Sorry but there's a bunch of inconsistencies here:
>> Windows worked just as fluid as iOS when they finally got it right, but they were there too late.
Of course it was fluid - Apple was already tied down by legacy hardware by the time Windows Phone released, whereas Microsoft had the huge benefit of a higher-baseline due to exponential hardware advances.
MS weren't merely 'late' - they had no vision in this space (see: Windows Mobile pre-iPhone).
>> Apple's success is more of lack of a good competitor more than anything else
Their competitors include literally the biggest company in the world.. If what you mean is that the iPhone specifically lacks a good competitor - even though both Microsoft and Google tried everything to rectify that - then isn't that reflective of Apple's incredible execution of the iPhone strategy and not, as you suggest, that Microsoft/Google/BlackBerry/Palm/Nokia/Samsung aren't good competitors?
>> To me a business is successful when they are big enough in their domain that a new tech doesn't suddenly wipe them out
Even under this subjective definition, Apple view their 'domain' as consumer electronics, not 'mobile' or 'computers' or 'mp3 players' (something they recognised back when they renamed themselves to Apple, dropping 'Computers'). So ironically, Apple don't merely fit the 'success' criteria under your definition, but Microsoft actually don't - they had to exit their once-primary domain - Windows and consumers - and pivot to enterprise and services (which of course has worked out great for them - but by your definition it's not a success as Apple and Google's new tech would've otherwise wiped them out)
>> Windows worked just as fluid as iOS when they finally got it right, but they were there too late.
Of course it was fluid - Apple was already tied down by legacy hardware by the time Windows Phone released, whereas Microsoft had the huge benefit of a higher-baseline due to exponential hardware advances.
MS weren't merely 'late' - they had no vision in this space (see: Windows Mobile pre-iPhone).
>> Apple's success is more of lack of a good competitor more than anything else
Their competitors include literally the biggest company in the world.. If what you mean is that the iPhone specifically lacks a good competitor - even though both Microsoft and Google tried everything to rectify that - then isn't that reflective of Apple's incredible execution of the iPhone strategy and not, as you suggest, that Microsoft/Google/BlackBerry/Palm/Nokia/Samsung aren't good competitors?
>> To me a business is successful when they are big enough in their domain that a new tech doesn't suddenly wipe them out
Even under this subjective definition, Apple view their 'domain' as consumer electronics, not 'mobile' or 'computers' or 'mp3 players' (something they recognised back when they renamed themselves to Apple, dropping 'Computers'). So ironically, Apple don't merely fit the 'success' criteria under your definition, but Microsoft actually don't - they had to exit their once-primary domain - Windows and consumers - and pivot to enterprise and services (which of course has worked out great for them - but by your definition it's not a success as Apple and Google's new tech would've otherwise wiped them out)