Apple Inc. pulled a Microsoft today; they announed a delay in the forthcoming edition of the Mac operating system. It may not sound like a big deal, but here’s what bothers me about this news.

Here’s the source of the bad news: for those Mac users who were holding off on a new machine, or just looking forward to the best of what’s next in operating systems, you’re in for a wait.

Originally slated to be launched at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple is now saying that OS X 10.5 Leopard will not be out till October.

The news itself is not catastrophic, but for those of us who’ve watched Apple over the years, it’s a very unusual occurence. After all, this is the company that is the “anti-Microsoft”. Apple’s attention to detail in the building of the Mac OS, their hardware design, heck, even their product packaging, all speak to loving care and attention. The amazing thing about this company is that they are able to deliver these experiences in the context of a highly-competitive business environment.

Think about that for a minute. With products as complicated as computer operating systems, or computer hardware, there are literally thousands of people and resources to corral. That’s thousands of places where little mistakes or design flaws can creep in. In the fast-paced business environment, there’s always a trade-off between deciding what’s perfect, and shipping on time. Apple is successful because their shipping product is consistently better than anyone else’s. Fewer flaws, and a shorter distance between the ultimate vision and its final form.

In fact, Apple’s performance may, to some observers, seem super-human. They shipped a major software release every year between 2001 and 2005, before finally admitting that OS X was a mature product, and they would slow the pace of development.

If we look back in history, we see a company with a remarkable record for delivering software on time. Generally, what Apple tells us is what ends up happening (Hardware is another story, as many readers will attest). So what happened this time?

The iPhone. At least the company is honest enough to admit it: they simply don’t have the resources necessary to execute both a major new operating system release, and a brand-new mobile platform. The company made a judgement call, opting to keep the iPhone on target, and sacrificing Leopard. In those circumstances, this is clearly the right move. After all, OS X is a mature product, and is not the one that Apple has staked its reputation upon.

Plus, the lead time from the iPhone’s initial announcement in January has given competitors plenty of time to attempt me-too products. Giving them any more time is just begging for a lashing in the marketplace.

The problem here isn’t in Apple’s decision today; it’s in the fact that they had to make it at all. This is not a company that makes decisions on product development lightly: when Steve Jobs reappeared as Apple’s CEO in the late ’90s, the first thing he did was slash out all the non-core business lines and focus on the Mac. He’s been reticent ever since about adding new products, and this strategy has worked brilliantly. The iPod and its constellation of services being the prime example, and now the company’s foray into the living room with the Apple TV.

But the iPhone represents a major bet for the company, and one that’s been at least two years in the making. How could they not have been prepared for the final push to market? Has the company bitten off more than it can chew?

That’s what makes me cringe and think about Microsoft: the company that is far too big to develop products anymore. Vista took five years and several major feature cuts to crawl out of Redmond. Apple too, may be facing similar problems of scale. We know they’ve been growing fast, buying up all the office space in Cupertino. Can they handle this growth?

The short-term answer is a clear “no”. The company’s failure to deliver OS X on-time is the evidence. And as time goes on, we’ll all be keeping an eye on that level of quality, and we’ll see if the company that’s delivered only the best can continue to keep it up.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 9:16 pm and is filed under Fun Stuff, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.