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Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads

By | March 23, 2011, 7:37am PDT

Apple on Wednesday said that Bertrand Serlet, the father of the Mac OS X, will leave the company after 22 years. The departure is symbolic in many ways as the future of Apple increasingly becomes about the iOS that powers the iPhone and iPad.

According to a statement, Serlet will be replaced by Craig Federighi, vice president of Mac Software Engineering. Federighi will report to CEO Steve Jobs like Serlet did.

Serlet said:

I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science. Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless.

On the surface, Serlet’s departure looks like a changing of the guard. Of course, Serlet wants to do think tank-ish things. But at a time when the Mac OS X plays second fiddle to the iOS, the Serlet departure does make you wonder.

Federighi worked at NeXT and wound up at Apple. Simply put, the Mac OS X will be fine. It’s just that the Mac OS X won’t play the prominent role it once did at Apple.

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Topics

Apple Macintosh, Stock, Apple iOS, Apple Inc., Craig, Apple Mac OS, Apple Mac OS X, Applie iOS, Operating Systems, Desktops, Software, Hardware, Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

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Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
adam@... 8th Apr 2011
This is great news for Apple! The company has a new platform that is even more successful than the old. Not even Microsoft has managed its business this well - hence why Apple is worth more these days. Read how Apple management is simply better than Microsoft's at Forbes.com http://bit.ly/glD8l6
View in thread
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Meh.
UrNotPayingAttention 23rd Mar 2011
I can't see anything to read into here...

Guy's worked there 22 years, seen his company absolutely blow up? I'm thinking stock options and annuities will allow this guy to live *comfortably* for life. Why not quit the grindstone and sail, travel, tinker, whatever he wants to do?

I hope in 20 years I can "retire" as comfortably as I imagine he is.
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Yes, nothing wrong with him leaving, but, might we see large all-in-one iOS
DonnieBoy 23rd Mar 2011
devices? How about an all-in-on large screen iOS device with touch screen instead of mouse, keyboard, quad-core Arm, etc, etc, AND much cheaper than competing Windows devices.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
afficionado Updated - 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy
You are thinking like a consumer. what about us content creators? do you know how much this news scares me?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
DaveN_MVP 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy

First of all, if Apple ever released a device that was cheaper than a Windows device, that was a temporary abberation that they fixed immediately and fired whowever was responsible. One thing that's perfectly clear is that low price is not Apple's goal.

You may be comfortable hanging your arm over the desk trying to access a touch screen monitor 30 inches away. I am not, which is why I appreciate my keyboard and mouse. I'm not sure how anyone can advocate touch as a way to get text into a PC, but trust me, if that's your preference, you are in a very small minority.
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DaveN_MVP: Apple was the low price leader for tablets in case you did not
DonnieBoy 23rd Mar 2011
notice. I think you will see them as very willing to leverage the supply chain and undercut competition even on desktops. Mouses are cheap, so Apple could offer both touch screen AND mouse. But, I disagree that using a touch screen would be a problem other than maybe you have to take you hands off of the keyboard for a bit. Why keep your monitor 30 inches away? Use a smaller monitor a little closer.
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afficionado: I would think that content creators would love the idea of
DonnieBoy 23rd Mar 2011
more devices on which to consume content.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
burbank_jones 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy How about a touch pad keyboard? Or an app that would allow your iPad2 to become a wireless touchpad to your Mac if you so choose. Very Star Trek.
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Come on, think it through.
dgurney 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy
"How about an all-in-on large screen iOS device with touch screen instead of mouse, keyboard"

Yes, because waving your arms around in front of you all day is a brilliant way to work. And not having a legitimate keyboard to type on? Yeah, throw that in.

A lot of us have legitimate work to do. Maybe you have the luxury of pecking at buttons on a touchscreen all day, but for those whose job doesn't consist of standing at a kiosk, this isn't going to cut it.
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Consuming, not creating.
dgurney 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy
But Apple is THE brand of choice for "content creators." What are we to do now?
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Desktop iOS?
boomchuck1 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy

My gosh, think of ergonomics! Spending your day reaching across the desk everytime you want to do something on the computer? Aching shoulder, back, and everything else. This would absolutely not be a worker. Now, perhaps transfer the touch to an attached touchpad (graphic designers have been using something like this for decades) and you might make it feasible.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
unclefixer@... 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy Unless I missed something, I don't see anything in this article about doing away with OS X and replacing it with iOS powered devices... the exchange started with this comment reminds me of the dinner scene in the Nutty Professor, when Carla Purdy came to have dinner with the Klumps, and in 10 minutes, they were arguing about where the kids would be getting married!
Congratulations to Bertrand Serlet, and best of luck to Craig Federighi!
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
Graham Ellison 23rd Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy This is just plain retarded... or as HP calls it: Touchfart!
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Nope
vulpine@... 23rd Mar 2011
@Afficionado: Honestly, I don't see how it can. In fact, I think it will make content creation easier, not harder. But then, maybe I have a more open mind (and no, I don't mean a hole in my head.)
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iOS still cannot do everything OS X can do ...
mwagner@... 24th Mar 2011
@DonnieBoy ... iOS may very well be able to meet the needs of 90% of Apple's customers but that is not the same as meeintg 90% of the needs of ALL Apple Customers.

Lame and thin variations of fully-functional OSes can do a lot to drop the price and increase the portability and accessibility of personal computing but there will always be a segment of users who need more power and more capacity than what iOS can provide.

Apple cannot afford to abandon OSX and let those special needs users learnt hat Windows will do EVERYTHING they need for the same price as an entry-level iPad.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
GeoffMichael 23rd Mar 2011
@chmod 777 Totally agree. It is what it is.
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Translation: Can we just have OS X go away please
fr_gough 23rd Mar 2011
so we no longer feel adequacy issues when using Windows?
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That is exactly how I read it too
edtimes 23rd Mar 2011
@frgough@...
You can just tell from the undertone that, without even mentioning Microsoft or Windows, the author feels totally inadequate when using anything not made by Apple. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who read it that way.

Viva la Apple!!
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ROTFL. That would leave with me no computer!
Laraine Anne Barker 23rd Mar 2011
My Mac has no Microsoft software at all.
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nice infantile projection
dgurney Updated - 23rd Mar 2011
People who know what they're doing (and can think critically) use the tools at hand and evaluate them on their own merits.

They don't make fourth-grader remarks about commercial products, as if they personally designed them and are insulted when they're eschewed.

If you'd evaluate products on specific criteria and recognize good ideas wherever you find them, you could demand better of even your favorites. For example, Apple gets away with many glaring design defects because fawning adherents are afraid to call them out. So instead of getting feedback that might inspire them to fix a few things, Apple hears the same old "elegance" and "intuitive" platitudes that just don't ring true.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
jahcriado 23rd Mar 2011
@dgurney

*applause*

I like your thought process.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
unclefixer@... 23rd Mar 2011
@dgurney That's a very mature, understanding, well-balanced and non-biased way of looking at things. Obviously, you're just a poop-head! Nyah, nyah, ny-yaaahhhhh, nyaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! *Pbbrthtthhthththbbbbb!!!
All kidding aside, I agree with you! happy (I do like Apple stuff though)
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
arminw 23rd Mar 2011
@dgurney
The problem is that one man's design defect is another man's innovation and one man's bug is another man's feature.

OSX is the father of iOS and sometime in the future the son/daughter will take over the job of the father, that is iOS will also run on Macs. All of Apple's present and future gadgets and products will be like one big family. Every piece of software created in the future will run on any product that Apple makes.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
non-biased 1st Apr 2011
@dgurney My god man, did somebody pee in your Cheerios this morning or something. Maybe I am wrong but I took his posts as a joke, get over yourself.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
Yiu Korochko 24th Mar 2011
@frgough@... I feel you.
I met someone in college a few days ago who was under the impression that "Windows is just a cheap Mac" when clearly they're two different things that do a few similar things.

OSX is clunky...I can't stand the window management system. That lack of enthusiasm in UI-aesthetics puts me right off. I've had to use Media Composer on those things, as well as Photoshop and it's just a big mess. No window docking etc etc.
iOS has a good idea, making all apps fullscreen.

What I fail to see is why someone would pay a few hundred dollars more to have the mouse and keyboard taken away to be replaced with even a remote touch screen device. That's not a revolution, as other above have stated graphics designers use similar tech already.

Mac OSX desktops and beyond will never get cheaper.
They'll always introduce some new rather useless features which will be embedded into every system so that you don't have a choice in the matter.

Let me know when they actually make the OS UI as usable as the iOS UI.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
redave 24th Mar 2011
@frgough@...
Best (Funniest) Comment Yet!!!
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
timspublic1@... 23rd Mar 2011
Betting the farm on one trick, pony?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
jeremychappell 23rd Mar 2011
@timspublic1@... Not going to happen. You want to change everything they changed when the created iOS from Mac OS X:

1) Unrestricted multitasking, desktop systems often run long tasks, and don't have battery worries.

2) Mouse pointer. You don't really want to reach across for the display - do you?

3) Multiuser - a lot of people share their desktop (houses/offices only have so much space for computers).

4) Windowing UI. You want to use those figures in your report (kinda need the spreadsheet and wordprocessor next to each other).

Essentially you've arrived back at Mac OS X!

Now will Mac OS X get more like iOS? Yes, but it is where the DNA for iOS came from.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
Headzup 23rd Mar 2011
@jeremychappell - Mouse pointer: I use bluetooth trackpad for both 30" screen Mac Mini & iPad. It provides 1, 2, 3, 4 finger controls, inertia based operations (e.g., scrolling).

I use a bluetooth keyboard for Mini & iPad.

iOS (iOS-X) could easily be expanded to work as a desktop system w/o losing what OS X currently provides. Allowing multiple windows, adding a dock, and all of the things available on a large screen OS X system.

Since Arm is a true RISC architecture, it will scale up to much higher performance than x86 arch - easily.

So, we have large screen & all of it's functionality & we have trackpad & keyboard & performance - all this on iOS-X. What's missing?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
drayphly 23rd Mar 2011
@jeremychappell
The next version of osX (Lion) will be more iOS like. Just go to the Apple website.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
Rick_K 23rd Mar 2011
This guy is retiring, I am sure that he?s not the only one that worked on OS X. I do not want to see OS x go away anytime soon.
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Me neither, OS X is so much better than the alternatives
edtimes 23rd Mar 2011
@Rick_K
How did you put it? That other OS has lousy programs like Internet Exploder? And the company is run by someone you called... what was it again... oh yeah, "Monkey Boy"!! Haha!! I love that we Mac users all think alike. happy
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
Rama.NET 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes
You are trying to be Cox for Apples, but you are not at that level yet. Keep trying and one day you will. wink
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
bmonsterman 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes,

IE is at the very least better than safari...the slowest most insecure browser on the market.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
OffsideInVancouver 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes

"I love that we Mac users all think alike"

I really hope you're being ironic.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
US Is ! Europe-ThankGod! 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes When you grow up let us know.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
US Is ! Europe-ThankGod! 23rd Mar 2011
@OffsideInVancouver
not ironic, Moronic...but you were close
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heh, IE, much better than S-af-orry.....
dtroyerSMU 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes .... Safari ,,,, the lowest rated browser in its class cannot even begin to compete with it. Apple should dump it and have Chrome or Firefox replace it so OSX can stay in the limelight.
Having used both Apple and MS software, Safari fails at its intended purpose. Don't dump OSX but please DO dump S-af-orry. :P
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RE:Me neither, OS X is so much better than the alternatives
richdave 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes
>>>I love that we Mac users all think alike.
Sadly true?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
jerryelp 23rd Mar 2011
@edtimes Yeah, all Mac users are idiot twerps. Internet Explorer works better that that crap browser Safari and add to that the crap that is called iTunes and Quicktime and as for the man running the company? He is a dilusional man who has been eating the monkey mans s#!t for years. I guess Apple may finally give up on their desktop OS since they haven't made a dent in MS stronghold. Good luck with that.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
unclefixer@... 23rd Mar 2011
@bmonsterman Though Safari isn't the best out there, it's certainly better than IE, which seems to suck harder with every "improvement."
I can only speak for myself, but I haven't found a browser yet that I completely like- so in the meantime, I use Firefox and Chrome...
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
unclefixer@... 23rd Mar 2011
@jerryelp Who's delusional? Wasn't it Steve Ballmer who, after iPad had sold tremendous amounts of units, changed the way people think of tablet devices, etc etc etc, said "iPad? What iPad?" And who still has to find a way to compete with that "insignificant" device?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
plonk@... Updated - 23rd Mar 2011
@Rick_K
Agreed. I'm stuck with Windows due to job requirements, but OS X is the main thing that has me considering getting a Mac anyway...having a decent Unix-like OS underneath the GUI is a major benefit. iOS is not at all attractive. It's a phone OS with delusions of grandeur, and it's the main reason I haven't already gotten an iPad (or an Android tablet). Give me something like the iPad as far as physical form goes, but with OS X on it, and I'll order today. Who wants a giant phone without the phone??
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
mrxxxman 23rd Mar 2011
@plonk@... Won't happen anytime soon due to the fact that OS X hardware requirements are much higher. Right now, with the existing tech, your tablet would be about an inch thick and weigh about 2 lbs.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
arminw 23rd Mar 2011
@plonk@...
Actually all the iGadgets have OS X as the basis and then later all the other device specific things layered on top. There is absolutely no reason why Apple couldn't do this for some future version of OS X. Current phone hardware is considerably more powerful than Apple's computers were when they first started running OS X. Apple has already demonstrated the ability to run their software on any kind of hardware that happens to come along.

When I have to bring a chord or two of wood home, I don't use a sports car or sedan, but a truck. When I went to edit and process the video, I don't use an iPad, but a Mac Pro 8core dual processor desktop system. However, when I want to watch a movie in bed, the iPad is just the ticket. I could sit in my office and watch that same movie on my Mac Pro, but I'd rather watch it in a more comfortable place.
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Expand your horizons?
richdave 28th Mar 2011
@plonk@...
>>>having a decent Unix-like OS underneath the GUI is a major benefit.

So, get a Unix or Linux desktop and have all of the "Major Benefits".
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He's worked at Apple for 15 years, he worked at NeXt before that
Johnny Hands 23rd Mar 2011
I was there.
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IOS ... MAC OS X
Makyver Updated - 23rd Mar 2011
You do all get that they are the same basic OS right ? And that Apple is rolling more and more from the IOS branch back to the head.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
mrxxxman 23rd Mar 2011
@Makyver Really? Not close enough considering that iOS doesn't even truly multi-task with either apps or users.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
talkingchief 23rd Mar 2011
Whatever...we're off to the cloud(s) anyway.
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
chrisl317 23rd Mar 2011
How can you be the "father" of an OS you borrowed from someone else?
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RE: Apple's changing of the Mac OS X guard: Time to take stock as iOS leads
adam@... 8th Apr 2011
This is great news for Apple! The company has a new platform that is even more successful than the old. Not even Microsoft has managed its business this well - hence why Apple is worth more these days. Read how Apple management is simply better than Microsoft's at Forbes.com http://bit.ly/glD8l6

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