Originally posted by: Martimus
Originally posted by: Idontcare
Originally posted by: Martimus
I wouldn't really expect a viable #2 to emerge anytime soon at least. I mean who is the viable #2 in the software industry for Operating Systems? That is a market that doesn't have the huge overhead costs that the Semiconductor industry has as well.
Apple, but they stick to an intentionally small market-share of what they know will be a profitable market-share. Same as Via wisely chose.
SUN can be viewed as having a competitive OS for their business segment, but profits avoid SUN's balance sheet with just as much prejudice as they avoid AMD's.
It is AMD that has to decide whether they want Intel's market share and thus have to beat Intel on Intel's terms or maybe they decide to become an intentionally smaller company going after a smaller market-share but one in which they can be profitable.
I don't consider Apple or Sun to be mainstream OS makers, since both are hardware companies that only make Operating Systems to run their hardware. The OS is just part of the whole package of the Apple or Sun computer. (I have never seen Solaris run on a non Sun computer, and I know that Apple does not support the OS on non-Apple computers.)
OS2 was the last major x86 mainstream operating system not made by Microsoft that I can think of. Google may be in the throws of making a competing OS, but that is just conjecture based on their recent activities.
I also have a hard time imagining another player in the x86 CPU market if AMD does not survive. It is possible nVidia could expand into that market, but it would be quite a leap for them. IBM left the market of creating CPU's a few years back and I doubt they would want to delve back in so soon after leaving it.