Macintosh: Forty Years Doomed
Jan. 24th, 2024 08:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
krpalmerAs the commercial established, on January 24, 1984 Apple Computer introduced Macintosh. Forty years is getting to be a long time, even if it doesn’t have quite the same texture as fifty. One thing that has endured over pretty much all that time, though, is those who are ready to proclaim reasons why the Macintosh will soon be doomed. I cast back through memories of old computer magazines I’ve leafed through and newer online comments, and after wondering if I could come up with forty reasons I wound up stopping there, just perhaps ducking a few that might bite harder.
“How can you use a computer where you have to take your hands off the keyboard to move the cursor?”
“All the Macintosh really proves is that a Graphical User Interface soaks up clock cycles that could be devoted to productive computing.”
“You can’t make a one-size-fits-all computer, much less one as limited as the Macintosh!”
“Apple supposing the trivial Macintosh could ever replace the profound Apple II on its bottom line must betray Jobs’ simultaneous envy and incomprehension of Woz’s achievement.”
“The custom hardware and multitasking excellence of the Commodore Amiga has shifted computing’s centre of gravity a long way east; a simple file transfer utility will help those unlucky enough to have already bought a Macintosh.”
“The real ‘computer for the rest of us’ would be cheap; it won’t be long until the Atari ST dominates hardware and software alike.”
“So the Macintosh II now gets the platform classed alongside MS-DOS rather than other 68000 machines; that just means Apple now has to compete against Bill Gates rather than the Tramiels and whoever’s in charge of Commodore this year.”
“At five years old, the Macintosh is a middle-aged platform.”
“When we said we needed ‘low-cost Macs,’ we meant uncompromised machines!”
“System 7 saps performance.”
“Apple supposing it can ally with IBM represents the death of whatever dream remained in the company.”
“The Newton is John Sculley’s acknowledgment Apple needs to abandon its current paradigm in the face of the Windows 3.1 juggernaut.”
“There are too many Macintosh models; how are potential buyers supposed to decide which to get?”
“The PowerPC may be an impressive CPU, but it’s running outdated system software.”
“That the Windows interface has changed so much from 1.0 to 95 shows where the real momentum in computing is.”
“So what if the Mac clones are cannibalizing Apple’s market rather than building new ones? That just means the company has to shift (and downsize) to the point of being software-only.”
“Gil Amelio had his chance to right the ship and, well, it didn’t work.”
“The Copland project grinding to a halt pretty much wraps things up.”
“Steve Jobs stiffing Woz out of the Breakout bonus and Dan Kottke out of stock options showed his true character back in the 1970s; he’s obviously unqualified to do anything good for the company he just grabbed control of.”
“Steve Jobs killing Mac clones, the Newton, and all those other useful Apple projects is the exact opposite of innovation.”
“‘Think different’? The only people worthy to make that claim run Linux.”
“Who would abandon their legacy peripherals, much less their files on floppy disks, even without that bizarre iMac case?”
“The Aqua interface is an affront to good user design!”
“Mac OS X may now be impressive software, but it’s running on stagnating CPUs.”
“Too many potential niches are left open by Apple’s current hardware lineup; nothing matches my needs!”
“Apple switching to Intel will just mean everyone will shift to the broader software fields of Windows.”
“Now that Windows 7 is here, everyone will switch back to it.”
“The iPhone will pull its company away from the Mac as surely as the Mac pulled its company away from the Apple II.”
“There’s too much skeuomorphism in Apple’s software design.”
“Inexpensive netbooks have shattered the paradigm Apple depends on.”
“With Steve Jobs gone, the delirium will lift any moment now and the Apple story will wind up.”
“Apple’s software design is too flattened out.”
“The iPhone’s dangerous example is about to lock the Mac down and leave it running a handful of anodyne authorized applications.”
“A ‘Pro’ computer has to offer expansion slots and internal drive bays; when the pros abandon Apple, so too will the developers...”
“Fancy industrial design won’t distract from infrequent refreshes, regardless of whether this has to do with Apple or Intel.”
“Keyboards that flat and malfunction-prone prove Apple’s design has gone awry.”
“Inexpensive Chromebooks have shattered the paradigm Apple depends on.”
“Moving away from Intel means abandoning the safety net of being able to run Windows when absolutely necessary.”
“Apple’s software will finish rotting out from within any day now.”
“Going to such lengths to mark the survival of a corporation’s product just isn’t natural.”
“How can you use a computer where you have to take your hands off the keyboard to move the cursor?”
“All the Macintosh really proves is that a Graphical User Interface soaks up clock cycles that could be devoted to productive computing.”
“You can’t make a one-size-fits-all computer, much less one as limited as the Macintosh!”
“Apple supposing the trivial Macintosh could ever replace the profound Apple II on its bottom line must betray Jobs’ simultaneous envy and incomprehension of Woz’s achievement.”
“The custom hardware and multitasking excellence of the Commodore Amiga has shifted computing’s centre of gravity a long way east; a simple file transfer utility will help those unlucky enough to have already bought a Macintosh.”
“The real ‘computer for the rest of us’ would be cheap; it won’t be long until the Atari ST dominates hardware and software alike.”
“So the Macintosh II now gets the platform classed alongside MS-DOS rather than other 68000 machines; that just means Apple now has to compete against Bill Gates rather than the Tramiels and whoever’s in charge of Commodore this year.”
“At five years old, the Macintosh is a middle-aged platform.”
“When we said we needed ‘low-cost Macs,’ we meant uncompromised machines!”
“System 7 saps performance.”
“Apple supposing it can ally with IBM represents the death of whatever dream remained in the company.”
“The Newton is John Sculley’s acknowledgment Apple needs to abandon its current paradigm in the face of the Windows 3.1 juggernaut.”
“There are too many Macintosh models; how are potential buyers supposed to decide which to get?”
“The PowerPC may be an impressive CPU, but it’s running outdated system software.”
“That the Windows interface has changed so much from 1.0 to 95 shows where the real momentum in computing is.”
“So what if the Mac clones are cannibalizing Apple’s market rather than building new ones? That just means the company has to shift (and downsize) to the point of being software-only.”
“Gil Amelio had his chance to right the ship and, well, it didn’t work.”
“The Copland project grinding to a halt pretty much wraps things up.”
“Steve Jobs stiffing Woz out of the Breakout bonus and Dan Kottke out of stock options showed his true character back in the 1970s; he’s obviously unqualified to do anything good for the company he just grabbed control of.”
“Steve Jobs killing Mac clones, the Newton, and all those other useful Apple projects is the exact opposite of innovation.”
“‘Think different’? The only people worthy to make that claim run Linux.”
“Who would abandon their legacy peripherals, much less their files on floppy disks, even without that bizarre iMac case?”
“The Aqua interface is an affront to good user design!”
“Mac OS X may now be impressive software, but it’s running on stagnating CPUs.”
“Too many potential niches are left open by Apple’s current hardware lineup; nothing matches my needs!”
“Apple switching to Intel will just mean everyone will shift to the broader software fields of Windows.”
“Now that Windows 7 is here, everyone will switch back to it.”
“The iPhone will pull its company away from the Mac as surely as the Mac pulled its company away from the Apple II.”
“There’s too much skeuomorphism in Apple’s software design.”
“Inexpensive netbooks have shattered the paradigm Apple depends on.”
“With Steve Jobs gone, the delirium will lift any moment now and the Apple story will wind up.”
“Apple’s software design is too flattened out.”
“The iPhone’s dangerous example is about to lock the Mac down and leave it running a handful of anodyne authorized applications.”
“A ‘Pro’ computer has to offer expansion slots and internal drive bays; when the pros abandon Apple, so too will the developers...”
“Fancy industrial design won’t distract from infrequent refreshes, regardless of whether this has to do with Apple or Intel.”
“Keyboards that flat and malfunction-prone prove Apple’s design has gone awry.”
“Inexpensive Chromebooks have shattered the paradigm Apple depends on.”
“Moving away from Intel means abandoning the safety net of being able to run Windows when absolutely necessary.”
“Apple’s software will finish rotting out from within any day now.”
“Going to such lengths to mark the survival of a corporation’s product just isn’t natural.”