Sunday, May 11, 2008

What I think Apple is doing.

I clearly am no expert about Apple's business, but I have been a fan of their products for decades. It seems to me that they are poising themselves to finally topple or take a huge bite out of Microsoft's empire.

With cell phones outselling computers nearly 4 to 1, it seems that the cell phone is becoming the "new platform" for one's digital life. For a while, before cell phones, the personal computer was THE PLATFORM and Microsoft dominated it clearly. Of course Microsoft still is HUGE compared to Apple. Selling 140 million copies of Vista compared to 2 million of OS X. However, with Apples true domination of the cellphone / smartphone market, we could see a shifting of the market and a stealthy behind the scene shift in platform.

If the iPhone starts to DO everything that the market wants it to do, then many won't even get a traditional, stay at home computer. Why get a machine that doesn't travel with you, you have to pay EXTRA for it's Internet connection, and you have to copy files off it if you want to take them with you. I think many consumers will make the choice of an iPhone or an Apple UMPC instead of the traditional computer.

The Apple Air Book and iPhone are a real hint at what Apple could be producing in the next year or two. It seems to be that there needs to be a device that's right in the middle of these two products. A slate sized, ultra mobile PC, that will allow a person to easily take their entire computing, communications and entertainment environment with them seems to be in the product line for Apple. At least, that's what I would be producing if I was Steve Jobs.

Someone is going to do it, and right now, it seems that Apple is the best poised to do this. I think MicroSoft is aware of it and will be in a weak position to do anything about it. Apple has an amazing foot-hold with the iPhone and I look forward to a UMPC product from them. I know that I'll be in line for such a product if it is produced as it will be the best and most history changing device in computing today. Finally, everyone will be connected, where ever they go.