This week's parlor game is refuting John C. Dvorak's innane commentary that Apple may dump OS X and just switch to Windows on their shiny white hardware.
Here are a few points to keep in mind.
- This entire discussion is entirely pointless.
- Dvorak needs to keep up his street cred. The easiest thing to do is insult the Cult of Mac, which ultimately result in a web-wide "debate" on the topic. Net result: proof that Dvorak isn't dead, as witnessed by his ever-increasing Google Juice.
- Apple already considered dumping its OS for Windows once already. Then they talked to Jean-Louis Gasee, and then to Steve Jobs. The rest is history
- MacSlash had an article recently describing the economics behind developing desktop computers. The components are all commodities now, and if you want competitive prices for desktop computers, you need to deal in terms of those commodities. Everything else (like PPC) is dead, except for boutique (non-desktop) applications.
- Over the long term, it'll all meld together seamlessly, anyway, but not in a way we can accurately predict or visualize today. It's all just software. There's value to be found in Windows apps, *NIX apps, and OS X apps; once the technical barriers are surmountable, and the economic opportunity is within reach, it'll all Just Happen.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled Friday Morning armchair quaterbacking. :-)
