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When Apple bought Lala they did more than remove a future competitor. They removed a platform from the board that was making Flash (Lala used a flash interface
by alanstorm 16y ago
When Apple bought Lala they did more than remove a future competitor. They removed a platform from the board that was making Flash (Lala used a flash interface) a relevant technology for some users. The also removed Google's best music search partner from the board. Both of the previous were potential channels where Apple could lose sales.
This is just tinfoil hat speculation, I don't have anything to back it up. However, this is the way that high level, powerful executives and a certain class of start-up founder think about markets.
- 27182818284 16y ago>They removed a platform from the board that was making Flash (Lala used a flash interface) a relevant technology for some users. That is a little out there, isn't it? It would be like buying a small company because their servers used GNU/Linux instead of OS X. If they were targeting places that made Flash "a relevant technology for some users," wouldn't they target Pandora, Farmville, graphic design schools that teach freshman Flash, etc?
- alanstorm 16y agoOh, I acknowledge it's out there (ergo the tinfoil hat comment). However, to your specific examples: Pandora already agreed/decided to build an iPad/iPhone application, Zynga (creators of Farmville are in a financial position to turn down Apple's overtures, plus Zynga's business model/content is a bit of a poison pill. Going after graphic design schools would be political suicide, so it's off the table.
- jstevens85 16y agoLala submitted an iPhone app for approval just before they were bought. http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/28/its-almost-here-exclusive-video-of-lalas-upcoming-iphone-app/ http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/28/its-almost-here-exclusive-v...
- alanstorm 16y agoOne that was (unless I'm mistaken) never released.