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Macs could be riding back seat - and that's ok

by David Chartier Jan 10th 2007 at 5:30AM

Yesterday's keynote announcements that showed off everything but a Mac and Mac OS X understandably struck some fear in those who worry about the future of Apple's computers. Don't get me wrong: while I question how easy it is to dial numbers on a virtual iPhone keypad (fellow former owners of Samsung's i330 and Cingular's 8125 know what I'm talking about), I still think the iPhone and Apple TV are going to be fantastic and popular products. I know - groundbreaking analysis.

Still, the surprising deletion of 'Computer' from what is now 'Apple Inc.'s' name, as Mat Lu pointed out, speaks volumes to the possibility that the Mac could be taking a back seat to what is Apple's obvious new focus on the broader consumer electronics industry. We saw nothing of iLife or *any* of Apple's software yesterday. Even the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was a no-show, despite the fact that both sides of the OS fence are eagerly anticipating and endlessly conjecturing in light of Microsoft's release of their first new OS in nearly half a decade.

Now I don't use the term 'back seat' lightly, since Macs still being in the car for the ride is a good thing. That said, this lack of Mac and software announcements (heck, even the AirPort Extreme was a quiet release) from Apple at their key yearly product extravaganza can only say one of two things in my mind. First, and the worst: Apple could be on track to eventually stop the car and kick the Mac out to the curb in a few years because the consumer electronics industry is simply too juicy of a prospect. While there are plenty Mac enthusiasts who fear this as a worst case scenario, I think yesterday's Mac-less events betray some positive developments for our computers of choice that can instill a sense of security over the Mac's future.

Mac hardware is now on-par with the rest of the industry, while their design still more or less leads the pack. Apple is using the same Intel chips as everyone else, and the rest of the hardware under the hood is from the better half of the QA fence (generally speaking, of course) that everyone can pick from. On parallel, Mac OS X has evolved into a stable and mature operating system which is still trumping Microsoft's just-released Vista, even in its current 10.4 Tiger iteration. To me, this sounds like Macs and their OS aren't going anywhere, but they might not exactly be a top priority for the company right now - and that's not a bad thing. Instead of earth-shattering Mac OS X innovations with every press release, I believe we can look forward to at least a few years of logical, steady evolution in Apple computers, perhaps until it is time for Mac OS XI. With a solid software and computer hardware foundation to build on, Apple is clearly going to explore other industries that can benefit from the company's design sense and unshakable quest for ease of use. Even though they might not be sitting in shotgun, Macs are unmistakably coming along for the ride.

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Yesterday's keynote announcements that showed off everything but a Mac and Mac OS X understandably struck some fear in those who worry...
 

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Stephen Macklin

Can I get that touch screen on a 17" PowerBook? Please.

January 10 2007 at 2:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ben

I'm frankly shocked that you are even raising this question. Are you kidding me? The Mac isn't going ANYWHERE! Think of the billions of dollars they've invested in it! Think of the thousands of people RIGHT NOW working on it, and on software for it.

Yes, Apple is shifting into a more diverse company. But I think to even question whether the Mac will be pushed aside is silly at best.

January 10 2007 at 2:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joe Cabrera

Fine we'll talk about everything including Leopard and you'll have a five hour Keynote. Will that make you happy?

Geez, c'mon now. You can only discuss so much. It would distract from the iPhone. (Proof: Look how much the AppleTV got buried in the news.) We all know Leopard is coming. Why shouldn't it be the star of its own presentation? Thinking they may abandon the Mac is just crazy talk.

January 10 2007 at 1:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jon Hickey

Being here at MacWorld for the first time is just wild. If you haven't been here before, get here. Now on to my own theory/hope/wild dream.
What are the chances that at least the touch screen aspect of the iphone could be applied to Leopard and future Macs? I know tablet sales aren't usually great, but think of the possibilities as a presenter tool in conjunction with either a projector or better yet, the appleTV. Just a thought.

January 10 2007 at 1:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Aaron Patterson

Personally, I'm not too worried about them not talking as much about the Mac. Isn't there a vision someday of home computers not really existing anymore in their current form, but integrated into our lives where needed. And isn't Apple the company that is leading us towards that place?

January 10 2007 at 1:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Patrick

I think the iphone will strengthen the Mac in two important ways - (1) the halo effect and (2) technical spillovers. The first is pretty well known, the ipod lead to a huge increase in Mac sales with 50% of new Macs being sold to people that never had a Mac before. This grows Mac revenues and will maintain its position as an important part of the company. The second is the "technical-halo" effect - the great technical achievements that are incorporated into the i-Phone will in turn influence the Mac. I foresee a Mac tablet in the next 5 years that will incorporate the Multi-Touch technology. So I think the halo effect has educated Apple that its financial future lies in selling networked products, both between hardware and software and between hardware products.

January 10 2007 at 11:47 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Pete

I agree with the other UK comments that whilst there is little video content available then Apple TV will not take off.

January 10 2007 at 11:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Slippery Pete

Apple isn't a Mac company, or a consumer electronics company, or a tech company. Apple is a design company. They win through better design, hardware and software. They are led by designers, not by engineers. That's their special sauce.

I do not find this concern - that Apple will abandon the Mac - remotely plausible. It's a hysterical shortterm reaction to an unusual Macworld focus. People aren't going to edit and organize their photos on a telephone, they're going to do it on a Mac and then sync up. You need Macs for that.

January 10 2007 at 10:30 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Brian Garrett

I've been saying this for some time now. Leopard will be announced as a "runs on any Intel platform" OS. Why? Now that iPod (and soon to be iPhone) makes up nearly 40% of Apple's business, they have a safety net to draw upon. Before Apple's business was almost entirely made up of computer hardware sales alone. Right now they can afford to make some changes and switch from a hardware-only company, to a much more profitable software company that also happens to engineer it's own hardware.

January 10 2007 at 10:18 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Chris Patterson

I wonder how long they spent deciding the actual name of this device. It seems to me that it could have easily been named "Mac nano" instead of "iPhone".

If it had been, I wonder if articles like this would have still been written...

January 10 2007 at 9:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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