LEM Home Page, iBook & PowerBook Page, iMac Channel, Power Mac Page, Mac Daniel's Upgrade Advice, MacUSB, My First Mac, My Turn, Online Tech Journal, Road Apples, 56k Page Editorials DeStefano: Mac Metamorphosis, Guha: Apple Archive, Knight: Mac Musings, Moore: Miscellaneous Ramblings, Ploudre: Back & Forth, Rodrigues: Tangerine Fusion, Rumsey: Low End Mac Gaming, Taylor: Mac to the Future, Van Esch: Mac Scope
	Other World Computing: 9.1GB Apple ROM SCSIs only $175.00, Sonnet G3 starting at $126.50, G3/400mhz only $197! Check Out These Deals and More at OWC! Only $5 for FedEx delivery too. Click Here! Norton AntiVirus and Norton Utilities for Macintosh: Protect your Mac from viruses and repair disk problems quickly and easily with our award winning products. Click for a FREE download of Norton Antivirus! Apple + Corel = A Software Powerhouse? Stephen Van Esch June 19, 2000 If you've been paying attention the tech headlines, Corel has been making a lot of noise lately. With its big Linux push, purchase of a number of MetaCreations products, failed negotiations with Inprise, and recent announcement that they may go bankrupt, Corel has been making waves (or at least thrashing about wildly). It shouldn't be news to anyone that Corel is a basket case. Losses year after year, a pummeling from Microsoft in the Office suite market, and a drubbing in the graphics market from Adobe, adds up to a company that lurches from one crisis to the next. Corel is a company with some pretty great products and very lousy management that could probably be picked up for a song. Should Apple take the bait? At the very least, Apple would gain control of a company that, while mismanaged, turns out great products. Corel graphic packages and the Corel Office suite remain excellent products that are worthy alternatives to Microsoft and Adobe offerings. Corel's stable of products is strong. Apple could easily take advantage of these products to assist Apple's acceptance in the business market. A huge stumbling block for Apple is that Corel produces mostly Windows software. Various versions of WordPerfect, CorelDraw, and a few other titles have made it to the Mac, but the majority of Corel's business remains on the Windows side. To put it bluntly, Corel Mac support sucks. While this changed somewhat with the MetaCreations purchases, the focus remains on Windows. With the recent verdict in the Microsoft case, Apple has an excellent opportunity to look elsewhere for support in the office suite market. A less powerful (or more closely watched) Microsoft would have less leverage if Apple decided to back another office suite. Less dependency on Microsoft Office would also help Apple shed the chain that Microsoft tugs when Apple gets too far out of line. There are, of course, a few problems that would make an Apple purchase of Corel less than sensible. No matter how good Corel office software is, it's still so far behind Microsoft in terms of market share that owning this software would do little to help push Apple forward. Apple would be purchasing a very troubled company that would drain their resources. These problems would be very real. Solutions exist, however. If Apple could revive WordPerfect for the Mac, port the entire Office suite over, and ensure that the products could work seamlessly with MS Office products, users would have a compelling reason to make the switch. There are already many word processors available for Mac users. This clearly indicates that there is a market for competing products. Mac users are also anticipating the port of Star Office, indicating that there is interest in the business community for an alternative professional office suite. There's no doubt, however, that pushing Corel Office anywhere would be a huge job. Corel Office sells on the PC side, and Apple would have to gain market share there as well. Now that's a Herculanean task if I ever saw one! Excellent support of existing Mac products such as the Bryce line may help stem the blood from the Office market in the short run. While Apple would be purchasing a very troubled company, Mr. Jobs has made it quite clear that turning a company around is something he can do. If all else failed, Apple could sell the software off to the highest bidder to recoup its losses. The ultimate question is, I suppose, why bother? Apple is now stable, has great potential and is completely focused on OS X. Why muddy the water with Corel's troubles? I guess it's just how much they want to break their dependency on Microsoft Office. So what's your take? Should Apple buy Corel and gain a great company that could help turn it into an even more powerful software vendor? In any event, check out the free Corel WordPerfect for Macintosh if you're looking for an alternative to Microsoft Word. <this article available in a printer-friendly format> Biography Steve Van Esch is a regular contributor at osOpinion and runs The Text Pound, a small corner of the Web that tries to find a place for homeless or abandoned articles. Steve loves the Mac and is bilingual, since he's also fluent in Windows and French. Recently on Mac Scope Be thankful for Apple secrecy, 8/16/00. There really is a good side to Apple secrecy. Mac users, the only true computer enthusiasts, 8/9/00. We buy Macs for looks and performance, not just a powerful engine. Berst misses the boat again, 8/2/00. ZDNet's Jesse Berst just doesn't get Apple -- he thinks all is lost because Jobs hasn't unveiled a PDA or phone. Macworld: Looking on with Envy, 7/17/00. We all wish we could go to Macworld Expo -- but not this year for Van Esch. more articles on the Mac Scope index page Elsewhere on Low End Mac Building rumors, fooling Slashdot, Anne Onymus with Dan Knight, 8/18. We didn't set out to fool Slashdot or anyone else -- and we explain how to build your own rumors. Don't upgrade that Quadra 630, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 8/18. Most upgrades for this particular model just don't make economic sense. Browse different, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 8/18. One way browsers could improve the Web surfing experience. Mac-N-DOS list. Yes, it's a bad pun, but if you have to use both Macs and Windows, this new list could be a great resource. New iMacs: Something for everyone, Kel Taylor, Mac to the Future, 8/17. "...the iMac has grown into a family, and a large one at that." Apple ditching G4, Anne Onymus, 8/17. Apple embraces IBM and the G5, leaving Motorola behind. Happy Birthday, iMac!, Dan Knight, iMac Channel, 8/16. "The iMac has redefined the industry and redefined Apple as a trendsetter." The Land Before Silicon, Manuel Mejia, Mac Daniel, 8/16. Travels in Russia with a PowerBook 100. The G4 Cube and Radeon fans, Paulo Rodrigues, Tangerine Fusion, 8/16. How ATI spilled a trade secret. Oops. My First Mac Clone, Spencer, My First Mac, 8/15. Sometimes your first Mac isn't even made by Apple. New @ Low End Mac: Receive email information on new articles. Mac Scope ©2000 by Stephen Van Esch. Low End Mac established April 7, 1997. This page, the entire Low End Mac site, and all subsites of <lowendmac.com> copyright ©1997-2000 by Dan Knight unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. LINK POLICY: This site allows and encourages links to any public page, so long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking the linked page. Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Computer, Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iMac, and iBook are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are hereby acknowledged. LinkExchange Member	Select content available in AvantGo format for Palm, WinCE users. Mac of the Week Mac IIfx Lists of the Week Apple2list. LisaList Channels - Power Macs - iMac Channel - iBook/PowerBook Computer Profiles - iMac - Power Mac - PowerBook/iBook - Performas - Mac Clones - Older Macs - Lisa Editorials Email Lists Consumer - advice, reviews - guides, deals Software Apple History Best of the Web Miscellaneous Links About Low End Mac Receive our daily newsletter Search Low End Mac Search the Web Support LEM MacMall Outpost.com Software Outlet Amazon.com Mac Book Source MobShop.com DVD Express CoolVCD.com MusicForce AuctionMac Sponsor LEM