For a device that's aiming to get only 1% of market share, Apple sure has committed a lot of resources to the iPhone. Is this surprising? Hardly. Apple's change of strategy was reflected at this years Macworld when Apple changed its name from Apple Computers to just Apple. Allthough this went fairly unnoticed by most people, many Apple users are realizing that it's becoming a sour bite.
The delay of Leopard makes Apple's previous rants (redwood start your photocopiers) all the more ironic, including all the previous Microsoft Vista bashing. Furthermore, the delay comes at a critical juncture in consumer computing. Just when Apple could have offered consumers a "new, fresh and better" choice in the world of computing, Apple put it's chips in a futuristic, over-hyped phone device that is still months away from release. Not that the iPhone is a bad product, but Apple may have made a grave strategic error in terms of priority.
What Apple should have done, is committed the resources and attention needed for a timely release of Leopard, iWork and other Apple software in need of an update. To make matters worse, at last year's developers conference, the general public was made hungry for the then up and coming release of Leopard. Apple's failing to deliver, first in February, then March and now who knows when, clearly shows the rest of the computing world that Apple has "dropped the ball."
A new OS coupled with an updated macbook or other computing products would have had a much more positive impact for Apple's market share and most of all for consumers. Apple is a goodwill driven company, much of its core users are a fairly loyal community of professionals and students willing to pay a premium for quality. It is this community that Apple is now alienating by becoming a company of hype, rather than delivery. Even if I am going to be one of many standing in line for the new iPhone, consciously, I would have been much happier with a new release of Leopard, iWork and iLife.
The problem with leopard is probably twofold. One is that Apple probably has over concentrated on the iPhone and sapped the leopard project of the engineering resources and talent needed to finish a project of such magnitude. Secondly is that Apple is simply getting nervous living up to the hype and expectation of Leopard. Even if there was a releasable beta that could be passed off as a Leopard release candidate, it would have had to live up to enormous expectation. Vista for all it's flaws is a solid looking piece of functional eye candy and Ubuntu is also catching up, so anything Apple releases better be pretty damn flawless and revolutionary. That is quite a burden of expectation to live up to. In that regard the iPhone comes as both a timely reason and excuse to delay the "undelayable."
The delay of Leopard makes Apple's previous rants (redwood start your photocopiers) all the more ironic, including all the previous Microsoft Vista bashing. Furthermore, the delay comes at a critical juncture in consumer computing. Just when Apple could have offered consumers a "new, fresh and better" choice in the world of computing, Apple put it's chips in a futuristic, over-hyped phone device that is still months away from release. Not that the iPhone is a bad product, but Apple may have made a grave strategic error in terms of priority.
What Apple should have done, is committed the resources and attention needed for a timely release of Leopard, iWork and other Apple software in need of an update. To make matters worse, at last year's developers conference, the general public was made hungry for the then up and coming release of Leopard. Apple's failing to deliver, first in February, then March and now who knows when, clearly shows the rest of the computing world that Apple has "dropped the ball."
A new OS coupled with an updated macbook or other computing products would have had a much more positive impact for Apple's market share and most of all for consumers. Apple is a goodwill driven company, much of its core users are a fairly loyal community of professionals and students willing to pay a premium for quality. It is this community that Apple is now alienating by becoming a company of hype, rather than delivery. Even if I am going to be one of many standing in line for the new iPhone, consciously, I would have been much happier with a new release of Leopard, iWork and iLife.
The problem with leopard is probably twofold. One is that Apple probably has over concentrated on the iPhone and sapped the leopard project of the engineering resources and talent needed to finish a project of such magnitude. Secondly is that Apple is simply getting nervous living up to the hype and expectation of Leopard. Even if there was a releasable beta that could be passed off as a Leopard release candidate, it would have had to live up to enormous expectation. Vista for all it's flaws is a solid looking piece of functional eye candy and Ubuntu is also catching up, so anything Apple releases better be pretty damn flawless and revolutionary. That is quite a burden of expectation to live up to. In that regard the iPhone comes as both a timely reason and excuse to delay the "undelayable."
