Microsoft (and others) put our a ton of shareware, free demos, and really turned a blind eye to piracy for a long time until they were in a position to understand the market start to clamp down. There is no doubt that their open approach led to sales and eventually to dominance.
They should be viewing YouTube, MySpace and others as the new distribution model.
They should allow free, or at least economical, views of appropriate videos (videos over 5 years old, etc.)
Personally, I just hit YouTube up for some old 80s Vids and it induced me to actually PAY for an album I had not thought of in years. I still have the vids on my 'favorites', but it led me to buy the CD as well.
Someday a record company is going to break out and offer a model that allows for fiscal gains without the strangle hold on artist and retailers. Someday....
Perhaps Apple is seeking to be more than a niche player and is banking on exposure to convert the newer users to Apple. Apple comes natively with the things that the mass populace wants in better packages than Windows natively offers; itunes, video editing, and web browsing. Start packaging Apple with a two-button mouse so windows users feel at home, with the ability to easily add windows for those that want to try an Apple out, and hope that once the user gets a feel for the Apple product that they convert their friends and family over.
Most families have one or two tech savvy people who handle all their maintenance. If THAT person gravitates to the Apple on a dual boot machine, sees how easy the Apple side is to use, THEY will recommend future Apple only products to their family for ease of maintenance and ease of use.
Sure, it is a gamble. But unless Apple wants to stay a niche PC maker, and a more recent PC accessory gadget (ipod) manufacturer, then they need to try something. They are barely one step above Tandy, and only because Apple had the foresight to sponsor the education systems introduction to PCs and beat out the VT100s and Commadores.
I for one am now seriously considering a dual boot machine in the future. If a vendor ever offers one preloaded with both OS right off the bat with warranty of installation it would be hard for me NOT to try it out, thereby giving Apple one sale they would not have had otherwise.
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Microsoft (and others) put our a ton of shareware, free demos, and really turned a blind eye to piracy for a long time until they were in a position to understand the market start to clamp down. There is no doubt that their open approach led to sales and eventually to dominance. They should be viewing YouTube, MySpace and others as the new distribution model. They should allow free, or at least economical, views of appropriate videos (videos over 5 years old, etc.) Personally, I just hit YouTube up for some old 80s Vids and it induced me to actually PAY for an album I had not thought of in years. I still have the vids on my 'favorites', but it led me to buy the CD as well. Someday a record company is going to break out and offer a model that allows for fiscal gains without the strangle hold on artist and retailers. Someday....
Perhaps Apple is seeking to be more than a niche player and is banking on exposure to convert the newer users to Apple. Apple comes natively with the things that the mass populace wants in better packages than Windows natively offers; itunes, video editing, and web browsing. Start packaging Apple with a two-button mouse so windows users feel at home, with the ability to easily add windows for those that want to try an Apple out, and hope that once the user gets a feel for the Apple product that they convert their friends and family over.
Most families have one or two tech savvy people who handle all their maintenance. If THAT person gravitates to the Apple on a dual boot machine, sees how easy the Apple side is to use, THEY will recommend future Apple only products to their family for ease of maintenance and ease of use.
Sure, it is a gamble. But unless Apple wants to stay a niche PC maker, and a more recent PC accessory gadget (ipod) manufacturer, then they need to try something. They are barely one step above Tandy, and only because Apple had the foresight to sponsor the education systems introduction to PCs and beat out the VT100s and Commadores.
I for one am now seriously considering a dual boot machine in the future.
If a vendor ever offers one preloaded with both OS right off the bat with warranty of installation it would be hard for me NOT to try it out, thereby giving Apple one sale they would not have had otherwise.