A Parallel (Apple) Universe Ilias Kountoupis |
Enhanced with the new MobileMe service and the
iPhone 3G, Apple offers the end-user the capability and
freedom to create his/her personal and private network
branded by the bitten Apple. Yet, here is where some
problems begin. With the current speculation that
technology and the internet is moving towards an
ideological “open-source” future, Apple is taking a step
backwards. In order to unlock the full potential of the
Apple offerings, a user must purchase Mac hardware
and software. And once the user makes this choice,
he/she enters a parallel universe. In a way, 'once you
go Mac, you can never come back.'
Mac users don’t only comprise a tech community, but a
whole new movement. There is something about the
bitten Apple logo that makes people feel more creative
and eclectic, a part of an ever-growing, yet somewhat
elite team. Joining the Mac cult might take a toll in a
user’s life, because most applications work only with
mac-oriented hardware, thus limiting the freedom to
use one's favorite software with the products of one's
choice. Definitely, the evolutionary step of installing
Windows Os in Mac computers is an enjoyable relief,
but still the user doesn’t have many options. The
imposed-by-Apple limits on hardware and software are
what is keeping the company from fulfilling total global
potential. The greatest example of this is the iPhone.
The iPhone 3G is Apple’s relaunched promise to
converge a mobile phone, an iPod and an internet
device. It certainly provides some terrific and
attractive characteristics, but the company’s assertion
that the iPhone revolutionizes mobile telephony is not
accurate. To begin with, in order to be able to use all of
the iPhone features, a potential customer must sign up
with a specific telecommunications carrier. This applies
to every country in which the iPhone is available. In
addition, in some countries, the device will be locked
(again) to prevent it from being used with other service
providers. Not only that, the MobileMe service will be
accessible only from Mac computers, PCs, iPhones and
iPod Touch, leaving all the other mobile manufacturers
out of this “game”.
So, in a world where openness and transparency are
highly valued and praised, is it a good business ploy for
Apple to remain 'technologically segregated'? Instead
of defying Microsoft’s history, isn’t just about the right
time for Apple to learn some valuable lessons and
make its own place in the annals of technology?
July 2008
iPhone 3G, Apple offers the end-user the capability and
freedom to create his/her personal and private network
branded by the bitten Apple. Yet, here is where some
problems begin. With the current speculation that
technology and the internet is moving towards an
ideological “open-source” future, Apple is taking a step
backwards. In order to unlock the full potential of the
Apple offerings, a user must purchase Mac hardware
and software. And once the user makes this choice,
he/she enters a parallel universe. In a way, 'once you
go Mac, you can never come back.'
Mac users don’t only comprise a tech community, but a
whole new movement. There is something about the
bitten Apple logo that makes people feel more creative
and eclectic, a part of an ever-growing, yet somewhat
elite team. Joining the Mac cult might take a toll in a
user’s life, because most applications work only with
mac-oriented hardware, thus limiting the freedom to
use one's favorite software with the products of one's
choice. Definitely, the evolutionary step of installing
Windows Os in Mac computers is an enjoyable relief,
but still the user doesn’t have many options. The
imposed-by-Apple limits on hardware and software are
what is keeping the company from fulfilling total global
potential. The greatest example of this is the iPhone.
The iPhone 3G is Apple’s relaunched promise to
converge a mobile phone, an iPod and an internet
device. It certainly provides some terrific and
attractive characteristics, but the company’s assertion
that the iPhone revolutionizes mobile telephony is not
accurate. To begin with, in order to be able to use all of
the iPhone features, a potential customer must sign up
with a specific telecommunications carrier. This applies
to every country in which the iPhone is available. In
addition, in some countries, the device will be locked
(again) to prevent it from being used with other service
providers. Not only that, the MobileMe service will be
accessible only from Mac computers, PCs, iPhones and
iPod Touch, leaving all the other mobile manufacturers
out of this “game”.
So, in a world where openness and transparency are
highly valued and praised, is it a good business ploy for
Apple to remain 'technologically segregated'? Instead
of defying Microsoft’s history, isn’t just about the right
time for Apple to learn some valuable lessons and
make its own place in the annals of technology?
July 2008
A month has passed since Steve Jobs’ latest keynote
speech during the opening ceremony of the World Wide
Developers Conference in San Francisco. Despite the
malicious rumors about Jobs’ health, he succeeded in
presenting another captivating and passionate speech.
The “main course” was none other than the second
generation iPhone 3G. Yet, the announcement of the
MobileMe service was what a stuck a chord with
everyone. MobileMe is the new .Mac service wherein
along with the already known features (virtual hard
drives, personal websites created by iWeb, e-mail
addresses, online photo galleries, etc.) a new over-the-air
synchronization of contacts, e-mails and calendar entries
has been added.
Since the brand’s reinvention in the late 90s and early
2000s, Apple products are considered to be more of a
lifestyle choice. Apple has attempted to gain a larger
share of the high-tech market with aggressive online
and TV ads, product placement in top-selling movies and
popular TV shows and the exhibit of celebrities captured
using Apple merchandise. In addition, contemporary
product design, user-friendly multimedia products and
services, improved compatibility with the present
computational infrastructure, and product placement in
influential retail stores, have all spearheaded Apple’s
revamped attempt to gain a larger share of the high-tech
market.
Recent research shows that Apple has employed a very
successful strategy. The iPod has become the multimedia
players industry standard, the iPhone has already gained
a large share of the mobile phone market, and the
population of Mac computers’ users is proliferating
globally. Yet, the biggest success of Apple Inc. is the
high sense of convergence among products, services and
applications and the deep integration of all the above
into the life of the common user.
speech during the opening ceremony of the World Wide
Developers Conference in San Francisco. Despite the
malicious rumors about Jobs’ health, he succeeded in
presenting another captivating and passionate speech.
The “main course” was none other than the second
generation iPhone 3G. Yet, the announcement of the
MobileMe service was what a stuck a chord with
everyone. MobileMe is the new .Mac service wherein
along with the already known features (virtual hard
drives, personal websites created by iWeb, e-mail
addresses, online photo galleries, etc.) a new over-the-air
synchronization of contacts, e-mails and calendar entries
has been added.
Since the brand’s reinvention in the late 90s and early
2000s, Apple products are considered to be more of a
lifestyle choice. Apple has attempted to gain a larger
share of the high-tech market with aggressive online
and TV ads, product placement in top-selling movies and
popular TV shows and the exhibit of celebrities captured
using Apple merchandise. In addition, contemporary
product design, user-friendly multimedia products and
services, improved compatibility with the present
computational infrastructure, and product placement in
influential retail stores, have all spearheaded Apple’s
revamped attempt to gain a larger share of the high-tech
market.
Recent research shows that Apple has employed a very
successful strategy. The iPod has become the multimedia
players industry standard, the iPhone has already gained
a large share of the mobile phone market, and the
population of Mac computers’ users is proliferating
globally. Yet, the biggest success of Apple Inc. is the
high sense of convergence among products, services and
applications and the deep integration of all the above
into the life of the common user.
www.harlotssauce.com
