Maybe Apple really will become the network-computer manufacturer of Larry Ellison's dreams. While the Oracle CEO, who now sits on the company's board, was telling reporters Tuesday that, yes, the rumor is true, Apple confirmed that it's mulling over the idea.
"We've not announced any product plans for an NC device," said company spokesman Russell Brady, sounding a bit surprised at the words tumbling out of his own mouth. "However, Apple is certainly evaluating having NCs as one of the emerging trends in the computer industry that could possibly benefit our key customer segments."
The message was a rather tentative "maybe" in the corporate-speak Apple is so fond of - but it wasn't the usual "no comment."
The NC possibility is in line with other developments since co-founder Steve Jobs came back to take charge of Apple's direction. For one, the for-sale sign has been taken off the Newton division, which builds handheld devices and the eMate - an inexpensive portable for students that could lend itself to network computing. For another, NC visionary Ellison's arrival in the boardroom.
Apple's decision to discontinue its Macintosh clone-licensing business and buy out its strongest Mac competitor, Power Computing, could also be seen as a precursor to a whole new business model for the company. Some analysts see the move as the beginning of the end for Apple's Mac business.
With the end of cloning, Apple "has started down a path that will lead to its demise as a serious player in the PC market," said a report by market-research firm Dataquest earlier this week. With no competition and a shrinking share of the PC market, it will be hard for the company to attract software developers to the platform - leaving Mac users with little more than Office, which Microsoft promised, when it made its $150 million investment in Apple, that it would keep making for the Mac.
All the better to get into NCs, then. Reports are that Apple will roll out its NC with a Mac OS at January's Macworld in San Francisco.
