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Many are broadly still in denial about how most computing is mobile and how big Apple has become. The iPhone is the most successful product line in history, at

Many are broadly still in denial about how most computing is mobile and how big Apple has become. The iPhone is the most successful product line in history, at sales of 1.6 billion units and over 1 trillion dollars in revenue. http://www.asymco.com/2019/05/16/the-pivot/#identifier_0_8192 http://www.asymco.com/2019/05/16/the-pivot/#identifier_0_819... The c64 was still extremely impressive for its day and its impact (I used mine through 1993!), but computing is now mostly mobile.

tabtab 7y ago
The C64 was pretty much the same model for about a decade. The various iPhone models are probably too different to count in the same world-record category. The C64's lack of change is perhaps a reason why Commodore died. Jack was brilliant at squeezing hardware to get the max performance on a thin dime, but he didn't really give much thought to software compatibility, having a hardware-centric background. Thus, attempts to make a C64 follow-on that was compatible with the original C64 had too many problems. Without backward compatibility in a follow-on, it had no immediate advantage to existing competitors in the next performance bracket (generally, 16 bit). They considered entering the PC clone business, but it was already getting margin-thin and moving offshore at that point. They also considered a PC clone that was also C64 compatible, but couldn't make it viable. Bill Gates knew that software was where the lasting fortune was, not hardware.
jdkee 7y ago
For computers, sure. As for overall products I would argue that the disposable diaper has the most units sold of any mass produced product.
- parasubvert 7y ago
  Unit sales don’t tell the whole story, if they did then yeah, consumables would but far bigger. That said, if you took any disposable diaper product line, say Pampers, and accumulated all the revenue and profit since its launch in the 70s, it still wouldn’t come close to the iPhone. I think that goes for pretty much any specific product line. The Toyota Corolla gets close in terms of revenue - 44 million cars is pushing near a trillion dollars, but that’s also over 50+ years. You’d have to get into entire inflation-adjusted product categories (like all mobile phones, or all automobile sedans) to cross into a few trillion dollars.

tabtab 7y ago

The C64 was pretty much the same model for about a decade. The various iPhone models are probably too different to count in the same world-record category. The C64's lack of change is perhaps a reason why Commodore died. Jack was brilliant at squeezing hardware to get the max performance on a thin dime, but he didn't really give much thought to software compatibility, having a hardware-centric background. Thus, attempts to make a C64 follow-on that was compatible with the original C64 had too many problems. Without backward compatibility in a follow-on, it had no immediate advantage to existing competitors in the next performance bracket (generally, 16 bit). They considered entering the PC clone business, but it was already getting margin-thin and moving offshore at that point. They also considered a PC clone that was also C64 compatible, but couldn't make it viable. Bill Gates knew that software was where the lasting fortune was, not hardware.

jdkee 7y ago

For computers, sure. As for overall products I would argue that the disposable diaper has the most units sold of any mass produced product.

parasubvert 7y ago
Unit sales don’t tell the whole story, if they did then yeah, consumables would but far bigger. That said, if you took any disposable diaper product line, say Pampers, and accumulated all the revenue and profit since its launch in the 70s, it still wouldn’t come close to the iPhone. I think that goes for pretty much any specific product line. The Toyota Corolla gets close in terms of revenue - 44 million cars is pushing near a trillion dollars, but that’s also over 50+ years. You’d have to get into entire inflation-adjusted product categories (like all mobile phones, or all automobile sedans) to cross into a few trillion dollars.