Is Apple emergent (and Microsoft detergent)?

Question

Microsoft was once a zippy creative force. They seem to have become a stodgy stuffed-shirt domineering marketplace wizard. Now Apple creeps out as you may interpret from the TV ads...

Will Apple emerge as the new force to be reckoned with? Is that good for us? (Is that good for Apple?) Will Apple become a bunch of stuffed shirts? Will Microsoft wither on the vine or be forced to become more creative once again? What think?

Answer 1

I'd argue microsoft have never been a particularly creative force. Although everything in the software industry is pretty much derivative, their products are more so than most. What Microsoft had, to start with, was the marketing energy and 'killer instinct', if you will. The products, while useful, have never been that innovative.

Apple are pretty much niche, and I don't see that changing at any point in the future. They appeal to style-centric urbanites and professional multimedia editors - given the lack of compatibility with many mainstream programmes (and until recently the necessity for painful windows emulation), I don't see them challenging microsoft's dominance. That goes double unless corporate environments begin to say Macs as a networkable box, which isn't likely.

As for the Vista/Leopard launches, given that they are system-specific, I doubt either will change the market share for that particular company.

Away from the strictly PC market, Apple will continue to dominate, I think. They have set the standard in portable music, and the Zune is not going to get anywhere near overcoming the iPod's dominance. Too much was promised (WiFi that works) and too little delivered, and the threat of draconian DRM technologies still linger.

The problem is, their business models are hardly competing anymore. Microsoft is established on the desktop and in the network, and apple can't really mount a challenge there. Apple are established in multimedia and entertainment, and I'm fairly sure Microsoft's attempted challenge is going to crash and burn pretty damn quick.

Conclusion: they're moving away from being competitors. Microsoft is a behemoth that is starting to rely far too much on its de facto monopoly, and installed customer base. Bad for us.
Apple isn't going to make much impression on the home computing market, but will absolute cane the competition in portable music. Alright for us.