In March of 2008 the Mac operating system moved Apple closer to challenging Microsoft for overall computing dominance, even in the corporate market.
It was reported that the 20-year death grip that Microsoft has held on the core of computing was finally weakening. All you needed to do was press “Control” with one finger and with the other you press “right arrow.” Instantly you switch from a Macintosh operating system (OS) to a Microsoft Windows OS. Then, with another two-finger press, you switch back again. So as you edit family pictures, you might use Mac’s iPhoto. And when you wanted to access your corporate e-mail, you can switch back instantly to Microsoft Exchange.
This easy toggling on an Apple computer was enabled by a feature called Spaces.
Apple also released of a tool kit for programmers to write applications for the iPhone. This was to be followed by the June launch of iPhone 2.0, a software upgrade geared toward business users.
Taken together, these seemingly unrelated moves are took the outline of a full-fledged strategy. Windows users, in the very near future, will be free to switch to Apple computers and mobile devices, drawn by a widening array of Mac software, without suffering the pain of giving up critical Windows-based applications right away. The easy virtualization of two radically different operating systems on a single desktop paves a classic migration path. Business users will be tempted. Apple is positioning itself to challenge Microsoft for overall computing dominance—even in the corporate realm.
