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Apple aims to reclaim its special place in users' hearts with new iMac
The company that invented the personal computer has enjoyed mixed fortunes in its 21 years. But Apple is on the comeback trail - particularly in the home - following the release this month of its latest hi-tech machine, writes GREG GORDONTHERE are two kinds of computer users - those who prefer PCs and those who favour Apple Macs. And the two camps could not be more divided in their opinion of the respective merits of each. While PCs have scooped the lion's share of the computing market, Apple Macs still have a loyal band of followers. The Mac has achieved almost a cult status, partly because it is one of the world's most visible brands, but mainly because it was the first personal computer and - for a long time - the best one. This month, Apple South Africa releases the iMac, a new computer aimed at home computer users. In the US the signs are that it is turning the company's fortunes around: iMacs are selling like hot cakes. Most computer users are familiar with PCs, which typically contain an Intel processor, conform to the specifications first designed by IBM and run Windows software. The Mac, as the Apple Macintosh is known, is something rather different. The machines look like PCs but have unusual traits. They don't have Intel chips. They don't run Windows. What then is the Mac? Apple was formed on April Fool's Day in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Their $2 500 (about R15 700) Apple I was never sold commercially - it was bought mainly by enthusiasts. But it was the world's first personal computer. A year later the Apple II was released and then the Apple III. Sales were sluggish until 1983 when Apple started selling the Lisa. Lisa had twin floppy drives and a graphical operating system. It changed the look of computers forever. Instead of character-driven menus, users could navigate using icons and pull-down menus via a mouse - the model used on all PCs and Macs to this day. IBM, meanwhile, had released the PC. This machine used software called DOS (disk operating system), which was character-based. Sales were brisk because few companies had developed applications like word processors and spreadsheets for the Mac. Here is where Apple made its biggest mistake. IBM licensed its architecture to other manufacturers - which meant they could build machines in the same way as IBM, using similar parts. Apple, however, elected to keep its design to itself. The company was strong: it was the darling of Wall Street and seemingly could do no wrong. During the mid-'80s PCs became cheap and prolific. Economies of scale meant greater volumes could be produced at a reduced cost. Suddenly, the Mac was expensive. Good, but expensive. It was the tool of choice for designers and spawned the desktop publishing industry because of the ability it gave operators to view pages graphically on a screen. The thrust that cut Apple to the core came in the form of the Windows operating system for the PC, which brought the graphical environment to PC users. The Mac had lost a significant advantage. It was still good, but now so was the PC, and the Mac was still considerably more expensive. Windows was slow in coming, but in 1990 when Windows 3.1 was released it covered the underlying DOS sufficiently to make it attractive to the majority of users. There was now a machine which was like a Mac but much cheaper. Apple made a series of bad decisions and for a while the company's future lay in the balance. Two years ago it was rudderless, running out of money and had high operating costs. Then, in July 1995, ex-National Semiconductor CEO Gil Amelio was brought in to put Apple on its feet. He restructured, got rid of the deadwood, and killed projects that were swallowing money. He left after finishing the process in 18 months - 18 months ahead of schedule. In came Jobs as interim CEO. He's still there. There are about 30 million Macs worldwide, against 400 million PCs. Why own a Mac? Says Apple South Africa's marketing manager, Brian Seligmann: "The Mac has a loyal following because it is consistent. While machines have got faster and more efficient inside, the look has not changed radically. Users are always working with a familiar-looking interface. "There's also a perception that Macs are expensive. They are not - a Mac costs around the same as a branded PC. Only clones are cheaper," he says. The iMac is targeted at home computer users. While the company has the publishing and graphics markets sewn up, home users are its next focus. If you're in the market for a Mac, bear in mind that the processor is called a PowerPC processor and the operating system is not Windows, it's Mac OS version 8.1. A new version, 8.5, is expected to be released within a few months. There's also a little techno-snobbery when you own a Mac. But the PC industry has had the last laugh. In a move that had Mac users pale with disbelief, Microsoft boss Bill Gates bought a five percent stake in Apple earlier this year. It is unlikely that Apple will ever amount to more than a company with specialised machines for specialised applications. But it remains at the root of personal computing and occupies a special place in the hearts of its devotees. By rights it should not have survived - but now you may even find yourself owning one. That's staying power.
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