Apple Macintosh and IBM

Paper Summary:

The paper describes the origination of the Apple Macintosh versus the first IBM Personal Computer and explains that they couldn't be more divergent from each other. The paper compares their designs and their differing approaches to persuading software companies to write applications. The paper looks at Microsoft's success but shows how Apple's market share has stabilized and stayed constant near 10% of the total PC market. The paper concludes that while Apple's success today is in large part due to their iPod and iTunes product and service offerings, Apple continues to be a brand that signifies the brand image and identity this company has become known for.

Outline:
Summary
Product Specifications Quickly Fade as Differentiators
Design as a Differentiator
What Matters Most: The Operating Systems
Software Rules
Summary

From the Paper:

"The first Apple Macintosh was by today's standards not that much more powerful than standard calculators. Based on the Motorola 68000 processor with a system bus speed of 8 MHz system bus speed, with 128K Standard RAM, an additional 128K Motherboard RAM, 3.5" diskette drive, and a 9" monochrome screen all packaged in a beige case the first Apple Macintosh looked revolutionary. Selling for $2,500 however the Mac quickly began to gain interest from software programmers interested in the new computer's approach to graphics. The Motorola 68000 processor was specifically chosen for its ability to be programmed at the Assembler level for greater control of graphics."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hertzfeld (2005) - Revolution In The Valley. Andy Hertzfeld. O'Reilly Media. 1rst Edition. December 1, 2004
• Kawasaki (1990) - The Macintosh Way. Harper Collins. Reprint Edition. September, 1990
• Linzmeyer (2004) - Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company No Starch Press; 2 edition (January 2004)
• Stanford University (2005) - Stanford Report. A Ne3ws Service for Stanford University. Commencement Address for Steve Jobs, June 14, 2005. http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html\

More papers on Apple Macintosh and IBM:

• Analytical Essay # 147470 : "The History of the Apple Corporation"
• Comparison Essay # 115761 : "Apple & Dell Comparison"
• Comparison Essay # 113908 : "Mac versus PC: Which Is Best For the Consumer?"

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