I'm confused about the strategy Apple will push moving forward with the mobile market (iPhone and iPad). The smart phone market is by default more expensive, which is the market they normally look for but they are not hands-down going for the top-end clients... the iPhone is getting to people everywhere!
In that sense, they can't compete with 100 different models, each one launching a new feature. They launched the iPhone 4 less than a year ago, they are looking at the iPhone 5 for a fall launch and I've started hearing about a new iPhone.
The same goes with the iPad... there's so much competition that they need to innovate so much that it becomes too much. Don't you think?
I agree with TaimorrZ, creating a tablet OS is nothing like a laptop or desktop OS, but i think it has alot of similarities to mobile OS.
Any company in the mobile inductry should find it easier to delve into the tablet market in the area of OS design.
I'm surprised to find the Andriod tablet OS still grossly unable to compete with the Apple OS, but i believe things will get better in the near future, even RIM's Playbook seams to fall short in a number of areas.
Apple has a powerful combination of style, flexible OS, and abundant APPs for users to choose from.
I think they will still run the show for a good while
When it comes to designing an OS or any other application for tablets, the approach that most companies adopt is to modify the software working on PCs or laptops and shape it into a software for tablets. I think the approach is totally wrong. The companies need to rethink the entire design from scratch rather than modify it. Without that, they will not be able to provide a good experience to users. There are several useful interface features (such as multi-touch etc) which the designers are not able to take advantage of if they modify the design rather then reinvent it.
Dave, the details you put in here is really makes sense why apple is able to acheive sales. Apple has got the best platform to deliver services, thats what make them distinct. Great user interface of apple devices is what is putting them in the number one position all the time. The hardware platform is just about providing the necessary infrastructure for the application to run. I think Android will catchup with iOS soon in this space.
It seems that Apple also has another major advantage besides being the most elegant device is that it has a very healthy iTunes and App Store business.Apple’s iTunes has become the largest music vendor in the US and over 10 billion songs have been downloaded since it started in April 2003 and generates now over $500 million a quarter in revenue.The Apple App Store has also hit the same milestone recently of 10 billion apps downloaded since the App Store launce in July 2008.With stats like these, Apple could lower their pricing on their devices because they receive healthy recurring revenue from iTunes and their App Store, which is a major advantage over their competitors.
Today I received one of the 'latest' clone Tablet devices from China, as one would expect it runs the Android operating system, has a new 10" screen and 3G wireless capability.
This is a next generation prototype that is under review .The hardware is good, it has a reliable Freescale CPU and capasitive screen, But I'm afraid to say that from a usability point of view it 'sucks' stronger than my Hitachi vacuum cleaner.
Why?
Because even the simplest tasks, for turning on/off a WiFi network, requires a complex navigation of a system application and menu subsystem, same with reconfiguring the time zone settings, this is not the case on the Apple product, and it is these little touches that are distinguishing the players in tablet market.
It is not the fault of the manufacturer that the Android systems is 'weak' as regards usability, but this is why the Apple product is superior, because it is a complete system that is well thought out with a strong fusion between software & hardware, and until the other players in this field realize this fact, they are wasting their time.
The future will show a decline in Apple product domination in the tablet market, purely because Apple dominated the market from the start(there is not really anywhere else they can go).Apple are loosing the market because of a dilution effect, rather than to superior product designs.
I would have to guess that the Android operating system is not going to be ready to offer any serious competition to the Apple software until at least revision 2.5 or greater , but if Oracle get their way Android may be terminated before it can become a major competitor to Apple, the question will then be, what will happen to all of the competitors in this market if they are suddenly blocked from utilizing Android.
Apple has done a great job with the interface, and with it's marketing/branding strategy. As long as they continue to innovate, they should remain in the lead for the tablet market for the foreseeable futrure.
@Bruce - There are many different facts playing in the tablet game. More than just great hardware and a certain marketing vision plus what you have added and also a determination to be the first in innovation.
As we have been discussing with @nemos, customers' attitude and response toward the brand plays an important role at the time of defining who the winning tablet in the market is or could be, too.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
To save this item to your list of favorite EBN content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
