Trends of modern IT-market and Apple Inc
Apparently the IT market has changed a lot, since obvious trends have appeared on it (not typical for example in 1990s):
One of them is the active participation of large companies in open source projects;
And the second , obvious one is that today, large companies no longer specialize in narrow areas of the market, but seek to engage in integrated customer service themselves: Delivery of Iron + Soft + Services for servicing the entire customer's IT system.
1. For many years, IBM has received most of its profits from IBM Global Services (former consulting division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, an auditing company), which deals with integrated IT services for enterprises - see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM
2. Last year, Hewlett-Packard (HP) bought Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and now the EDS an HP Company division is actively competing with IBM Global Services - see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP
3. This year, Cisco surprised everyone by offering its Network Equipment + Server + Software to its customers, having released Unified Computing System modules to the market - see: “Cisco Servers: Official Announcement”
4. Apparently not surprising if the Oracle Software Company buying Sun Microsystems will begin to offer its customers in the complex Iron + Software + Maintenance Services!
Likely in Oracle decided that the competition with IBM and HP is not terrible for them and they can cope with them quite well :)
To my regret, a large IT company like Apple Inc. doesn’t fit into these trends at all. Which in the 1980s-90s tried to be a competitor to IBM and HP, and today it is completely not active in the corporate market. Apple does not occupy the significant share of the corporate market - the market for “adult” IT companies :(
(unfortunately, because I personally consider Mac OS X Server to be one of the most successful server OS)
Today, Apple is still releasing standard Intel x86 servers.
But Apple Xserve (x86) / Mac OS X Server is more likely to compete with Dell (x86) / Red Hat Linux servers than large Sun (Sparc) / Solaris or IBM (Power) / AIX corporate servers.
The release of Intel x86 servers involved 100 companies, and unfortunately, Apple is not even among the 10 leaders of this market segment.
')
And the fact that it was Rackable Systems bought Silicon Graphics (see: “Silicon Graphics: the last chapter was written in the history of the legend ), and not Apple only confirms that Apple is not interested in the corporate market (to the extent that after the release of Apple Xserve RAID , I would not be surprised if Apple stops the release of the Apple Xserve itself) :(
If you look back and follow the evolving situation on the market for large RISC / UNIX servers, the Apple Xserve (Power / x86) / Mac OS X Server made a small contribution to the selection of market share and the destruction of the Silicon Graphics (MIPS / Itanium) / IRIX platform servers.
And in connection with the latter, to be honest, Apple should have swallowed the company Silicon Graphics, over the ruin of the market share of which Apple had worked hard by dragging an entire army of professional TV / editors to its Apple Mac OS X platform.
And the money (only $ 600 million) would have been enough for Apple to buy SGI, since in the fall of 2008 Steve Jobs hinted that Apple’s accumulated over $ 20 billion would be spent soon!
I wonder on what?
And the conclusion suggests itself: Apple is increasingly moving away from its fierce competitors in the IT market - IBM and HP, and is increasingly becoming similar to such consumer companies as, for example, Sony, working mainly in the market of popular (pop) home electronics. for the people. And in the future, Apple can only wait for development in two directions:
1. Home TV, music centers and kitchen appliances (Apple has an edible brand that is very suitable for the kitchen).
And in this case, Apple in the future should inevitably swallow up Sony Corporation (about $ 50 billion in total);
2. And the second, in my opinion the best option, is the gradual abandonment of the release of its classic computer hardware (Xserve, MacPro, MacBook) and switching from the close market of IBM PC (Intel x86) -compatible computers to the new Apple-invented markets:
+ Market of iPhone-compatible devices (with I-net orientation),
+ Concentration on the issue of Soft `and (with a focus on I-net),
+ Of course fashionable now Internet business.
And in this case, Apple will spend the accumulated money on the absorption of such companies as:
Adobe, Yahoo !, Amazon.
PS: Do not take to heart :)
For I (maybe like you) worry about the fate of Apple and sincerely wish it prosperity :)
And while trying to understand: Well, why did not Apple buy Sun Microsystems or at least Silicon Graphics, why do they stubbornly refuse to get involved in competing with IBM, HP and Dell in the corporate market - the market for “adult” IT companies?
One of them is the active participation of large companies in open source projects;
And the second , obvious one is that today, large companies no longer specialize in narrow areas of the market, but seek to engage in integrated customer service themselves: Delivery of Iron + Soft + Services for servicing the entire customer's IT system.
1. For many years, IBM has received most of its profits from IBM Global Services (former consulting division of PricewaterhouseCoopers, an auditing company), which deals with integrated IT services for enterprises - see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM
2. Last year, Hewlett-Packard (HP) bought Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and now the EDS an HP Company division is actively competing with IBM Global Services - see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP
3. This year, Cisco surprised everyone by offering its Network Equipment + Server + Software to its customers, having released Unified Computing System modules to the market - see: “Cisco Servers: Official Announcement”
4. Apparently not surprising if the Oracle Software Company buying Sun Microsystems will begin to offer its customers in the complex Iron + Software + Maintenance Services!
Likely in Oracle decided that the competition with IBM and HP is not terrible for them and they can cope with them quite well :)
To my regret, a large IT company like Apple Inc. doesn’t fit into these trends at all. Which in the 1980s-90s tried to be a competitor to IBM and HP, and today it is completely not active in the corporate market. Apple does not occupy the significant share of the corporate market - the market for “adult” IT companies :(
(unfortunately, because I personally consider Mac OS X Server to be one of the most successful server OS)
Today, Apple is still releasing standard Intel x86 servers.
But Apple Xserve (x86) / Mac OS X Server is more likely to compete with Dell (x86) / Red Hat Linux servers than large Sun (Sparc) / Solaris or IBM (Power) / AIX corporate servers.
The release of Intel x86 servers involved 100 companies, and unfortunately, Apple is not even among the 10 leaders of this market segment.
')
And the fact that it was Rackable Systems bought Silicon Graphics (see: “Silicon Graphics: the last chapter was written in the history of the legend ), and not Apple only confirms that Apple is not interested in the corporate market (to the extent that after the release of Apple Xserve RAID , I would not be surprised if Apple stops the release of the Apple Xserve itself) :(
If you look back and follow the evolving situation on the market for large RISC / UNIX servers, the Apple Xserve (Power / x86) / Mac OS X Server made a small contribution to the selection of market share and the destruction of the Silicon Graphics (MIPS / Itanium) / IRIX platform servers.
And in connection with the latter, to be honest, Apple should have swallowed the company Silicon Graphics, over the ruin of the market share of which Apple had worked hard by dragging an entire army of professional TV / editors to its Apple Mac OS X platform.
And the money (only $ 600 million) would have been enough for Apple to buy SGI, since in the fall of 2008 Steve Jobs hinted that Apple’s accumulated over $ 20 billion would be spent soon!
I wonder on what?
And the conclusion suggests itself: Apple is increasingly moving away from its fierce competitors in the IT market - IBM and HP, and is increasingly becoming similar to such consumer companies as, for example, Sony, working mainly in the market of popular (pop) home electronics. for the people. And in the future, Apple can only wait for development in two directions:
1. Home TV, music centers and kitchen appliances (Apple has an edible brand that is very suitable for the kitchen).
And in this case, Apple in the future should inevitably swallow up Sony Corporation (about $ 50 billion in total);
2. And the second, in my opinion the best option, is the gradual abandonment of the release of its classic computer hardware (Xserve, MacPro, MacBook) and switching from the close market of IBM PC (Intel x86) -compatible computers to the new Apple-invented markets:
+ Market of iPhone-compatible devices (with I-net orientation),
+ Concentration on the issue of Soft `and (with a focus on I-net),
+ Of course fashionable now Internet business.
And in this case, Apple will spend the accumulated money on the absorption of such companies as:
Adobe, Yahoo !, Amazon.
PS: Do not take to heart :)
For I (maybe like you) worry about the fate of Apple and sincerely wish it prosperity :)
And while trying to understand: Well, why did not Apple buy Sun Microsystems or at least Silicon Graphics, why do they stubbornly refuse to get involved in competing with IBM, HP and Dell in the corporate market - the market for “adult” IT companies?
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/57893/
All Articles