As of this Saturday, the single largest system software release
since the Mac's inception is ready for public consumption
(finally!).
Mac users will no longer have to endure the slings and arrows of
the Wintel crowd regarding protected memory. Mac users will no longer
have to put up with crazy extensions bringing the system down.
Of course, Mac OS X will likely bring a whole new set of
problems with it, and I can't see MacFixit shutting its doors anytime
soon.
Now that the new OS is out there, the really hard work is ahead of
Apple (and us, if your the Macevangelical type).
A single word comes to mind: promote.
Apple must promote the heck out of this operating system. It must
be in the face of consumers and businesses. It must tout this
operating system as the best thing since sliced bread. It roasts, it
toasts, and it burns. It slices, it dices, and it grills. Sounds like
a bad infomercial?
Ever seen how much money people make off of infomercials?
Apple has neglected the software side of its business when it
comes to promotion. It's much easier to show off a beautiful computer
than the software that runs on it. This has to change. Particularly
because Apple has a lot riding on OS X.
Healthy promotion of a product inspires confidence in buyers.
Microsoft is a master of building up its products. Windows is the
best operating system for everything under the sun. There are no ifs,
ands, or buts about it at Redmond. Microsoft is the only way to go.
Whether this is true or not is, of course, a matter of opinion, but
Microsoft appears to have convinced a good number of users that their
product is the best around.
This kind of chutzpah (even the in the face of overwhelming
evidence to the contrary) is something that no other software
developer seems to have mastered. Apple prefers to rely on word of
mouth more than, say, a head to head demonstration.
This cannot be the case with OS X. Break out the fire
breathers, strike up the band, and let the world know that there is a
better way.
While many of us will enthusiastically support the new OS, Apple
must also show support for their own products. In addition to listing
the impressive specs of OS X, Apple should be shouting from the
rooftops that this is an OS that no one can do without.
Is it the truth?
Not exactly. OS X is a great operating system, and it does
outperform the competition by a wide margin.
Is it an OS people can't live without?
Not really. But then again, the other big players in the computer
industry didn't get where they are today by being completely honest.
Stephen Van
Esch is the founder and president of
the
E-learning Foundry, an online training
resource for Mac users. Steve loves the Mac and is doubly bilingual,
since he's also fluent in Windows and French.
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