Fast Company : Steve Jobs, Apple, and the Limits of Innovation

Great article at Fast Company about Apple Computer, where it has been and where it is going. Interesting that the new store in Burlingame has Tuscan stone floors instead of the usual hardwood. The next step for Apple now that the G5 is out and doing well is to introduce a 64-bit OS. It needs to happen soon before Microsoft sounds off another “wait until Longhorn” trumpet. The G5 and Panther are tempting me to switch to a Mac. If I switch I would be giving up free software from Microsoft (I have free copies of Windows, Office, etc.) and dedicating myself to Java instead of C#. MacWorld’s announcements in a few weeks may sway me. “No one knows the cost to Apple to manufacture and market the iPod, and estimates of its operating margin range widely: 2.5% to 18%. But even at iPod’s lowest list price of $299–and using a conservative margin estimate of 8%–it’s clear that the iPod contributed substantially all of Apple’s 2003 estimated operating income of $24.8 million, excluding onetime charges. Without the iPod, Apple is in trouble.”