There was once a time when the computing world was dominated by Microsoft. The majority of computers ran Windows and the majority of Internet users browsed the web using Internet Explorer. It was the golden age for Microsoft, but it didn’t last very long. Computer users become tired with the lack of choice and many of them felt that with such a dominant share of the market. Microsoft had been lazy, creating buggy software that was riddled with security flaws.
One of the many alternative choices was Max OS. In 2004, at the height of Microsoft’s dominance, there were around 50 times as many Microsoft operating systems sold as there were Macs, but this number has declined steadily over the years and Mac is now used by close to 1 in 12 computer users. These days the Mac OS is seen as the premium operating system, used by those who prefer simplicity and style and often bundled on high-end laptops and Apple computers.
The first Mac was created back in 1984, introduced as the Macintosh Personal Computer, before being renamed to the Mac 128k. It had been in development for five years, with Steve Jobs assuming the lead for the final three years. As far as modern standards go, this was a very basic machine, but at the time it was revolutionary. It was the first computer to use a graphical user interface and it came with 65kB of ROM, eclipsing the 8kB available on a rival IBM machine.
The Mac 128k was advertised extensively and Mac became very popular for a few years, but then Microsoft released Windows 3.0 and things changed. They still had a decent share of the market, but with each subsequent release of Windows their share became less and less. When Windows 95 was released, an operating system that sold an incredible seven million copies in the first 5 weeks, it seemed like the end was near for Apple and their Mac computers.
As we know though, that was not the case. Apple had a revival in 1998 with the release of the iMac, the iconic all-in-one computer that came in several different colors. This hailed a new age for Mac, as people began to see them as innovators and designers, and within a decade of their iMacs being released they had upgraded their processors to Intel and released the first MacBook laptop. The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air followed, and Apple also continued to make all-in-one PCs, which were significantly more streamlined and powerful than their initial attempts.
These days Apple are iconic, and their wealth is astounding. It has been estimated that Apple’s wealth is greater than the annual prescription drug sales in the United States and the global coffee industry. Apple has the wealth of a small country, and although it doesn’t owe all of this to its Mac computers or operating system — with the iPod, iPhone and iPad playing an integral part in their vast wealth — it does owe it to innovation and a desire to put quality, style and simplicity over everything else.
Apple was second best to Microsoft for many years, but it never changed tact and it never tried to cheapen itself in order to compete in the general PC market, a market that Microsoft had dominated. It stuck to its guns even when times were bad, and as a result Apple is now worth a great deal more than Microsoft, and it is Microsoft who have tried to copy off of Apple’s success, doing its best to emulate the iPod and the iTunes media player — among others — and failing at every step. After the death of Steve Jobs the shares took a dive and there seems to have been some stagnation in their innovation, but this is a company that is constantly primed to release something new and exciting. It seems like a matter of time before the next big thing leaves their research department.
Apple iOS devices now offer top-quality apps and services in the industry, making them compatible with virtually every kind of gaming type including pokies in the industry. Moreover, as a strategy that has believed to has been pushed by Microsoft, OSX devices such as iMac and MacBook Pro can also run Windows OS, giving users the best of both worlds. Such developments are catching peoples’ eyes in emerging markets including China and India, where Apple is expected to further dominate as average wages and lifestyles improve in the areas.
Looking ahead to 2015, Apple is expanding its lineup with the iWatch in addition to new devices with Retina display. The industry might even see a 12-inch iPad hit the market and there are even speculations that a TV called the iTV may hit the market as well. These factors plus an advanced overall ecosystem, which Apple is expanding through the acquisition of Beats and iTunes, make Apple and Mac related systems a great choice for gaming and safety for all your playing and user needs.