The Epic Battle Between Apple & Google Is All But Over - Who Won?

[frahse]

The Epic Battle Between Apple & Google Is All But Over - Who Won?
Derek Brown posted 17 hours ago

"Apple's Strengths Irrelevant Going Forward -

The Mobile Battle Is Over - And Google Won -

Apple's Success Was A Once-In-A-Generation Event -

Apple Stuck At Square One In The Cloud -"

Blow by Blow Account

[jhempel24]

Interesting article, but I think they might be missing a lot regarding how Apple monetized itself.

I will pick Android over Apple any day just because of the cost of the phones/tablets, but I still think iOS may be the better OS

[shanghaichica]

It's not over. Remember Steve Jobs said he wouldn't stop until Android were anialated.

[Fat Abe]

I hope neither company wins in the sense of wiping out the competition. Then we would all lose. Apple's long term survival depends on establishing a line of cheaper products. The compter device market is not like the automobile market. A company can't expect to prosper like Mercedes in a business where the products are eventually commoditized.

[frahse]

Some speak of a Union of Chrome and Android, but I think that would be bad for both.

I think of Chrome and Linux in general as rivals to Microsoft and Apple notebooks and desktops.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

It's not over. Remember Steve Jobs said he wouldn't stop until Android were anialated.

Yes, and how is that working out for Apple?

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

It's not over. Remember Steve Jobs said he wouldn't stop until Android were anialated.

But Steve is dead, and Cook already backtracked a bit on that.

But wow, that article sure is full of Android fanboisme..

[Greg Anos]

Open vs. Closed.

Open wins, unless closed has a reaaaaal long headstart.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

I hope neither company wins in the sense of wiping out the competition. Then we would all lose. Apple's long term survival depends on establishing a line of cheaper products. The compter device market is not like the automobile market. A company can't expect to prosper like Mercedes in a business where the products are eventually commoditized.

Actually, I think that if Apple joins the race to the bottom, then that would be a major mistake. There is always someone out there who can make something cheaper. Apple's strength has always been putting out quality products that people are willing to pay a premium for.

I agree with the previous poster, a lot of android fanboy wishful thinking in that article. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there. People getting the cheapest smart phone they can find is not Apple's target audience.

[Graham]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I agree with the previous poster, a lot of android fanboy wishful thinking in that article. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there.

I agree with your point about Apple not targetting the cheap end of the market, but this 'lot of cheap Android phones' argument is becoming less and less relevant. As the technology moves forward, even the cheap end of the market is getting increasingly capable. Sure the high end will always have the best screens, memory and battery life, but if the cheap end grows to cope with most of the apps on the market and provide a reasonable experience they'll still count as Android phones.

Graham

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Actually, I think that if Apple joins the race to the bottom, then that would be a major mistake. There is always someone out there who can make something cheaper. Apple's strength has always been putting out quality products that people are willing to pay a premium for.

I agree with the previous poster, a lot of android fanboy wishful thinking in that article. There are a lot of cheap Android phones out there. People getting the cheapest smart phone they can find is not Apple's target audience.

Sony used to be the same way, but look how fast they fell after basically getting the whole ball rolling with ereaders. While they are still in the game, they certainly aren't at the top of the majority of peoples lists when it comes to getting a reader. And yet they make some of the nicest ereaders around at what most consider premium prices.

Everyone eventually gets their turn at the top of the pack and all of them eventually drop down once the thrill has worn off of the name. So Apples drop is coming, we just don't know when.

[David Munch]

Originally Posted by Graham

I agree with your point about Apple not targetting the cheap end of the market, but this 'lot of cheap Android phones' argument is becoming less and less relevant. As the technology moves forward, even the cheap end of the market is getting increasingly capable. Sure the high end will always have the best screens, memory and battery life, but if the cheap end grows to cope with most of the apps on the market and provide a reasonable experience they'll still count as Android phones.

Graham

With that argumentation we would have stopped with the Nokia 3210. There will always be new things that drives the market, and keeps premium phones alive.

[Techno Wizard]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

It's not over. Remember Steve Jobs said he wouldn't stop until Android were anialated.

iOS 6 Maps: what went wrong?
http://www.techradar.com/news/softwa...-wrong-1118121

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs told his biographer Walter Isaacson. "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GkDz4wMI9J8

[Graham]

Originally Posted by David Munch

With that argumentation we would have stopped with the Nokia 3210. There will always be new things that drives the market, and keeps premium phones alive.

?

There's nothing in my post suggesting that there isn't a market for premium phones, quite the opposite - as my first sentence made clear.

I was replying to pwalker8's implication that the article was flawed as there were a lot of Android phones making up the market share that shouldn't really be counted as they were too cheap.

Graham

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

Apple's long term survival depends on establishing a line of cheaper products. The compter device market is not like the automobile market. A company can't expect to prosper like Mercedes in a business where the products are eventually commoditized.

I don't see why they shouldn't be able to keep on coming out out new improved models, every year, for decades if not centuries. Even without Moore's law, Mercedes has been making frequent product improvements since 1901, or since 1886 if you count Benz.

Apple is a luxury brand. As such, they aren't going to keep a big market share on any newly introduced product for long. If computers, handheld or otherwise, become truly commoditized, Apple is toast. So why should they even worry about it?

Like any successful tech company, they will have bigger ups and downs than in most other industries. And, with ups and downs, they've done quite well with a high-price high-quality model. I don't think they would do better by cheapening their brand.

I don't buy what I perceive to be luxury goods. Consistent with that, the only Apple products I have bought are used Apple II series machines. But, hey, they didn't get where they are by catering to me.