Quote:
Originally Posted by Shane R
It surprises me to see this last paragraph on a technology forum. None of us need ereaders or computers and calibre. Paper books worked well for thousands of years. I still get my magazine subscriptions on paper, but audio and electronic books, while not really a need, are better for me and many others.
|
Strictly speaking this isn't a technology forum; it's a hobbyist forum focused on reading. Some technologies that enable reading or are marginally relevant are discussed but we rarely get seriously tecnical. Us techies are in the minority here.
The point about Apple cash cow products being "wants" and not "needs" is 99% true. Microsoft products, on the other hand, are "essential facilities" (as determined by the federal court system in their antitrust case) in their core markets. 80% of their business is "needs", and at least half is "critical needs".
The people and companies that buy most Microsoft products use them to be productive and/or earn a living. People who buy Apple cash cows buy mostly for fun, for entertainment, or (maybe) because they're "cool". There is some overlap between the customer bases and both aspire to play in each other's territory but it's been decades since they were direct competitors. Microsoft's consumer successes may be dwarfed by Apple's consumer prowess but Apple's enterprise presence doesn't even reach joke levels.
So yes, Apple lives off making people want things they don't need to subsist. Microsoft makes most of their money providing tools that help people produce, things they need.