A Look Back at Apple's 2003

Samvit writes "The end of the year is upon us, so it's naturally time for those retrospectives to start coming in. Ars Technica has a fantastic look back at Apple in 2003. 2003 was one of the biggest years for Apple, arguably the biggest in a very long time. Still, Ars is typically fair, so the author lays down not only the good in 2003, but also the bad and the ugly. There's a bit of prognostication going on too--a little something for everyone."

Comments

Huh?

[Shky]

Didn't Apple die? Wait, that was BSD...

I kid, of course..

Very interesting

[downix]

This is also the first year that Apple has had some real competition in the PowerPC market since the 90's. Genesi's Pegasos I and II along with Eyetechs AmigaONE motherboards shipped in volume this past year, giving Apple something to directly threaten their position, even in a very remote manner.

Applause

[blackmonday]

Apple has not been completely succesful this year, but who can deny that it is the most ambitious computer maker? Apple constantly pushes the envelope forward with newer features (FW 800, bluetooth, 17 inch laptop), and the rest of the pack try to clone their offerings in a Windows world. When's the last time Apple had to copy a Dell or Gateway design to stay current?

I actually think next year will be even more interesting, as Apple pursues their music / video strategy. There's rumors of a Pro Tools killer on the way. Go Apple!

Re:Applause

[BWJones]

Apple constantly pushes the envelope forward with newer features (FW 800, bluetooth, 17 inch laptop), and the rest of the pack try to clone their offerings in a Windows world.

Not only these products, but we have Apple to thank for Firewire, being the first to install built in networking in their computers, the first to include CD-ROM drives in computers, the first to include GUI in consumer computers, the first to include plug and play hardware configuration (remember setting all those damn switches when installing hardware cards?), the first to include color support in their computers, their first to......well, you get the idea. One could go on and on here, but I agree. If any company has been responsible for driving growth in the personal computing market, it has certainly been Apple.

What about their bottom-line strategy?

[GeckoFood]

As I read through the article, I saw lots of ooh's and aah's over the cool toys and services they are offering, as well as the integration to certain systems. The iTunes service was acknowledged as their biggest gainer.

Ok, so they have all of this cool technology and neat services. So, now what? How are they working to increase market share and compete with the Wintel market? It's one thing to shore up the market you have, but when that market is relatively small, that leaves one to wonder how to expand. What do they intend to do about a limited market share? The article does not say that. iTunes might be making money for them now, but how will they keep it on top with new competitors emerging?

Re:What about their bottom-line strategy?

[Frymaster]

How are they working to increase market share

and market share is important because why?

the goal of apple is to be a successful, profitable company - not to "beat" windows. bmw and mercedes-benz are successful car companies. and you don't hear the shareholders whining that they're not beating ford on the market shart front...

I recall..

[Guano_Jim]

My head of IT stating that "Apple will be out of business by Christmas."

That was in 1997.

As long as Apple keeps innovating and forcing everyone else to play catch-up, they'll stay in business for many Christmases to come.

One thing Apple has done well is pushing UNIX to the next-level down user, people that might not ordinarily touch the command line.

Since I started working with OSX, I've gotten much more used to dropping into the Terminal to do stuff. It started with ls -aR and now I'm grepping ifconfig to determine my MAC address. It's fun.

Thank you, Apple, for bringing out the inner Unix sysadmin in me. Now all I have to do is grow my hair long again.

The good news!

[Anonymous Coward]

Great article.. But no matter what, I am happy with... My iPod ... My preeecioussssss...

Re:Right Track

[Anonymous Coward]

I have to admit, as a former apple hater, I spent an hour with a friend who has a new G5 and iPod. The G5 is slick, fast, has an OS I felt at home with in minutes, and just looks stunning. Price be damned, I'm buying one.

I also criticized the iPod many times, for its battery life, my distrust of HD based players, and preferance for an iRiver over the iPod, based on cost alone. This one seduced me even quicker than the G5. Hunting through a music library that wasn't even my own was... wow!. I don't know if I can say the build quality is any higher than anything else out there, I didn't spend that much time around it, but if it was revealed that an iPod owner pays a pittance for hardware and hundreds of dollars for a wonderful interface, I would believe it.

And I'd find it worth it. I've already ordered mine.

Re:Right Track

[qw(name)]

Money's money and if I don't have it then I don't get it. :-)

But seriously, if the price were much lower then I probably would splurge for one.

At a Perl conference last year, I'd say the vast majority of laptops were Macs running OS X. That is saying a lot!

Apple has brought us to a new Era

[morelife]

Fire, The Wheel, The Industrial Age, Xanadu, The Information Age, and finally, in 2004, the Brushed Metal Age.