In the past we have had Coca Cola vs Pepsi, McDonalds vs Burger King, Woolworths vs Coles and many other duopolistic battles. The new craze for this modern age: smartphones aka Apple vs Google. Gone with the days of the dominance of Nokia over the mobile communications industry, now it is merely a whisper of what it used to be. The focus has now changed from hardware to software or more specifically operating software. This battle is unlike the previously mentioned battles they consisted of two very similar companies offering very similar products with subtle differences. This time Apple and Google are two very different companies with different strategies and philosophies offering two extremely different products.
Ted's lecture ended with the focus on freedom vs comfort. When put in these words it is easy to assume that people would choose to be free over being controlled given any situation. However, not every phone user can fully understand the capabilities and the functions that the phone possess nor can they keep up with constant updates. Using a personal experience as an example, my mother recently purchased a new LG phone with Android technology. She is not tech savy in the slightest and has hence given up using the phone. The reason being that since Android is apart of Google, the phone did not come with any clear instructions as to how to use it, in her eyes the more options make it more complicated. Of course she is not alone which is why many people have invested in Apple's Iphone. Since there is no option as to how to use it, instructions can be very clear and people can learn how to use it knowing there is no alternative.
In my opinion, Apple's days are numbered as they will be swallowed up by competitors. There are three reasons behind this statement. Firstly, Apple software is produced solely by Apple and controlled by Apple. Any apps are bought on the Apple App Store and music can be bought from Apple Itunes, i think you can see a trend here. With such a narrow focus customers are restricted to anything Apple. However Android is produced by Google and sold by Samsung, LG, HTC etc. This amount products in the market mean Android phones easily outnumber Apple phones and offer greater freedoms. Secondly, Apple's breakthrough was by its 'revolutionary' technology. This technology spent years in research and development in the Apple garage. With so many competitors using Android, every one of those competitors has a R&D department, put them together and Apple looks miniscule. Lastly, Apple is predominately a fashion statement. The same with any fashion statement after a while people lose interest and before you know it will be a piece of history.
I think a big hurdle for Google is making their devices as user friendly (or even more user friendly, if that's even possible) than Apple's market. Though people must realise it's difficult to release an open device that is also easily understood and manipulated by those who are not tech savvy.
ReplyDeleteI like your reasons for the short term Apple fad. I think we've seen a peak in the popularity of Apple in the recent years, but Google as tended to lean towards the long term profit margin where they will still have a mass amount of consumers in decades to come. I've never really thought about Apple as a fashion statement, but now you mention it, it really does fit!