3 ms·
I used to think similar about AOL Instant Messenger, the Wintel monopoly, SEGA and Internet Explorer.
by rhencke 6y ago
I used to think similar about AOL Instant Messenger, the Wintel monopoly, SEGA and Internet Explorer.
- DenseComet 6y agoFor a lot of those things, competitors have a viable path to profitability if they make a better alternative. With Youtube, even if you make a better alternative, you're still loosing a ton of money due to costs of serving video and scaling (especially if you want to let people watch and upload for free).
- rishav_sharan 6y agoNone of those have the network effect and an existing community. Maybe MySpace would be a better counter example.
- coldtea 6y agoThe Windows is still a near monopoly (Mac at 8-10%, Linux at 1-3%) in the desktop globally. On mobile, they never had a stronghold. As for SEGA, AOL, and IE, they never had any real stronghold (like a lock-in), they just had the users - those are easier to switch to something new. Games for example go stale, and you don't care that much for your older played games - you want the new shiny. A browser, you switch over, and you have everything you did before, including your bookmarks. AOL, had it's stronghold when the internet was 1/100 of what it is now. I can see the internet going 100x larger now (except if it goes to 80 billion people out of the 8 billion on Earth).
- bryanrasmussen 6y ago>The Windows is still a near monopoly (Mac at 8-10%, Linux at 1-3%) in the desktop globally. On mobile, they never had a stronghold. right, Windows didn't lose their position because someone out-competed them in their area, but because a whole new category of device (smart phone) and a new category service (search) rose to prominence. (Also fears of legal problems tampered their normal behavior)
- EvilEy3 6y agoThose were different times, old man.
- rhencke 6y agoAs these moments will be, some day. :)