cut out for it

[jasonlulu_2000]

Companies that had more experience in this field, including Nokia and Microsoft, started looking behind the times. Though that's not to say Apple hasn't had its competition cut out for it.

1.What does the underlined "though" mean? Does it mean "however"? Is it an adverb? Should it be written "That's not to say Apple hasn't had its competition cut out for it, though. " instead?

2. What does "cut out for it" mean? It certainly is different from that in the case of "He is not cut out for this job", isn't it?

Thank you for your help!

Jason

[SlickVic9000]

(Not a Teacher)

1) Substitute "though" with "however", if that makes it easier to understand.

2) What they are saying here is that Apple has faced stiff competition. You're right that this is different from "to be cut out for something". The sense here is "to have one's work cut for them", meaning to have a challenging task ahead. The usage here is tad unusual, though it is still understandable.

[BobK]

But I wouldn't just call it 'a tad unusual'; I'd call it wrong. Apple had their work cut out for them, and that work involved dealing with the competition. I don't think the conflation of these two ideas in one strangled semi-idiom works.

b