They're in a weird spot. They're obviously making a lot of money, but most companies in their position do a lot of work to court developers and accessory makers etc. Apple's position is essentially that they control the market so you need them more than they need you.
But that makes others resent them. Which is a vulnerability because it means you have all the rest of the industry ready to sell Apple down the river the first chance they get, whether it's in making antitrust claims or lobbying against them or just fervently supporting any half viable competitor in the hopes that it becomes fully viable.
This is how it seems to me too. I still have their hardware I got years ago and it works great, but it's been a couple of years since I've decided to refuse any software upgrades from them, and to avoid their hardware. Their attitude seems to be getting more and more "our way or the highway", and I'm not interested in playing those games.
Previously I already switched from Windows to Mac as my primary environment, so going to GNU/*ix was not a big stretch. I already know several non-hackers who have gone this route as well.
Comments
Are you claiming that they are not a tech leader right now?
They're in a weird spot. They're obviously making a lot of money, but most companies in their position do a lot of work to court developers and accessory makers etc. Apple's position is essentially that they control the market so you need them more than they need you.
But that makes others resent them. Which is a vulnerability because it means you have all the rest of the industry ready to sell Apple down the river the first chance they get, whether it's in making antitrust claims or lobbying against them or just fervently supporting any half viable competitor in the hopes that it becomes fully viable.
This is how it seems to me too. I still have their hardware I got years ago and it works great, but it's been a couple of years since I've decided to refuse any software upgrades from them, and to avoid their hardware. Their attitude seems to be getting more and more "our way or the highway", and I'm not interested in playing those games.
Previously I already switched from Windows to Mac as my primary environment, so going to GNU/*ix was not a big stretch. I already know several non-hackers who have gone this route as well.
Great. I’m an Apple fan and I’d love it if there were more half-viable or better competitors. Seems like Apple is doing a good job.