The VAR Guy

The Mac isn’t for business. Or is it? The VAR Guy runs his business on a Mac. And apparently, Apple realizes small business owners and entrepreneurs deserve some attention. That’s why Apple has quietly launched “Mac for Business” educational seminars. Here’s the scoop, from The VAR Guy.

One innovation is easy. But sustainable innovation — building lots of worthwhile new things again and again, even as you maintain your old products — is challenging. The VAR Guy wonders: Is open source the key to sustainable tech innovation? Is open source the best way to keep a maturing company feeling vibrant and young? Before you answer, consider some of these scenarios.

Forget rising gas prices. The VAR Guy’s biggest expense continues to be his excessive spending on all things related to Steve Jobs. And this weekend, he’ll likely spend another $100 on something that Steve Jobs helped to create. (Hint: It isn’t from Apple.)

Matt Asay, author of The Open  Road blog, is telling the world how Macs are replacing PCs at corporate meetings. But that’s not all, Asay notes. Check out this photo from the Missouri School of Journalism. Look at all those Macs. The Kids Are All Right! So, what does all this mean for Microsoft?

If you have any doubt about Apple’s continued momentum, check out the company’s unit Mac sales for May — which jumped more than 50 percent. Somebody call Mel Brooks. Apple’s momentum has accelerated passed Ludicrous speed. Steve Jobs has gone to Plaid. Here’s why.

As the Apple Macintosh nears a record 8 percent market share, The VAR Guy strongly believes open source is accelerating the Macintosh’s momentum. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy is broke. Cash flow looks good for June, but he needs to count his pennies until that time. Still, he keeps hearing about the new 3G Apple iPhone. Speculation is mounting that the new iPhone will arrive in June. Is it time for him to give his old iPhone to his lovely wife — so that he can take the 3G plunge? And if so, does anybody have $400 to spare?

BusinessWeek and some Web articles are speculating about Apple’s future in the business market. Is Apple finally ready to “push” deeper into business? That question may be moot. Fact is, Apple is creating business “pull” rather than business “push.” Here’s what The VAR Guy means.

Now that Microsoft has ended its pursuit of Yahoo!, a lot of folks are analyzing the big picture at both companies. Yada, yada, yada. But instead of focusing on the forest, The VAR Guy would prefer to focus on one tiny tree: Zimbra, the open source email platform that Yahoo owns, can now breathe a little easier.

Low-cost mini notebooks like the Asus Eee PC continue to win rave reviews. And now Fortune is praising a Hewlett-Packard mini-laptop that “packs a lot of punch.” You can almost see Steve Jobs writing on an white board somewhere at Apple, weighing the pros and cons of launching his own tiny notebook offensive.