June 6th, 2005

Computers

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R. I. P. Macintosh

I wish Steve Jobs had bit the bullet today, and announced in plain English that Apple Computer is dropping out of the computer business.

That’s not what he said, but I’m convinced that’s what happened today. Normally, I would add that I hope I’ll be proven wrong. This time, I’m not so sure that success in Apple’s transition to monopolist Intel’s CPUs would be preferable to the end of the company’s computer line.

The point of the microcomputer revolution that started in the 1970s was that ordinary people could have complete control of computer power that had previously been available only to governments and big corporations. Once that revolution was well entrenched, Microsoft and other software vendors started trying to take that control back, with things like product activation, active updates and “digital rights management” (DRM) everywhere. Apple has always been an oasis from these anti-customer efforts. However, one apparent reason for Apple’s move to Intel now is that Intel is building DRM capabilities into their CPUs, helping ensure that, although you may have paid for the computer, someone else will control what you can do with it.

In the past year or so, Macintosh sales seemed to be inching up. Now, sales of existing Macs are going to crater. The new machines won’t ship until about the time that Microsoft’s continually-postponed Longhorn operating system does. The first Macintels will ship in about a year. The entire line won’t be converted for two and a half years. During that time, nobody will want to buy machines that Apple has already abandoned. Promises of continuing support for Macs based on PowerPC chips aren’t worth the hot air they’re comprised of.

Whether Steve Jobs said it or not, Apple Computer ceased to be a computer company today.

Time to investigate Linux.

Computers

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Assimilated

1984:

A picture named hello-mac.jpg

2005:

A picture named goodbye-mac.jpg

Well, it was nice while it lasted.