Monday, April 2, 2001		On Hardware

Mac OS X — ‘bite’ from Apple…
By Faisal Islam

MEMBERS of the "Apple Mac community" gathered at a London computer showroom last week to celebrate its second coming — the arrival of Mac OS X, Apple’s competitor to Microsoft’s Windows software. And it’s not just the legions of loyal "Mac-heads," who have been waiting for the new operating system. Apple itself has suffered more than most from the softening US economy and made clear strategic mistakes to boot. In the first quarter of its financial year (from October to December), it registered a loss of $ 247 million, its first since the return of founder Steve Jobs as CEO in 1997. After riding high for three years, Apple’s share price tumbled last autumn, when sluggish performance was first revealed. At $ 21, it stands at less than half of September’s level.

This weekend’s release of Mac OS X ("X" is a Roman numeral rather than a letter) crowns Apple’s attempts to draw a line under recent problems and return to profitability in the current quarter. "Mac OS X is the most important software from Apple since the original Macintosh operating system in 1984 that revolutionised the entire industry," says Jobs.

"A plain way of explaining it is that OS X will be doing inside what the iMac has done on the outside. But it’s more than that — it combines the stability with elegance and ease of use," says Pascal Cagni, Apple’s general manager in Europe.

More than 1,00,000 Mac users tested an early version of the software. That process saved the much-loved "Apple button" and clock from extinction.

But the look and foundation of the new system have moved on in most other respects. The software is based on Unix, the industrial-strength operating system used by the Space Shuttle, the military and banks. But Aqua, the front-end, is much more human.

Apple is getting back to basics, so they say, returning to what it has always been loved for — ease of use. The focus on aesthetics has not disappeared but there was always going to be a limit. That appears to be the lesson from the flop of its much-hyped Cube computer, which has sold a fewer than 1,00,000 worldwide despite exciting the design-freaks. Apple has been telling investors that it will focus on these core areas — creative industries, design, education, and SoHo — not the place but users who work in a Small office — Home office.

Apple has been without doubt the lead innovator in the home computer industry - the first to use the graphical user interface that inspired Windows, the first to use CD-ROMs, 3.5 inch floppies, laser printers, and groundbreaking exterior design. Attracting software applications will be key to the success of the format. Microsoft is the highest-profile among 10,000 developers of 20,000 products, says Apple. Bill Gates’ company is producing a new version of its Office software.
One thing we can be sure of is that the attractive look of its new operating system will be imitated. Competitors always seem to get the biggest bite out of Apple’s innovation.