A Dearth of Developers?

by John Tyler

While Apple may be having its share of problems elsewhere around the world, here in Japan the company has enjoyed fantastic sales and growth, and growing popularity. What are the driving forces behind the Macintosh's great success in Japan? Well, it started in 1986 with the release of KanjiTalk and the ability to use Japanese applications on the Macintosh while still maintaining full compatibility with English applications. There was no other comparable bilingual system.

The Mac quickly took its place as a foreign computer that spoke both languages well, and it fit right in. Not to mention the size of the box then: the SE/Classic shape held sway as the icon of desktop computers that attracted Japanese corporations and consumers alike. Then, two years ago, prices dropped -- perhaps as a reaction to Compaq's cut-rate computer sales -- and Mac computers suddenly became affordable.

The days of yore

Another not insignificant strength of the Mac in Japan was that there were enough software developers making the applications we like to use. No, you didn't read that incorrectly: I used the past tense on purpose. There were enough developers; today, their scarcity is visible.

"It used to be a no-brainer that if you wanted a truly bilingual environment, you went to the Mac," observes Bradley Hankinson, president of Nexus Technology KK, a software developer in Hatchobori that used to be solely involved with Mac OS programs. Now, though, Nexus embraces all platforms -- not only as a way of diversifying their expertise, but also as a way of staying competitive. These days, warns Hankinson, if a company develops only for the Mac, "they'll either starve to death or die of loneliness."

The environment for Macintosh software developers is considerably different now than four years ago -- when the bubble was still growing, when prices were high enough to allow Apple to truly support its developers, and when Windows 95 was still a vaporous notion. Now, the term "Mac developer" is almost an oxymoron. "Today, there are Mac consultants and private companies using applications, like Hypercard or Director to develop their products," says Hankinson. "But if you're developing commercial, high-performance software, you must be using languages like C or C++. Hypercard isn't even close."

The Windows juggernaut

The biggest environmental change affecting Mac developers has been the advent of Windows, which threatens to marginalize the advantages of the Mac OS. It also doesn't help, and isn't surprising, that Microsoft, although the largest developer for the Mac OS in terms of sales and revenue, promotes the Windows platform. "I'm not a proponent of developing for the Mac," says James Spahn, a multimedia evangelist at Microsoft's Tokyo office. "I want my developers to make money, and that means going for the bigger market."

Microsoft's preference for developing its software in the US -- a trend being taken up by many of the biggest names in Mac software -- does not help the Mac development community in Japan, either. As one industry insider put it, "developers are moving to the US -- to a market that is less focused and less committed to the Mac."

Developing for dollars

Apple Japan says it is fighting back, because the company knows its lifeblood (or at least a major artery) is the development community. As early as 1989, with the Billion Dollar Challenge (a campaign strategy designed to raise Apple Japan's sales to $1 billion; the goal was met in 1994), Apple Japan's first priority was to "help introduce more compelling third-party products and services."

The "Application and Peripherals Guide," a manual detailing all products currently on the market for the Mac, lists 3,082 applications. And Apple claims to have 1,200 "low-level" developers (about 25 of which are foreign companies) presently working on applications.

But what is Apple doing to really attract developers, to breed the loyalty a technical company needs from its suppliers? "In addition to our consulting, technical documentation, and seminars," says Hitoshi Azuma, senior manager for Apple's developer marketing, "we also have our 'kitchen.' This is where the developers bring their close-to-final source code to our labs for an intensive week with our technicians."

This is a boon to any developer looking to iron out the final wrinkles in their product. And it will be especially helpful to those companies bringing out products based on Copland.

Azuma dismisses talk that the Mac development community is sparse, and brings up established company names (Koshin Graphics, for example) that are not developing, and have no plans to develop, any Windows applications. "A company president may look at the figures -- 85% of the market to Windows -- and think it will be less attractive to get into Macintosh business. But his developers will tell him what they tell me: that new technology is always coming from Apple."

As long as there's a market for Mac software, developers like Nexus and Microsoft will continue to provide the applications consumers want to use on their Macs. But to ensure success, Apple Japan must continue feeding that pony-tailed, Armani T-shirt wearing group of developers the code they want, the assistance they request, and the support they need.

John Tyler, a Tokyo-based editor, designer, and writer, has been Mac-ing since 1988. He can be reached at jltyer@gol.com, or through his Website at http://www.fastnet.or.jp/mortal.