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| Apple takes bytes out of Claris... |
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After a successful year for its products, it came as something of surprise, especially to those made redundant, when Apple decided to rethink its software company's strategy.  Claris, wholly owned by the Macintosh manufacturer, is to be dissolved. Because of its number one placing on the Apple Mac ClarisWorks, the integrated office package, will be brought back under the Apple umbrella as will the Mac OS.  While ClarisWorks is successful on the Windows platform, the fact that it was owned by a subsidiary had led to a situation where Apple's representatives selling computers were unable to effectively sell the software that clients wanted. This change is designed to ensure that Apple can retain and build on its supremacy on its home turf. It is not confirmed yet though whether Apple will continue to develop the Windows version of ClarisWorks. 
The product has a large user base on Windows but would require Apple to work outside its core market, contradicting the stated aims of this re-organisation. ...and forms FileMaker Inc. The staff from Claris who have survived the upheaval will form a new subsidiary company called FileMaker Inc. FileMaker Pro was Claris' successful relational database. Apple believe that it could be strong enough to forge a new market in the business world and so will be allowing a whole company to focus on the single product and grow it both with new versions and component expansions to the product.  FileMaker Inc will also retain the HomePage product, which is not as contradictory as it appears. One of the major strengths of FileMaker Pro 4 is the ability to publish on the WWW and HomePage is an aid to this. Future developments are likely to see the products even more tightly integrated. 
The re-organisation has meant a reduction in the staff levels as the value of the new FileMaker Inc company is considerably less than the former Claris. While there have been some changes at the top, the former CEO of Claris, Dominique Goupil, will be the CEO of FileMaker Inc. |