> They've done nothing short of a phenomenal job of hanging on. I attribute it primarily to brilliant marketing, but also to the nature of their user base (wildly loyal, and perhaps more importantly, very unlikely to try anything else because they're so happy where they are).
I'd say conceptually you don't understand the difference between Apple, Google and Microsoft. I mean look at computers. Apple had a negligible share once, but came back and continues to thrive while others wither and die. You don't seem to understand why. It doesn't seem that complex to me. Its the Tortoise and the Hare paradigm. It makes almost all share arguments moot. I really don't think they do marketing all that well. Better than Microsoft certainly but not phenomenally well.
Apple, the Tortoise, is not a technology company per se, its a company steeped in design, mostly about the user experience. Apple loyalists appreciate stability, usability and security. They generally make enough money that futsing with a system costs them more than paying for a system they don't have to futz with. Apple gets its customers slowly but surely over time. I'm always worried that money will get in the way of the user at Apple. So far not perfect but still better.
Microsoft, the arrogant Hare, is a company that lucked out in the beginning of the PC revolution almost purely because computers were expensive and most people in corporations did one thing only, so they bought the cheapest computers possible. Sort of like being in the movie Brazil. They are a company that had deep distain for design. They are beginning to wake up to the idea that design matters now that they are in deep trouble. Good for them.
Google is a Hare also. They are a database company that has some appreciation for design, mostly around data. When they do design they sometimes come up with some good stuff, but they are primarily a database engineering company. Therefor they really are not successful most of the time. The user to them is less important than how they can use the user and the data they can extract from the user.
Just my opinion. |
