Architosh Staff (info@architosh.com)

6 Aug 2002

 

Web TidBits: MatLab 6.5 for Mac OS X, more Microstation for OS X, etc.

MatLab 6.5 for Mac OS X is finally here!

Architosh reader, Kevin Redington, pointed out that Matlab 6.5 for Mac OS X is finally out. VersionTracker has the download page with reader reviews such as this one below:

oh thanks oh good lord. what an orgasmic moment ... let's see if it also works.ÊÊ

It is great to hear such enthusiastic comments. As some readers pointed out, the product is not quite fully native for OS X, as part of the program requires XDarwin. But hey, that's what XDarwin is for. To go get it click here.

More Microstation for OS X Wanted

We have seen a steady increase in the interest in Microstation for Mac OS X. Many of these folks are writing in because—while they may or may not have an interest in Autocad for OS X—some are saying they wish we would expand the options:

What I am suggesting is that we take a broader look at all the applications. The AEC community is not just an Autocad world on the Windows side. -- Ray

We actually completely agree here. Yes, the Mac is a large part of the AEC world, but it needs to be much larger to be considered an equal peer to Windows. Right now it is not.

There is a significant user base on Microstation and other apps. I am curious how many Mac users such as me would be interested in seeing OS X ports of Microstation and other applications. Your statistics could be valuable to the software industry as a whole, not just the Autocad folk. -- Ray

We agree with Ray here and are seriously considering plans for many more petitions and something new to the site: polls. We also want to point out that those "other apps" are just as important if not more so to us because without them we wouldn't have a Mac platform in the CAD/3D/AEC fields in the first place.

If you have suggestions about what apps we should be creating petitions around then please send that info our way. If you want to send your note of support for those Mac CAD vendors who currently support the platform, send your support as well.

Apple is a Tech Survivor - Says CNN Money

An article a few days ago on CNN Money online praised Apple for being a "tech survivor". What does that mean you ask? Well, in a nutshell, it means firms that may be struggling now but have a viable chance of weathering out the current storm long term are survivors. Paul La Monica of CNN Money says:

Technology as a whole may not be dead but the trick for long-term success is finding companies that have weathered the downturn and are in position to benefit most from an upturn. How does one go about doing that?

Well, in Apple's case, it means getting their balance sheet in excellent order. Currently the company has over $4 billion in cash and only $316 million in long term debt. And while Microsoft may have $38 billion in cash, Apple cost a lot less money to run per year than Microsoft does. So that $4 billion is a very healthy sum of cash to have behind Apple.

Apple spent about 7.5 percent of its revenue in the last quarter on research and development, a higher percentage than Dell, Gateway, and Hewlett-Packard.

The article also comments that Apple is the only real innovator in the PC market and continues to spend more on R&D than Dell, Gateway and Hewlett-Packard. That's a major statement as well because two of those companies bring in a lot more revenue than Apple does.

The article doesn't mention a whole other list of items which make Apple an excellent tech survivor. I'll go over just some of them below:

• Mac OS X - Being a UNIX is actually beneficial to Apple because is aligns technologies largely driven by IBM's huge billion dollar Linux push and by incumbent Unices like Solaris, IRIX and AIX, in addition to the Linux movement.
• Open-Source Darwin - Apple's open-source play is also an excellent long-term survival strategy because again it aligns itself with major Linux and Unix technologies, those technologies that all those in favor of a smaller Windows empire espouse.
• Apple Stores - These stores appear from our anecdotal evidence to be doing exactly what they are suppose to do: bring in consumers, many of which are Windows users. Having Apple sell its own dog food was the smartest thing the company could have ever done. For years they were getting a retail experience by others that was actually hurting not helping them. Putting the stores in malls was also a brilliant stroke because people are already there.
• Apple Architecture - One of the things that many folks don't talk about is the architecture or interiors of the Apple stores. We think they communicate an environment that is cool, modest but yet upscale and accomplished. Associating your equipment with this type of environment actually helps send a subliminal message that if you want to improve the way your home looks get an Apple computer and monitor. People can visualize how Apple's products contribute aesthetic value to their environments when they are at the Apple Store, and they apply that to their home, even if their home isn't nearly that modern. Having Apple's products in Pottery Barn catalogs does a similar thing as well.
• Innovation - Like Big Blue, Apple is a powerhouse of creative geniuses who are personally driven to create and innovate. One thing you can say about the future is that it's going to be very different and someone is going to define that. People don't question that Apple can do that for them...and they most likely will.

Besides a great balance sheet, Apple is a long term survivor because they did the really hard work already. The rewrote the OS from the ground up. They embraced open source and industry standards. They also got rid of all of those terrible Apple retailers who were in fact hurting the company with their shabby efforts.