The Christmas before the storm

TalkBack 1 of 12:

Next »

• Thread View
• Flat View

Simplicity seems to be winning

While there may be a demand for multi-functional devices it
appears that simplicity and excellence in design is still the
winner in some areas.

The most noticeable example is the iPod which, from the
consumer's point of view, is a very simple device - regardless of
the sophistication of engineering and programming behind it.

It is also exceptionally elegant in design, to the point that it has
captured the market like no other product in years. Consumers
relate well to the design and simplicity of use and that has paid
off well for Apple.

I think the third element is the willingness to take a risk in
developing a total environment. Apple did this with the iTunes
software and their music store. Providing a total environment
makes it easy for a consumer to stay in that environment and
difficult for competitors to pull the consumer away from it.

The total environment approach also protects against the future
to some degree. A current iPod user with a significant
investment from the iTunes Music Store will probably buy
another iPod to replace the current one as it protects that
investment.

Finally, it's not necessary to take over the world in order to be
successful. Apple makes a very nice profit off of their computer
business, even with their tiny market share, just as Mazda has
made a tidy profit off of their Miata.

Posted by: Ken_z   Posted on: 12/13/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

• Building the Virtualized Enterprise with VMware Iinfrastructure VMware VMware virtualization software has been adopted by over 120,000 enterprise ... Download Now
• Three Steps You Need to Know to Stop Data Loss Varonis Sensitive data exposed to misuse or loss... it is the stuff of nightmares ... Download Now
• Effective Performance Testing in Java Environments Quest Software When applications perform poorly so does your business. With performance ... Download Now