http://www.canada.com/technology/story.html?id=C4573230-4B60-4F1D-9901-D1B26D4D2C6CStory
Apple can't recall Jobs to fix company this time
Mac users not on radar
Robert Thompson
Financial Post
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Few will miss the irony that I am actually writing this column on one of Apple' Computer Inc.'s iBook laptops.
But it was the upgrade to a new Apple iBook which finally convinced me that the company is finished. Apple, once a dominant force in the personal computer arena, appears to have no influence on the market and the only people still using its computers are masochists who apparently don't want access to much of the latest software.
I have spent the last few years toiling on an old PowerMac, a clunky ancient machine that was slow and unreliable. But newspapers are hesitant to buy new computers, so I continued to churn out stories on the unpredictable machine. I suppose at the time it was purchased, my beleaguered PowerMac was cutting edge, but in today's terms it was more powerful as a paperweight than a computer.
But my despised PowerMac was also built in a time before the Internet and multimedia became everyday experiences, so some of its issues could be forgiven.
When I upgraded to the brand-spanking new iBook, I was full of big expectations. I expected computer nirvana, especially given all the hype around newer Apple computers like the iMac. But it didn't take long for those expectations to be dashed.
First of all, my iBook didn't like the software I needed to run my Palm M515. Crashes and screen seizures were regular occurrences. And the iBook doesn't play well with a lot of things that are part of the Microsoft world.
Now some would say the problem with my Palm software is an issue for Palm Inc., not Apple. In fact the buggy Palm software demonstrates an important issue that is currently facing Apple -- third party manufacturers have stopped caring about Mac users. Software developed for the Macintosh platform is often a last-minute consideration, or worse, not even considered at all.
The problem with lacklustre third party development has prompted Apple to create its own browser, which it calls Safari. Some industry watchers feel the development and release of Safari is an indication that Apple is being forced to become more actively involved in software development.
Of course all of these technological issues have led to business issues for Apple. Unlike competitors Hewlett-Packard Co. or even Dell Computer Corp., Apple relies primarily on personal computer sales, often to graphics and business professionals.
The reality is that computer sales are flat and Apple isn't immune to the problems that face the rest of the PC industry.
In its latest numbers released in January for its fiscal first quarter of 2003, revenue fell from a year earlier and all of the company's major computer lines saw diminished numbers. PowerMac sales were down 20%, while iBook sales fell 8%.
At the same time Apple's sales were falling, PC sales rose, though just slightly, according to figures from IDC released last month.
The last time Apple was in this state, it brought back co-founder Steve Jobs to fix its issues. He fostered the development of the iMac and secured a US$150-million investment from Microsoft. But there aren't any new iMacs in Apple's future and Microsoft, bolstered by its victory over the U.S. Department of Justice, is clearly not going to help the beleaguered computer maker this time.
So what have you got left? Apple is a company that controls around 3% of the computer market, has recently undergone a restructuring and is slowly fading into nothingness. Software makers don't even have Mac users on their radar and it's not like Apple can bring Mr. Jobs back to right the ship this time -- he's already there.
Stick a fork in 'em -- this Apple is cooked.
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