I work with fortune 500 clients, and all of them use Windows server for something. Usually a lot of somethings. For example: Active Directory.

If we look at Microsoft's revenue I think it's pretty clear that they do in fact care an awful lot about Windows Server - or at least should.

In fiscal year 2025, Microsoft Corporation's revenue by segment:

    Devices: $17.31 B
    Dynamics Products And Cloud Services: $7.83 B
    Enterprise Services: $7.76 B
    Gaming: $23.46 B
    Linked In Corporation: $17.81 B
    Microsoft Three Six Five Commercial Products And Cloud Services: $87.77 B
    Microsoft Three Six Five Consumer Products and Cloud Services: $7.40 B
    Other Products And Services: $72.00 M
    Search Advertising: $13.88 B
    Search And News Advertising: $13.88 B
    Server Products And Cloud Services: $98.44 B
    Server Products And Tools: $98.44 B
    Windows: $17.31 B

> If Apple Enterprise Cloud was available today who is switching and why?

Not sure about others, but I would switch if it meant I no longer needed to rely on Google Workspace.

You’re talking about LAMP-type set ups and I’m talking about Windows Desktop integration services. Smaller orgs will use cloud services but many larger organisations, colleges, and the like will likely have a fleet of Windows servers running in VMs (traditionally VMWare but that might have changed since Broadcom bought them).

However if you do want to talk about services outside of fleet management, then there are plenty of niches where Windows Server has a surprising foothold. Though typically they’re domains which haven’t been disrupted by “tech bros”, which is why you don’t read about it much on HN.

> This is similar to saying that Microsoft missed an opportunity with smartphone ecosystems.

They did. But we are talking specifically about fleet management and not any random tech-adjacent industry.

> If Apple Enterprise Cloud was available today who is switching and why? Apple would have to undercut established players to convince businesses to switch via a massive migration effort.

The existing players only exist because Apples default offering is basically non-existent. Apple wouldn’t need to undercut them, just be comparably priced. The reason being that if you already have a business account with Apple then you don’t need to go through the pan of getting a new supplier approved by the board (etc).

As for existing businesses, if they’re already large enough that fleet management is a concern then they’re large enough to have people on payroll who manage that fleet. And thus to perform that migration. It might even be part of their laptop refresh program.

And if Apple had an enterprise fleet management service then they’d be able to offer tools that are locked to their fleet management (eg remote wipe). Which would heavily incentivise businesses not to go with 3rd parties.

Maybe they could find another way to market it, e.g. Windows is free but with ads, and there is a subscription which makes ads go away. Or something else. Some creativity is needed.

> Before iphone mobile phones were running Java applets, which were sometimes even compatible across different phone manufacturers and users even could exchange them over infrared.

"Sometimes" doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Nokia had an app store, and before you could see the available apps you have to first choose your phone: because even with-in Nokia's own product range there was so much variation in screens, keyboards, and general capabilities that they had to pre-apply a filter to show you what would actually work.

Functionally nobody was doing any of those things.

I may be guilty of the same thing you're mentioning (I'm in the USA), but my Nokia 6210 came with a carrier lock and I wasn't even able to visit websites via the WAP browser unless my carrier approved of them because WAP acted like a sort of mandatory vendor operated proxy that allowed them to see and filter everything the phone did. They would, for example, filter out websites about ringtones to try and force you to buy theirs for $0.99/piece.

My experience with a Nokia 6210 was very much the opposite of what you describe.

I guess that doesn't count, because Nokia and Ericsson aren't American companies.

The discussion is about Apple. Which is an American company.

But if taking discussions off-topic is what gets you off, have at it.