McIlroy--New Year, New Media Trends

Apple and Microsoft
If I wanted to go out on a limb with any prediction for 1998, it's that Apple will not get through the year without merging or being acquired by another company. I think that Apple has lost too much momentum in the last couple of years to recover enough of its former glory to remain an independent company.

We'll see. Regardless, printers and their customers will have access to great new Macintosh computers for some time to come. But Apple may not be the supplier. About Microsoft I can only say I think it will continue to do just fine.

Best wishes for a great business year! Even if you skip my column all year, make sure to check out my first column in 1999 to see how I did.

—Thad McIlroy

About the Author
Thad McIlroy is a San Francisco-based electronic publishing consultant and author, and associate conference director of Seybold Seminars.