Free for Apple? Microsoft, you don't have to be nervous.

Last week, Apple held a launch event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Over the 90-minute event, Apple dedicated 60 minutes to the Mac, and during this time, it announced a rather surprising piece of news—OS X Mavericks would be free.

This announcement caused quite a stir in the industry. Many media outlets applauded Apple's move to offer its software for free while expressing concerns for Microsoft’s Windows. Articles with titles like "Apple Takes PC Market Seriously: Mac Could Beat Microsoft Windows," "Apple Spurs Software-Free Trend, Threatening Microsoft's Cash Cow," and "Apple's Latest Free Mac OS Deals Major Blow to Microsoft Windows" emerged, presenting somewhat biased opinions. However, there were also more objective analyses, such as "Why Apple's Mac Software Isn't Truly Free." Despite these rational perspectives, they remained in the minority.

Faced with this information asymmetry in reporting, I was initially reluctant to jump on the bandwagon and write a commentary, preferring to laugh it off. But then I remembered something a late teacher once said: "The hotter the news, the more attention it deserves because it's a hot topic, and users need to understand the truth..." Thus, this commentary came to be —

Does Apple's free operating system have little impact on Microsoft?

Regardless of the stance of an article, the first question that arises in readers' minds is inevitably — why? Why shouldn’t Microsoft be worried about Apple offering its system for free?

1. Free ≠ Open: First, Apple won’t cause much of a ripple. Some people overestimate Apple's influence because its system is only free, not open. It can only be used on Macs; regular PCs cannot run Mac OS. Therefore, Apple's free system only applies to its niche devices and has no significance for ordinary PC users (let’s not nitpick about “Hackintosh,” as it doesn’t matter much). Some readers might think Apple could eventually open up Mac OS, but is that realistic? If Mac OS were open, would anyone still buy expensive Macs?

2. A free system isn’t a decisive factor for IT product purchases: Whether users or businesses choose a particular product depends not on whether it’s cheap or free, but on whether it meets their actual needs. For example, some professional software only runs on Windows. Would users switch to buying an iPad just because iOS is free? Even when demands are similar, users tend to choose cost-effective products. But does a "free" system really save you money? Let’s continue exploring below.

3. Free comes at a high cost: A regular PC costs around 3,000 yuan, while even the cheapest Apple computer starts at 7,000-8,000 yuan, which is equivalent to the price of several PCs. Is that cheap? Moreover, the price of 7,000-8,000 yuan already includes the cost of the system. On the other hand, although Microsoft charges for Windows, users don’t feel it much because most new PCs come pre-installed with the latest system, making the cost of the operating system vague. Users who pay around 3,000 yuan for a computer may not even notice the implicit cost of Windows.

4. In a sense, Microsoft also offers free upgrades: For Windows 8 users, Microsoft indirectly provides free system upgrades. For instance, upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 is a case in point. The free upgrade, however, has certain limitations.

From the above perspectives, Apple's decision to make its system free has minimal impact on Microsoft. So why does such a small impact create such a large buzz?

Why does Apple's free system generate such a strong effect?

When Apple announced at the event that OS X Mavericks would be free, the audience and IT media were surprised and delighted. Social media platforms and tech websites quickly spread the word about the free Apple system. This effect made it seem as though charging for Windows was utterly evil, while Apple’s free system was a great boon to humanity.

In reality, the reason for this strong effect is not due to hatred toward Windows’ pricing model but because Apple products are traditionally positioned as premium and priced high. Announcing that a previously paid-for product is now free naturally draws media attention and leads to exaggerated interpretations by the public.

Should Microsoft respond to Apple's free system?

Since Apple's free system has caused such a significant uproar, should Microsoft take action or follow Apple's lead? To answer this, let’s first explore why Apple decided to make its system free:

1. Apple primarily earns revenue from hardware, so free software has little impact: Although Apple is a company that integrates hardware and software, software is merely one means to differentiate itself. It mainly earns profits through well-designed and finely crafted hardware. While Apple has software, its foundation lies in hardware, and most of its income comes from hardware sales. Therefore, offering a free operating system doesn’t significantly affect Apple.

2. Apple's free system aims to monetize through services in the future: Why did Apple make its system free? The main reason is to reduce system fragmentation, unify user experiences, and encourage users to adopt the latest iCloud services. In the future, Apple will undoubtedly discover and monetize through these services.

From these two points, Apple's decision to offer its operating system for free is essentially a sophisticated marketing strategy—a sleight of hand to please consumers. However, for Microsoft, these two aspects are very different:

1. Software remains Microsoft's primary source of revenue: Last year, Microsoft's Windows division generated $19.23 billion in revenue, far exceeding the software revenue Apple generates from Macs.

2. The value emphasis of the two systems differs: Due to the completeness of the App Store and iTunes on Macs, the value of Apple's ecosystem far outweighs the value of its operating system. Conversely, this is not the case for Microsoft.

In summary, given the vast differences between the two companies and the minimal impact of Apple's free system on Microsoft, Microsoft does not need to respond to this move.

What lessons can Microsoft learn from Apple's free system?

Although Apple's free system has little impact on Microsoft, it allows Apple to provide a unified user experience. This not only solves the problem of system fragmentation but also reduces development costs, enabling developers to focus more and deliver unique software experiences to users, further enhancing user loyalty.

Additionally, the philosophy behind Apple's free system is commendable—there is more value to pursue beyond the operating system. Microsoft should explore the value of its ecosystem rather than focusing solely on system-level gains. Therefore, should Microsoft adjust its strategy on Windows Phone and learn from Apple?

Final Question: Will operating systems be free in the future?

After reading this far, you might be wondering: Will operating systems be free in the future? In fact, the trend toward free operating systems is inevitable. The future computing era will be the cloud era, where people will use "cloud services" for production and innovation. Software companies will sustain themselves by providing "cloud services" (application services in the cloud). At that time, the operating system will serve as an entry point, and its essence will resemble Chrome OS. To become the core system of the cloud computing era, the free distribution of systems will be necessary because only free systems can drive them to become entry points.