Quote:
Originally Posted by mldavis2
Jobs is an interesting techie. But, as they say, 'when you have a lawnmower, everything looks like grass.' Apple thrives on miniaturization, which has become almost a fetish. They also are heavily into proprietary hardware and planned obsolescence. I have avoided many of their products because of a combination of cost, lack of customization opportunities (I build my own to suit my needs), expensive peripherals, inability to replace batteries and a smaller software base than the ubiquitous PC platforms. That's not to say they don't have good products in specific niches (iPod). You have to give Jobs credit for innovation, even if it doesn't always work out for the consumer.
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Depends on what kind of a consumer you are. If you like doing your own gardening, why hire a gardener? But if you like gardens, but not the gardening, then get a gardener.
Apple makes products for an end user who does not want to do the work of integrating all the hardware & software. Not for people who enjoy doing that work themselves. Different strokes for different folks.
Further, Apple tends to dominated the niches it chooses - or rather, chooses niches where it sees an opportunity to dominate. Even in computers, where that hasn't been the case, I think I see a strategy to create niches to dominate. Consider the latest Macbook Air - is there anything else like it?
I don't think what Apple does is planned obsolescence so much as it is unrelenting improvement. PO is about making things that will need to be replaced whether or not they are improved. Apple products always improve. But oddly, they don't become obsolete as fast as one might think. My 10 year old desktop Mac still works fine; my 5 year old iMac works fine: my wife's 4 year old PowerBook has just developed a problem probably worth fixing; my 3G iPhone still works; I gave my 2G to a friend; - still works. Heck, my My Mac Color Classic still works. Technological improvement is not PO.
(I really wish Steve would decide to make a dedicated ebook reader. It would probably blow the Kindle & other EBRs away...I'd bet he'd make one that would convert my pbooks to ebooks, and dispense with my need for glasses.)