[link|http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=4559|http://www.theinqui...article=4559]


MACWORLD SHOWED US that Jobs is running the old migration-to-the- PC-idea up the familiar flagpole. While the eventual target for such a strategic move is the erosion of Microsoft's desktop OS market share, the nearer-term targets for Jobs' words are manufacturers and tier-one OEMs such as Dell, and HP.
Industry watchers will remember the various dual-boot wars between IBM's OS/2, and flavors of Windows - 3.1, NT and Win95. Microsoft concluded those wars victoriously, fighting tooth and nail to bury OS/2 and, aided by IBM's ham-handed support, succeeded smartly.

An X86 Mac Would Be Desirable For Many
MS scenarios analysing potential conflicts between an x86 MAC, and Windows platforms raise far different and more dangerous threats to the virtual Microsoft monopoly on desktops, than IBM ever did with OS/2. Apple, unlike IBM, knows a thing or two about ergonomics, and customer satisfaction, and poses a genuine threat that Microsoft cannot brush aside easily.

Mac OSX is also technically more desirable than Windows XP since it has welded the highly desirable Mac interface onto an extremely stable and mature unix back end. The unix kernel inside the Mac OS on a standard PC poses a threat not only from the ergonomic perspective, but also threatens the entire marketing thrust of the Microsoft operating system strategic directions, that are leading users into a spiral of more intrusive and proprietary man-machine-business interfaces.


Could it give Apple a foothold into the PC/WINTEL market? Could they go head to head against Microsoft?


Mac X86 Adoption Has Two Major Barriers
Before Apple can stand toe-to-toe with Microsoft on the corporate desktop, a deployment strategy needs to be established. Apple needs to win OEM support to deliver Mac OSX on standard PC hardware from Dell, HP, IBM, Toshiba, and others. But before Apple can even address deployment two lynchpin issues need resolving. Can AMD deliver hammers in volume? and... Will Dell sell AMD Hammers? If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you can bet that Mac will make a stab at the market.


The key is in getting the OEMs to pre-install OSX X86 instead of Windows XP.


The area where Apple needs significant work is in the integration/migration strategies for organizations using Exchange. Microsoft has the exchange noose around a lot of corporate necks, and it remains to be seen whether Apple chooses to fight or fit-in with Microsoft groupware strategies.


Apple still needs to develop some decent server apps, something to combat Microsoft's Backoffice. Otherwise it won't be taken seriously by most IS Departments, most of whom run NT or W2K Server on X86 Servers. With OSX X86, Apple could try and get those IS Departments to switch to their brand of software without paying extra for new hardware costs.