3 ms·

We're an iPhone family, but damn is that lame. How about: make the best product. Don't coerce people into buying an iPhone. But iMessage isn't the product, it'

We're an iPhone family, but damn is that lame. How about: make the best product. Don't coerce people into buying an iPhone. But iMessage isn't the product, it's a feature of the product. They think by not letting those features be available on other platforms they are creating the best product. You can't make the best product while simultaneously commoditizing your differentiators.

asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
I think engendering network effects intentionally is pretty monopolistic. You can't just say, "Hey, but we're not making money from it directly" and get away with that.
tw04 5y ago
They are repeating RIM's mistakes. It fascinates me they haven't actually jumped on the services train, they just started charging a monthly fee for the walled garden while still focusing on selling product and called it a services play.
- jeromegv 5y ago
  So far RIM consumer business went bankrupt and Apple keeps growing quarter after quarter. I would doubt that this strategy, which they have held for a decade on iOS is anything like RIM mistakes.
- threeseed 5y ago
  Apple's services includes AppleTV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Podcasts+, iCloud Storage. And it represents 20% of Apple's revenue so pretty sure this "they haven't actually jumped on the services train" comment is just a little off.
  - vetinari 5y ago
    I've got a free year of Apple TV with a new Mac. Nobody in our household is watching it; it has no app for Android TV.
    - ViViDboarder 5y ago
      Ted Lasso is worth watching. Other than that, I didn’t use my year trial either.
      - vetinari 5y ago
        I registered only because I'm curious how they will do Asimov's Foundation (once it happens). Otherwise I would not bother.
- temp667 5y ago
  I totally agree with this. iMessage as a stand alone business would be super valuable. WhatsApp is valuable because so many people use it. Chase the network effect or it will crush you. Worst cast make people pay for some apple services to get iMessage if you really want to. They really are repeating RIM's mistake here. iMessage would be trusted, largely spam free, etc. My wife is now on Google Duo because it IS cross platform. WhatsApp and Telegram as well. These messaging networks are natural monopolies. So now I am on Duo etc. I just wish her parents could have installed iMessage on their phones - then apple could have charged us all $5/month for some type of family (10 person) plan.
js2 5y ago
> They think by not letting those features be available on other platforms they are creating the best product. No, they don't think that. Their refusal to extend iMessage to Android, to not even provide an iMessage API that would allow Google or third-parties to extend iMessage to other platforms has nothing to do with creating the best product. It's coercion, just as I quoted Federighi writing. Just above that line he wrote "to get users to switch social networks we’d need more than a marginally better app." Well then, make it insanely better. I happen to disagree with him though. I think he sold Apple short. I think even a marginally better messaging app would be sufficient. Ultimately what I would like of Apple is for them to provide the best experience on their own devices, but also to provide interoperability with their services for third parties to extend to non-Apple devices. BTW, it's interesting to see that they are extending to non-Apple hardware with AppleTV+. They've even paid Roku recently to get an AppleTV+ button on the Roku remote.

asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago

I think engendering network effects intentionally is pretty monopolistic. You can't just say, "Hey, but we're not making money from it directly" and get away with that.

tw04 5y ago

They are repeating RIM's mistakes. It fascinates me they haven't actually jumped on the services train, they just started charging a monthly fee for the walled garden while still focusing on selling product and called it a services play.

jeromegv 5y ago
So far RIM consumer business went bankrupt and Apple keeps growing quarter after quarter. I would doubt that this strategy, which they have held for a decade on iOS is anything like RIM mistakes.
threeseed 5y ago
Apple's services includes AppleTV+, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Podcasts+, iCloud Storage. And it represents 20% of Apple's revenue so pretty sure this "they haven't actually jumped on the services train" comment is just a little off.
- vetinari 5y ago
  I've got a free year of Apple TV with a new Mac. Nobody in our household is watching it; it has no app for Android TV.
  - ViViDboarder 5y ago
    Ted Lasso is worth watching. Other than that, I didn’t use my year trial either.
    - vetinari 5y ago
      I registered only because I'm curious how they will do Asimov's Foundation (once it happens). Otherwise I would not bother.
temp667 5y ago
I totally agree with this. iMessage as a stand alone business would be super valuable. WhatsApp is valuable because so many people use it. Chase the network effect or it will crush you. Worst cast make people pay for some apple services to get iMessage if you really want to. They really are repeating RIM's mistake here. iMessage would be trusted, largely spam free, etc. My wife is now on Google Duo because it IS cross platform. WhatsApp and Telegram as well. These messaging networks are natural monopolies. So now I am on Duo etc. I just wish her parents could have installed iMessage on their phones - then apple could have charged us all $5/month for some type of family (10 person) plan.

js2 5y ago

> They think by not letting those features be available on other platforms they are creating the best product. No, they don't think that. Their refusal to extend iMessage to Android, to not even provide an iMessage API that would allow Google or third-parties to extend iMessage to other platforms has nothing to do with creating the best product. It's coercion, just as I quoted Federighi writing. Just above that line he wrote "to get users to switch social networks we’d need more than a marginally better app." Well then, make it insanely better. I happen to disagree with him though. I think he sold Apple short. I think even a marginally better messaging app would be sufficient. Ultimately what I would like of Apple is for them to provide the best experience on their own devices, but also to provide interoperability with their services for third parties to extend to non-Apple devices. BTW, it's interesting to see that they are extending to non-Apple hardware with AppleTV+. They've even paid Roku recently to get an AppleTV+ button on the Roku remote.