Ashish, Competition is always good for everyone in any market. It makes leaders stay alert, keep followers on their toes and is highly beneficial to the end market consumers. What I like about the stiffening of the challenge Apple is facing from rivals is the expectation of what the company might do next. I can't wait for Apple to blow past them again.
Who knows? We might end up with another nifty gadget!
Apple's ability to command a premium for its products is directly tied to its design and technology ability. From what I read and hear, the latest iPhone is just slightly better than the prior version, and that's not enough for folks such as myself (and apparentyl Bolaji) to abandon other brands. Apple is looking over its shoulder at Samsung (note the lawsuits) and Samsung is doing a good job of giving it reason to worry. Apple doesn't want to be a price leader, but it is going to have to better than most with its product upgrades to maintain the value of its brand.
A lot of Apple fans would jump off bridges and cliffs before they accept that Apple is losing its cool factor.
But reading through one of favorite books-The Innovators Dilemma ,you can see that this concept plays out again and again in the Tech space.An upstart(Samsung,LG) comes in and goes one up on the Pioneer (here APple)in a space.
Very much bound to happen and its about time we welcomed back the competition!!!
Yes, it will! They have raised the bar pretty high for both design and innovation. It will be interesting to see what new products they have in the offing.
Eldredge, Apple "created a hard act to follow -- even for themselves." I like the way you put it. Rivals are chasing Apple but it has to outperform itself too. It will be interesting watching as things shake out over the next year.
Jbond, That's exactly my point. The challenge Apple faces is that rivals are not only imitating her products but also creating the ecosystem that separate Apple from the competition. The anecdotal evidence is there that many other potential Apple customers are increasingly opting for rivals' devices after trying them and finding out the ecosystem is supportive.
Apple, though, is still the market leader and the coming updates to its products may blow away the competition. Again.
With the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple (AAPL) redefined markets and defined cool. But what's left?
I tend to agree with that statement. Apple has definitely lead the market, and others are following at breakneck speed. Apple has, and will continue to do well. But they also have created a hard act to follow - even for themselves.
My daughter who is a senior in high school has been dying for an Iphone. Ofcourse all of her friends have them and she just thinks they are the best things out there. She was willing to pony up whatever it took to get one. After a visit to the At&T store to view other options and checking out my husbands Samsung Infuse, she really liked the Samsung Galxay S2. Shocking how finding out that other phones offer the same features and some better ones than the Iphone has actually changed a teenagers cool factor.
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.
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