> As I recall, they left the Mac market because they had sold > their x86 compilers to Nokia just before Apple announced the > Intel shift. I'm sure free Xcode took its toll, but it didn't > break their backs. They continued to ship for quite a while > despite Xcode. Being under an agreement to not produce x86 > compilers and having Apple go x86 was, however, a product breaker.
I believe it would break their backs. At this point in the game, if you want to build applications for MacOS X and take advantage of all the brightest and shiniest features in new OS releases, you must develop with xCode. >From a marketing perspective, Apple has far, far more influence over its user base than MS and its influence over the Apple related press (I wouldn't say "Mac" here because of the permeation of iPod in Mac journals), and the more native OS features you support, the more positive the feedback you are likely to get. There just isnt an equivalent mentality for Windows or Linux applications in general (get into specific verticals and it's a bit different). There is an overall strategy of Apple to gain control over every aspect of the Apple eco system - this has SJ written all over it. It's a brilliant strategy for Apple - and pretty much only Apple. Historically, they've found themselves in some difficult situations because they were dependent on others to provide applications, reseller venues, and other needed infrastructure. They've had to spend lots of money to maintain those unpredictable relationships. A better strategy for Apple is to OWN those various pieces of the eco system. The reason why I say this is also an Apple only strategy because they have unmatched (within the markets they've defined as theirs) acumen and well funded infrastructure. For this reason, they can pick and choose their partners and deal with them on a one-to-one basis, either directly with Apple management or through its various partner relationship managers. This is, however, a horrible approach for most vendors and their third party relations. Best regards, Lynn Fredricks President Paradigma Software, Inc Joining Worlds of Information Deploy True Client-Server Database Solutions Royalty Free with Valentina Developer Network http://www.paradigmasoft.com _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe or switch delivery mode: <http://www.realsoftware.com/support/listmanager/> Search the archives of this list here: <http://support.realsoftware.com/listarchives/lists.html>
