Real innovation starts here
It’s no secret I’m an Apple whore. I was born the year Macintosh was introduced, grew up with a minimum of three Apple computers in the house, and didn’t touch a PC keyboard until I was nine or 10 years old. As I started to develop my own computer literacy (all of which has been self-taught, mind you) I played with PC’s, even buying and building and tweaking them. But no matter what, I still always came back to Apple. It’s intuitive. It just works.
(To be fair, I also play around with *nix builds and other geeky things. But let’s not go there.)
This summary of the new Windows Vista is right on target. At work, I manage the all-PC (except for my Mac mini and personal iBook) network, and have been playing with the new OS for the past couple of days before we make a decision to roll it out. It is — once again, in typical Microsoft fashion — a cheap knockoff of Apple’s Mac OS X.
You see, Apple’s business model works. The popularity of the iPod, the prevalence of iTunes, the stability of the Mac and the growing number of converts is because of one thing: Apple is both a hardware and software manufacturer. Rather than developing for the lowest common denominator, Apple made the decision to develop only for its own products. (Well, until the explosion of the iPod and the porting of Internet-standard applications like QuickTime. But still mostly true.) Take your iPod. You love it because it’s intuitive. The wheel senses how fast you’re scrolling through and adapts. It’s what it needs to be without useless extras. And on top of it, all of that in a damn good-looking package. With Apple, they deliver the full product, and so can take the time and energy to make sure nothing is lost in translation.
Grumpy folks will tell me, That’s great, then why does Microsoft still dominate 90% of the PC market? Simple — people have accepted the fact that technology must be confusing, challenging, and are afraid of the unknown. People have accepted that lowest common denominator and buy into the rumors and hype that an Apple computer is the kiss of death for their business or livelihood.
Does Apple do everything correct? Absolutely not. Its products are priced out of reach for a solid chunk of the computing population and the company capitalizes on its loyal following by providing frequently frustrating service and support to veteran users. The everyday software developed is great for creative professionals or basic home users — but the middle ground is pretty much undeveloped and uninhabited.
But why go with the Chevy when you could pick a Cadillac?
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Daniel Ross-Jones serves as Minister for Youth & Young Adults at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, United Church of Christ. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area for a time still measured in months, he is frequently getting lost and discovering treasures of a landscape very different from his Upper Midwestern roots. Green Jello Hotdish is a blog exploring the intersections of his days. 
