News and commentary from the cross-platform scripting community.
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Mail Starting 9/2/97 | |
Right on!
From: dwiner@well.com (Dave Winer);
Sent at ;
Re:"PowerComputing--Your Mac to Windows transition company"They could even advertise in MacWEEK.
Dave
I was talking to a friend at the office, Randy Gates, who made a really good point.
From: taylore@psn.net (Eric Taylor);
Sent at 9/2/97; 9:58:18 PM;
PowerComputing--Your Mac to Windows transition companyPower Computing doesn't even have to build an "MC" layer on top of Windows NT. All they really have to do is market themselves to Power customers (who are now fence-sitters now that Apple has knifed them in the back) as the official "Mac to Windows transition company". Power Computing is the company that will help you get those pesky NT machines into your Mac environment with a minimum of fuss.
An ethernet card guaranteed to work on an Appletalk network. Any preinstalled network configuration necessary to work with an Appleshare server bundled in. A single Retrospect Remote license with every machine, so you can still back it up to your Retrospect BU server. And possibly even bundled versions of necessary Windows software--a business pack, a DTP pack, or a 3D animation pack.
Even if they don't bundle the software, they can still definitely sell it. All the Power Computing sales guy has to do is ask what you're using on your Mac. Claris Works and Quark XPress? OK. The equivalent Windows products are Microsoft Office and Quark XPress for Windows. I can add those to your order if you like--and I can preinstall them for an additional $25.
Scary thought isn't it? In my opinion, Apple's executive team has done a really stupid thing. They've created an enemy who has intimate knowledge of Mac customers and a mailing list of people willing to buy from a non-Apple source.
I"m finding the flaming Apple is taking over the Power Computing buyout absolutely amazing. Amazing in the way people (self-proclaimed 'Mac addicts) are writing in and boo-hooing: "That's it! I've had it! Apple is so stupid/clueless/unfaithful/etc. that I'm off to Wintel Land!" What child-like, knee-jerk reactions! Apple is Big-Business. And in Big-Business, when a competitor is chewing at your pants leg, you squash it like a bug!
From: drews@cais.com;
Sent at 9/2/97; 9:54:49 PM;
Power Computing buyoutSimply put, Power Computing was biting the hand that fed it while it hid behind the populist baloney that they offered: "freedom of choice". People must realize that there can be NO freedom of choice if the company that owns what we love most, the Mac OS, is no longer in business. Open your eyes to the reality of Big Business. The Apple we all grew up on and loved is dead. Has been since around 1993-1994.
Only deep customer loyalty and deep cash reserves have kept it propped up, in a "Weekend at Bernie's" sort of way. And Power Computing was gnawing at the remains. Be thankful they've been eliminated!
And in a way that the "gods of Wall Street" heartily approve. Many thanks to the new Apple Board and Executive Team for this solution. Those of us who truly believe and truly understand thank you.
The rest can go jump in bed with Bill and claim: NOW I have freedom of choice!
As I sit here reading stories regarding Apple killing the clones because they did not expand an otherwise shrinking Mac market I have to wonder if an overlooked aspect of shrinking market share is the availability of processor upgrade cards contributing to Apple's problems.
From: kmcenery@rpimail.mdacc.tmc.edu (kevin mcenery);
Sent at 9/2/97; 11:46:24 PM;
Upgrade cardsMy PowerMac was a 7500/100 and for $99 I upgraded to a 7600/120. For $129 I can now upgrade again to a 604-150. In the past I would consider buying a new machine but now I just buy a new card. Newer has announced 750 Arthur card in the $1200 range. (Gee... should I buy a new high end mac $5000??? or buy a used 7500 and a high end processor card $2500???)
Its ironic that for the money that I would have otherwise spent buying a new Apple computer that I can now buy a processor upgrade card and still have enough money available to buy a high end Wintel box.
Processor cards are not counted as new machines but I wonder just how many sales are "lost" because people decided to upgrade rather than buy a new machine?
I have been a Mac developer since 1990, and I have worked at Apple twice, as an employee and as a contractor. I have many published Mac products. I tested MacTCP and debugged systems 7.5.3 and 7.5.4.
From: crawford@scruznet.com (Michael D. Crawford);
Sent at 9/2/97; 7:42:59 PM;
Former Mac Developer Contact PageToday I have made the decision that I will no longer develop for the Macintosh. Apple has sealed its fate and I am getting out while I still have the opportunity to do so without experiencing unemployment. I gave notice at my company, and have found a new job programming on Unix.
My best friend who owns a Macintosh software company had to get a regular job because he cannot make a living selling Macintosh software. He's programming Java on Unix now.
The only hope I see for preventing the total domination of the software industry by Microsoft is the new Be Operating System. I am developing Be software as fast as I can on the evenings and weekends. I'm doing everything I can to help Be succeed in the marketplace. Find out more about why I'm a Be developer.
All of the Mac developers I know are worried about their future. To assist them in finding work on other platforms, I have created the Former Mac Developers Contact List. If you are a Mac developer, please register on the list. If you are a software industry employer, please consider hiring someone from the page. These developers are all experienced, hardworking people, who deserve better than they have gotten from Apple.
Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,
I'm very disappointed in Apple's decision. There's some truth to the fact that Power was biting the hand that fed it by using the very conservative strategy of selling high-margin machines to previous Mac owners and leaving all the marketing, R&D, etc. to Apple. But some competition is better than none.
From: wesf@mail.utexas.edu (Wesley Felter);
Sent at 9/2/97; 6:00:01 PM;
Re:Power Computing Business PlanWe need to watch Motorola now, because they have leverage. The chips have to come from somewhere.
According to Steve Jobs's memo, CHRP is essentially dead. Forget it; it doesn't exist. You could theoretically buy a CHRP machine (with no Mac OS installed) and then buy the CHRP version of Mac OS at a store (if Apple's willing to sell it), but Apple doesn't seem to want to sell the OS by itself, and who would sell a computer with no software installed?
Your plan for a new software company to bring the benefits of Macdom to another OS is a good one; I'd like to see someone actually do it. But I wouldn't put it on NT (unless you got really close to Microsoft like Citrix and Executive Software did). I'd put it on Linux. The base OS already runs on Intel, PPC, Sparc, and Alpha. Hire fredlabs to get VirtualMac running on PPC Linux and Connectix for Virtual PC. Intel Linux already runs Windows apps using WINE. Hey Mac users, your computer could run Mac, Windows, and UNIX apps! At the same time!
Windows MC. I love it.
From: markg@genthirteen.com (Mark Gonzales);
Sent at 9/2/97; 2:24:15 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingFYI, my guess is (and my sources say) that much of the $100 million will go to Power investors (the VC and financial types) to buy them out of the business. They bought into a MacOS, and eventually a multiplatform company able to sell to multiplatform customers. This concept is over. So they are taking their money out. At $100 million, most will go to these investors, including Steve Khang. I suspect the employees will see little, if anything, for their equity - it's the way things typically work in these aborted hit companies, unfortunately.
Steve is keeping the Power name so that it can form the basis of a new, as far as I know, hardware company. But this is a different concept really, so there will be different players and investors.
I'm not sure how much Steve K. owned (probably can find out from the IPO S1), but your original guess of $25 million is probably closer to reality of what they'll have to play with after new investors buy in (assuming they do, of course.)
Many of those key employees came to Power from Apple, yes? Many of NeXT's employees later absorbed by Apple came from Apple, yes? A pattern, yes? Will this help Jobs get his empire back? Who's next on the acquisition list? Be? General Magic?
From: nbornstein@plr.com (Niel M. Bornstein);
Sent at 9/2/97; 5:08:31 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingI feel so completely betrayed. It's enough to make me--an avowed Mac supporter--want to just give up. Who does Jobs think he is? I am so disappointed.
From: lcastro@cookwood.com (Liz Castro);
Sent at 9/2/97; 5:00:37 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingThanks for keeping us informed.
Nice piece, Dave.
From: telstar@wired.com (--Todd Lappin-->);
Sent at 9/2/97; 1:53:01 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingPersonally, I'm furious about Apple's acquisition of Power Computing. The availability of cheap, reliable clones has been about the only thing that's prompted me to retain my allegiance to the Mac platform. Now, that choice has been diminished.
I'm pissed.
I think this lastest turn may be the straw that broke my back. There's **absolutely no way** I'm going to buy a new box from Apple -- they're too expensive, and don't offer enough value in return. Meanwhile, my Mac 6100 is growing old, and it's in need of replacement. But after having owned Macs since the days of the 128K, it now looks like my next computer will be a Wintel.
Apple? I'm soooo over it.
Best,
--Todd Lappin-->
PS: Hope you're feeling better, Dave.
That's an awfully black and white way to put things!
From: durrell@innocence.com (Bryant Durrell);
Sent at 9/2/97; 1:07:55 PM;
"These people specifically chose not to be Apple customers..."I think maybe what you meant to say is "These people chose to buy some hardware from a different vendor." But as you've pointed out more than once, religious loyalty to *any* vendor just gets in the way, and that's just as true when talking about Power Computing as it is when talking about Apple.
The real question here is whether or not Apple is going to sell hardware as cheaply as Power Computing did. The answer is almost certainly no. However, by phrasing the debate as "Apple versus Power" instead of "expensive versus cheap" you deprive Apple of the chance to change their mind -- because if the badness is linked with the company, rather than with the policy, why bother to change?
Always leave people and corporations room to change. It's the most important rule of online discussion, because it's the easiest one to break.
The thing is does the deal make Apple stronger? Yes.
From: hall@dlcwest.com (dean hall);
Sent at 9/2/97; 1:17:22 PM;
more power to apple(1) they now have the framework for starting a mail-order company.
(2) they get rid of their biggest mail order competitor.With 4+ consecutive quarterly losses Apple had to do something drastic. At least now their doing something. And actually doing rather quickly compared to past leadership.
I haven't confirmed it myself, but rumor has it that Power had grabbed about 40% of Apple's 1998 educational sales. That's gotta be worth $100 million to someone... especially someone thinking about selling NCs to schools.
From: tgentile@pointcast.com (Tony Gentile);
Sent at 9/2/97; 1:13:35 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingAfter I read the Apple announcement but before I wrote my own analysis I got your note and (fortunately) read your plan for Power Computing.
From: amy@home.cynet.net (Amy Wohl);
Sent at 9/2/97; 4:08:05 PM;
Re:It's So ConfusingI was delighted. My theory was that a sane Apple would abandon its mad plans for Rhapsody and move to an NT kernel with a Mac/OS interface and API's but your idea is better because it means that while the user experience is the same or better the applica tions come from the huge WIndows portfolio rather than depending on what the developers will still be willing to build for Mac. After the Power buyout I'd guess the answer would be "even less."
I'll send you a copy of my article tomorrow. We need to use black borders for future articles about Apple, I fear.
I'm giving up on Apple. Even though I use a PC for work every day (I'm a Windows programmer) I really like the MacOS as I did DTP before teaching myself to program and I did DTP on Windows afterwards. Well, tried to. Windows, Win95, NT sucks for DTP. Postscript and real fonts are an alien concept in Redmond. Anyway, if someone asks me what computer they should get I always try and stear them towards Macs. Well I used to.
From: luke@tymowski.org (Luke Tymowski);
Sent at 9/2/97; 2:17:55 PM;
Jobs and the MacI can still remember the original press conference when Jobs announced NeXTStep. Later just after school I came across NeXTWorld Magazine. I started following NeXT and pushing NeXTStep at work. But it seemed that with every other issue of NeXTWorld Jobs would change his marketing tactic. Developers were frustrated trying to sell their products because Jobs would change directions willy nilly it seemed with no warning. Jobs announced the end of cool black hardware. Now I might be able to afford a NeXTStep system (black hardware would have cost me $12k Canadian - well out of reach). No. Jobs decided to sell the developer tools for $5k US. So a development machine would still cost $12k. I bought a PC and Visual Basic and learned to program. My apps made it into work. I switched to Delphi when it came out. I was able to code an app in a few weeks which duplicated the basic functionality of a $2 million VAX app, which itself took 5 years to develop). And it was much faster - I could do calcs in 6 seconds which took an entire weekend to schedule on the VAX. I was doing and showing off stuff that I could have done better with NeXTStep. But Jobs made sure I could never afford it.
I talked my last company into buying Power Computing clones for DTP rather than PCs. The cost was equal. Productivity was much higher. No brainer. Now that Jobs is pulling the clones off the market we're stuck with Apple. Fortune 1000 companies want a choice in hardware. They don't want to be locked in. I was really excited by Rhapsody and I've been reading everything I can on the OS. Yesterday I tossed everything in the trash. Jobs can't understand that customers need a choice and they don't need to pay a premium. He may be a genius at developing cool products. But he doesn't know how to sell. You don't sell much of anything if you annoy the hell out of your customers every few months. You lose customers.
Jon Udell in Byte Magazine raved about WebObjects. But he said he wouldn't use it because the price was ridiculous. Jobs thinks people will pay through the nose to use his products. No they won't.
I don't see Apple having a future anymore. I've given up on them. I'm waiting for the BeOS to come out on Intel hardware. And for everything else I'll make do with Dell, Microsoft, and Borland. And I'm recommending Dell instead of Apple to friends. At least they know how to keep my happy - solid hardware, fantastic performance, really decent prices. The OS isn't amazing but it's good enough, and I at least I know where they are going. With Jobs you don't have a clue. Anyone who depends on him is going to go out of business. Before Rhapsody how many OpenStep development shops were left functioning? One. This past month has been really upsetting. And it didn't need to be.
Steve Jobs said: "We look forward to learning from their experience, and welcoming their customers back into the Apple family."
From: leehinde@hdind.com (Lee Hinde);
Sent at 9/2/97; 11:33:02 AM;
Apple's BuyoutThis comes under the heading of "maintain the propaganda to the end."
Why didn't he say "...welcome their customers to Apple."
I'm trying to figure out what Apple got for its $100 million. From what I can see, it's all intellectual property. Customer lists, licenses and the right to hire people. (Wouldn't you love to be an ex-Apple engineer working at Power who just had her job sold back to Apple? This is why one should never spit in the well.)
I am assuming that Power keeps it's manufacturing capacity so that it can make its win-tel clones.
100 million for:
- a customer list that Apple should already have (since Apple is welcoming them back);
and
- employees who didn't want to work for them in the first place.
Here's a copy of a letter I sent to Pam Pfiffner of MacUser. I feel like I'm watching a snake (Apple) devour my pet dog (Mac OS). Horrifying, but too fascinating not to watch.
From: filmat11@gate.net (Philly);
Sent at 9/2/97; 1:10:41 PM;
more on licensingPamela -
Interesting to note that the three things that constitute your reasons for Why Macs Rule on the cover of the October MacUser have all been shot down by Apple.
The first CHRP machine - Apple has blocked Motorola from getting it into the hands of the users.
The fastest processor - Power Computing's G3 machine was ready to deliver to users - stopped by Apple. By putting Power out of the Mac business, Apple has also blocked users from getting the Arthur-based laptop Power was waving around at MacWorld Expo.
The Most - variety of sources for Mac OS systems. One down, how many more to go? Keep those users from having a choice, having access to state-of-the-art.
The common theme here is that Apple is desperately trying to bolster its fortunes at the expense of its users, the people who actually made Apple more than a footnote in computer history.
Apple can't compete, so it hurts the users, forcing them to buy over-priced, last-generation technology.
Apple has bought out Power, the leader in advancing the state-of-the-art in Mac systems and the leader in providing value to the users. Apple is the company that is utterly incapable of forecasting demand for anything properly. Apple fans are thrilled by Apple's sales of 1.2 million copies of OS 8, but I haven't seen a single mention of the fact that Apple totally blew the forecast of how much demand there would be. They weren't 10% off, they weren't 20% or even 50% off, they were 400% off. Apple will pull the same inept marketing with the new systems it has co-opted from Power.
The three things that "bolster my confidence that the Mac has staying power", as you write in your column, have all been crippled by Apple itself. The Mac does have to potential to have staying power, but only if is saved from the suicidal behavior of Apple. It's like seeing a brilliant and beautiful child abused by and increasingly senile and mentally ill parent, but nothing can be done because, after all, the parent owns the child.
I have a very bad feeling that this will be looked back upon as the beginning of the end for Apple. On the bright side, the stock value will go down so far that it shouldn't be difficult for a company that can bring excitement and marketing and manufacturing ability to the Mac OS to buy out Apple for pennies on the current dollar.
Going down the road feeling bad....
I'm sure a friend in the high end graphics business with ten Power Computing boxes feels great about his investment just now.
From: zellmer@virtualproperties.com (Jim Zellmer);
Sent at 9/2/97; 11:51:43 AM;
realityMeanwhile, the other 95 (or is it 97%?) of computerdom moves on. The compelling economics of the wintel platform will see more players. HP recently announced that it will transition users over time from it's PA-RISC platform to Intel's Merced 64 bit architecture.
More UNIX vendors are moving in this direction. Ironically, I attended Siggraph last month in LA and noticed that IBM's display was littered with wintel boxes running NT, with only one (that I could find) RS/6000 PPC box and an SGI.
Your business plan is right on the money. A user friendly interface for Win32. One question. How often will MS change the API's to make this game difficult?
What idiots. On both sides. Apple for nuking their business, and Power Computing for nuking THEIR business, and then taking a pittance for the shards. Idiots.
From: tgoodrich@bny1.bloomberg.com (Tucker D. Goodrich);
Sent at 9/2/97; 11:36:34 AM;
Apple/Power Comp.At what stage is Apple going to learn to compete? Apple would have been better off with Power as a competitor, or even as the main manufacturer of Apple machines, and they could have focused on the OS. Don't you agree?
From: evert@netfx.co.za (Evert S. de Ruiter);
Sent at 9/2/97; 4:55:45 PM;
Apple buys Power Computing: another smart move? NOT!My opinion: This is a sad day for users of the MacOS. Apple has proven time and time again that it cannot produce cheap, reliable, leading edge computers. This purchase is not about developing a direct sales model, it is really about squelching competition.
From: dbw11@cornell.edu (David Weingart);
Sent at 9/2/97; 10:52:57 AM;
Apple buys Power Computing's licenseWho will fight back for the Mac now? Steve Jobs? He doesn't even use a Mac.
What the Hell do they think they're up to? How bizarre! They'll eat their best competitor, cut off the rest, and ride their horse into the sunset... till it dies of starvation.
From: spiff@edventure.com (Jerry Michalski);
Sent at 9/2/97; 11:41:53 AM;
Apple buys Power Computing!?!?