If you take Apple at its word, the company has no long-term strategy of aiming its products beyond its traditional markets. That message was repeated every which way I posed the question to Jon Rubinstein, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, when we sat down at the 2004 Macworld. In the context of an Xserve road map, I asked Rubinstein whether Apple built products with a target audience in mind. The answer was no. “It was our customers who asked us to build these products,” Rubinstein said. It seems video editors in particular wanted more performance, he added.
Apple’s Mouth says ‘No’ to Enterprise, Yet Other Signs Point to ‘Yes’
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
If you remember the introduction of the first XServe, it was not presented by an IT guy at all. It was introduced by the QuickTime guys. It had a dual purpose of 1) storage, and 2) to render video. It works very well with FInal Cuts distributed rendering (where you use other computers on a network to help render large files, whether the computer is being used by someone else or not, it uses the unused clock cycles). The XServe provides a cost effective way of achieving both purposes. They sell it with OS X Server so that it can also be used as a web or network server, and it’s slowly being adopted as one, which is probably why they got it Linux certified. The XServe RAID is just a addition.
apple is full of it. of course they want to get into the enterprise. They probably just want prove out their xserve machines in other segments first. this classic strategy. they are commercializing their potential enterprise products in niche segments (which happen to earn them a lot better than niche PR). They’ll push mainstream later.
then again, might that piss off IBM?
Even though I would hate to see OS X Client on anything but Apple hardware, I would love to see OS X Server running on IBM’s Power4 (chip the G5 is based on) based servers.
I needed a high specification UNIX server that was multi-processor, preferably a 64 bit system with a decent amount of disk capacity and RAM with support for both the hardware and software from the maufacturer.
I am not an Apple fan in the enterprise, but Apple beat Sun by a long shot, and I ended up purchasing an Xserve G5 dual 2GHz and a 1.7Tb Xserve RAID lots of RAM and with 36 months of support for the hardware and software from Apple.
My point being, if Apple are not trying right now, I can’t wait for them to really focus on the enterprise.
The latest MacOSX builds have stubs for (c2 style) audit analysis capabilities – based roughly on Solaris BSM. If that’s not targetting the enterprise audience, nothing is.
Well they have to use that R&D money for something, why not enterprise stuff??? THey already have cool looking computers, a cool mp3 player, the best laptops, and arguably a kick ass OS.
So they were bored and needed something else to work on
The enterprise market is saturated as is. Every body and their brother is trying to break into the enterprise market. Apple should stick to making shiny toys.
They are probably just getting all of their ducks in a row first. Including volume of CPUs and verifying that everything works as they think it does. It sounds like Apple is barely or not quite keeping up with demand for G5 chips. Remember that they came out with the 1.8 Ghz dual G5 because of so much market demand for dual 2.0 Ghz G5s….
#BEGIN_RANT
If there is one thing Apple said correctly, it is that they are not ready for the Enterprise in terms of price! Its like buying a Sun workstation! While they have a killer product(?), OS X, their pricing scheme blows and as a result people and corporations will go towards what I believe is cheaper! Linux anyone?!
I have always said it, if Apple products(hardware) was cheaper, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I believe that their server software kicks hynie but they need to do something with their pricing. Their market share is dwindling and it seems like Jobs and Co. doesn’t care much about it. All he cares about is making great speeches, making more expensive products and not worrying about his user base. Just my rant. . . .
#END_RANT
Yeah! Right! Everybody knows Apple is expensive. It cannot be otherwise. It has to be. How dares Apple have one of the most interesting offer on the market? And the market share must be dwindling, yes!
We all know Apple is doomed, and certainly irrelevant. That’s why we don’t care about this:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/top_news_item.cfm?NewsID=7721
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=7652
http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/main_news.cfm?NewsID=7731
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=1107004047&fp=16&fpid=…
Granted most of these news are coming from a Mac site, they are most certainly lies.
Great. And if Bently would lower their prices to my pocketbook range (and keep all of the quality, etc.) I would consider buying one. What’s new.
“The enterprise market is saturated as is. Every body and their brother is trying to break into the enterprise market. Apple should stick to making shiny toys.”
John Galt, stick to making dumb comments, its what you are good at.
The horsepower for enterprise computiing is there as well as the disk space. I am not convinced that MacOSX Server is ready however.
Apple should stick to making expensive fancy toys for rich, insecure people of below average intelligence.
Oh boy! I guess you’ve been living under a bridge all your life. Let me tell you something kid, Rich folks aren’t insecure and have below average intelligence. They are normal people like everybody else.
You need a good psychologist.
“Didn’t Apple say two seconds ago they wanted to be a music company? Now they want to be an enterprise company? Did their last round of budget cuts accidently cut the CEO’s meds?”
And why can’t they focus on more than one thing at a time? They have plenty of spare cash, and their server software has been winning awards left and right.
“It will take Apple years to build an enterprise OS and all the software that goes along with an enterprise OS. Apple is clueless and doesn’t understand what it takes to build an enterprise system. It is not a core competency of the company.”
They already have 90% of the software, which has been in development longer than Linux has been an idea (ie- NeXTStep – OPENStep – OS X Server).
“When it comes to ISV’s, who will want to support an OS with zero market share? And why would they support an OS where the chief profit taker rips them off just like the Microsoft world? ”
First off, marketshare has nothing to do with anything, so long as they make a profit and continute to grow (which they are) they won’t go anywhere. And go check your prices again. XServe and XServe RAID are a lot cheaper than almost anyone else, gig for gig. It’s a 64 bit server running award winning software which is much cheaper than Windows ($1000 for unlimited license). It doesn’t cost nearly as much as a Miscrosft solution does. The hardware is also certified to run the main Linux distros.
“Apple should stick to making expensive fancy toys for rich, insecure people of below average intelligence.”
Sounds like you are pretty insecure and ignorant to me. Even the die-hard Apple haters give props to the PowerBooks for price as well as quality.
“Apple should stick to making expensive fancy toys for rich, insecure people of below average intelligence.
Oh boy! I guess you’ve been living under a bridge all your life. Let me tell you something kid, Rich folks aren’t insecure and have below average intelligence. They are normal people like everybody else.
You need a good psychologist.”
Good point. If you have such an above average intellegence Humpty Dumpty, then why aren’t your kids rich?
Apple should stick to making expensive fancy toys for rich, insecure people of below average intelligence.
Well, buying crappy, always unoptimized huge boxes that are destined to be dusted piece of trash in 1 year, is very wise you say?
And, boy, you have to be smart to be rich. I have never heard an argument as yours. And I am sorry for you.
If you think that you are smart because you can make a movie player run in Linux, good for you.
Apple people tend to spend their time on making money while you are playing with your BIOS to make your system work properly.
Although I am a veteran Linux user and love using it; lets face it. The `ultimate computing machine` is Apple. In any aspect, they are ahead of PC world.
And about being an enterprise cmpany..
Sun’s operating system does not even have a 0.001 percent share, but they are an enterprise company.
In enterprise, what counts is your track record. As an IT Manager, you have to convince your CEO to pay millions for your choice of platform. To do that, you give references.
That is why apple is first trying to push its Xserve and G5 stuff in its land first. It is easy to convince a graphics studio to build apple servers than it is for a database company.
First, they will let Xserve penetrate to Music, entertainment and creative sectors. Also, Universities (ref. Virginia Tech Supercomputer). While doing that, Mac OSX Server will be even more mature and will be a proven system.
Then, expect Apple to push in enterprise space. Because than , they will have plenty of cases of deployment.
Simple idea. You first fill up your CV, then apply for good jobs.
“The average Mac user is wealthier than the average computer owner. I would attribute the wealth mostly to having a trust fund, not to having earned it. Most Mac owners I know have never worked a day in their lives. How many computer owners have time and money to take tea with the Dalai Lama? Only Mac owners.”
So these rich kids with trust funds some how managed to not attend good schools? And never worked a day in their lives? That’s just stupid. I can introduce you to tens of thousands of Mac users who work 5 days a week, just check out Spymac. And that Dalai Lama thing, wow. Seems like if you have only noticed rich people using Macs, maybe it’s that Mac that helped them get all that money.
“As for the intelligence, it is rather obvious isn’t it? Why do you think Apple has to dumb down the UI so much? And the one button mouse? And the references to drug culture in the Apple ads?”
How is a well designed UI a dumbed down UI? I’ve always considered any UI that requires a second button to access hidden features is in a deep need for a redesign. Tell you what, you name a single UI that’s more effecient than OS X and I’ll shut up and leave this site forever. The drug reference, well the only one I can think of was that one switch commercial, but if you found some more you may want to chalk it up to the company being founded by hippies.
“Most Mac users don’t have the brain cells left to operate a real computer, so they need a computer with training wheels.”
Is that how they get rich? Lol. If it’s got training wheels than how come it can get more done faster than anything else?
“It is obvious Apple customers are wealthy (they can afford Apple high prices), have loads of discretionary time (i.e. can rip/mix/burn and mess with their iPod all day), and are below par intelligence (all Mac software is dumbed down). ”
Apple’s prices really aren’t that high considered what you get. And if you’ve ever used an iPod you’d know that it doesn’t take all day. In fact it only takes a few seconds due to the great UI (or as you would call it, dumbed down). So let me ask you, what Apple software is dumbed down? Examples please.
“Just because a person can afford to buy a luxury item does not make them a smart person or a good person. Owning a Mac is just a prestige purchase, mostly for rich people who want a computer that normal people cannot afford. It’s no wonder that outside America and EU, no one respect Mac.”
A prestige purchase, huh? So pretty much everyone involved in media creation, print/prepess, advertising, pro audio, and pro video are using computers as a status symbol? Funny, I thought it was because Macs are the only ones that can handle most of those tasks effeciently.
So how is a $2000 computer so out of the question that only the super elite can afford one? Grow up and get a job.
yeah im rich i have a mac. eh back to reality
im a student i have a mac and some pcs and other stuff i work extra so i can afford my stuff. i have alot of friend that owns mac machines and not one of them have a trust fond they work 8h+ each day to afford thier stuff.
osx is very much built the unix way everything that you can
make from the gui you can make from the cli.
and atleast they dont arent heavy users of wizards.
im a mac user so are i to dumb to use a real computer
i gues i have to throw away my old sgi my old decstations
and my hp9000 server then
“Simple idea. You first fill up your CV, then apply for good jobs.”
exactly!
I’ve said this before, one of the reasons I switched from OSX to Linux is because Apple did not, and still doesn’t, have a inexpensive SOHO server offering. There are a lot of Mac shops, schools, or plain Mac users out there who I think are looking for Apple to build a sub $500 server.
A 800MHz G3, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD, and a CD-RW would work just fine as an email, priter, and file server. Dell, Gateway, IBM, and HP all have entry level servers for less than $500, Apple users are stuck with an $1800 G5 which is overkill.
My $.02
“I’ve said this before, one of the reasons I switched from OSX to Linux is because Apple did not, and still doesn’t, have a inexpensive SOHO server offering. There are a lot of Mac shops, schools, or plain Mac users out there who I think are looking for Apple to build a sub $500 server.
A 800MHz G3, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD, and a CD-RW would work just fine as an email, priter, and file server. Dell, Gateway, IBM, and HP all have entry level servers for less than $500, Apple users are stuck with an $1800 G5 which is overkill.
My $.02”
And not a one of those sub $500 servers offers a complete set up. They are, like you said, an email/printer/file server. Nothing more. Dell, Gateway, IBM, and HP cover those markets perfectly. Apple covers the other end of the spectrum. Apple, at least under Jobs control, has always strived to provide a complete solution, and it just wouldn’t be a Mac is it wasn’t. If you want something less, buy a Dell, that’s why they exist.
And not a one of those sub $500 servers offers a complete set up. They are, like you said, an email/printer/file server. Nothing more. Dell, Gateway, IBM, and HP cover those markets perfectly. Apple covers the other end of the spectrum. Apple, at least under Jobs control, has always strived to provide a complete solution, and it just wouldn’t be a Mac is it wasn’t. If you want something less, buy a Dell, that’s why they exist.
There are a lot of great companies out there that provide complete solutions, Dell is one of them. As an owner of 6 Macs and a Dell, I think Dell has a lot more to offer than Apple.
My 4 year old Dell is much more expandable than my 9 month iBook. I just upgraded my wireless network to 802.11G. The Dell had no problems, it works perfectly with any 802.11G PC Card. My iBook on the other hand is stuck with the old Airport card. There is only one wireless card manufacturer for Macs and that is Apple and they have no intention on selling 802.11G cards for older Macs. I’m SOL.
On the enterprise side, Dell has put a considerable amount of thought into how business users use their laptop. Dell’s Latitude line of notebooks have media bays instead of fixed CD-RWs. The media bay allows you to swap in a second hard drive, a DVD burner, or even a second battery for extra long mobile computing. Dell also offers a number of different docking stations so business users have all the comforts of a desktop, things such as 100BaseT, a real screen, keyboard and mouse. Apple’s Powerbook line seem to be missing those features.
I know, I know, docking stations are so Dou-dock-ish, but our department wouldn’t even have laptops if it wasn’t for the docking stations.
Finally, the Dell warranty is a 3 year onsite warranty. If your employees are total clods, you can get the “complete care” for $170 more. Complete care covers the everyday things like spilling coffee on the keyboard or backing over it with the company car.
Apple has always been a company that has created products that have wowed “us”, however, businesses aren’t easily wowed. Businesses are concerned about their bottom line, not the sweet looking X server sitting in the machine room. Apple and the Mac faithful need to realize that.
…that I must be rich, stupid and insecure judged by the previous comments yet I have 2 degrees, I mingle with people and … well lets just say that I haven;t a dime to spare since I am paying off my student loans… EXCELLENT analogy *fool*
“My 4 year old Dell is much more expandable than my 9 month iBook. I just upgraded my wireless network to 802.11G. The Dell had no problems, it works perfectly with any 802.11G PC Card. My iBook on the other hand is stuck with the old Airport card. There is only one wireless card manufacturer for Macs and that is Apple and they have no intention on selling 802.11G cards for older Macs. I’m SOL.”
You can put other brands of wireless cards into a Mac, just as you can put other brands of RAM.
“On the enterprise side, Dell has put a considerable amount of thought into how business users use their laptop. Dell’s Latitude line of notebooks have media bays instead of fixed CD-RWs. The media bay allows you to swap in a second hard drive, a DVD burner, or even a second battery for extra long mobile computing. Dell also offers a number of different docking stations so business users have all the comforts of a desktop, things such as 100BaseT, a real screen, keyboard and mouse. Apple’s Powerbook line seem to be missing those features. ”
I personally don’t like the media bay thing becuase of how much bulk it adds to a laptop. Just try fitting one in a laptop thats under an inch thick.
And PowerBooks have docking stations also.
http://www.technowarehousellc.com/powdocstat.html
“Finally, the Dell warranty is a 3 year onsite warranty. If your employees are total clods, you can get the “complete care” for $170 more. Complete care covers the everyday things like spilling coffee on the keyboard or backing over it with the company car.”
Hence Dells 28% return rate on laptops.
“Apple has always been a company that has created products that have wowed “us”, however, businesses aren’t easily wowed. Businesses are concerned about their bottom line, not the sweet looking X server sitting in the machine room. Apple and the Mac faithful need to realize that.”
They haven’t been going after businesses since the 80s. Like I said, they aren’t making computers for the low end like that. Dell fills that spot nicely.
A friend of mine just purchased a Mac. She is a waitress in Brooklyn.
As for me I have no degree and have owned several Macs in my lifetime.
These Macs are unaffordable/unattainable comments are pure BS. If you have a job and are willing to work and save I think you would be surprised what you can do with your money.
They [Apple] haven’t been going after businesses since the 80s…they aren’t making computers for the low end like that.
I guess that is why Apple’s market share continues to dwindle. Fewer and fewer people are willing to pay a preimum for technology that will be obsolete in 6 months. Businesses are extremely sensitive to this.
“I guess that is why Apple’s market share continues to dwindle. Fewer and fewer people are willing to pay a preimum for technology that will be obsolete in 6 months. Businesses are extremely sensitive to this.”
Share in which market? They are doing extremely well in many markets. Look into pro video, pro audio, print, prepress, design, advertising, multimedia creation, they have huge marketshare in those markets. If they were competing in the business market they would make a low end sub-$500 headless box. But they don’t make those, they make computers for the markets they are in, all of which they are doing extremely well in, some of which they could easily be considered a monopoly in.