Comment by dannyr
12 years ago
Look at people's IPhones. A lot of its users use apps not built by Apple.
Search, Mail, Social Network, Maps, Photo-sharing, etc.
Yeah, Apple will always make tons of money but IPhone/IPad will become just a device that hosts these apps. If most of the apps people need are available in another platform, the costs of switching is going to be low.
Isn't the prevailing argument in the industry that vertical integration is necessary for great customer experience?
On Android, I sign in ONCE with my @gmail address and everything is instantly configured.
Another great example is Google Now. That feature is very deeply tied into the Android UI and possible because Google owns the services.
I'm not saying you can't get "good enough" without owning the services, but I think you can provide greater value if you do.
For sure, but can't the same be said of their Mac lines? I'm sure iOS will always be a minority in terms of market share, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are the dominant player in the part of the market where people actually PAY for their product compared to free Android phones.
The tablet market is a good example of this, aside from Kindle's no Android tablet has really taken off and I think it's because of some of those points I enumerated above.
"no Android tablet has really taken off"
FYI, Android tablet has larger market share than the IPad now.
If you're narrowing it to just one brand/model, you're right. But Android tablets in general are selling a ton.
The assumption is that the integration of those apps into use-patterns closely enough resembles what they do on the iPhone/Pad. The reality is that it's mostly people who have a predilection towards experimenting with technology who will switch. I doubt that user group makes up more than a few percent of the consumer market.
Apple, I'm sure, studies price patterns and knows well how far up they can push a price without losing the core of their market.
Many of these apps, have no equal on other platforms.
Like what?