Although I am a terminal, hopeless nerd, it takes a lot to get me excited about a piece of software. A _lot_.
With that said, having now used Coherence, it is officially the coolest thing ever. For the uninitiated, Coherence is a feature of the latest release of the Parallels virtual machine software for Macs that allows you to use Windows application windows as if they were native mac windows. So, in other words, instead of having your virtual machine look like a single window on your desktop in which all the Windows applications running in the virtual machine are caged, you can move them around, play with them, minimize them, and otherwise do anything you would do with a normal window in your _Mac_ desktop. Think running IE (or Outlook, or both) right next to Safari, each in its own window.
Once Boot Camp comes out of beta and you can run Windows games natively on Intel-based macs, there is officially absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy a Windows PC ever again.
Note to self: dump all remaining Microsoft stock.
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2 comments:
You know, I wonder how concerned Microsoft should be if Mac keeps selling its ability to run Windows. After all, if you're buying Windows for a Dell or buying it for a MacBook, you're still buying Windows, right?
That said, no threat to the monopoly is a good thing (for MS). And Bill Gates probably remembers how Office gained hold by making every other file format Office-readable even though no one bothered to do the reverse for Office files. The more people realize they don't need Windows to turn on their computers, the less people will miss it when it's gone (Lotus, anyone?)
Ah yes...there is a reason Microsoft doesn't get too upset when people buy macs. After all, where would Microsoft look for good user interface ideas to steal if Apple weren't there?
And yes, exactly. The way (arguably the only way) you up-end a software monopoly is to build a compatibility layer for the stuff people are used to to get them to convert, introduce them to your stuff once they've converted, and then slowly wean them off the old stuff.
Short term boost in licensing revenue probably doesn't offset the loss of monopoly. On the other hand, if I were Microsoft, I'd be much more worried about Google Docs and Spreadsheets than anything Apple is doing...
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