ISSUE 399: THE HIGH-TECH OFFICE--Alan
Zisman
Despite small number of Mac clone companies
the copies grab hold and capture market share June
17 1997
The recent cloning of a Scottish ewe has led to
more than its share of jokes and ethical debates, while the cloning by Compaq
of the original IBM PC about 15 years ago has led to the wildly
competitive industry that dominates the market for personal computers.
But up until just 1994, it was illegal to try to clone
Apple's Macintosh.
While the press has been focusing on the flow of red
ink on Apple's balance sheet these last few quarters, it has generally
managed to avoid this story: how the opening of the Macintosh standard
has brought new competitiveness and lower prices at the same time as
yielding products that are among the most powerful desktop computers
anywhere.
Mac clones accounted for nine per cent of all Macs
sold worldwide in 1996, double the percentage of the year before. It's
a growth industry that has occurred at the same time that Apple itself
was shipping 30 per cent fewer machines to customers than in the
previous year.
Still, the Mac clone industry consists of a mere
half-dozen companies. It's a far cry from the PC industry, where anyone
can buy a bunch of cheap parts, stuff them into a sheet-metal case, and
call themselves a computer manufacturer. The reason is the Mac's
operating system, which makes up the computer's unique personality. On
PCs, the operating system is entirely software-based. But from its 1984
start, the Macintosh consisted of a tight coupling of software and
hardware standards, all controlled by Apple.
Even today, would-be Mac cloners have to acquire
customized chip-sets and ROM (Read Only Memory) chips from Apple.
Without them, the Macintosh system software just won't run.
And Apple remains ambivalent about clones. It clearly
derives less profit licensing its chips and operating system than it
does selling a complete system. And when Apple sales are falling while
clone sales are rising, it's easy to think that cloners are simply
drawing off traditional Apple customers. Many in Apple would like the
clones to go and find their own market niches, leaving Apple its
strengths in the home and education, graphics and publishing markets.
To a certain extent, that's happened. Clone companies
have developed their own identities, going after different market
segments. Power Tools Systems (www.pwrtools.com/), for example,
has released a series of low-cost boxes that, from the outside, look
like any of a host of PC clones. UMAX (www.supermac.com), on the
other hand, has produced mighty twin-processor machines that will put a
gleam in any graphic designer's eyes. In fact, these most powerful of
recent Mac clones run neck-and-neck with the best of Apple's products
-- and are faster than machines featuring the new Intel Pentium
II processor as well.
It may get easier for the cloners. Despite delays,
later this year Apple is due to update its operating system to support
the Power PC Platform (PPCP) standard, setting it free from Apple-only
hardware dependence. That will make it easier for companies to
innovate, and to build in support for lower-cost PC hardware such as
printers, while keeping the familiar, friendly Mac look and feel.
Recently, Business in Vancouver decided it was finally time to
replace its decidedly long-in-the-tooth Mac SE network. While they'd
got more than their money's worth from these 10-megahertz, 1990 models,
management was noticing increasing inefficiencies and grumbling from
the troops. Price was a key factor in the selection of new machines,
but so was the staff comfort working with Macs along with the ongoing
investment in software and training. As a result, a drastic switch to
Windows PCs was quickly ruled out.
Working with network consultant Brian Brown
from Microquest (606-1424), BIV management looked at
models from Apple as well as several Mac clones. In the end, they
decided to invest in a package consisting mainly of 180-megahertz
StarMax 3000 clones, from Motorola, which were then about 20
per cent cheaper than comparable Apple models. It helped that Motorola
is a large company with a good reputation (in fact, it produces the
PowerPC chips used in both real Macs and clone Macs), and that it
offered the best warranty and maintenance package.
All new hardware is now installed in BIV's
offices, and the first reports are positive. If BIV's
experience is anything to go by, look for increased sales of Mac clones
as a way to combine the Macintosh ease of use with the price
competition and vitality of open standards. And what's still expected
to come on the market? Look for clone PowerBook portables.
While stores selling PC clones seem to be on virtually
every street corner, you'll have to look harder to find vendors
specializing in Mac clones.
Some places to start include: Compu-2000
(436-2333), Discount Mac Club (821-1228), Vertegri
(formerly Paul Gossen Consulting): 688-6792, Mac Station
(466-0190 in Maple Ridge, 420-5224 in Burnaby), and Catouzer
(662-7551).*
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