Are Mac users becoming the step-children of the Apple family?
I follow a lot of bloggers who for some reason seem to believe that their Macs could walk on water. There is no denying that they love their Apple goodness in all forms but when it comes to laptops and desktops nothing is better than a Mac. In their eyes Apple can do no wrong and besides being the epitome of classic industrial design the Mac is the best computer out there.
Apple has done everything it can in the past to foster this passion even to the point of having a special award that it hands out once a year to software developers who Apple thinks captures the ideals of the company. Sure it might only be a cube but in the eyes of Mac software developers it is the world’s most perfect cube and something to be treasured if lucky enough to win one.
Except this year Mac developers are being left out of the selection process – no more perfect cubes for them. The only software that will be eligible will be applications made for the iPhone and/or the iPad. It would seem that Mac developers are no longer considered to be good enough to be considered on the same level as iPhone and iPad developers.
Dan Moren at Macworld when he was writing about this slap in the face contacted a few developers to see how they felt about this news:
“I think it’s a mistake for Apple to miss such an easy opportunity to acknowledge Mac developers,” says Red Sweater Software proprietor Daniel Jalkut. “While the iPhone and iPad are understandably hot right now, the Mac is still a huge part of Apple’s business, and Mac developers are important in sustaining that.”
Rogue Amoeba CEO Paul Kafasis agrees. “Ultimately, I find these moves disappointing. Having an iPhone slant at WWDC is one thing, but completely cutting the Mac out of the ADAs? That feels like a snub to plenty of Mac developers who continue to do great work on a well-established, popular platform.”
Considering that Mac developers are at the core of the Mac experience one has to wonder what is really behind this obvious slight to them. Is Apple slowly transitioning away from the Mac style computing environment and placing more emphasis on the mobile i.e.: the iPhone and iPad OS platform.
Already Apple has been trying to transition into the idea that it is a mobile and media company rather than a computing company. So could we see the day where the Mac is really nothing mmore than an archaic sideline business for the company?
