I find it interesting that the gumby & Keith both start out by stating that they'd like to see the end of Mac threads, but go on to add more to it. The logic just isn't there... kinda like the facts they try to post, but just don't have a clue about. Since I'm always willing to keep a non"issue" based thread alive, unless the moderator asks us to desist, I'll gladly throw in my views without the shame of sounding like a hypocrite.
First of all, most of the Mac's 10% market share isn't education based. The Mac does hold market share over all other brands of computers in education but no where near 50% of Mac's shipped go to schools. Watch prime time? What do you see? Macs. Watch a movie? If a computer is in a movie, chances are it's a Mac. See Spawn, Starship Troopers, T2, etc, etc. The CGI in many movies is created in great part with Macs. Go into a print shop or design agency? Chances are very great your gonna find Macs... lots of em. The list goes on, but you get the point.
Apple has SDK's available, and has had them available for many years, to developers. As far as companies that "WANT to waste their time" with Apple, the list is too numerous to mention, but Adobe, Macromedia, Netscape, Microsoft, Quark, Intuit are just a few of the hundreds of companies that create software for the Mac. Many of these companies started with Mac software, and that's what made them great in the first place.
With regard to: "Apple likes to be the sole creater/seller of anything that will work with a MAC" what RUBBISH!!! I've got 5 Mac's and that's all I own that is Apple. I've got over $750,000 in hardware & software connected to these Mac's that have nothing to do with Apple... other than Apple's help in development.
Regarding Keith's response:
While the word "obligated" isn't appropriate, it isn't nonsense for many companies to invest in Mac's. Suppose you're planning a piece of software that you hope will ship at least 100,000 units, 10% (the Mac market share) is 10,000 units and that's hardly something to sneeze at especially when many compilers can compile for x86, 680x0, & PPC in one package, and all that's left if is handling of system toolbox calls & overhead. I've got a software package that allows me to write code for any Mac and all newer PC's will very little modification & intervention.
I think bashing isn't nonsense. If Mac users just laid down & played dead, there would be no further development of Quicken for the Mac, Mac's would be forced out of Johnston Space Center & NASA, there would be no online banking support from many banks such as Wells Fargo, many game publishers have rethought their lack of Mac support till they found out exactly what 10% of the computing community actually meant in dollars & SENSE. Apple sold more computers last month than any other computer company. Hardly something to ignore.
I don’t think any Mac user feels that they are being repressed. Any Mac user can buy a copy of Pagemaker, Photoshop, MiniCad, Vellum, Excell, Word, Illustrator, and a list of a few hundred other titles so there is no need to feel repressed.
I honestly don’t think Steve Jobs needs to ask for a couple “Mil$” from anyone. Considering Apple has $1.4 billion in the bank, that’d be like me asking for a couple of dimes from my neighbor. Sure it’d be nice, but it’d hardly make a dent in my finances.
All that said, I have to say that I don’t feel Philips needs to spend the effort to bring a version of their software to the Mac. It’s just not that important. My only point in rambling on as I did was to inform the uninformed that the gumby’s & Keith’s opinion isn’t based on facts... only misconceptions.
