Apple's salvation
You’re on it right now. You’re experiencing the potential for Apple Computer’s salvation. The Internet. Picture this. There are millions of households. Millions of households without computers (yes, they exist), who read the same newspapers as you and I, and are getting the same Internet hype shoved down their throat every day. And Apple is what they need.
In the July issue of Wired, Media Lab guru Nicholas Negroponte suggested in his Wired column that someone could make a killing providing a low-cost computer that would provide basic connectivity to the Internet, online services, etc. He suggested someone like AOL, but this could be the saving grace for Apple–who is already hawking a combination television/computer. The convergence continues.
Dave Winer, in his latest “DaveNet,” likens Apple’s opportunity in the Internet market to a peaceful, deep blue lake at the end of a treacherous river. He’s right on. Apple has to drop the dreams of invading corporate America (yes, cede it to BillCo.) and make it happen on the consumer front. And quickly.
Postscript. This piece prompted an email from my former roommate Adam, who asked why it had to be Apple doing this, and why not us. Skipping the usual response (this requires inordinate amounts of capital, infrastructure, distribution channels and expertise), his question left me dumbfounded and slightly depressed.