Apple's 'free' offering has Microsoft most worried about Surface
Rumors say that Apple will be free. But don't get excited, it's not the hardware that is free, just the free upgrade of software. This week, Apple announced for free OS X Mavericks and iLife, iWork at a press conference. After this move, all kinds of media pointed their swords at Microsoft, vigorously spreading the "Apple Free Theory" and having a strong intention to denigrate Microsoft, scaring Microsoft PR vice president Frank Shawn who was attending Nokia World Conference in Abu Dhabi into responding hastily: Apple being free is not scary.
Whose cheese did Apple take by announcing its products as free? Why was Microsoft so panic-stricken? In fact, the panic of Microsoft does not lie in the impact of Apple Mac OS on the traditional desktop market of Windows, but lies in Apple splashing a bucket of dirty water on Microsoft's carefully cultivated, well-protected, and highly expected tablet products under the name of being free.
It is well-known that Apple Macs are niche products. The market share of Mac OS X approaching 10% is already Apple's best performance currently. How easy is it to snatch users from the 90% market of the traditional Windows desktop? Mac OS X and Windows do not belong to the same series originally. The former is a Unix-like system, Linux is also a Unix-like system. If Windows users would turn to Apple's embrace because of free, why has the free and open-source Linux suffered an empty widowhood for 20 years? Therefore, Apple's free strategy is not aimed at the traditional desktop market at all, and Cook should have such self-awareness.
Simply put, Apple's free move has two purposes. First, through free upgrades, let a large number of Mac users upgrade to the latest version of OS X Mavericks, abandon many old versions of the operating system, and concentrate on optimizing Apple's system ecology. Both Mac OS X and iOS come from Apple's hands. Since the preview version of the last version OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion was released last year, Apple users have found that Mac OS X is becoming more and more like iOS. What does this mean? In fact, Apple also has the idea of "platform unification" similar to Microsoft's. By concentrating on optimizing the ecology of Apple's system, make Mac OS X and iOS become increasingly "homogenized". The advantage of doing this lies in inciting handheld users accustomed to operating iOS to experience the Apple system and then buy a Mac computer.
Second, under the guise of being free, harass Microsoft's rear guard and attempt to dismantle the Windows product system. Everyone knows that except for pirated copies, Microsoft is almost unrelated to the word "free". Microsoft's dominance in the past was not achieved by shouting "free". Nowadays, times have changed. Consumers are indulged and pampered by Google, and the concept of free has taken root in people's hearts. Thus, Cook figured out that if he can't beat Windows PC, why not start with Office? At least, Office should not land on our iPad. For Microsoft, both Windows and Office are excellent cash cows, they are the rear guard where Microsoft spends money to compete in the mobile field against Apple and Google. Although Google previously took action against Office using the online advantage, it never succeeded. Apple is different from Google in that Apple has devices. Promoting office suites for free on its own devices is necessary, modestly speaking, this is a strategic defense; boldly speaking, it's harassment of your rear guard, Microsoft. In fact, both Apple and Google know that Windows and Office go hand in hand. As long as the influence of Office remains, Windows will never lose its composure. Therefore, actions can only be taken against Office.
To sum up, in the software field, Microsoft is still irreplaceable. However, Apple's free move indeed made Microsoft panic. Actually, what Microsoft worries about is not Windows and Office, but its youngest son, Surface.
Microsoft, which has fallen behind in the mobile era step by step, has invested a lot in its tablet strategy. Just open the Microsoft homepage to see the product order, the first and second are Windows and Office, the third is Surface, the fourth is Windows Phone, showing the importance of Surface in Microsoft's "service equipment" strategy. Why does Microsoft place heavy bets on Surface? This has to be explained from its "unification" idea.
In fact, all along, what Microsoft really wants to do is the next generation of computers, not mobile phones. As early as 2000, Microsoft developed the mobile device operating systems Pocket PC and Pocket PC Phone. From the naming, Microsoft's original design intention is how to make PCs more portable, and how to incorporate PC operating systems into mobile phones, which became the formation condition of the later "unification" idea. But no matter how hard Microsoft's designers tried, they could never figure out the best way, until Steve Jobs announced the first generation of iPhone in 2007, when a certain executive of Microsoft suddenly realized: "Wow! That's actually what we want!" What that executive meant was not "the mobile phone we want", but "the computer we want"! Later, Microsoft struggled over how to compete with Apple's new product and incorporated the unification idea of tablets, mobile phones, and PCs, causing delays and providing opportunities for Android's rise.
Now, Microsoft's strategy is very clear. Balmer emphasized multiple times before announcing his retirement that all departments must move towards the goal of "one Microsoft, one strategy", which is how to achieve the transition of new and old products in the post-PC era to ensure the lasting prosperity of the Windows family. At this critical moment, Surface is obviously an important strategic core of Microsoft.
Unlike Apple's iPad, Microsoft's positioning of Surface has been entertainment and productivity since the beginning, aiming to maintain its advantages as the next generation of personal computers when the twilight of PCs arrives, and to echo other devices to achieve the grand unification of cross-operating system platforms. For this strategy, Balmer spared no effort, launching the bizarre Windows 8, reforming department structures, acquiring Nokia, abandoning HP, and risking being laughed at by Wall Street to become the most controversial CEO in Microsoft's history (Balmer: My friend Water understands me). If Balmer were present at Apple's press conference and heard the mocking voices targeting Microsoft's tablets, he would definitely explode with anger: Mr. Cook! You may insult me, but do not insult my child, Surface!
It is ironic that Google actually has the most qualifications to shout "free". Cook's move of taking the free issue seriously fails to reflect Apple's advantages, but instead exposes Apple's current predicament. Cook emphasized at the press conference, "Apple has clear goals and directions, and our competitors (referring to Microsoft) are different from before, they are very confused. Now they try to turn PCs into tablets, tablets into PCs, who knows what they will do next?"
In fact, isn't this statement true for Apple as well? Two years have passed since the death of Master Jobs, and CEOs like Cook, who have innovative awareness but lack innovative thinking, don't know what to do next either.
