Apple’s new operating system should inspire developers on both Mac and Windows platforms “to renew their quest for gotta-have innovations,” Charles Haddad writes in his latest Byte of the Apple column for Business Week Online .
The columnist thinks personal computer innovation is in a slump, though Mac OS X offers a “glimmer of promise.” Haddad says it’s “an exciting new operating system, harnessing the vast power and stability of UNIX for the humble desktop.” The operating system will, hopefully, spur “new and exciting uses for the Mac,” and, as a trickle-down effect, spur innovation on the Wintel side.
“I say ‘should’ because it has been a struggle to excite developers about OS X,” Haddad says. “They’ve moved through three stages. The first was denial: Developers balked at the idea of having to learn yet another set of programming tools — especially for an unproven OS … Stage 2 marked begrudging acceptance. The big developers agreed to crank out OS X versions of current software biggies such as Office and Quicken. That’s important, but really, this stage was a yawner. It hardly does justice to the power of OS X.”
Now we’re in the third stage, he feels. Developers are asking themselves: What can be done with OS X that hasn’t been done before? As a result, Haddad expects to see some innovative new products in the months ahead.
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