Apple's Macintosh 'has beaten the PC world to every punch for 20 years'  





If you were to read a history on how the personal computer has evolved through the last two decades, each chapter would almost certainly begin with the same name - Apple. In 1984, Apple began writing the book on the evolution of the personal computer with the Macintosh, the first of its kind which did not require folks to be engineers to use," Eugene Wee writes for The Straits Times. "Along the way, it popularised the graphical user interface that introduced the term 'point-and-click' into mainstream lexicon, and pioneered, among other things, desktop publishing, wireless connectivity and personal digital assistants."

"In 1998, Apple changed the look of not only computers, but also consumer appliances, after it launched its colourful iMacs. On Saturday, Apple will celebrate the 20th birthday of the little beige box that changed forever the way computers are designed and used. Ironically, while beating the PC world to every punch in terms of IT innovation and industrial design, Apple has been the punching bag when it comes to market share," Wee writes.

"Despite being the first to market innovations like the computer mouse, graphical interfaces and wireless connectivity - many of which consumers now consider must-haves when buying PCs - Apple's share of the PC market has been estimated to be less than 3 per cent worldwide. But that suits Apple just fine," Wee writes. "During the Apple Expo in Paris last September, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reiterated to reporters that volume has never been the name of the company's game. 'If you went to BMW and asked them why they don't outsell the Ford Taurus, they would say they don't want to make that sort of car,' said Mr Jobs. 'Apple has 25 million customers around the world, and our goal is to give them the best personal computer that we can, with the best operating system and some of the best applications.'"
 

Posted: Mon - January 19, 2004 at 01:20 AM        

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