For better or worse, Apple is often way ahead of the curve when it comes to anticipating industry trends. Sometimes it’s even responsible for those new directions.
Take the AirPort, which arrived at the very beginning of the wireless networking revolution. Today, pretty much every note-book computer has Wi-Fi capability, and it’s also available on many desktops, although sometimes strictly as an option.
Even though Apple invented FireWire, they were also responsible for taking the nascent USB format and giving it credibility beginning with the iMac. Although they originally got plenty of lumps for ditching ADB for input devices and LocalTalk for printers and such, readily-available adapters came out to handle legacy devices. The rest of us quickly adapted.
These days, some suggest that the desktop computer itself is probably an endangered species. Indeed, over 50% of the new personal computers sold are portable. Apple, however, anticipated that trend, too, and the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, together, amount for over 60% of Mac hardware sales.
Story continued in this week’s Tech Night Owl Newsletter. [1]