[geeks] The Dog's Breakfast: Microsoft Windows Vista

[James Fogg]

> I don't think it is in Apple's interest to make OS X for
> Intel generally available (i.e. shrinkwrap software in a
> store for any hardware). An argument could, I think, be made
> for OEM licenses to system manufacturers, but Apple would
> likely need to add some sort of "activation" mechanisim into
> the OS, and they would suffer as SOlaris X/86 did with woeful
> driver support for an extended period...


A big part of Apple's success is the control over hardware. They aren't
spending developer resources chasing every known possible hardware
vendor and version. Instead they hyperfocus on a limited assortment of
hardware, and get to pick and choose the best hardware for a given price
point. I'm sure disconnecting OSX from the hardware would hurt Apple's
reputation.