© 2011 Ideal Computer Concepts
I often joke with people that I am the biggest Apple fan without having ever owned an apple product. Looking back on all of the gadgets and gizmo’s I don’t think an Apple product has ever been in my possession. It has taken me awhile to write about Steve Jobs passing. Since “The Day After” a sign has hung on my door that simply says “Think Different.”
The Tech world in general is such an odd place, so much innovation, yet so many players with a lack of imagination. Steve Jobs was one of the few leaders of his time that didn’t stay tied to a defining product, but continued to push for something new. Something better. Aside from making web stuff my day job is with the JC Penney Company, and our new CEO, Ron Johnson, was formerly with Apple. The mixing of the two events has given me the nudge to look deeper into the past of Steve Jobs, and Apple. That look back has carried some revelations about what it means to Think Different, as a manager and as a business owner.
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So a “stunning” development from HP whom cited “stunning” demand of Touch Pads at lower prices. The company announced they are making a second round offering of Touch Pads because they sold very well at $99 and $149. This has to be one of the most stunning revelations in Tech history. The thought of lowering the price of an item to sell more is mind boggling. Okay, so maybe the cynicism is a bit harsh, but really HP? My guess is that if Apple dropped the price of a 1G IPad from its current list price of $500 on Amazon to $150 they would sell a lot as well. I would like to know if this is to full fill a commitment to suppliers or if they really think they made a mistake a dropped the Touch Pad too soon. It was a fire sale, and the results reflect that effort.
Google and Apple continue to crush anyone who tries to get in their way. This past week HP announced that they were discontinuing WebOS. This means it is cutting the HP TouchPad and all it’s current and future Smart Phones. Even more shocking they will be exiting the PC market as well and focus on it’s enterprise business. This is even more telling of how Mobile computing is changing the landscape on computers and the Internet. Windows in trying to hang in there as it begins the launch of it’s Windows 7 Mobile platform. Although some are suggesting this could be the start of Microsoft taking market share I am more inclined to believe it will not make much of a dent. Android became the standard by with non Apple devices started making products for. The Platform with the biggest number of people making products for will Win. Unless Apple starts letting companies like HTC and Samsung start developing products they are going to stay in their niche. Blackberry announced more updates to their Platform, as they seem to be content becoming the next Palm. They fail to recognize they need something big. They became popular because they innovated smartphones, not copied them. They are now imitators.
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