Marcia
07-11-2004, 11:16 PM
Apple Computer Inc chief executive Steve Jobs has previewed the next release of the Mac OS X operating system, claiming it will boast some coveted features that Microsoft Windows won't include until 2006.
"It's going to drive the copycats crazy," Jobs said of the software, which he promised for next year, before an enthusiastic audience at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco's Moscone Centre.
Apple pledges to drive copycats crazy (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/12/1089484274219.html?oneclick=true)
Coming in the wake of Microsoft being in the public eye with their forthcoming search technology, the timing of this looks like it's planned as a pre-emptive strategy to try to capture market share, possibly taking advantage of what might be an inherent weakness in the degree of integration of Microsoft's Longhorn release.
Among 150 planned new features will be an advanced new searching tool called Spotlight that can instantly search for keywords across different types of files in the machine - whether they're in an email, image, or text document.
Finding data on a single, bulging desktop remains largely a hassle, especially when compared to the ease of searching the Web with Google. Jobs demonstrated how, with Spotlight, typing the words "Half Dome" into his computer instantly found the right information, even a digital map of Yosemite National Park with the famous mountain marked.
There's Microsoft's weak spot and what could turn out to be a strong USP for Apple. No doubt - there's better search needed for computer hard drives; but with the ever-increasing security issues of MS systems and particularly Internet Explorer, and increasing reports of spyware issues, the strong search integration promised by MS for Longhorn may not be their strongest selling point from a consumer standpoint.
The new version is to be available in the first half of 2005 at a suggested retail price of $US129 ($A180).
Apple may just be coming up with something that'll be trump card for them in attracting users who want improved computer search capability but would rather avoid Microsoft's promised tight integration. With that timing, it looks like Apply is trying to head MS off at the pass.
Actually, it had never occured to me to even think about an Apple until just recently when there was an attempt to force a download on a brand new computer that was plugged in less than 24 hours. There must be others who feel the same way; it really would be a good idea for MS to address the integration issue with regard to security well before their next release. Not knowing exactly what it will involve is arousing far more hesitation than anticipation.
"It's going to drive the copycats crazy," Jobs said of the software, which he promised for next year, before an enthusiastic audience at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco's Moscone Centre.
Apple pledges to drive copycats crazy (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/12/1089484274219.html?oneclick=true)
Coming in the wake of Microsoft being in the public eye with their forthcoming search technology, the timing of this looks like it's planned as a pre-emptive strategy to try to capture market share, possibly taking advantage of what might be an inherent weakness in the degree of integration of Microsoft's Longhorn release.
Among 150 planned new features will be an advanced new searching tool called Spotlight that can instantly search for keywords across different types of files in the machine - whether they're in an email, image, or text document.
Finding data on a single, bulging desktop remains largely a hassle, especially when compared to the ease of searching the Web with Google. Jobs demonstrated how, with Spotlight, typing the words "Half Dome" into his computer instantly found the right information, even a digital map of Yosemite National Park with the famous mountain marked.
There's Microsoft's weak spot and what could turn out to be a strong USP for Apple. No doubt - there's better search needed for computer hard drives; but with the ever-increasing security issues of MS systems and particularly Internet Explorer, and increasing reports of spyware issues, the strong search integration promised by MS for Longhorn may not be their strongest selling point from a consumer standpoint.
The new version is to be available in the first half of 2005 at a suggested retail price of $US129 ($A180).
Apple may just be coming up with something that'll be trump card for them in attracting users who want improved computer search capability but would rather avoid Microsoft's promised tight integration. With that timing, it looks like Apply is trying to head MS off at the pass.
Actually, it had never occured to me to even think about an Apple until just recently when there was an attempt to force a download on a brand new computer that was plugged in less than 24 hours. There must be others who feel the same way; it really would be a good idea for MS to address the integration issue with regard to security well before their next release. Not knowing exactly what it will involve is arousing far more hesitation than anticipation.