store to get service on their machines. I pay a premium for my Apple products and I expect stellar service - right now, that's exactly what I get. My service experience would be diminished if AppleCare and the Genius Bar is bogged down with Joe Blows trying to get their interwebs working on their $300 Apple computer.
- ijntybvrt 18y ago
  The Apple stores will only fix Apples - that's what you're paying the premium for. You might benefit from all the new apps that will get ported to Mac if it suddenly has 3-4x the market share.
GHFigs 18y ago
That's not the reason it stopped, that's how it stopped. The reason was that it was a bad deal for Apple. It still would be.

by omouse 18y ago

theklub 18y ago

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it. I think it would be good for apple in fact. They are missing a huge market segment.

ja2ke 18y ago
Apple has deliberately ignored that potential "huge market segment" for years, to great success. Their brand, at least in the eyes of regular consumers, is probably perceived as a bit overpriced, but you know you are paying for a singular solid quality experience. The opposite is true of Windows and PCs, where I think generally (at least using my parents as a barometer) the feeling is that you're taking a bit of a gamble. Allowing 3rd parties to build licensed OS X machines would do little for Apple but destabilize their platform, which is currently built on the premise that 100% of the package from the pre-installed apps to the OS to the casing to every component inside is vetted and tested to work well together by Apple's army of genius proto-wizards "in beautiful California." That would be utterly destroyed the moment people could buy a 3rd party computer which pops up the "Mac OS X" logo on boot, and then immediately asks the user if they want to install the AOL trial, Google toolbar, Yahoo toolbar, and Dan's Discount Video Editor EX Lite Edition (Upgrade today!).

teej 18y ago

I don't want the people in the discount computer market walking into the Apple store to get service on their machines. I pay a premium for my Apple products and I expect stellar service - right now, that's exactly what I get. My service experience would be diminished if AppleCare and the Genius Bar is bogged down with Joe Blows trying to get their interwebs working on their $300 Apple computer.

ijntybvrt 18y ago
The Apple stores will only fix Apples - that's what you're paying the premium for. You might benefit from all the new apps that will get ported to Mac if it suddenly has 3-4x the market share.

GHFigs 18y ago

That's not the reason it stopped, that's how it stopped. The reason was that it was a bad deal for Apple. It still would be.