Comments on: Windows Decline - Success for the Linux PC http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/ Oh please, not another Mac bigot Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:51:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Boycott Novell » Links 03/05/2008: Free Software in Spain, Ecuador, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia… http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1406 Boycott Novell » Links 03/05/2008: Free Software in Spain, Ecuador, Vietnam, Philippines, Australia… Sat, 03 May 2008 18:40:02 +0000 http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1406 [...] Windows Decline - Success for the Linux PC [...] [...] Windows Decline - Success for the Linux PC [...]

]]> By: Robin Bloor http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1396 Robin Bloor Fri, 02 May 2008 12:07:31 +0000 http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1396 And that's the whole point, I guess. While to some users (like myself) there may be fundamental usage differences between the Mac and Vista, to many users the difference may be so small that it doesn't matter - given how they use the PC. In that instance "skins" (both around the screen and on the screen) become the deciding point. Most people would agree that Apple has the preferred skin right now - but until Everex moved in, it was the only company with an alternative. Note that this is a consumer differentiation and has nothing to do with the business market and also note that ring tones is a $billion business. And that’s the whole point, I guess. While to some users (like myself) there may be fundamental usage differences between the Mac and Vista, to many users the difference may be so small that it doesn’t matter - given how they use the PC. In that instance “skins” (both around the screen and on the screen) become the deciding point. Most people would agree that Apple has the preferred skin right now - but until Everex moved in, it was the only company with an alternative.
Note that this is a consumer differentiation and has nothing to do with the business market and also note that ring tones is a $billion business.

]]> By: Dale Vile http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1395 Dale Vile Fri, 02 May 2008 07:11:34 +0000 http://havemacwillblog.com/2008/04/30/the-linux-opportunity-in-the-pc-market/#comment-1395 The idea of a PC oriented around one service, FaceBook, MySpace, etc, is pretty interesting. I wonder if anyone has thought of something akin to skins to achieve this. Such an approach would cope with the phrenomenon my colleague David Tebbutt talks about of social media audiences herding from one service to another. So, you might buy the MySpace version of the PC initially, then when you get bored or all of your friends have migrated to FaceBook, then you just download the FaceBook skin (new set of widgets, config, etc) and away you go. I had an interesting experience when I took my 10 year old daughter to PC World to choose a laptop. We were looking across the various machines and she it was clear she was choosing on two things - whether it had an in built webcam (video is pretty important to kids nowadays) and what it looked like. The comment "Don't like that one because it looks like Dad's" was made when I pointed out a couple of machines that I thought would be good from a price/spec/size perspective (my criteria). Then, after looking thoughtfully at a pink PC with no camera, she moved along and said, in a very definate tone, "I want that one". And the reason? It had the in built webcam (check) but also had interchangeable covers so you could personalise the lid. There were lots to choose from with various designs, and even one that allowed you to display your own photo or graphic. Anyway, I have no idea how well these personalisable PCs sell, but the concept was a hit in my sample of one, and extending the idea to software config, look and feel sounds quite interesting, so I think you are onto something there when you highlight that all Vista machines tend to look the same. The idea of a PC oriented around one service, FaceBook, MySpace, etc, is pretty interesting. I wonder if anyone has thought of something akin to skins to achieve this. Such an approach would cope with the phrenomenon my colleague David Tebbutt talks about of social media audiences herding from one service to another. So, you might buy the MySpace version of the PC initially, then when you get bored or all of your friends have migrated to FaceBook, then you just download the FaceBook skin (new set of widgets, config, etc) and away you go.

I had an interesting experience when I took my 10 year old daughter to PC World to choose a laptop. We were looking across the various machines and she it was clear she was choosing on two things - whether it had an in built webcam (video is pretty important to kids nowadays) and what it looked like. The comment “Don’t like that one because it looks like Dad’s” was made when I pointed out a couple of machines that I thought would be good from a price/spec/size perspective (my criteria). Then, after looking thoughtfully at a pink PC with no camera, she moved along and said, in a very definate tone, “I want that one”. And the reason? It had the in built webcam (check) but also had interchangeable covers so you could personalise the lid. There were lots to choose from with various designs, and even one that allowed you to display your own photo or graphic.

Anyway, I have no idea how well these personalisable PCs sell, but the concept was a hit in my sample of one, and extending the idea to software config, look and feel sounds quite interesting, so I think you are onto something there when you highlight that all Vista machines tend to look the same.

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