Is Apple The New Microsoft? Are You Afraid? [Poll]

Leander Kahney ()

Two months ago, Apple passed Microsoft as the most-valuable tech company. Soon, it may pass its rival in terms of revenues. Microsoft makes about $61.5 billion a year: Apple is on track to make $60 billion.

Question is: As Apple gets bigger and bigger, is it in danger of becoming the new Microsoft?  Did you prefer the old, underdog Apple?

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About the author

Leander Kahney

is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac, and author of three books about technology culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs; Cult of Mac; and Cult of iPod. Leander has written for Wired, MacWeek, Scientific American, and The Guardian in London. Follow Leander on Twitter @lkahney and Facebook.

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Posted in Apple, News, Opinions |

  • Dan

    I love the fact that Apple are big, they deserve it after all their hard work

  • Daniel C. Vasquez

    No I am not afraid at all, Apple is way better than Microsoft and will always be the best company and push us forward in computers and software. Besides look where we are with Microsoft.

  • Michael Burns

    Apple is big, that’s for sure. But it builds cool products that work really well. Microsoft was big and built lousy software. They still can’t get it right.

  • http://mrminimalist.nfshost.com Mr. Man

    Nope, Apple actually cares about their customers. Something Microsoft will never do.

  • Brian

    The reason everyone hated Microsoft at their peak was because they continued to profit by making absolute garbage products and selling them to any hardware manufacturer who asked. Apple actually holds themselves to a higher standard of production (cue the iPhone 4 antenna jokes) and that’s how they’ve prospered.

  • Joaquin

    Apple isn’t going to be the next Microsoft, Goggle is.

  • IcyFog

    Not worried.
    Apple makes products that work efficiently, Microsoft does not.

  • Conrad

    The problem with Microsoft was never that it got big, it was that Microsoft was and still is lazy. Microsoft abused Apple’s licence agreement to make Windows 3.1 and got lucky that Apple was run into the ground by the time Windows ’95 came out.

    When Netscape was threatening to take over the MS-dominated browser market suddenly IE was leading the pack in innovation. Then Netscape died and MS stopped trying. And only now, when Firefox is stepping up to take that mantle does MS suddenly announce HTML5 support in IE 9. It’s madness!

    MS re-branded that already unpopular Gigabeat as the Zune to compete with the gigantic iPod market because they thought they could beat Apple again, simply because they always had.

    MS knew Apple was coming out with a fancy new OS that would blow OS9 away and so they stayed on pace to deliver regular system updates and releases (Anyone else remember the box-of-awesome that was Windows ME?) culminating with windows XP. Then Apple out-paced them with annual OS X releases leaving ‘Longhorn’ in the dust until Leopard when Vista launched with system-wide incompatibilities and a side of fail-fries. So they stole Widgets, Aqua, the Dock and several other me-too features and they keep chugging along without ever having to actually innovate anything.

    Apple cut down it’s iPod Mini line at the height of it’s popularity to deliver a smaller, better model. The Nano.

    That is a business approach that MS can’t even comprehend. If Apple became like that (and when Steve Jobs finally shakes off this mortal coil, it may) then, only THEN would I be worried that they were the next Microsoft.

    I would like to point out that Apple STILL has only around 10% of the computer market and they are beating MS to death with it. I have already converted 4 people to Macs since I, myself converted last summer.

    Viva Les Macs!

  • Brian

    @Conrad … amazing post. I couldn’t have put it better myself. One thing though:

    it’s: contraction for “it is” (as in: It’s raining outside… or: It’s apparent that Apple is currently crushing MS in the market)
    its: possessive (as in: Apple cut down its iPod Mini line at the height of its popularity).

    Sorry, for some reason that drives me crazy. Regardless, that was one of the best comments I’ve seen on TCoM in quite some time.

  • steven

    @ Conrad;

    Ya….what you said. Anything else would @#$% it up.

  • http://Www.besalon.me Michael

    Google is the next Microsoft

  • Rob

    The first ‘desktop’ style computer I used was a Mac in college and ever since I have always had a thing about making my windows desktops like that first experience.
    I bought iPhone, which lead to iPad which has now lead me to MacBook pro…
    Still have Win PC home and office of course… but my Apple Products are sweet and the software is designed to simply work and not have me fuss around with unless I really want too..
    Enjoy…. and with less than 10% of capitalization of the market than MS in the middle of a recession… they’re doing alright…

  • joh

    Could you please stop that pageview-whoring? I unsubscribed a few days ago because this was getting on my nerves, now I came back to have a look and you came up with this crap. Articles without any substance, every “event” spread not over half a dozen pages, no, over half a dozen ARTICLES, pointless polls… Hey, there’s lots you can go on with: “Will Apple falter when SJ dies?” — “Will Android kill Apple?” — “Is Apple more evil than Google?” and so on. Good luck.

    Besides, Google is already the new Microsoft. Software monopolies are a thing of the last century, this century will be about data gathering monopolies. You don’t anymore lock-in the users (= the customers) to sell them more software, you lock-in the users (= the product) to sell them to the ad- and datamining industry (= your customers).

    Bye again.

  • bubbakush

    not yet but they are on the way, if something happens to steve then its over.

  • SiliconTlaco

    Claro!!!!! Google is the next Microsoft!!!!! seguro!!!

  • JVC

    Conrad is right about the past (my first mac is SE/30, running OS 7), but it does not mean that Apple will be creative and care for product quality forever. It is hard to believe now, but Wal-Wart was considered as a good company, then Sam Walton was running the company.

  • Durian

    I would definitely agree with Conrad! I’ve been using Microsoft’s Windows all my life and suddenly, 2010 started off with OS X for me and 2009 ended with Windows 7. I have read many haters’ reviews on OS X, which was… quite biased actually, and to make it worse, I fell for every single one of them. Since Apple is not really that famous in my country, people don’t really see their(Apple) products as an option. Why? Because they said that they are too expensive. They would rather opt for a cheaper Windows machine that in a long run, give them more headaches. I’d say that the extra that Apple charges for their products are for innovation, aesthetics, and LESS headaches! Sure, Microsoft has ‘compatibility’ and ‘games’ as their arsenal but for how long? We’ve seen a lot of big titles introduced to the OS X platform and I’m sure that there will be more to come. And even Microsoft themselves introduced their productivity software to the OS X platform, which is the main reason why most consumers reluctantly change to OS X. To me, that’s a checkmate for Microsoft. Apple offers compatibility for both platforms on their machines, and that swayed me right away. After learning how to use OS X works and falling in love with it, I just let Windows go. I’m sure that there are a lot of prosumers who still need applications that are only Windows-compatible. But how long will it take before those professional applications move to OS X? Soon enough, Microsoft will lose their forte`, which is basically, compatibility.

  • Ryan

    Apple is still a very focused company in my opinion, and will remain so even if it got bigger than Microsoft. They make excellent products but without Steve they’d be nothing.

  • J

    The question itself is an insult.

    J.

  • http://barbedwirebytecodebaconburger.com FighterHayabusa

    Apple moving down the road to becoming the “new Microsoft” when Woz stopped actively working for them. Woz is the patron saint of true hackers and tinkerers everywhere and the one responsible for the original culture around the Apple brand in my opinion. Without him and his jovial hacker nature they quickly started to become more corporate, especially when Steve Jobs and his gargantuan ego came back in ’97. With the release of the iPhone and the App Store they picked up some serious momentum and started showing an ever growing “big brother”-mentality and a need to control everything that didn’t exist previously and that creeps me out just as much as I (still) love using their products (which is a lot).

    The Apple product line is nothing short of spectacular and awesome but they need to ease up a bit with the control-freakery and try and remember where they came from and what gave them their cult status to begin with.

  • sangony

    Apple can never be a Microsoft for one simple reason… there is way too much competition out there today ready to pound on Apple given half a chance.

  • Pauly

    It’s a sad fact that people enjoy hating. That take pleasure in being pissed off and angry and people or situations. Why focus on something positive when you can just look for an excuse to hate something new?

    I’m not surprised most people think Apple is the new Microsoft, it gives them a more passionate reason to hate.

    And we wonder why the world is the way it is.

  • Conrad

    @FighterHayabusa

    Are you daft? Woz’s departure caused the Microsofting of Apple? Woz left in ’87? Jobs left in ’86. The 512k was barely out when these men stopped being active in Apple! If it wasn’t for Steve Jobs there would be no Apple to debate! I’m sure Woz is a good guy, but he left before MICROSOFT was Microsoft! Your entire comment is mind-numbingly uninformed.

    /rant

  • http://www.fuzzypig.com Fuzzy

    When MS innovate, then we’re in trouble! MS seem happy to stagnate and beg, steal and borrow other’s ideas. Apple actually do try hard to make some new, fun and interesting, that’s what lured me away from MS and Linux to OSX!

    I used spend all my time messing about with the O/S doing nothing. OSX I feel no need to mess about, I got creative! I have discovered two great hobbies through my Mac, photography and writing music.

    Cheers Apple!

  • Mezzrow

    As long as Steve Jobs, or his direct influence, are present at Apple, it will never be the corporate monster that Microsoft is. The mindset is totally different. But once Jobs’ influence has abated and the corporate structure is what’s running the company, all bets are off.

  • imajoebob

    Apple could be the next MS, but not because of their size. The one thing both companies have in common is a culture controlled by their CEO. MS has foundered since Gates lost interest and eventually left. The same will likely happen to Apple when Jobs is done.

    I’m no fan of Bill gates, but he was unparalleled in “co-opting” other’s technology and business success. When was the last time MS actually did a decent job of stealing anything? They were working on a slate computer for years but iPad beat them to market and was so good they just folded it. They’re on their 80th or 90th iteration of Mobile Windows, which they started stealing back around Palm OS 2.0. Do you know anybody who actually uses Windows Media systems or whatever their photo organizing software is/was called? People seem to like Vista, but mostly for things they “borrowed” from OS X. I think Bill just had a talent for appropriating the products people wanted. Nobody left at MS seems to have that talent.

    The same very dangerous fate could await Apple. No single face, or even a triumvirate, emerged at Apple when Jobs was ill. Whether it’s because Steve won’t let anyone rise or because the talent doesn’t exist isn’t important. You can bet that hedge fund managers have programs that short Apple stock every time Jobs sneezes. They’ll be a bloodbath on Wall Street if Steve ever gets hit by a bus.

  • normalene jimmy

    i think apple is one of the best computers out there they expand there business good, and always comes up with good things that are way better than anything out there,, that is my opinion;)

  • AppleSuckerz

    You apple fanboys really suck big time

  • http://www.fantastic-realities.com/studio_blog Samuriartguy

    FighterHayabusa: “The Apple product line is nothing short of spectacular and awesome but they need to ease up a bit with the control-freakery and try and remember where they came from and what gave them their cult status to begin with.”

    Hear Hear.

    I was in an Apple Store recently looking at systems. The iPad is slick as greased Ice. But the emerging arrogant behaviors of Apple as a Company sometimes rub me the wrong way. But the fact that there were entire walls and tables devoted to iPads, iPhones and Macbook… and ONE lonely Mac Pro in the corner… Not so happy time for us neglected Pro users.

  • David

    I agree with the few other posters that Google will be the next Microsoft. Apple has a very profitable niche, but it will always be a niche. I just can’t imagine everyone owning a Macbook. I mean, I REALLY CANNOT see that little apple logo lit up on everyone’s laptop everywhere I go. The thought weirds me out. iZombies?!?

    However if Apple decides to market its OS independent of its hardware, then that can change everything. But I haven’t heard anything about that.

    In any case I get a creepy Orwellian vibe from Apple these days. Ironic, isn’t it? Apple isn’t the answer, nor is Microsoft. The answer is Linux, but no one cares enough about opensource software and freedom to ever take notice. Yes I love Linux, and no, I don’t want to drink your communal Kool-aid, no matter how good it tastes at first.