It's time for Apple to license OS X to other manufacturers
Windows 8 is failing and PC sales are collapsing. It's time for Apple to license OS X to other manufacturers to help put Microsoft out of their misery. Time for Tim (HP) Cook to 'think different', and since OS X machines are such a small part of Apples profits, I say why not. When everyone wants to follow a vertical structure that's when you go horizontal.
Comments
Abject nonsense.
Originally Posted by Commodification
When Tallest hates something, I know it's a good idea.
It has been the worst idea posed since the creation of Apple, and it will continue to be the worst idea posted until the closing of Apple.
Why do we need to go over 30 years of history? Do you know what Apple is? They are the opposite of "license OS X".
the best idea is to acquire microsoft. and then everyone will have to use OS X. make it a whole apple.
FFS, the apple logo is not even whole. with the buying of microsoft….we can finally have the apple logo as a whole apple logo.
microsoft + OS X = a big big apple.
PS: linux can be added for sweet taste.
band camp bunny.
I was just at a seminar that highlighted CNC software. One vendor mentioned that they where going multi platform. The problem is that MS is going in a direction that will make supporting their CNC software very difficult. The one thing the like about Apple is that the hardware/software is a known quantity. So part of the reason for doing this about face would be to lower support costs and increase software reliability. If Apple licensed the software that is Mac OS/X that quality would go away.
What is interesting is that Apple is making inroads in these sorts of markets by staying the course. Now I'm going to probably regret this, but if Apple where to offer up an XMac, that is a computer that appeals to mainstream business, they could actually see a huge upside in Mac sales. Mostly we are talking about customers defecting from MS due to quality issues who are now on the MS hook due to the lack of decent hardware from Apple.
They'd have to lock down the OS with activation codes as well as provide support for hundreds of millions of people with all sorts of hardware configurations. Right now, Apple makes about $2-3b net profit per quarter from the Mac line.
There are 350m PCs sold per year so if they sold OS X at $100 and managed to convince 100m people to take it, they'd make around $10b.
I suspect people would still buy Apple hardware because it's much better quality and would give a better experience using the OS.
When the OS licensing failed before, they didn't have significantly better hardware and probably didn't lock the OS down well enough. It could be an easy way to significantly boost profits but it also means they would be creating a more competitive environment for their hardware line. Once they decided to do it, it would be very hard to turn back. I suspect it would also lead to an increase in malware attacks as OS X isn't as locked down as iOS.
I don't think it's something they'd want to do. It's not all about making more money. The people at Apple have to feel happy about what they do or they won't do it well. Do they want people hauling their crappy plastic PCs into the Apple Stores for support for their $100 OS? Not likely. The potential profit has to be weighed against the cost and the emotional cost of supporting OS X on poor quality hardware is too much of a price to pay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marvin
... they didn't have significantly better hardware and probably didn't lock the OS down well enough. ...
This is simply not true. Mac clones were not clones in the true sense of the word. This was before the New World ROM in software. Back then, the thing that made a Mac a Mac was the Toolbox ROM in firmware. Every Mac "clone" featured a genuine Toolbox ROM supplied by Apple. In this sense, Mac clones were really genuine Macs in different cases.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Commodification
Windows 8 is failing and PC sales are collapsing. It's time for Apple to license OS X to other manufacturers......
Brilliant idea! Let's wait until PC sales collapse.... and then capture the PC OS market.
Suggest you wait a couple of days, when Microsoft will release their latest financial results.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Do you know what Apple is?It's the company that won't build a mid sized mid range Mac. Perhaps Apple should license OSX to one manufacturer that contracts to only offer a mid size mid range desktop computer. It wouldn't really be competing with any of Apple's models.
Originally Posted by MacTac
It's the company that won't build a mid sized mid range Mac.
Or you could just buy something from someone else.
Apple needs me to fix their sinking ship.
Originally Posted by Commodification
Apple needs me to fix their sinking ship.
Go away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Go away.
I love you too.
Why are you arrogant with your answers sometimes?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Or you could just buy something from someone else.
I admit that I have been tempted. But I prefer my OS to be from Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacTac
I admit that I have been tempted. But I prefer my OS to be from Apple.
You can always build a Hackintosh, I recently installed OSX on a Thinkpad X230T for a work colleague, pretty cool having a touch screen. Everything seems to be running, I'll know more next week when he had time to play with it over the weekend.