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Originally Posted by Erock  The last 3 posts behind me were money, and I have to say I agree with them wholeheartedly. The impression I get (which may be way off) is that if Apple was the one who had created windows and had most computers using their OS, they would be way more controlling, and try to have a complete monopoly on everything. But because they have not been as successful, they tend to have the "cute little simple" role compared to Microsoft's products. |
Apple could never have been a Microsoft. Steve Jobs always had a totally different strategy, and it wouldn't have allowed him to maintain a monopoly over computers. He would never have created an OS that would run on something other than Apple hardware. Because of this, sooner or later someone would introduce an open computer standard (like IBM did with the PC) and the OS + hardware monopoly would crumble (like it did). I don't think he ever wanted to have a monopoly though. Back in the 80's, Jobs considered IBM his main competitor. It was simply about competition.
I think that he believed (and still believes) that the best computer package is one where Apple develops the OS and the hardware. This is a valid strategy because if executed properly it's a much better combination than a stand alone OS running hardware drivers written by god-knows-who. It also allows him to have full control over the user experience (like aesthetics, a major selling point for Apple). Yes, he's a control freak but that doesn't make him bad. I'm a control freak too. But my motivation is to provide the best experience for the users, and I believe that his is too.
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Originally Posted by Erock Look at the iPod, for an example. They have totally dominated the mp3 market, and they have released so many different mp3 players and accessories, that I get the feeling they have a very controlling negative mindset. It may be a great business model, but it doesn't do much to serve the greater good. |
They don't own as much of the MP3 player market as Microsoft owns of the OS market. And nobody is forced to buy an iPod if they don't want to, unlike with Windows. If you buy a PC, you usually have to get it with Windows which means you're paying for it (this is changing slowly, but at one time it was impossible to get a PC without Windows). In any case, the iPod line is popular because it's better than everything else out there. Apple came into the market with a
smashing product. They didn't kill off the competition to become the only available option and then sat on a mediocre product line (like Microsoft).
I've noticed that their success comes largely because they don't sit on their butt with one model for five years, like most other companies do. They release something new very often. This is a good thing though. They could easily sit on a couple of products and rake in the cash, but they keep developing new stuff. How many giant 20,000 employee companies can you name that are not only releasing innovative products, but doing it at a rapid pace? It took Microsoft almost six years to make a major OS update. Apple releases a significant update to their OS an average of once per year.