2ndglance
疾恶如仇，柔情似水。重情感，意境，和哲理
Apple founder Steve Jobs died today at age of 56. He is a legend of our time.
Here are a few thoughts of mine about him and Apple company.
1) Apple is the biggest company in the world by market value. Apple has 4 product lines (iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad) and 1 service (iTune)
2) For iMac,Apple did ok. Apple computer has only about 10% PC market share. Window PC is still dominant in the PC world. In a sense, Apple does not win over Microsoft in the computer system software business.
3) Apple success is really in non-PC markets, iPod, a superior MP3, iPhone, a superior smart phone, and iPad, a superior tablet.
4) For iPod, Apple competes with Sony and Microsoft on the MP3 front. Sony is no match for Apple in terms of system software. Microsoft is still not that good at user interface and hardware and software integration.
5) For iPhone, Apple competes with Nokia, a hardware company and Research in Motion, a wireless networking and paging company and others. Again these companies are no match for Apple in in the area of smartphone, where systme software and hardware integration is the key to success, especially in the area of system software. That is one of the reasons that Nokia is now teaming up with Microsoft.
6) For iPad, Apple competes with no one. This is a brand new area for Apple and also an extenson of iPod and iPhone. Although there were touch-based tablets available prior to the rise of iPad, the user interface was not elegant and it was also heavey and limited battery life. iPad changed all these.
7) For iTune, it is the service end of iPod system. Apple competes with Napster and others. Apple asked the studios to break up the album and sell songs one at a time for $0.99 instead of $15.00 for a album. It is like teaching artists to do business. Along the way, Apple provides this service which makes sense to customers and online download makes this service feasible. Due to the tight control of Apple software, it prevents piracy. Again Apple win at hardware and software integration.
8) Apple did not become the largest company by selling computers. It becomes the largest company by selling non-computer gagets.
9) Apple computers sell at more than $1000 a piece, whereas iPod, $250 a piece, iPhone, $500 a piece, iPad, $500 a piece. Although those gagets like toys are small ticket items as compared with computers, it has a massive market. While Apple computer sells at a premium, it has a relative small market. I guess that is one of the reasons when Apple started selling iPod, some companies did not take it seriously because it was a relatviely low price item and it was in the realm of teenagers. However, when iPhone came out, it shocked the world. Everyoene can use it. So if a compnay has an idea to sell a product worth of $500 to everyone, this company can become next Apple.
You can make the same amount of money if you sell a $10 product to 1000 people and $1000 product to 10 people.
10) Apple's products are known for its easy of use, for its elegance and for its simplicity. They all have some luxury feelings around them. Computers, MP3s, phones and tablets were utility tools to improve work efficiency, to listen to music, to communicate with others and to make drawings. Now they are a piece of art themselves in addition to utility tools. When products become mature, appearance becomes more important than utility.
11)
and I like your writings.