MS is now giving its operating system out free of charge under the guise of ‘beta testing’. Truth is, they’ve lost out HUGE.

When we consider a few % seems so ‘little’ but when you’re talking about millions of computers, that ‘tiny’ figure represents LOTS of people migrating. Another consideration is the diode-mac effect. Most that migrate to Mac never go back to Windows, so this is a long term migration, which only spreads like wildfire.

Windows is unreliable, simple, full of holes, reknown for failure and tedious at best. When people see what the collective intelligence can achieve above a corporate factory, they’ll change their minds forever. Unix/MacOs/Linux are the future, there is really no doubt about it. Speculating about how ‘Bex aspirin’ will be the market leader forever in 1920 would render you a very embarrassed chap some years later.

No company can compete with a global initiative such is Linux. To cling on to Windows because it’s ‘what you’re used to’ will make you feel a little silly in a few years time.

Exponential decline is what I predict. Free operating systems pre-loaded onto laptops (linux) and open source based commercial operating systems like MacOs leave CorporationWindoze out in the dark. Unless they can employ the 12 odd million people that contribute and build Linux every year, they don’t stand a chance.

Jacob, I would never exchange my Windows Mobile device for an iPhone, even if I would get Apple’s new toy for free. Most of the apps I need are not available for the iPhone and multi-touch is nothing I really need because I am used to operate my Pocket PC with just one hand.

I agree that it would be great if Apple starts selling OS X for PCs. Only then would Apple become a serious competitor for Microsoft in the long run. However, I think this will only happen if Jobs finally joins Gates and retires. As we are already fantasizing, what do you think would happen if Apple replaces Jobs with Gates? A market share of 30% would then be possible within a few years. It is not because Gates is so much smarter than Jobs. The problem is that Jobs is not really interested in the mass market. He wants Apple to stay an exclusive brand. This is the only thing that keeps Apple down at the moment. Vista’s marketing debacle would have been Apple’s great chance. I doubt that such a chance will come again very soon.

I’m getting an iPhone at it’s launch this Friday, and I cant wait… Especially the new features with M$ Exchange, should target the iPhone at business customers market.

I didn’t quite get it with Mac OS X, do you mean the it should be sold installed on PC’s? Because that is a thought that I have toyed with for some time. What if Apple begins to sell Mac OS X for PC’s… It would be great, I wouldn’t hesitate to make a dual boot option on my PC. But I guess that this isn’t the case, because of the myriads of hardware configurations, that Microsoft has to battle with, and maybe is loosing. After all Apple has a special market segment, and is able to say to their customers, “were changing platform, if you want to stay on the wagon, buy a new Mac” when they introduced Mac OS X.

The future is interesting indeed.

For what it’s worth though consider that some have been questioning why Apple’s next OS is being released with the feature set it is.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/

To Apple’s regular customers there’s not alot to offer. The big one some have noticed is the Exchange compatibility and has some wondering if Apple might be feeling bold enough to allow other vendors to sell systems with OSX. If not Apple will have a tough time penetrating the enterprise market due to no competition and choice on the hardware side.

Apple has been known as a consumer company but go to that link about Snow Leopard and you see nothing there that is really about consumers.

As for MS it’s a bit tough to predict how they will do. Gates is gone and Balmer is likely to exert more of his influence. That might be good or might be bad. MS has been struggling despite decent financial results. They don’t really give some a good reason to think they’re in good shape for the long haul.

All in all we just don’t know but consider MS and their ecosystem is huge and likely isn’t going anywhere without a fight anytime soon.