Ok, first things first. I'm going to get this out the way, as I'm sure Apple fan-boys everywhere will have issues with this post if I don't. Here goes... I undeniably declare that Apple deserves vast credit for what it brought to the table over the last decade. They stirred unprecedented interest in technology from a demographic of people usually known for their lack of enthusiasm and disinterest in adopting new & life changing technologies. They made a good product, they had a fantastic marketing strategy, and they successfully put an advertiser's wet dream into the hands of the common idiot. With that said...it's now time for you Apple-ologists to get off your high horses and realize why exactly Apple has had such success. The joke is truly on you, so read on for an explanation of the punchline that you might this time be able understand.
So what is Apple? Is it a garden of eden, where technologies are hand picked by Messiah Jobs and destined for greatness by simply having a lower case i imprinted on their packaging? Or is Apple simply a company? One that wants to compete in a marketplace by rising above the competition? One that has shareholders to report to, like any other, and lives or dies by the margin of profit they are able to make? Hmm...sounds like the later is more probable to me... Let's look deeper.
It's the mid - late '90s. Technology is running wild in the land of consumer electronics. Sony, LG, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, RIM....the list is a mile long with companies struggling to make a name for themselves and trying to establish their place in the market. Technology, while still in its infancy, is seeing major software improvements that is making it easier for the common person to buy, setup, and use consumer electronics all by themselves. Problem? It's still not quite there yet for the average citizen. It wasn't so long ago that people were complaining about how difficult it was to program the VCR, let alone be expected to comparatively shop for a desktop computer...install windows 98 from scratch...watch out for those device drivers!...a virus? What now? Technology was very unorganized from an end user perspective; like swiss cheese, it was full of holes and one had to know at least a little about they were doing to not bring everything to a crashing halt. But what did we expect? Technology was literally born yesterday in technological years! With so many companies carefully pumping money into hardware development, it seemed that software (while important) was always a step behind.
So what does this all mean? Well, it means that the scene was ripe for a company such as apple, to step in and capture the attention of the layman. Realistically, there wasn't even anyone else poised to do so at the time. An operating system is a complex piece of software, so your startup programming company couldn't take on such a challenge at the time, let alone be taken seriously. Your only players really were Microsoft and Apple, and Microsoft was too busy grabbing the corporate world's dollar to really have any time to focus in on the average user. Google, at this time, is years away from dominating its current markets, so Apple was literally like a little kid alone in a sandbox; all it needed to do was build a damn castle and it would be king.
This brings us to today. Apple has definitely had a good run, and took advantage of some solid years of having no competition. But like any discovered untapped market, others are sure to follow, and be bigger and brighter than what came before. While Apple certainly has it's strengths, it also has weaknesses. With Android being freely available for multiple platforms, Apple drew it's own limits on how far it could go by limiting it to it's own hardware. Did it think that other manufacturers were simply going to go away? HTC, Samsung, Nokia, LG...all these developers were now looking for a comparable platform to propel their own products. Apple effectively made it necessary for these companies to outshine them, as that is business after all. Google saw this opportunity, and despite Apple having a 2 year head start, the two giants now sit neck and neck, with Google's success expected to rise to several times that of Apple. Heck, I even recently read a blog article that predicts Windows Phone Seven will outshine Apple by 2015...how embarrassing considering their past marketing commercials...
Anyway, again I want to say that I have nothing against Apple. Heck I even recommend their product from time to time... They are a fine company, with a fine product. But ask any Android user, who's had experience with iPods & the iPhone platform, and they will tell you what the clear difference is... iPhones are for the kids who don't know how to program their VCRs; it's more like some kind of Phone-for-dummies, the electronic version. It has a basic interface, with basic settings, and doesn't even believe you can wrap your head around a file manager or SD card. Apple has made it's fortune knowing that it's user base is stupid, and making sure their product is frustration free, which consequently eliminates everything beyond simple concepts.
In the swimming pool of phones, Apple thinks you can't handle anything but the kiddie pool. The funny part about it is, they also have their followers convinced that there's no deep end and expect them to wait in line for what they have to offer. Well while you do that, and think so highly of yourself for owning every Apple product ever to come out, (as if you designed it yourself or something), please note that everyone who actually has knowledge of the subject is secretly laughing at how stupid you are for being suckered in to such a blatantly obvious marketing ploy. I have some iSnake Oil and some iHair Growth Tonic for you to buy while you're at it too...
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