67 lines
3.3 KiB
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67 lines
3.3 KiB
Plaintext
From rssfeeds@jmason.org Thu Sep 26 16:41:36 2002
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<jm@jmason.org>; Thu, 26 Sep 2002 16:28:31 +0100
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To: yyyy@example.com
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From: joelonsoftware <rssfeeds@example.com>
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Subject: Daniel Berlinger has noticed that Mac software shops are starting
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to move t
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Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 15:28:30 -0000
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URL: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/news/20020910.html
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Date: Not supplied
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Daniel Berlinger has noticed[1] that Mac software shops are starting to move to
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OS X-only development. This makes sense, for two reasons. First, most people
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who pay for software have new computers. So while OS X may only have a small
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fraction of the installed base, it has the majority of the population of people
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who are opening their wallets. Second, if OS X isn't successful, the Mac is _
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over_. It's not like System 9 is getting any more popular.
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Then again, there are very few conditions under which it is actually the right
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business decision to develop software for the Macintosh. Developing for the Mac
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is not a whole lot different than creating a web site _that only works on
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Netscape_. (Given the market share of Macs[2] (about 3.5%) and the market share
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of Netscape[3] (about 3.4%), that is not a silly comparison.)
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Robb Beal wrote[4]: "Try this test. Go to a venture firm, angel, or big company
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with a Mac OS X product/concept/prototype. Do they consider the fact that it's
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a Mac application a net plus? (No.)" Well _duh_. Your product would have to
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appeal to _25 times more Mac _users_ _[as a percentage] than Windows users just
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to break even. In other words, if your Windows product appeals to 1 in 100
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Windows users, you have to appeal to 25 in 100 Mac users to make the same
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amount of money.
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Now, you may want to make an _emotional_ appeal to developing for the Mac.
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That's fine. If you like Macs and you're doing it for fun, more power to ya.
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But as long as we're talking _investment_, you have to tell me why you're going
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to get 25 times as many users. Maybe there's less competition in your category
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on the Mac; maybe you're in a niche like graphics where it seems like Macs
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dominate (they don't, it just seems that way because the elite graphics people
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in big American cities use Macs); maybe your product can't sell to mixed
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environments unless it runs everywhere. But if you want to make an investment
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in Mac software be prepared to demonstrate how you're going to overcome that
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magic 25 multiplier.
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[1] http://archipelago.phrasewise.com/2002/09/10
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[2] http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0207/03.marketshare.php
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[3] http://websidestory.com/cgi-bin/wss.cgi?corporate&news&press_1_193
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[4] http://radio.weblogs.com/0001123/2002/04/10.html
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