iPod virus stoush signals Microsoft fear of Apple

Stan Beer
Saturday, 21 October 2006 08:19

Opinion and Analysis

Regardless of the relatively small but once again growing Mac marketshare, there are tens of millions of Macs in use and every virus writer in town would love to be the first to break the bank at Monte Carlo so to speak.

Microsoft knows this and is watching nervously as the revitalised Apple under Steve Jobs keeps hitting home runs on the financial scoreboard each quarter. Signs that Microsoft is feeling the strain became apparent yesterday. The software company actually publicly responded to Apple's website remarks about Windows security by suggesting that there was a problem with Apple's quality control.

The fact that Microsoft has allowed itself to be lured into a war of words with Apple demonstrates that the Cupertino company has succeeded in getting under the Redmond company's skin.

As was shown in the previous quarter's financial results, Apple continues to forge ahead with both Mac and iPod sales. The move of Mac to the Intel platform by Apple has proven to be a master stroke. There is now no excuse for Windows users not to buy a Mac and plenty of reasons why they should. That was reflected by more than 30% growth in sales over the previous year's third quarter.

iPods also continued to sell by the truck load last quarter with once again more than 30% growth. iTunes has already made a start on cracking the video downloads market with an iTV device to wirelessly stream videos from Macs to the TV on the way. iPhones are also soon to be  released.

It is in this climate that Microsoft plans to enter the music player market with an untested me-too device, and plans to release a new operating system for which vulnerabilities have already been identified in its monthly patching cycle. On top of that, Microsoft will have to figure out how to convince users to move over to its new office productivity suite. A touch of nervousness inside the Redmond campus right now is perhaps understandable.