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Why people can't accept the fact that Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share. Of course if they can they'll be happy to take it like for the mp3 p

Why people can't accept the fact that Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share. Of course if they can they'll be happy to take it like for the mp3 players market. At the moment, looking at the numbers, Android is eating market share mostly from Apple's other competitors. Remember, this is not a race to be the company who makes the most money, it's just about making tons of money, and this is what Apple cares about. Look at the computer marktet, they don't care in selling more pc than Dell, they care of making a boatload of profit, even with their 7%.

w1ntermute 16y ago
> Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share If this is true, why did Jobs make such a big deal about market share during the earnings call? Shouldn't he have just ignored that topic?
- KirinDave 16y ago
  Probably because everyone else seems to think that market share is so important. I'm not sure why. Look at Apple's current position as a minority PC vendor. I think Steve is trying to make the point that the iOS ecosystem is huge, healthy, and a much larger play than a smartphone OS.
- davidedicillo 16y ago
  if the iPhone had infinite color models, he would probably highlight that every chance he had, but that doesn't make it a priority in their strategy. But of course if you are passing a company like RIM that represented the concept of smartphone for years, that's something you want to tell people about.
- protomyth 16y ago
  You don't ignore the topic when your on an earnings call unless you want some really bad articles written. You could do like he did with the flash question ("we love flash memory") or you can give them some stats. The actual quotes (not the summarized crud in the article) were about on par with what was said about Apple at the last Google event. The big take away from the call really wasn't Android versus iPhone, it was iPhone versus Blackberry. The "aw shucks" businesses are adopting iPhone / iPad all on their own without an Apple push is a pretty big shot at RIM. Add to that the whole 7" screen thing, it really looks like Apple is thinking of RIM customers as up for grabs. I find it funny that a column called "Android Power" isn't talking about cool Android stuff. Seems like another "I need some page views" article.
zaphar 16y ago
Part of the point of the article was that Steve seems to be acting like he does care. His recent rantings make it look like he's upset with the surging market share that android is experiencing and is trying to paint it as less than it is. If he really doesn't care then why is he talking so much about it?
- davidedicillo 16y ago
  Because more important than the market share is the stock market, and a lot of those people still think like this author that the market share is the number they should focus on. Talking about the iOS market share is more a way to keep this people's confidence than a reflection of Apple's strategy. Apple's current market share is just a by-product of their profit machine.
ergo98 16y ago
Why people can't accept the fact that Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share Thank you for bringing up the biggest lie in technology. It's a transparent loser's speech that, thankfully, we've yet to actually hear Apple incant. Apple is trying quite hard to get the biggest market share: Did you happen to catch Steve bragging about leaving RIM in their rearview? How desperately he compares iPhone activations to Android activations? Have you noticed the incredible quantities of lucre that Apple is dumping on mass media advertising lately? (I don't have the numbers, but it is, by far, the #1 advertised brand from my perspective). Have you noticed that Apple is now making products at virtually every price point? Apple is the very definition of a mass market company. They are not a niche or a luxury maker, and delusions to that effect are simply bizarre. Sure, they don't sell a discount iPhone, but that's entirely because consumers are accustomed to subsidized models, so going from $600 to $500 really makes no difference (it really doesn't matter whether the phone is $200, $150, $99, $49, or even FREE when each comes bound with a $3500 smartphone contract). If people were accustomed to buying devices without subsidization, Apple would have the entire low-end market covered. On the Android front by far the most popular phones are the high end phones like the Galaxy S and the Droid 2, which are hardly inexpensive devices. Apple came incredibly close to achieving a brilliant strategic lock-in to the nascent smartphone market that would have locked them in as the default choice: Many organizations had a mobile strategy that simply relied upon "releasing an iPhone app", creating a network effect where you were either onboard with the iPhone, or you're a second class citizen. Here on HN there were quite a few single-person startups that had a business plan involving nothing more than creating an iPhone app, yielding a strong anti-Android bias -- having multiple platforms is just a PITA, right? Remember, this is not a race to be the company who sells the most units, it's just about making tons of money, and this is what Apple cares about. I edited that slightly to what I suspect you meant to say. It's another ridiculous lie that we keep hearing. Apple had the "niche market" for quite a few years. Yeah it led them to desperately go to Microsoft, hat in hand, begging for some "we'll get the anti-trust police off your backs" payoffs (which they got, funding the recovered Apple). HTC is a relatively new smartphone company. They've been going gangbusters on the backs of Android. Motorola was in complete mobile collapse so their balance sheet isn't quite so great right now, but without Android they would have been done. On and on. The "Apple makes more profit" angle is nice, I guess, if you own Apple shares, but otherwise it's completely meaningless. I don't want Android to dominate. In fact I hope that RIM gets some mojo back (and that QNX plays a part. Anyone who did comp sci in Ontario is generally in love with QNX, because it's a beautiful OS), that Windows Mobile 7 can get an R2 out soon that fixes many of the failings, and of course Apple is and won't be going anywhere, and will continue to provide technology kungfu. We need a vibrant, competitive market where one person -- like Steve Jobs -- isn't making technology decrees for an entire industry (see: Flash).
forgottenpaswrd 16y ago
I think they care, in fact they have the biggest market share on single devices and probably will. There could be millions of Android devices but it is important for Apple that Ipod Touch and Iphones are the first sold device in the market speaking as hardware not software. Why? Because of mass production, the first one has enormous advantages in components price, and that is the reason for ipod touch. Also being number one means no single software vendor or developer could ignore them like Adobe, Autodesk and others did when Windows became so widespread. Remember how Apple had to create Final Cut Pro because it was being left behind.

w1ntermute 16y ago

> Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share If this is true, why did Jobs make such a big deal about market share during the earnings call? Shouldn't he have just ignored that topic?

KirinDave 16y ago
Probably because everyone else seems to think that market share is so important. I'm not sure why. Look at Apple's current position as a minority PC vendor. I think Steve is trying to make the point that the iOS ecosystem is huge, healthy, and a much larger play than a smartphone OS.
davidedicillo 16y ago
if the iPhone had infinite color models, he would probably highlight that every chance he had, but that doesn't make it a priority in their strategy. But of course if you are passing a company like RIM that represented the concept of smartphone for years, that's something you want to tell people about.
protomyth 16y ago
You don't ignore the topic when your on an earnings call unless you want some really bad articles written. You could do like he did with the flash question ("we love flash memory") or you can give them some stats. The actual quotes (not the summarized crud in the article) were about on par with what was said about Apple at the last Google event. The big take away from the call really wasn't Android versus iPhone, it was iPhone versus Blackberry. The "aw shucks" businesses are adopting iPhone / iPad all on their own without an Apple push is a pretty big shot at RIM. Add to that the whole 7" screen thing, it really looks like Apple is thinking of RIM customers as up for grabs. I find it funny that a column called "Android Power" isn't talking about cool Android stuff. Seems like another "I need some page views" article.

zaphar 16y ago

Part of the point of the article was that Steve seems to be acting like he does care. His recent rantings make it look like he's upset with the surging market share that android is experiencing and is trying to paint it as less than it is. If he really doesn't care then why is he talking so much about it?

davidedicillo 16y ago
Because more important than the market share is the stock market, and a lot of those people still think like this author that the market share is the number they should focus on. Talking about the iOS market share is more a way to keep this people's confidence than a reflection of Apple's strategy. Apple's current market share is just a by-product of their profit machine.

ergo98 16y ago

Why people can't accept the fact that Apple doesn't care about having biggest market share Thank you for bringing up the biggest lie in technology. It's a transparent loser's speech that, thankfully, we've yet to actually hear Apple incant. Apple is trying quite hard to get the biggest market share: Did you happen to catch Steve bragging about leaving RIM in their rearview? How desperately he compares iPhone activations to Android activations? Have you noticed the incredible quantities of lucre that Apple is dumping on mass media advertising lately? (I don't have the numbers, but it is, by far, the #1 advertised brand from my perspective). Have you noticed that Apple is now making products at virtually every price point? Apple is the very definition of a mass market company. They are not a niche or a luxury maker, and delusions to that effect are simply bizarre. Sure, they don't sell a discount iPhone, but that's entirely because consumers are accustomed to subsidized models, so going from $600 to $500 really makes no difference (it really doesn't matter whether the phone is $200, $150, $99, $49, or even FREE when each comes bound with a $3500 smartphone contract). If people were accustomed to buying devices without subsidization, Apple would have the entire low-end market covered. On the Android front by far the most popular phones are the high end phones like the Galaxy S and the Droid 2, which are hardly inexpensive devices. Apple came incredibly close to achieving a brilliant strategic lock-in to the nascent smartphone market that would have locked them in as the default choice: Many organizations had a mobile strategy that simply relied upon "releasing an iPhone app", creating a network effect where you were either onboard with the iPhone, or you're a second class citizen. Here on HN there were quite a few single-person startups that had a business plan involving nothing more than creating an iPhone app, yielding a strong anti-Android bias -- having multiple platforms is just a PITA, right? Remember, this is not a race to be the company who sells the most units, it's just about making tons of money, and this is what Apple cares about. I edited that slightly to what I suspect you meant to say. It's another ridiculous lie that we keep hearing. Apple had the "niche market" for quite a few years. Yeah it led them to desperately go to Microsoft, hat in hand, begging for some "we'll get the anti-trust police off your backs" payoffs (which they got, funding the recovered Apple). HTC is a relatively new smartphone company. They've been going gangbusters on the backs of Android. Motorola was in complete mobile collapse so their balance sheet isn't quite so great right now, but without Android they would have been done. On and on. The "Apple makes more profit" angle is nice, I guess, if you own Apple shares, but otherwise it's completely meaningless. I don't want Android to dominate. In fact I hope that RIM gets some mojo back (and that QNX plays a part. Anyone who did comp sci in Ontario is generally in love with QNX, because it's a beautiful OS), that Windows Mobile 7 can get an R2 out soon that fixes many of the failings, and of course Apple is and won't be going anywhere, and will continue to provide technology kungfu. We need a vibrant, competitive market where one person -- like Steve Jobs -- isn't making technology decrees for an entire industry (see: Flash).

forgottenpaswrd 16y ago

I think they care, in fact they have the biggest market share on single devices and probably will. There could be millions of Android devices but it is important for Apple that Ipod Touch and Iphones are the first sold device in the market speaking as hardware not software. Why? Because of mass production, the first one has enormous advantages in components price, and that is the reason for ipod touch. Also being number one means no single software vendor or developer could ignore them like Adobe, Autodesk and others did when Windows became so widespread. Remember how Apple had to create Final Cut Pro because it was being left behind.