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http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/26/technol ... htm?hpt=T2
I predicted this about 5-6 years ago and was scoffed at.
I predicted this about 5-6 years ago and was scoffed at.
Apple topples Microsoft's throne
- Thread starter redrumloa
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Ah, we scoff at everything you say. :wink:
But seriously, I think Apple has made some amazing headway, but on the computing front, they still trail. Of course, the mobile market is the way of the future, and Apple's position isn't as solid as MS's position in the OS market. Chances are in 5 yeas Android will own the mobile market, they already surpassed iPhone OS and gaining on RIM.
But seriously, I think Apple has made some amazing headway, but on the computing front, they still trail. Of course, the mobile market is the way of the future, and Apple's position isn't as solid as MS's position in the OS market. Chances are in 5 yeas Android will own the mobile market, they already surpassed iPhone OS and gaining on RIM.
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Price of a share of a stock doesn't tell one much. You also have to know how many shares the company has.
Undoubtably, Apple's done well in the music and phone markets. While not Microsoft directly I think this recent example does well to talk to the size of the markets. The CEO Intel was asked about the 1Million iPads sold in just under 28 days. He complimented Apple for it's ability. He then commented that Intel sells 1Million x86 processors per day. Don't forget Intel is 80% of that market.
The question is for an investment is Microsoft or Apple the better place to invest? I see Apple's leading product as the phone. This space is going to become ever more competitive over the next year. Android, which Microsoft profits from, is proving competitive. In a few months we'll see the new Blackberry and Windows Phone 7. I'm dubious about the HP WebOS but maybe something will come there too. Apple's only front isn't Microsoft, I wouldn't bet they can retain their phone marketshare. OTOH the keys to Microsoft are being passed around a year will tell us how good or bad these were.
Undoubtably, Apple's done well in the music and phone markets. While not Microsoft directly I think this recent example does well to talk to the size of the markets. The CEO Intel was asked about the 1Million iPads sold in just under 28 days. He complimented Apple for it's ability. He then commented that Intel sells 1Million x86 processors per day. Don't forget Intel is 80% of that market.
The question is for an investment is Microsoft or Apple the better place to invest? I see Apple's leading product as the phone. This space is going to become ever more competitive over the next year. Android, which Microsoft profits from, is proving competitive. In a few months we'll see the new Blackberry and Windows Phone 7. I'm dubious about the HP WebOS but maybe something will come there too. Apple's only front isn't Microsoft, I wouldn't bet they can retain their phone marketshare. OTOH the keys to Microsoft are being passed around a year will tell us how good or bad these were.
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While the news puts a smile on my face, I'm not so quick as to believe Microsoft is waning. They still own the desktop, but face increasing competition from not only Apple, but the Linux market as well.
As others have pointed out, there's the issue of stock prices not meaning much. Also, the idea that it's all rather apples and oranges (only slight pun intended). Apple isn't REALLY competing in the desktop market, but demonstrating the power of a virtually untapped "mobile devices" market which WILL drive Mac desktop sales.
Sure, there have been cellphones, and laptops, and tablets for years, but there's NEVER been anything like the long-term strategy being executed by Apple.
1) Build an iPod. Get people used to carrying extra devices.
2) Build a video iPod. Get people used to consuming content.
3) Build a cellphone with a million apps. Get people hooked on mobile computing.
4) Build an iPad using the lessons already learned from the other devices. Get people really excited about being able to consume content from anywhere, at any time.
5) Make it so that it's incredibly easy to do all of this using OS X, and only slightly annoying from the PC to drive your desktop/laptop sales.
6) Build up the excitement and demonstrate that App creators are becoming "the next millionaires", then make it so that anyone who wants to develop for the App store (virtually guaranteeing SOME sort of income) needs to own an OS X desktop thereby building up your desktop / laptop sales.
Brilliant..
Every step outlined above has been proven to be working, and steps 5 and 6 are being demonstrated since Mac sales are increasing steadily across both the desktop and laptop end.
The problem is that other companies aren't stupid. Apple has pretty much shown their cards so far (but with WWDC coming in less than 2 weeks, I would expect more surprises to come). Everyone sees them sitting back with a pretty big piece of the pie right now, and everyone wants their own piece of that pie.
Now that Apple's strategy is able to be outlined, you might think some companies will start trying to copy it, and some are already trying to play catch up. Others will be trying to jump over Apple and guess the next step to get there before Apple does.
Take for example the recent "Google TV" announcement where they're trying to compete with the Apple TV. Great for Google, except for the fact that Apple themselves have openly referred to their Apple TV product as "just a hobby"...
Nobody wants paid TV, and YouTube type content only gets you so far, so I'm baffled as to why anyone thinks Google TV will be "the next big thing".
The problem is that while Apple is sometimes predictable, they mostly aren't. They have a history of finding markets that either don't exist, or at most, exist as an idea, then charging in to actually create the market.
Most people didn't know they wanted an mp3 player until after the iPod came out. Most people didn't know they wanted a portable video player until the video iPod. Most people didn't want a smartphone until the iPhone came out, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So let it be written, so let it be done.
The funny thing is that even though there are now generic mp3 players, generic video players, and even other smartphones, the Apple branded devices still outsell almost all of them by a two-to-one margin..
Sure, Android is on the horizon. It's a nice OS and I'm sure it'll be put into everything between toasters to TVs, but even having looked at Android, it's a different animal. Also, being "open" I'm sure will end up being as big an Achille's heel as it is to Windows now, with bad apps, crashing apps, etcetera.
Talking about innovation, you cannot by its very definition take Android (or Windows) and put it on what I'm sure will be a utilitarian-style tablet PC running an Atom processor and call it innovation. It isn't. As pointed out by the demise of the Windows-driven HP Slate concept, NOBODY wants a (quote) "slow, retarded PC without the benefit of a keyboard".
Especially since Apple has already taken the iPhone OS and then created a whole new world around it by way of the custom-designed, custom-processor-driven, completely new and different device for a wholly new and developing market.
Much like the first iPod, no one knew they wanted an iPad until it was built, and other companies simply cannot come in a distant second by creating a poor imitation to another product then claim to be innovative. In that regard, and taking a cue from Apple's history, I can't see them taking a back seat in the innovation arena any time soon.
Wayne
As others have pointed out, there's the issue of stock prices not meaning much. Also, the idea that it's all rather apples and oranges (only slight pun intended). Apple isn't REALLY competing in the desktop market, but demonstrating the power of a virtually untapped "mobile devices" market which WILL drive Mac desktop sales.
Sure, there have been cellphones, and laptops, and tablets for years, but there's NEVER been anything like the long-term strategy being executed by Apple.
1) Build an iPod. Get people used to carrying extra devices.
2) Build a video iPod. Get people used to consuming content.
3) Build a cellphone with a million apps. Get people hooked on mobile computing.
4) Build an iPad using the lessons already learned from the other devices. Get people really excited about being able to consume content from anywhere, at any time.
5) Make it so that it's incredibly easy to do all of this using OS X, and only slightly annoying from the PC to drive your desktop/laptop sales.
6) Build up the excitement and demonstrate that App creators are becoming "the next millionaires", then make it so that anyone who wants to develop for the App store (virtually guaranteeing SOME sort of income) needs to own an OS X desktop thereby building up your desktop / laptop sales.
Brilliant..
Every step outlined above has been proven to be working, and steps 5 and 6 are being demonstrated since Mac sales are increasing steadily across both the desktop and laptop end.
The problem is that other companies aren't stupid. Apple has pretty much shown their cards so far (but with WWDC coming in less than 2 weeks, I would expect more surprises to come). Everyone sees them sitting back with a pretty big piece of the pie right now, and everyone wants their own piece of that pie.
Now that Apple's strategy is able to be outlined, you might think some companies will start trying to copy it, and some are already trying to play catch up. Others will be trying to jump over Apple and guess the next step to get there before Apple does.
Take for example the recent "Google TV" announcement where they're trying to compete with the Apple TV. Great for Google, except for the fact that Apple themselves have openly referred to their Apple TV product as "just a hobby"...
Nobody wants paid TV, and YouTube type content only gets you so far, so I'm baffled as to why anyone thinks Google TV will be "the next big thing".
The problem is that while Apple is sometimes predictable, they mostly aren't. They have a history of finding markets that either don't exist, or at most, exist as an idea, then charging in to actually create the market.
Most people didn't know they wanted an mp3 player until after the iPod came out. Most people didn't know they wanted a portable video player until the video iPod. Most people didn't want a smartphone until the iPhone came out, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So let it be written, so let it be done.
The funny thing is that even though there are now generic mp3 players, generic video players, and even other smartphones, the Apple branded devices still outsell almost all of them by a two-to-one margin..
Sure, Android is on the horizon. It's a nice OS and I'm sure it'll be put into everything between toasters to TVs, but even having looked at Android, it's a different animal. Also, being "open" I'm sure will end up being as big an Achille's heel as it is to Windows now, with bad apps, crashing apps, etcetera.
Talking about innovation, you cannot by its very definition take Android (or Windows) and put it on what I'm sure will be a utilitarian-style tablet PC running an Atom processor and call it innovation. It isn't. As pointed out by the demise of the Windows-driven HP Slate concept, NOBODY wants a (quote) "slow, retarded PC without the benefit of a keyboard".
Especially since Apple has already taken the iPhone OS and then created a whole new world around it by way of the custom-designed, custom-processor-driven, completely new and different device for a wholly new and developing market.
Much like the first iPod, no one knew they wanted an iPad until it was built, and other companies simply cannot come in a distant second by creating a poor imitation to another product then claim to be innovative. In that regard, and taking a cue from Apple's history, I can't see them taking a back seat in the innovation arena any time soon.
Wayne
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The question I have is what is the future of computing. Microsoft has gotten sued time and again for being a closed ecosystem. Seemingly because it's ubiqtious it must be open. Yet Apple who isn't seen as ubiqtious can profit in a closed environment? Too much Apple success may mean they face a wall of lawsuits same as Microsoft has over the last decade.
Will it? I see each company attacking from their strength. Apple it's the iPhone interacting with the MacOS or WinOS. Will this push users to MacOS? I see Microsoft attacking phones from the desktop. Will the WinOS + Xbox push into phones making WinPho7 the natural choice? Overall the next 1-3 years will prove interesting.
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Technology, market share, strategy, stock price ....Hmmm.
What this thread needs is ... a curveball!!
Just had to throw that in
What this thread needs is ... a curveball!!
Just had to throw that in
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FluffyMcDeath said:Technology, market share, strategy, stock price ....Hmmm.
What this thread needs is ... a curveball!!
Just had to throw that in
Without trying to minimize the tragic suicides situation, I do find it interesting that EVERY media outlet is concentrating on it being "the iphone factory" while steadfastly refusing to acknowledge in print that the same company (and indeed the same factory) is putting out parts for Dell, HP, Sony, and a host of other companies.
Wayne
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I just read an article about that and it mentioned most of those other companies as well.Wayne said:
As for the suicides, the nation as a whole has an unusually high suicide rate. I don't think Foxconn is that unusual except perhaps that everyone keeps jumping of the company building.
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faethor said:
I think you guys are confusing stock price with market capitalization. Market cap is what is discussed here, market cap is the total worth of a company. In simple terms, Stock price -times- shares outstanding -equals- market cap. Apple has surpassed Microsoft in market cap. Apple is a bigger company than Microsoft.
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redrumloa said:
Yeah, but it's all just numbers on a spreadsheet really. Kind of like the economy itself, no one really knows how much anything is worth...
Would be fun however to walk into Steve's (or even Bill's) office with a 250 billion dollar check and say "go home"..
(yes, I know you couldn't do something like that, and I'm sure you'll try to educate me as to why it's impossible, but then you'd miss the fun of the idea).