Project "Glove" and "Lucida" in July

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  • Reply 81 of 389
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Software may account for a significant part of revenue, but that's ALL SOFTWARE, not just OSX. Once OSX becomes the only MacOS, sales of OSX as a percentage of total SOFTWARE sales will not be such a huge part of revenue. They could easily afford to give unlimited site licenses for the OS. You still would have to pay for your other mac software.
  • Reply 82 of 389
    percolatepercolate Posts: 14member
    [quote]Originally posted by Kickaha:

    <strong>Actually, according to the last financial conference call, margins are currently around 27% for hardware.



    And since consumers are still the *major* factor in Apple's customer base, with 1-2 computers each, the 'losses' due to this would be minimal until the number of installed machines at large (&gt;100) institutions vastly outnumbered the consumer base.



    In the meantime, the hardware sales would *MORE* than make up for it.



    I fail to see the problem.



    [ 05-24-2002: Message edited by: Kickaha ]</strong><hr></blockquote>



    To be clear, I'll make a statement:



    "Apple selling OS X in an unlimited license scheme does not, in my uneducated opinion, seem like a bad strategy."



    I wasn't saying it was a problem. I wasn't saying Apple is going to lose all their profits and become a debt laden organization if they happen to choose a "glove" strategy. In fact, I don't see any particular problem with it although that may be because I have little knowledge of how Apple's large contract sales work or their resulting revenues.



    My main point was simply that software does account for a large portion of their profits (e.g., no software reveneue in any recent quarter == net loss instead of net gain). I realized that software includes many, many applications other than simply OS X licenses. I realize that APPs, other services and other things account for some portion of the "and other" section. I admit I am surprised Apple manages 27% margins on hardware given how their products average sales price are within 10% over the retail cost of the lowest model. [This is another opportunity for anyone to start the flame war about Apple vs. PC price/performance ratio.] Although I never at all claimed that 54% was an accurate figure ("probably near half", "regardless of the percentage"), I do apologize for mentioning it considering people tend to latch onto statements like that as if they were presented as facts. However, and perhaps you'll know this, is hardware margin accounting for the cost of the included software (OS X) as software revenue with a standard license cost or is the operating system considered "free" and all income from hardware sales considered merely as hardware? That makes a major difference in both software and hardware margin figures. My uneducated guess is that no software revenues are counted for computers sold with the operating system installed. I'll let you estimate the difference that would make on the 813,000 hardware units sold.



    *Ahem*, the main point I was trying to make is that Apple is in all likelihood not looking to become a hardware company that gives away its software for free. I doubt it will become something akin to a partially-closed source Linux. Apple may adopt a strategy like "glove" to compete in the corporate and enterprise level and it may well help. I could even see a slight possibility, given Apple's ability and recent history of consistently raising the minimum hardware requirements for their software, the possibility of Apple adopting a strategy where the OS is completely free except for $20 for shipping and handling. [I'm not offering this idea as something I suggest, think is warranted, think will likely happen or, in particular, that I care to discuss it. I just want to make it clear that I can see the slightest possibility of it happening.]



    [ 05-24-2002: Message edited by: percolate ]</p>
  • Reply 83 of 389
    skullmacskullmac Posts: 71member
    [quote]Originally posted by Matsu:

    <strong>Software may account for a significant part of revenue, but that's ALL SOFTWARE, not just OSX. Once OSX becomes the only MacOS, sales of OSX as a percentage of total SOFTWARE sales will not be such a huge part of revenue. They could easily afford to give unlimited site licenses for the OS. You still would have to pay for your other mac software.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Good point. Up until now, we've ignored FCP, DSP, that FCP Cinema Pack (or something), Remote Desktop, WebObjects, and other high-priced non-OS software (I left out AppleWorks and iMovie... who would pay for that is beyond me). I'm willing to bet a large portion of their software revenue comes from FCP and DSP alone. Also, let's not forget what Shake might turn into.



    In addition, Apple had (still has???) the MacOS Up -to-Date program. $20 gets you a CD upgrade to every major release per year. I think the majority of users who cared about having the latest full version of the MacOS (in Pre-OSX days) were Up-to-Date members. The rest of us either didn't care, or would use the system CD that came with our new Macs to update our old ones (that'd be me -_-).



    Finally, think of the upside for Apple. If all future releases became cheap or free upgrades from 10.x, then Apple could boast that a vast majority of its user base was using the very latest version of MacOS X (something not even microsoft can claim). It could then convince developers to adopt new features as they came out, rather than six months to a year down the road.
  • Reply 84 of 389
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by SkullMac:

    <strong>Finally, think of the upside for Apple. If all future releases became cheap or free upgrades from 10.x, then Apple could boast that a vast majority of its user base was using the very latest version of MacOS X (something not even microsoft can claim). It could then convince developers to adopt new features as they came out, rather than six months to a year down the road.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    OK, point #1... just because updates are free does not mean that people will download and install them... (or even if they dont have to take the time to download them and can get them @ an apple store)... MOST people are not nuts like us... all they care about is whether or not something works... if it works, then there is no need for them to upgrade...even if it was free... I have a lot of friends that are still on 8.5 rather then 8.6 or even 9, 9.1, 9.2.2 (i would give them the upgrade) because their current system worked and they didnt want to screw things up... this is the main reason why a lot of people do not have the latest windows incarnation--because it seems to work well ( of course we know better....)



    Point #2, the glove strategy is not saying that updates would be free... it is just saying that when you buy 1 liscense, it will work for any computer on your site.. IE a site liscence... You would still ahve to buy an individual liscense for your computer(s) and each of your friends would do the same... (but of course you wouldnt HAVE to conform to this... )
  • Reply 85 of 389
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    I was hoping project 'Glove' would be a revolutionary Bluetooth-enabled glove that could be used for cursor-movement or manipulation of the GUI.



    Imagine that...you could stick your index finger out and the computer would recognize that you're trying to point at something, so the cursor would move as you move your hand around with your index finger sticking out.



    Then you could close windows with the whisk of the hand or something.



    You could point to a window, then make a grabbing motion with your hand and while your hand is in a fist you could drag the window around...then you could open your hand up again and the window would then stop moving.



    Tons of stuff could be done...but oh well...the 'glove' project isn't what I thought it was.



    oh...and I'm not making plastics right now
  • Reply 86 of 389
    cliveclive Posts: 720member
    In a galaxy far, far away...



    One thing that's probably worth *remembering*, it wasn't that long ago when Apple systems were essentially free - you paid for the media/handling. I think this happened up to 7.0.1. Then from 7.5 the licencing issue arose and you started to pay.



    If you go to the apple FTP site you can still find complete early MacOSs for download:



    <a href="ftp://ftp.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/"; target="_blank">ftp://ftp.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/</a>;



    Apple could probably save as much money as they earn through system purchases by going to a free, net distribution model. There's going to be some serious bandwidth costs though!



    The only fly in the ointment to this is that if there are licenced components to the OS then these will still need to be paid for (for example where Apple has licenced games etc - but maybe these items will only be available on CDs or with new machines).
  • Reply 87 of 389
    A unlimited-user policy would allow high schools and colleges a much more incentive-laden opportunity to uprgrade to Apple's latest OS versions. For instance, my school still uses OS 9 on all of its Macs and therefor no one even knows about Mac OS X. The aforementioned policy can showcase the latest and greatest OS at minimal cost. Public Perception is extremely important.
  • Reply 88 of 389
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    First, I don't believe in the authenticity of the original poster. If he was truly concerned about getting caught, then he wouldn't have posted here. Furthermore, it doesn't really matter how many times he posts here. Once is enough for Apple to track his *** down. If he was computer literate he would have known that he could post anonymously, but apparently he doesn't know much about computers.



    As for the secret underwater camera, it's a ridiculous idea. Can I see Apple making a camera with HD? Yes. But Apple would enter the camera market by offering a camera for general use first, and only after success with their first camera would they offer cameras for more specialized markets. While it would make sense for Apple to offer a camera that is water resistant, i.e., "weatherproof", this poster is talking about a camera that divers would be able to use. Not gonna happen.



    As for "Glove", it's an intriguing idea that I could see Apple implementing with Jaguar's release. My guess is that Apple is going to charge for Jaguar, but as a way to defuse criticism, they will make each copy of 10.2 a license for "unlimited installs". This will help Apple in the educational and enterprise markets.



    I think Apple will be careful to couple this strategy to Jaguar, so that if it doesn't work well, Apple isn't required to change it, they merely don't use it for the next OS X update.



    Another issue that makes glove more believable is that Apple is having trouble convincing educational institutions to upgrade to OS X. Since students learn about Apple's operating system by using Macs at schools, it is vitally important for Apple to get OS X on as many edu computers as possible. Furthermore, for those institutions that do have OS X, the sooner Jaguar is installed the sooner students get a more favorable impression of OS X. Puma simply isn't fast enough on anything but the latest hardware, and most schools are using hardware thats a few years old.





    So where did the original poster get these code names? Maybe he really does know something about what's going on at Apple, but more likely, I think he's just guessing and making up names. He's one for two, not bad, but the names aren't so good.



    Lucindia: an ok name, but Apple is going to make cameras for the general population before they focus their efforts on the scuba diving market.



    Glove: He states that this is the "Glove strategy". Please, this isn't a strategy, it's a policy. A strategy consists of several aims and/or hardware and software products, all aimed at acheiving some goal. Making all OS X licenses unlimited install is not a strategy itself, but part of a greater strategy, such as one aimed at capturing greater edu market share.



    Finally, Apple is doomed. It's been a while since I said so and this post just didn't feel right without alluding to Apple's demise.
  • Reply 89 of 389
    chromoschromos Posts: 191member
    Hey, one thing we've been missing about this Lucida thing is its timing vis-a-vis the upcoming videoconferencing that Jobs mentioned. Now, if it had MPEG-4 compression via QT6, would it be able to stream video to a nearby Mac via AirPort? I'm just asking, I don't know. Certainly by FireWire, but AirPort would be so cool and mobile.



    And with Rendezvous, Lucida might even show up as a computing peer on the network -- just tap in to see what it's pointing at. Streaming video without all the hassle.



    Is this feasible?
  • Reply 90 of 389
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    First, I don't believe in the authenticity of the original poster.

    <hr></blockquote>



    Neither do I, but it's still an intriguing idea.



    [quote]

    Glove: He states that this is the "Glove strategy". Please, this isn't a strategy, it's a policy. A strategy consists of several aims and/or hardware and software products, all aimed at acheiving some goal. Making all OS X licenses unlimited install is not a strategy itself, but part of a greater strategy, such as one aimed at capturing greater edu market share.

    <hr></blockquote>



    Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.



    How 'bout this:



    "Like our new iPod? Well, you need Apple hardware to use it."



    "Like our iPhoto software? Well, you need Apple hardware (and OSX) to use it."



    "Like our iAllDancingAllSingingAppSoftware? Well, you need Apple hardware (and OSX) to use it."



    Pretty soon it'll be:



    "Like our QuartzExtraRadExtreme OSX technology? Well, you need the late$t, greate$t Apple hardware to use it."



    "Like our shiny new Jungle Cat-in-a-Hat-named OS with handwriting recognition, wireless technology and free sexbots? Well, you get the picture."



    Profits are nice, but can be momentarily ignored for future gains. Ask Amazon. What's Steve's goal for the moment? Market share. How is he going about this? By making drool-worthy products (that innovation thing), either hardware or software.



    He can't entice us with Gx++ processors every Expo, so he needs another angle to say, "hey, buy our latest stuff." By making the OS compelling enough, maybe he's trying to "pull" demand, kind of like what Intel does with its "Int-hell Inside" marketing.



    I could see "The Glove" (does anyone else get visions of a black & white Peter Sellers when you hear "the glove"?) fitting with this Vision.



    The OS is cool and free. But you need the (new) hardware to run it.



    [quote]

    Finally, Apple is doomed. It's been a while since I said so and this post just didn't feel right without alluding to Apple's demise.<hr></blockquote>



    Ahh... that's better.
  • Reply 91 of 389
    big macbig mac Posts: 480member
    One important distinction I believe should be made is that the original poster never stated the OS would be completely free per site after paying for one version. What he did say was that one copy would install on all computers at a specific site. This doesn't mean that Jaguar will be free to 10.1 users. It does, however, mean that Jaguar will offer unlimited site licensing for each copy bought. So one pays 129.99 for the new 10.x release and can install that OS on every machine owned by that site with that single CD. That's what he was saying, the way I read it.



    As far as the camera goes, what we are pretty certain of is that there will be a new iDevice. A lot of us have been waiting for Apple to make a move in the digital camera market ever since the digital hub was announced. It simply completes the puzzle - it's logical. If Apple can do it in a compelling manner that beats the other offerings, then it will be done. Very intriguing ideas; thanks anonymous tipster!
  • Reply 92 of 389
    nullnull Posts: 9member
    [quote]Originally posted by Stroszek:

    <strong>OK. so this guy is worried about being "tracked" and seems to claim that he has inside info. but he gives his first name "allen" and what appears to be a full name "allenmcjones.' granted, be could be lying about it, but if i had inside info and was worried about being "tracked" i think my screen name would be somehting like, oh, i don't know Stroszek? and i think i would probably sign my name as something like, oh i don't know, not my real name?



    don't mean to piss on a party, but it's just a thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well, as somone who knows; if he is telling the truth: there are two options: he will either get fired after Apple flies an investigator out to whatever office he's at (unless he's in cupertino) and get fired, or he covered his tracks well, as in, even the wording of his information has been altered beyond their ability to trace what derivation they gave to what divisions and branches.



    Or, he could be bs'ing.



    [ 05-25-2002: Message edited by: null ]</p>
  • Reply 93 of 389
    nullnull Posts: 9member
    allen, if posting inside the firewall, you're screwed. Might as well quit before they come to your cubicle. If you aren't, then you better hope that you phrased the hell out of those details. one reason why so many Mac rumors have conflicting details is because Apple gives conflicting details or wording to various departments so they can track your *** down. and third, you better pray to hell they can't get your ip address.



    Have fun!
  • Reply 94 of 389
    nullnull Posts: 9member
    [quote]Originally posted by Stroszek:

    <strong>OK. so this guy is worried about being "tracked" and seems to claim that he has inside info. but he gives his first name "allen" and what appears to be a full name "allenmcjones.' granted, be could be lying about it, but if i had inside info and was worried about being "tracked" i think my screen name would be somehting like, oh, i don't know Stroszek? and i think i would probably sign my name as something like, oh i don't know, not my real name?



    don't mean to piss on a party, but it's just a thought.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Well, as somone who knows if he is telling the truth: there are two options: he will either get fired after Apple flies an investigator out to whatever office he's at (unless he's in cupertino) and get fired, or he covered his tracks well, as in, even the wording of his information has been altered beyond their ability to trace what derivation they gave to what divisions and branches.



    Or, he could be bs'ing.
  • Reply 95 of 389
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    [quote]Originally posted by Masker:

    <strong>My bet:



    Glove = internal codename for Xserve unlimited client policy</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Why do everyone act as the unlimited client license with Xserve is new?



    With the old Power Mac G4 Servers you also got an unlimited client license.
  • Reply 96 of 389
    jlljll Posts: 2,713member
    [quote]Originally posted by SkullMac:

    <strong>In addition, Apple had (still has???) the MacOS Up -to-Date program. $20 gets you a CD upgrade to every major release per year.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Not exactly - you got a $20 rebate when upgrading.
  • Reply 97 of 389
    macsrgood4umacsrgood4u Posts: 3,007member
    The Photomarketing Association at its last convention issued a statement saying Digital still camera sales had flattened out the past year. They are not skyrocketing.
  • Reply 98 of 389
    telomartelomar Posts: 1,804member
    [quote]Originally posted by kim kap sol:

    <strong>I was hoping project 'Glove' would be a revolutionary Bluetooth-enabled glove that could be used for cursor-movement or manipulation of the GUI.



    Imagine that...you could stick your index finger out and the computer would recognize that you're trying to point at something, so the cursor would move as you move your hand around with your index finger sticking out.



    Then you could close windows with the whisk of the hand or something.



    You could point to a window, then make a grabbing motion with your hand and while your hand is in a fist you could drag the window around...then you could open your hand up again and the window would then stop moving.



    Tons of stuff could be done...but oh well...the 'glove' project isn't what I thought it was.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Such things do already exist just aren't widely used.



    As it happens though Sony agrees with you on the worth of that idea.



    The issue with it is control. That sounds wierd but trust me it is a lot easier to imagine the control than to actually design it. You tend to end up with something a little more gross than you would like and an interface that responds too much like a touchscreen (anybody who has used one will probably understand what I mean).



    On a somewhat unrelated note:



    [quote] Finally, Apple is doomed. It's been a while since I said so and this post just didn't feel right without alluding to Apple's demise. <hr></blockquote>



    That cracks me up Maybe I'm easily amused but I've seen some funny posts reading the boards tonight
  • Reply 99 of 389
    Okay, there is no way anybody could track me. I had reservations at first and my initial postings was very quick and short. I apologize if I offered my opinions in the first two postings but I was very excited and nervous. I will only give you what I know and maybe later offer my opinions but most likely this will be my last post.



    Glove:

    - "Glove" licensing is a code name given to Apple's new licensing of OSX.

    - It is a single site license that covers ALL Macs the entity owns.

    - To qualify for a glove license you will either purchase a new Mac with OSX or buy a new copy OSX.

    - The Glove license belongs to the entity and not the hardware.

    - Some have called the license "David's Stone".



    Lucida:

    - "Lucida" is code name given to digital camera/camcorder.

    - "Lucida" means something in photography (which somebody illustrated what it means)

    - It HAD to be both a camera and camcorder.

    - It is completely self inclosed and will accent in water.

    - No sand or elements can penetrate its interior.

    - It is FULLY functional submerged in water in limited depths.

    - Lucida is VERY rugid and durable.

    - It is firewire based.

    - It looks nothing like a camera or camcorder on the market today.

    - Its design is "amazing".

    - The case design is built around the internal lense(s).

    - Lucida has a color LCD display in the rear.

    - Designed for right and left hand.

    - The controls are VERY easy to work.

    - It will ship with some instructions.

    - Lucida solves dozens of problems with camera/camcorders.

    - Is designed for the consumer market.



    -Allen
  • Reply 100 of 389
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    [quote]Originally posted by Clive:

    <strong>In a galaxy far, far away...



    One thing that's probably worth *remembering*, it wasn't that long ago when Apple systems were essentially free - you paid for the media/handling. I think this happened up to 7.0.1. Then from 7.5 the licencing issue arose and you started to pay.



    If you go to the apple FTP site you can still find complete early MacOSs for download:



    <a href="ftp://ftp.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/"; target="_blank">ftp://ftp.apple.com/Apple_Support_Area/Apple_Software_Updates/English-North_American/Macintosh/System/Older_System/</a>;



    Apple could probably save as much money as they earn through system purchases by going to a free, net distribution model. There's going to be some serious bandwidth costs though!



    The only fly in the ointment to this is that if there are licenced components to the OS then these will still need to be paid for (for example where Apple has licenced games etc - but maybe these items will only be available on CDs or with new machines).</strong><hr></blockquote>



    clive, you may have read me the riot act a few threads ago, and i, in turn, did the same, but this is an excellent point. how quickly we forget( heck, even i forgot about that). a freind of mine made the point that one (of many) reasons that wndows made such huge headway (aside from the monopoly actions thing) was that their operating system was hideously easy to pirate. the mac os use to be free with anyone with a modem and a LOT of patience (ah, i still have my 14.4 modem that got me system 7.5.5... all 13 disks, i think)



    anyway, i am getting the feeling that if this isn't a true rumor, it's close enough to get me through until macworld july.



    and, for the last time, according to the title of this thread, the name is LUCIDA... not luciNda or luciNdiNa or whatever else people are mangling the name as. heck, copy/paste if you have to (okay, my little anal-retentive rant is complete... carry on).



    p.s. though i have to agree with JYD that posting around here may not be the best idea. when i found out about the imac "hemisphere" thing, i was busting at the seams to tell, but then quickly realized that i could get my contact fired VERY quickly. so i closed the whole thing up and went to the chat area instead. perhaps that is an option? are internet cafés easy to track from? i've always wondered about that for an anonymous place to post from...
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