Is Apple the New Microsoft?

Forbes: ??Is Apple the New Microsoft???

Check out this beaucoup interesting piece by Lisa DiCarlo of Forbes. (Full disclosure: we worked together many years and I think Lisa's a terrific reporter. But you can decide for yourselves.)

Anyway, LD points out the irony of recent complaints about bullying behavior from Apple and similar elbow-throwing by Microsoft, circa the mid-1990s. Viewed from that perspective, the launch of the company??s anti-leaking campaign fits with a pattern.

Maybe a better Forbes headline would have been: ??Steve Jobs, the New Nixon??? Food for thought.

[kkumar99]

Interesting article about apple...a little off topic, but I am finding more and more of a difference in apple's attitude since the iphone came out. The ipod was a revolutionary device, one that I believe allowed apple to show the world their software with itunes and innovation with the device. I really believe the ipod was the catalyst to apple reviving their computer business. Don't get me wrong, apple always had will always have the hardcore apple users who use the device for media editing, but the "casual" mac switchers over the last 10 years really jumped from windows because of their frustration with windows and the innovation they were now able to see from apple. Apple took this and ran with it, continuing to innovate with the ipod mini, the nano, the macbooks, imac, etc. Then came the iphone; arguably a more revolutionary device than any previous apple product. It is completely changing the cellphone industry. However, along with the iphone came narcissistic and monopolistic behaviors. Apple, realizing what they had with this product, has tried to push aside the competition in the market, which I suppose is reasonable from a business perspective. The latest debacle with the google voice app just goes along with their recent behavior. Their interaction with palm over itunes has also highlighted their desire to close the market. Just recently, I witnessed this behavior in person at an apple store. It was tax-free weekend in Missouri, and to "accommodate" their customers the apple store created lines outside their doors reminiscent of trendy night clubs. When looking inside the store, there were only about 20 people, inside, with plenty of employees to help out. One poor customer came to have her ipod serviced. She was told she needed to wait in the "accessory line" to enter the half-empty store. Is this the kind of service we are to expect from apple in the future? Are they getting too big for the britches? Is Apple the new Microsoft? Is Google the new Apple?...and Microsoft...somewhere in between?...Just some thoughts I had...as I post from my mac