winindthedust

Does Apple Need an Enterprise Strategy After All?

Apple competes against competitors that don't compete against themselves.. this is power for Apple, as they sell multiple products... they are the new Sony.

Their competitors:

Phones: RIMM, Nokia, Motorola, HTC
Computers: Dell, HP
OS: Microsoft
Browsers: M$, Firefox, Opera
Software: Microsoft, Adobe (each of which is also a partner, too)
Music: ?? Amazon, Microsoft
Music Players: ?? Creative, Microsoft
Video: ?? Netflix, Microsoft
Game players: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft


They have revenue streams that come from multiple sources and multiple venues; thus the name change from "APPLE COMPUTER" to simply "Apple, Inc."

Even Apple's competitors are indirectly helping Apple in other businesses.... for example, both Dell & HP, who compete selling hardware, have started selling Linux preloaded, thus indirectly helping Apple on the OS front against Microsoft. Dell & HP and others, now need to find an alternative OS just as badly as the smart phone market does- their future existence depends on it!

Another case & point: The push for Web 2.0 and open cross platform standards, only helps Apple. It doesn't matter what the browser market share is... what matters, is, that Microsoft's IE will either die (because it is the worst in meeting these standards), a win for Apple and the market place... or, it will eventually get around to dropping proprietary tech. in its browser, to comply... also a win for Apple, as this will continue to shore up Apple tech such as MPEG4, WebKit, etc. which are all open source or standards. Either way M$ is screwed, they held a monopoly by being proprietary... now if they drop the proprietary, legacy will be abandoned and people will flock to Apple. If they keep proprietary, people are leaving to open source and standards compliance, anyway, where there wallets are no longer tied to decades old technology. Firefox, Opera, & Safari are all indirectly a challenge to M$'s very existence in the OS arena... it's a check mate with no where to run, as M$ no longer has the power to make their own weather.

Another case: Application development on the iPhone has way more power then anyone can imagine. Apple has won back the developers. All developers that are learning Objective C and Coco Touch frame works, are then in turn attracted to Webkit, and guess what? It all works on OSX. That means, development for iPhone will modernize programming for years to come, as it is a computing platform, not a phone platform. Developers are already starting to develop for OSX first, then port to Windows, rather then the other way around. This allows programmers to leverage power and do things they never realized possible before (because it just isn't on windows). This creativity, will produce beautiful and useful programs, that just won't be able to exist with the same power & features on Windows.... people will flock to this, as developers do.

Apple really does own the whole nut; and there are plenty of squirrels, economy or no economy that want what Apple is selling.

Enterprise? Enterprise is no longer stupid. CEO's now know there is an alternative that works. They are getting as savvy as their IT guys, and wondering why they are paying them so much. It is no secret, that loads of money is ready to be saved by businesses jumping ship to Apple- and many already are. Millions are saved in M$ licensing fees and in IT labor costs; this is an indisputable fact. Why the apparent slow adoption? The biggest reason: Laziness, businesses are accustomed to what they know, and paying for it. As the recession moves on, this actually will help Apple get in the enterprise, as it will break up this apathy, as cuts and efficiency are mandated. The myth that Apple costs more, has been broken- now it's just laziness. For some, it's custom written programs. As virtualization grows, this will be overcome... and know what? Maybe it's time for a program refresh and rewrite anyway... and maybe a commercial program, that didn't used to be available will do the job. Nevertheless, the old IT regime that had to defend their faith in M$ to keep their jobs, is dwindling. A new crop of younger generation is coming in... and they don't have an emotional attachment or alternative motive for promoting M$ or failed past decisions.

All of this is converging into a perfect storm for Apple.