There's no doubt that Microsoft -- er -- learned a great deal from Apple. As Steve Jobs used to say (quoting Picasso) "Good artists copy, great artists steal." I guess my quoting that is in itself stealing from Apple; it just never ends, does it?:-)
I once made a t-shirt that boldly proclaimed that "Windows 95 Sucks Less," and handed it out at a MacWorld conference, to attendees of a seminar on Windows Programming for Mac Developers. It was a popular seminar, and a very popular t-shirt. It subsequently won an award for "best t-shirt of the year."
Of course, it was a rip-off of an earlier shirt made by an Apple employee. The original shirt said "System 7.0 Sucks Less," and had much better graphic design (of course) and heavier fabric. It used white letters on a black shirt, so of course mine used black letters on a white shirt, to get that true Bizarro inversion.
The original shirt was never official or even sanctioned by Apple; it was an underground project of just one guy. In fact, once it became popular enough, Apple's marketing staff squashed it, lest it send out the wrong message -- you know, implying that Apple people thinked different, or somesuch anathema positioning.
So the original shirt's creator -- Rothenberg? Do I have that name right? -- eventually found me at the Windows programming seminar, quite upset. Eventually it became clear that much of his angst came from disgust at Apple's having squashed the idea, thus leaving it JUST LAYING THERE for Microsoft to steal! He seemed happy (albeit conflicted) that Microsoft had vindicated the coolness of his idea, and rammed it right up Apple's management's fundamental orifice.
So, we made a deal, he and I. He got a shiny new Dell computer, loaded with lots of nifty Microsoft software -- including a complete development system -- and I got the the right to paraphrase his original shirt. We both left the conference happy.
Which just goes to show you: in those days at least, we could steal the clothes right off of Apple's back, and Apple would give us a license to their look and feel. There's no justice in the world, no justice at all.
(tongue now poking completely through cheek)
Re:If MS were to use such strategies, would anyone
on
Platform Evangelism
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· Score: 1
Serial monopoly seems to have been the norm in high tech thus far -- you have it all until you lose it all. Moore's Law keeps upping the ante, providing new paradigms the opportunity to displace the old. This seems unlikely to stop anytime soon.
Microsoft is likely to collapse under its own weight, undercut by a nimble new player backing a new paradigm. That player would have to know how to manage network effects, of course -- preferably without looking like it's managing network effects.:-)
Slashdot Mirror
There's no doubt that Microsoft -- er -- learned a great deal from Apple. As Steve Jobs used to say (quoting Picasso) "Good artists copy, great artists steal." I guess my quoting that is in itself stealing from Apple; it just never ends, does it? :-)
I once made a t-shirt that boldly proclaimed that "Windows 95 Sucks Less," and handed it out at a MacWorld conference, to attendees of a seminar on Windows Programming for Mac Developers. It was a popular seminar, and a very popular t-shirt. It subsequently won an award for "best t-shirt of the year."
Of course, it was a rip-off of an earlier shirt made by an Apple employee. The original shirt said "System 7.0 Sucks Less," and had much better graphic design (of course) and heavier fabric. It used white letters on a black shirt, so of course mine used black letters on a white shirt, to get that true Bizarro inversion.
The original shirt was never official or even sanctioned by Apple; it was an underground project of just one guy. In fact, once it became popular enough, Apple's marketing staff squashed it, lest it send out the wrong message -- you know, implying that Apple people thinked different, or somesuch anathema positioning.
So the original shirt's creator -- Rothenberg? Do I have that name right? -- eventually found me at the Windows programming seminar, quite upset. Eventually it became clear that much of his angst came from disgust at Apple's having squashed the idea, thus leaving it JUST LAYING THERE for Microsoft to steal! He seemed happy (albeit conflicted) that Microsoft had vindicated the coolness of his idea, and rammed it right up Apple's management's fundamental orifice.
So, we made a deal, he and I. He got a shiny new Dell computer, loaded with lots of nifty Microsoft software -- including a complete development system -- and I got the the right to paraphrase his original shirt. We both left the conference happy.
Which just goes to show you: in those days at least, we could steal the clothes right off of Apple's back, and Apple would give us a license to their look and feel. There's no justice in the world, no justice at all.
(tongue now poking completely through cheek)
Serial monopoly seems to have been the norm in high tech thus far -- you have it all until you lose it all. Moore's Law keeps upping the ante, providing new paradigms the opportunity to displace the old. This seems unlikely to stop anytime soon. Microsoft is likely to collapse under its own weight, undercut by a nimble new player backing a new paradigm. That player would have to know how to manage network effects, of course -- preferably without looking like it's managing network effects. :-)