by Dave Rosenberg

Is Apple missing the ‘Mac Opportunity’?

analysis
Sep 17, 20072 mins

Today's NY Times (login maybe required) has an article discussing Apple's over-focus on the iPod as Mac computers appear to languish with few new features and limited new models. This is something that we have written about before here on Open Sources: Did we really need another iPod?; The Mac rolls on...; Yet another Macbook Pro dies by my hand The NY Times article is interesting because it focuses on Apple's s

Today’s NY Times (login maybe required) has an article discussing Apple’s over-focus on the iPod as Mac computers appear to languish with few new features and limited new models. This is something that we have written about before here on Open Sources: Did we really need another iPod?; The Mac rolls on…; Yet another Macbook Pro dies by my hand

The NY Times article is interesting because it focuses on Apple’s shortcomings in moving Macs into the channel (rather than my obsession with new laptops) and makes a very good point that Apple is potentially blowing it’s opportunity since Vista pretty much sucks.

The most interesting nugget:

APPLE was organized in a way that was bound to lead to neglect of the Mac and the retail channel. The 10 members of the company’s executive team include a senior vice president who is responsible for the iPod and nothing else. Another is in charge of only the stores Apple owns. No one’s sole responsibility is the Mac. The Mac’s sales are under the purview of the chief operating officer, Timothy D. Cook, who has other things on his plate, like running the entire company.

This is very surprising to me when conventional wisdom (in fact business school teachings) tell us that Apple created the consumer devices like the iPod and opened the retail stores to sell more Macs.

I am flummoxed.

Anyone have thoughts on this?