Apple and Closed Systems
Apple has achieved success with its closed model of computing. Apples vision of computing as an appliance (hardware + software) calls for a closed system. This approach could be creating one of the companies greatest catch 22 situations.
With the released of the Iphone and the consumer reaction to the closed system of providers and software platform, this has seen an uprising in an open-source community creating thousands of applications for the Iphone at little or no charge. The consumer reaction to the device was positive, but to AT & T and a closed system; quite the opposite.
Now Apple faces itself with a catch 22 dilemma. Psystar a company that has just started up in California now offering reverse engineered cheap hardware that will run Apples operating system. In other words Mac clones. This opens up Apples software and takes away Apples control. Naturally Apple will file suit with Psystar.
Perhaps this approach is not the best?
The future will be Open Systems and I see parallels in the Iphones hyper adoption and Apples latest OSX issue. If Apple wants to be a large player they could simply certify other hardware providers to run OSX and increase their marketshare. To keep their niche Apple would reject the notion of open and play the way they always have; closed.
Only time will tell.
Tags: Apple, clone, mac, pystar, systems
