The Cost of Being First

in·no·va·tion   (n-vshn)
n.
    1.    The act of introducing something new.
    2.    Something newly introduced.

u·ni·form   (yn-fôrm)
adj.
    1.    Always the same, as in character or degree; unvarying.
    2.    Conforming to one principle, standard, or rule; consistent.
    3.    Being the same as or consonant with another or others.
    4.    Unvaried in texture, color, or design.

There has been quite a bit of talk lately about Apple competing with Dell, Apple unseating Microsoft, Apple getting out of the (pick one, hardware or software) business. All sorts of silly rumors have been flying around. Yet one thing I notice that people seem to forget is that Apple isn’t going to follow in anyone’s footsteps. Apple thinks different, or have you forgotten?

Remember floppy drives? Me neither. But I looked them up in a history book. Apparently they used to be big.  Real big. Those little disks had practically no storage space but they came in cool colors and were all the rage for a while. Then, one day, Apple said they weren’t going to use them anymore. At all. Period.

That caused quite a bit of confusion for some. In fact, many a proud PC owner scoffed at us floppy-less Mac users. And when asked why we would willingly discard a technology in widespread use. The answer was simple, floppy disks are obsolete and it’s time to look ahead to the future. Apple was ridiculed for this viewpoint.

But they were right. That future happened to be CD-Rs and USB drives. Apple saw this, planned for this, and thus every new Mac was able to double its life-span. How many G3 iMac era PCs have you seen lately? Not many. Why? They are obsolete. Those PC makers only looked as far as the next sale and had no regard for the future. Would their machines be adequate for future use? Who cares? If they aren’t people will just buy faster computers. It’s what they have always done. It’s what they have told is the right thing to do. Why would
they change their habits now? That strategy was working out well except for Apple. They kept making waves, acting different, challenging the status quo.

Apple has lead the way in a remarkable number of areas. Areas in which Dell, IBM, Acer, Gateway and the rest eventually followed, conceding Apple was right. Remember now, Apple was the first to incorporate ethernet ports built into the machines. In fact, I remember servicing an old 33 Mhz Mac that had an ethernet port built directly onto the motherboard, and that was what, 15 years ago?

Remember trackballs in laptops? That was Apple again leading the way. And when track-pads replaced trackballs guess whose machines had them first? Apple. Who brought the first 17” laptop to market? Apple again. In spite of everything that the industry was saying was “right” Apple continued to innovate.

Apple was the first to make CD-ROMs standard equipment. Then they led the way in making CD-Rs standard and then DVD-Rs. And lets not forget about USB. Apple once again led the way in the adoption of that technology. Same thing goes for FireWire, Apple was there at the start saying how FireWire was going to make USB as obsolete as floppy disks.  Unfortunately it has taken longer than they thought but finally both people and companies are realizing the advantages of using FireWire. Score another point for Apple.

Ever use a TV Tuner card to watch TV on your computer? Who do you think was the first to make that possible?  I will give you a hint, it’s not Dell! First to incorporate WiFi? Yep, that’s Apple again. First to use 64 bit processors in a consumer machine, first to create a handheld mini-computer (Newton anyone?), first to create an easy-to-use MP3 player and the first to build a workable online music store. All Apple.

If you still need more proof type the string [“Apple was the first to”] into google, you will get 1,280 hits detailing their accomplishments.  Type [“microsoft was the first to”] and you will get 1,070 hits. Typing [“microsoft was the first to” -xbox] and that number drops to a pitiful 252. Of that 252 most deal with adding a scroll wheel to a mouse and budget related articles.

Kind of amusing isn’t it? The largest software company on the planet can only innovate scroll wheels. So, everyone out there fretting over Apple’s latest moves please calm down. And all of you tech pundits out there who are so loudly proclaiming Apple’s demise please take a pill. Apple has consistently brought dynamic changes to an industry plagued by conformity.  They have seen the future and create their products accordingly. So have a little faith that Jobs & Co. know what they are doing because if the past is any indicator they will be vindicated once again.

But I suppose if being on the cutting edge is too scary for you then you can always get a Dell. And I am sure that if you ask nicely they might even throw in a floppy drive.