04-01-2010, 08:22 PM
Microsoft Corp and Apple have signed an agreement today to allow Microsoft Windows 7 run on Apple machines and Mac OS X (Snow Leopard) on non-Apple machines.
Apple had been extremely rigid in the past about allowing the installation of Mac OS on non-Apple hardware. A company called Psystar had to be shut down as they used to sell Mac clones.
Steve Jobs said, “The PC is a dominant platform and has wider support and options as compared to Mac machines. Linux and Windows control this segment. Apple is always looking for new markets. We can't ignore the huge PC market. To enable PC users to have the Mac experience we have signed a deal withMicrosoft where Windows 7 owners can upgrade to Mac OS at a fee of $25. Mac users will now be able to run Windows 7 with a nominal fee of $50.”
The change in this strategy owes a lot to the increasing popularity of GnuLinux based operating systems Ubuntu and Android. Google has emerged as the common arch-rival of both companies. Google has developed the GnuLinux powered Android phone which is challenging the iPhone in the smart phone segment and Ubuntu is challenging Windows in the home user PC segment. The two companies –Microsoft and Apple – have come together to clip Penguin's (Linux' mascot) wings.
Steve Ballmer said, “Developers have always been our key force, but Linux and Open Source folks are taking these developers away from us. We had to find a way to keep the developers locked-into our environment. We did that for years, and without letting them know what they were working on, we created a 'dependent' ecosystem. We can't allow some folks to break that ecosystem. We can't continue to lose the market share.Windows 7 is here. It is the best OS we have ever developed. Our latest product is always the best product, otherwise why would we force users to buy them? We are a company known for value for money, freedom and option – you are free to choose any of ourWindows 7 editions!”
Apple has also hinted at releasing an update of the iPhone firmware which will allow users to choose from the traditional iPhone OS or Windows Phone 7 Series, which according to reports runs much faster than the machines it was designed to run on. The company has denied any such reports.Microsoft insiders have said that Microsoft has no intention of allowing people to run the iPhone OS on Microsoft phones as the company does not yet sell phones. However, the company is considering manufacturing mobile phones.
Industry experts are skeptical of this deal, according to a spokesperson at Web Hundred, a research firm, “This paradigm shift will change the way we used to look at the PC-Mac industry. The tri-polar world --- Linux, Mac and Windows – now squeeze into a bi-polar world, Windows-Mac vs Linux. Linux is in fact not good for the anti-virus market. As GnuLinux is a secure system, it would bring an end to the anti-virus industry. Thousands of people might lose their jobs. But this Mac-Windows deal sends some relief. Now, there will be a bigger market for anti-virus companies. This is a good sign, the deal has saved thousands of jobs.”
Security companies are quite optimistic about the deal as they see their market growing. According to MacFee, “We were sitting outside the Apple/Mac market because the system is based on the UNIX model, on which Linux is also based. The platform is as secure as any Linux platform and there was no threat and thus no market for us in this segment. The arrival of Windows on Mac will open doors for viruses, trojan horses and many more threats on Mac thus we will be able to secure such users. We will be releasing a report every Tuesday about the would-be and already-found threats on Mac/Windows platform. As usual we do not recommend GnuLinux as this is an anti anti-virus OS which kills the anti-virus industry as there are virtually no threats for Linux operating systems. We will continue to work with industry players and developers to ensure the continues flow of revenues for the anti-virus industry.”
The Mac-Windows deal is expected to be approved by the US and European authorities after the review of anti-competitive concerns.
Apple had been extremely rigid in the past about allowing the installation of Mac OS on non-Apple hardware. A company called Psystar had to be shut down as they used to sell Mac clones.
Steve Jobs said, “The PC is a dominant platform and has wider support and options as compared to Mac machines. Linux and Windows control this segment. Apple is always looking for new markets. We can't ignore the huge PC market. To enable PC users to have the Mac experience we have signed a deal withMicrosoft where Windows 7 owners can upgrade to Mac OS at a fee of $25. Mac users will now be able to run Windows 7 with a nominal fee of $50.”
The change in this strategy owes a lot to the increasing popularity of GnuLinux based operating systems Ubuntu and Android. Google has emerged as the common arch-rival of both companies. Google has developed the GnuLinux powered Android phone which is challenging the iPhone in the smart phone segment and Ubuntu is challenging Windows in the home user PC segment. The two companies –Microsoft and Apple – have come together to clip Penguin's (Linux' mascot) wings.
Steve Ballmer said, “Developers have always been our key force, but Linux and Open Source folks are taking these developers away from us. We had to find a way to keep the developers locked-into our environment. We did that for years, and without letting them know what they were working on, we created a 'dependent' ecosystem. We can't allow some folks to break that ecosystem. We can't continue to lose the market share.Windows 7 is here. It is the best OS we have ever developed. Our latest product is always the best product, otherwise why would we force users to buy them? We are a company known for value for money, freedom and option – you are free to choose any of ourWindows 7 editions!”
Apple has also hinted at releasing an update of the iPhone firmware which will allow users to choose from the traditional iPhone OS or Windows Phone 7 Series, which according to reports runs much faster than the machines it was designed to run on. The company has denied any such reports.Microsoft insiders have said that Microsoft has no intention of allowing people to run the iPhone OS on Microsoft phones as the company does not yet sell phones. However, the company is considering manufacturing mobile phones.
Industry experts are skeptical of this deal, according to a spokesperson at Web Hundred, a research firm, “This paradigm shift will change the way we used to look at the PC-Mac industry. The tri-polar world --- Linux, Mac and Windows – now squeeze into a bi-polar world, Windows-Mac vs Linux. Linux is in fact not good for the anti-virus market. As GnuLinux is a secure system, it would bring an end to the anti-virus industry. Thousands of people might lose their jobs. But this Mac-Windows deal sends some relief. Now, there will be a bigger market for anti-virus companies. This is a good sign, the deal has saved thousands of jobs.”
Security companies are quite optimistic about the deal as they see their market growing. According to MacFee, “We were sitting outside the Apple/Mac market because the system is based on the UNIX model, on which Linux is also based. The platform is as secure as any Linux platform and there was no threat and thus no market for us in this segment. The arrival of Windows on Mac will open doors for viruses, trojan horses and many more threats on Mac thus we will be able to secure such users. We will be releasing a report every Tuesday about the would-be and already-found threats on Mac/Windows platform. As usual we do not recommend GnuLinux as this is an anti anti-virus OS which kills the anti-virus industry as there are virtually no threats for Linux operating systems. We will continue to work with industry players and developers to ensure the continues flow of revenues for the anti-virus industry.”
The Mac-Windows deal is expected to be approved by the US and European authorities after the review of anti-competitive concerns.
Source-Katonda.com