hairynugget wrote:
Hi Yvan - sadly I think I probably do understand Apple's behaviour only too well! Yes they have usually (but by no means always) got good results by behaving as they do, but there's a fine line between being a leading game-changer and simply being arrogant and it seems to me that Apple has never really been to sure (or perhaps simply not cared) where that line is. I've been a Mac user for long enough to remember when the attitude of most Mac users was 'Apple? - love the product, hate the company!'
I'm not naive enough to expect Apple to change its development plans and policies because a few users don't like where it's going, though it does seem to me that any company which doesn't at least cast an eye over a user-forum discussion that has been read by nearly 28,000 people is perhaps missing an opportunity?
You are absolutely right that there's nothing new under the sun, and Apple like any other coporate entity is ultimately only interested in revenue. If in the process they can make the source of that revenue cult products that the world and its dog wants and if they can also seemingly make their customers believe they are doing them a personal favour by building and selling those products, then good on them! And if, in pursuing the richest seams of dollars in the consumer markets they leave behind a few (in terms of the total Apple user-base) disaffected long-term loyal customers - well that's just a little co-lateral damage, isn't it?
All I am saying is that I think it's a pity if Apple can't or won't accommodate those customers, but if that is the case, then if and when it becomes un-tenable for me to continue to use the products which I use now and with which I am very happy, then if Apple doesn't offer me a solution, I'll look elsewhere.
A manager is always balancing before taking a decision. Some always decide that they must take care of old customers. Other bet that dropping them is not a problem because the new ones will be more profitable.
Apple already did that in the past and they are doing the same now.
Listen Steve Jobs in the late WWDC keynote. It was clear that from his point of view, the computers which we are acustomed to are tools from the past, or at least tools with no future. On the other hand, the iOS devices (in France we say iBidules) are the tools of tomorrow. His way to accomodate "long term loyal users" wasn't to drop them the brute force (what I would have do) but to build a synthesis of iOS and OSX so that we may continue to use our old tools. For sure, some of us will be so heavily hurted that they will decide to move elsewhere but it's a small loss compared to the huge profit which is reachable with iOS devices.
As I wrote several times, I hate iDevices. I have no iPod, no iPhone, no iPad. I even refuse wireless phones built only to phone. But I know that I'm a man of the past. I guess that for the 3 or 4 years to come, cash made upon iOS devices will be 10 times the one made upon OSX ones so I understand the choice.
When a leg is caught by gangrene, better cut it. Isn't it.
Lion is available since three months. Some "long term loyal users" are complaining that it don't fit their needs but look at AAPL. Some analysts announced a huge drop linked to Steeve Jobs death. The quote dropped more when he resigned and yesterdays it was at its historical higher level. And I guess that the earnings report to come will again beat records.
From time to time, some investors leave the boat,
from time to time, some customers leave the boat.
Really not a problem as long as the boat is profitable.
I already say goodbye and good luck to those which will move.
I'm really not afraid to remain the only onecontinuing to work with a mac.
Maybe it's because my professional carrer, I deliberately choose to drop customers which didn't wished to play the game I was defining rules.
AppleWorks or iWork users which read me from years know that I often wrote:
the only valid rule is : use the tool which fit your needs.
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) mardi 18 octobre 2011 20:46:44
iMac 21”5, i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 Gbytes, 1 Tbytes, mac OS X 10.6.8 and 10.7.0
My iDisk is : <http://public.me.com/koenigyvan>
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