AppTel? Try GoWinEAppS

I remember Dr. Hasso Plattner (former SAP CEO) and Bill Gates together on stage at a SAP user conference, Sapphire in the mid 90s. Hasso and Bill did a somewhat silly (for billionaires) two-step. One would appear as the other disappeared back stage – they did this 3-4 times. Every time Bill came out the entire press camera corps got up and clicked away. Every time Hasso came out, they sat down. I was angry for Hasso – this was his party!

Us media and blogger types generally fawn over consumer technologies (Apple, Microsoft, Google) and generally ignore corporate applications (i2, SAS, Sungard).

Just because we use Macs as our publishing platform and Google as our research engine, we should not project that the trader or the accountant or the sales person or the factory planner also use those tools extensively. My kids should be excited about iPods becoming cheaper and better, but tell me why as a corporate CIO I should care and how this will optimize my Manugistics demand forecasting cycles or my Oracle 11i needs? But look at the coverage being given to "AppTel" - Apple's plans to use Intel chips announced yesterday.

So here's my challenge to Google (Go), Microsoft (Win), Electronic Arts (E), Apple (App) and Sony(S)...you really want to be studs in the corporate world? GO WIN ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS!

Yes, even Microsoft which is trying with its Great Plains, SQL Server and other enterprise platforms.

Now, let me get back to helping my daughter with her music downloads and my son with his school research on the web....