A Mac made in heaven

My latest CAMagazine article, "A Mac made in Heaven," published May 1, took a look at my recent move to a Mac notebook and desktop. I switched to a MacBook Pro last summer, and then purchased a Mac Pro desktop in March. Most of my work is now done in OS/X Leopard. Like many people, I just didn't feel right with the stories floating around about Microsoft Vista.

Seems that more people are feeling the same way, as outlined in a fascinating cover story on Business Week this week. ("The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit")

It's not like I didn't know what I was doing in making the switch. I've been using computers since 1982 -- and Windows since it first came out. I have a number of Linux servers in my basement, and a fascinatingly complex home network. (A magazine covered this topic in 2002, with the headline: "Is this guy crazy, or just way ahead of his time?")

I believe that Microsoft, with Vista, has created a real disaster on the desktop, and that they have truly lost their way. Which begs the question: what innovation lessons can we learn from the Vista debacle?

I suspect that this question will be the focus of many a business book in the years to come, but probably the most important one is this: market leaders can never be complacent about their business.

We are in the era of rapid market and industry transformation. People still think my story of the Google Car to be a ridiculous one, but it need not be. Organizations that can tackle existing markets with innovative new ideas that work well have the opportunity to displace entrenched leaders. That's always been the case in the past, and will continue to be in the future.

More information

• Read A Mac made in heaven by Jim Carroll
• The concept of the Google Car
• Article:Is this guy crazy or just way ahead of his time?