iPhoto for Windows?


Will Apple offer iPhoto for Windows? I think not - here's why.

BusinessWeek suggests Apple should sell a version of iPhoto for Windows because the software accompanying digital cameras is of questionable quality and the facilities provided with Windows falls short of consumers' requirements.

iTunes for Windows made sense, due to the popularity of the iPod and the opportunity to sell even more units to Windows users. But Apple doesn't sell digital cameras (unless you count the iSight or other vendors' models sold at Apple Stores), so there's no real sales upside to iPhoto for Windows. BusinessWeek's columnist suggests that Apple should sell the software: " If Apple could convince even 3% of all digital-camera buyers to purchase iPhoto software next year -- say, for $30 -- then it would grab revenues of $45 million."

Someone once told me that a rule of thumb used by venture capitalists was to steer well clear of any business plan based on capturing a small share of a large market.

It seems to me that the problem here is that digital camera owners show little inclination to buy image management software. The BusinessWeek article keeps talking about "image processing," but from what I hear most people are using iPhoto to manage their photo collection, favouring Photoshop Elements (or similar) to do anything but the simplest image processing.

The counter-argument is that people are waiting for the right program to come along, and anyway, if camera owners were shelling out for image management software there would already be a clear market leader, in which case Apple would be criticised to taking on that company.

BusinessWeek does identify what I see as the biggest danger for Apple: that releasing more of its iLife applications for Windows will diminish the Mac's attraction. You buy the computer, useful software is included, it just works. The renaissance of the Apple brand - thanks to the iPod - among younger buyers doesn't seem to spill over to the Mac, so it made sense to open up iTunes and the iTunes Music Store to Windows users. Porting more Apple software to Windows can only work against the Switch message that Apple put so much effort into.

Posted: Thu - November 27, 2003 at 09:29 AM        

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