Gavin's mind-blowing (and irritating :) knowledge of all things tech has inspired me to read more blogs and listen to more podcasts. One of the podcasts I have been listening to is This Week in Tech.

Two weeks ago, TWiT did an hour and a half on Apple's 30th Anniversary. While this was a long show, I enjoyed it. My first computer was an Apple IIe so I participated in part of that history but I had never heard Woz speak nor had I heard much of the history of the early company. (And you know I like history as a way to gain perspective/context.) I also found it interesting to hear that some of Apple's signature characteristics date all the way back to their first computers: to get broad appeal it has to be easy to use, it has look great, and no loud fans please.

The most recent episode of Twit however was a loser, as least regarding Apple. They discussed Apple's announcement of Boot-Camp (as we all have been) but their discussion left me most unsatisfied. I have been having trouble putting my finger on why it bothered me but here are some thoughts:

the good

They got it right when they said that people want to run programs not platforms. I also agree that the best solution is not dual-boot; the best solution is letting Mac users run a Windows program without leaving the MacOS environment (this is the virtual computer or virtualization discussion). And they correctly pointed out that virtualization has problems supporting all the hardware which is a drawback.

It was also amusing to hear Leo Laporte complain about Microsoft's $300 price tag for Windows XP. (Last I heard, OEM's like Dell pay about $35 per PC.)

the bad

When they talked about markets, they started to lose me. They sort of lumped everyone into one vast, homogenous (Windows-loving) "market". Sorry, but that is not how markets work. (Although it might explain why so many techies make great products and lousy marketers.) They failed to recognize that the "market" is really an aggregate or collection of market segments - people with common attributes based on things like behavior and demographics.

At the very basic level, you have to separate consumers from business users and there are many distinctions within these two large slices. Grandma and grandpa have very different needs and make very different decisions from hard-core gamers, for instance. One of the guests was on the right track when he pointed out that Apple isn't going to get half the market but if they could got from 5% to 10%, that would be a huge win. (But can they get to 20%? :)

the ugly

The lowest point of the episode was when John C Dvorak, computer expert extraordinary, opened his mouth:

"Apple should just drop the development costs of MacOS and focus on their strength in hardware design."

Uhhm, that is the dumbest thing I have ever hear, John. Have you ever used a Mac?

The Apple hardware, especially for the laptops, is great (and consistent with Apple's design philosophy since the Apple 1, or so I learned the week before) but the reason I switched is because of the software. The MacOS is what makes Apple the best personal computer for consumers not the hardware. Who wants (or needs) another Windows hardware maker? I know Mr Dvorak is a computer guru and Im just a guy with a blog, but come on.

After John's comment, most of the group seemed to agree that Apple is a "hardware company". Like the market comment, I think this misses the point. Apple is successful because of the whole package. There are many hardware companies but there are few hardware companies that can do software (and visa versa) and the user experience (ie great products) is defined by both.

"Ease of use" is the result of hardware and software working together. If you are making a device that is easy to use, say a computer for the rest of us, you need to control the software first then the hardware. They work together synergistically.

One of the big reasons Windows has so many stability problems (my PC crashed 6 times while playing DDO last night), is that they have to support every piece or hardware out there and in every combination. A thankless and impossible task, but one Microsoft brought on themselves (and one that Apple has avoided by controlling hardware and software).

an actual market segment

The one bright spot was when one of the guests (whose name I never caught) shared his wife's experience.

She needs to buy a laptop but she has to run some Windows-only programs for work. Before now, she was unable to even consider a Mac. With Boot-Camp she can consider a Mac because she can run Windows at work and then run MacOS at home.

This is exactly who Boot-Camp will reach. The people with some "must have" Windows-only program or people who are on the fence. (Another thing they got right was pointing out that Boot Camp addresses the fear of switching and allows people to experiment.)

few people ever test-drive more than one

Listening to this discussion, it occurred to me that Boot Camp will have another effect as well. With a dual boot system, more people will see Mac and windows side by side. From my own experience, I can say that nothing will make you appreciate using a Mac more than trying to use both at the same time and in the same room. The contrasts are subtle but over time, they are overwhelming.

As a personal note, I will add that I continue to be surprised by how resistant people are to trying new things. (I guess this indicates that I am an early adopter.) I have already written about how few people are willing to try alternate PC platforms and pick their favorite, but it extends to all kinds of products.

In class recently we discussed the marketing case for Tivo. Tivo is a fabulous product. Once you try a Tivo you will never want to watch TV without it but until you try it, you have no idea what it is. I was shocked to see that in my class of highly educated, wealthy, 20-something MBA students, only 6 out of 40 had every tried or owned a Tivo. This is a big reminder to me that marketing technology is a lot harder than it seems to technologists.

the rest of the show

The rest of the show talked about SecondLife (Everquest without the quests?) and blogs. They did fine on these stories but for a show that descrribes itself as "too mac friendly", I was disappointed with the Boot Camp discussion. I dont know what Apple's grand plan is, but if it is to become a Windows hardware company, please shoot me now.