"Given the runaway success of the iPhone for hardware reasons..."
I wish there were more folks who could see that. Your comments about Apple on this thread are worth contemplating.
There seems to be this silly idea that Apple is now "more than a (proprietary) hardware company". But if we took away the design-patented, hermetically-sealed enclosures, what is the value of Apple? What's left that we can use? Can any of it stand on its own?
It should be obvious, but only after you tie users to a particular piece of hardware do the other opportunities like playing middle man to digitized consumables like music, software or books arise. I surmise it is those opportunities that cause people to believe Apple is more than a hardware company. But maybe Apple is just a hardware company that, outside of their area of expertise - hardware, is very opportunistic? "Good artists copy, great artists steal."
How many times have we seen Apple "borrow" from third party software that supplements Apple's OS functionality and proceed to incorporate others' ideas into their next OS version?
Are all the components of Apple's allegedly diversified business dependent on the success of Apple hardware? Try the following thought experiment:
Subtract the fact of the Apple hardware with its attractive form factor and imagine other companies designing the world's most popular mp3 players, phones and tablets. Imagine Apple does not make, sell, or have made hardware enclosures or the cheap, Chinese-made electronics that are hidden inside. Now, ask yourself, "What is the value of Apple?"
The value of iTunes without Apple hardware?
The value of the AppStore without Apple hardware?
The value of Apple's latest Mach/BSD hybrid OS without Apple hardware? OK, but how easily can Apple's graphics layer run on other hardware?
...
Filemaker Pro for Windows? Eureka!
Yes, Apple is much more than just a hardware company.
I wish there were more folks who could see that. Your comments about Apple on this thread are worth contemplating.
There seems to be this silly idea that Apple is now "more than a (proprietary) hardware company". But if we took away the design-patented, hermetically-sealed enclosures, what is the value of Apple? What's left that we can use? Can any of it stand on its own?
It should be obvious, but only after you tie users to a particular piece of hardware do the other opportunities like playing middle man to digitized consumables like music, software or books arise. I surmise it is those opportunities that cause people to believe Apple is more than a hardware company. But maybe Apple is just a hardware company that, outside of their area of expertise - hardware, is very opportunistic? "Good artists copy, great artists steal."
How many times have we seen Apple "borrow" from third party software that supplements Apple's OS functionality and proceed to incorporate others' ideas into their next OS version?
Are all the components of Apple's allegedly diversified business dependent on the success of Apple hardware? Try the following thought experiment:
Subtract the fact of the Apple hardware with its attractive form factor and imagine other companies designing the world's most popular mp3 players, phones and tablets. Imagine Apple does not make, sell, or have made hardware enclosures or the cheap, Chinese-made electronics that are hidden inside. Now, ask yourself, "What is the value of Apple?"
The value of iTunes without Apple hardware?
The value of the AppStore without Apple hardware?
The value of Apple's latest Mach/BSD hybrid OS without Apple hardware? OK, but how easily can Apple's graphics layer run on other hardware?
...
Filemaker Pro for Windows? Eureka!
Yes, Apple is much more than just a hardware company.