Move over computers. Welcome portable devices!
Yes, Apple is sitting pretty, right in the catbird's seat. Not only
does Apple dominate the market (iPod, iPhone, and iPad), but it's iOS
operating system is tailor-made for portable devices.
So what's the problem?
The cloud gets in the way.
Apple led the way in the cloud, what with iTools
and iDisk, introduced in 2000. But the black cloud on the horizon
is named Google. Not only can Google's apps work across platforms,
they also with older Apple processors and operating systems.
Apple's new
iCloud service can't say
that.
And that business of requiring the purchase of an application to use
iCloud - for instance, you need to buy Pages (Mac
and
iOS versions if you want to use both platforms) to use Pages
documents with iCloud - I'll bet that Google executives were dancing at
their desks.
I think that Apple's strategy has been in place for a while. I
remember meeting an Apple representative at a big box story and
discussing the fact that the school I was working at had just gotten
Google accounts for it's students. I was talking about how this an
advantage for our students. The Apple rep responded by saying, "Google
Apps aren't real applications." But they are free, and they do work
across platforms.
The second of Google's one-two punch has been the release of
Android.
By releasing it into the wild, Google has instantly made itself a major
player in the portable device market. It's going to be iOS vs. Android
across the world.
And once again, Apple will tend it's walled garden while it's major
competitor mounts assaults against its walls. I know this is the way
Steve Jobs and the Apple guys play, but I can't help but wonder if it
will work.
You know that big box store? Last I checked, they have a tablet
section that sells all sorts of tablets. They still sell the iPad 2, but it's clear that they can tell
which way the wind is blowing. I'm sure that the market for computers
will remain, but I know that Apple and the other players are moving on.
The mass market in this country wants mobile devices that work in the
cloud.
Don't get me wrong, I'm an Apple fan from way back in the Apple II
days, but I don't know if Apple can live long in the new cloud
reality.
I know that many others have predicted Apple's funeral before, but
I'm not sure that Apple's approach to the cloud makes it a competitive
player in this market. 
