Apple VP Tevanian on OS 10.1, ‘megahertz myth’

Apple senior vice president of software engineering Avie Tevanian is the subject of a new article on Australia’s I.T. Web site. Penned by Garry Barker, the piece is entitled Mr. Software fights the megahertz myth.

Barker provides some biographical background on Tevanian, noting his role in creating the NeXT operating system. Created by Apple founder Steve Jobs, NeXT was subsumed by Apple 11 years after it was founded, bringing Steve Jobs back full circle and ultimately leading to his ascension to Apple’s helm once again.

Tevanian called the effort he and his team have put into Mac OS X’s forthcoming upgrade, 10.1, “Just a lot of very hard work.” Tevanian said that a lot of effort has been put into making the operating system faster and better.

Tevanian also touched on what Apple calls the megahertz myth — the belief in some quarters that the speed of the processor is what’s important. Tevanian suggested that this belief is more prevalent in the general public than it is with professionals. “In the creative process it’s important for [professionals] to have confidence in the product, end to end,” said Tevanian.

Tevanian suggested that Apple’s strength is in the software it offers for users of its hardware and operating system. He points to examples like iDVD, iMovie 2 and Final Cut Pro as examples. Questioned by Barker about the likelihood of any of these packages making their way to the Windows platform, Tevanian suggested it was unlikely.

OS X’s future in the corporate marketplace was also questioned. Tevanian admits that Apple has its work cut out for it, but said that the company is “now much better positioned” with a modern OS.