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A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

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Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#21

Post by _yields »

Oletros wrote: post #13
_yields wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> while selling it as the user's benefit I disagree. Facebook, Google, Microsoft have a walled garden, in-fact every company on earth thinks on how to keep customers from leaving. The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior, i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.

"The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior" Really? How are superior?

I hope this is a joke, but..

Go a head, take OSX and Windows 7 and compare between them, see how much it takes Windows 7 to crash and tell you: "do you want to send us a report?".

The report should be sent automatically and analyzed by computers before it reaches humans.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#22

Post by MatthewPhillips »

nickconfer wrote: post #15
dm8 wrote: post #8

Out of curiosity, why did he think Apple had far superior payment system? I personally think Apple's payment gateways no better than Amazon Checkout or Google Checkout experience.

Three reasons. 1) Apple has more active credit cards than Amazon. 2) If someone were to purchase a book on an iOS device it is more likely they have an active credit card on their account than an Amazon account with an active credit card. 3) One payment system is easier for customers to understand and trust. Steve's wording here may have indicated better technology in his mind, but I doubt that is true, given amazons…

#1 #2 state the same thing, and although it may be true, I can't think of any way this makes the payment system "far superior". Is Amazon something you only use once and it's a hassle to have to enter in your credit card?

#3 is not something anyone believes, even you.

I'd counter with iTunes hysterically bad receipt notifications. Typically you get a receipt between 3 days to 2 weeks after you buy something. Every time I receive an iTunes receipt I have to strain to remember way back when I bought the thing the receipt is for.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#23

Post by subdane »

johnrob wrote: post #7
natch wrote: post #2

This hardly captures Apple's strategy. It appears to offer an insight into one step in their strategic thinking for one issue, but the title of the post is quite misleading.

This absolutely captures their strategy. They are clearly building a walled garden for their own benefit, while selling it as the user's benefit. I can't imagine users complaining about having the option to switch to android.

Exactly. They aren't giving users real choice. If Apple's payment system (or any other part of their platform) is really superior, why not let users choose and make up their own minds? Because they want to make it painful or impossible to switch and they don't want their platform to be considered a commodity reader for Amazon's content.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#24

Post by salem »

This touches on one of the big issues with the agency model, Apple's 30% cut of IAP, and the rule requiring all digital goods purchases go Apple IAP made Apple the only bookstore on apple iDevices, outside the browser. IMHO, when the iPhone was the leading smartphone in the US, that wasn't a walled garden, that was a market leader leveraging that power to take another market in an anti-competitive way.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#25

Post by TheLegace »

_yields wrote: post #21
Oletros wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior" Really? How are superior?

I hope this is a joke, but.. Go a head, take OSX and Windows 7 and compare between them, see how much it takes Windows 7 to crash and tell you: "do you want to send us a report?". The report should be sent automatically and analyzed by computers before it reaches humans.

As much as I hate to say it, your right.

As I type into my girlfriend's macbook, I feel ashamed, but at the same time I cannot get myself to buy a laptop because they all suck.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#26

Post by deveac »

eloisant wrote: post #19
_yields wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> while selling it as the user's benefit I disagree. Facebook, Google, Microsoft have a walled garden, in-fact every company on earth thinks on how to keep customers from leaving. The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior, i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.

Well, no. Google releases pretty much all of its products on iPhone. Apple doesn't releases anything on other platforms and when they do because they have no choice (iTunes on Windows), they do it poorly.

Well, Google certainly builds walls for its garden. Looking at things like nuking Reader in favor of G+, nerfing its applications on iOS compared to Android (funny how quickly iOS got turn by turn Google Maps once Apple released its own map application), and even initiatives like Free Zone in developing nations that provide free internet only for checking G+, gmail, and sites opened directly from a Google search). Just look at the shenanigans Google is pulling right now with Microsoft and getting Youtube on mobile there.

All of these companies throw walls up for the sake of profits and strategic benefit. Different heights, different locations, some hard walls, some soft, -but they all build them.

The entire free Android operating systems itself is just vendor lock-in for Google, which is an advertising (not search) company.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#27

Post by ernesth »

_yields wrote: post #9
johnrob wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This absolutely captures their strategy. They are clearly building a walled garden for their own benefit, while selling it as the user's benefit. I can't imagine users complaining about having the option to switch to android.

> while selling it as the user's benefit I disagree. Facebook, Google, Microsoft have a walled garden, in-fact every company on earth thinks on how to keep customers from leaving. The difference between Apple and others is that Apple products are far superior, i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.

> i can't imagine myself using any Microsoft product if Apple provides it.

Did you try microsoft mice?

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#28

Post by gcb0 »

natch wrote: post #2

This hardly captures Apple's strategy. It appears to offer an insight into one step in their strategic thinking for one issue, but the title of the post is quite misleading.

it quite does. if the apple kool-aid everyone here drink was true, his reply would be "let's do better devices at more competitive pricing and nobody would have a reason to change"

but no, they still make a laptop that you can't close the lid while downloading a large file... and try to lock you in with lock-in tactics on the media YOU BUY.

See how well that worked for sony betamax/lasedisc/minidics... blueray... oh, wait.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#29

Post by cromwellian »

deveac wrote: post #26
eloisant wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, no. Google releases pretty much all of its products on iPhone. Apple doesn't releases anything on other platforms and when they do because they have no choice (iTunes on Windows), they do it poorly.

Well, Google certainly builds walls for its garden. Looking at things like nuking Reader in favor of G+, nerfing its applications on iOS compared to Android (funny how quickly iOS got turn by turn Google Maps once Apple released its own map application), and even initiatives like Free Zone in developing nations that provide free internet only for checking G+, gmail, and sites opened directly from a Google search). Ju…

Actually, you're wrong, sometimes the iOS apps have features that Android doesn't have yet, for example, iOS Maps actually had the new Maps interface before Android. Also, Google has Google Takeout, which lets you leave Google and take everything with you.

Android is not vendor lock in, because Google isn't the vendor in this scenario, Samsung, Amazon, Sony, etc are. For example, Amazon doesn't include Google's services, and Samsung is clearly moving in the direction of pushing their own stuff in front of Google's.

Re: A Steve Jobs email exchange that captures Apple’s strategy

#30

Post by wavefunction »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #22
nickconfer wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Three reasons. 1) Apple has more active credit cards than Amazon. 2) If someone were to purchase a book on an iOS device it is more likely they have an active credit card on their account than an Amazon account with an active credit card. 3) One payment system is easier for customers to understand and trust. Steve's wording here may have indicated better technology in his mind, but I doubt that is true, given amazons…

#1 #2 state the same thing, and although it may be true, I can't think of any way this makes the payment system "far superior". Is Amazon something you only use once and it's a hassle to have to enter in your credit card? #3 is not something anyone believes, even you. I'd counter with iTunes hysterically bad receipt notifications. Typically you get a receipt between 3 days to 2 weeks after you buy something. Every ti…

iTunes is a horrible store front, so I had to vote you up. Maybe it was acceptable for what was available when it launched but it's coming up on 10 years later and basic features that would aid discovery are still missing.
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