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Perhaps the market for GP computing just is smaller than.. the market for magic smartphone. We tend to think everyone needs to do computing, and understand the

by jopsen 5y ago

Perhaps the market for GP computing just is smaller than.. the market for magic smartphone. We tend to think everyone needs to do computing, and understand the technology they rely. But I don't understand the magic that goes into the medicine I take. Nor do I have an understanding of how the electricity grid operates. My computer just magically gets power! The market for commoditized computing is just bigger than general computing. That doesn't mean GP will go away.

musicale 5y ago
Steve Wozniak wanted - and built - a pre-assembled computer for tinkerers and engineers; it also turned out to have some mass market appeal as a game and spreadsheet machine, and Apple made a fair amount of money selling it to hobbyists, gamers, schools, and businesses. Steve Jobs realized that computing appliances (from computers that you couldn't open up to handheld music/game/app/phone devices) for people who typically had little or no interest in tinkering or engineering ("the rest of us") was a much larger market. Apple claimed the high margin section of that market and became one of the wealthiest companies on the planet. I recall a story about Jobs being opposed to hardware - and software! - upgrades for the original Mac because "you don't upgrade your toaster." That's precisely the thinking behind the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple watch - except Apple now knows that you'll have to buy a new internet-connected toaster every few years if they stop producing security bug fixes for your old one.
- Google234 5y ago
  You probably meant to say 6+ years instead of a “few years”. Apple is excellent compared to everyone else in this respect.
  - musicale 5y ago
    Good point - some 2012 Macs are still getting security patches so that's 9 years and counting! Some iPads are nearing 7 years. It depends on the device though. Apple TV 3 from 2012 is limping along but some popular channels (HBO, Youtube, etc.) no longer work. It remains to be seen what software support will look like for intel Macs as Apple moves to ARM. Apple's officially supported repair lifetime for hardware lasts for 5 years I believe. I managed to squeak in a few repairs right before some devices became "vintage" by Apple's reckoning, though I think they may still offer repairs for some older devices if parts are available.
rektide 5y ago
I run into this all the time. but medicine doesn't get called "bicycle for the mind". The question of market share is uninteresting to me, now. We have zero idea what the market is. The ecosystem is unhealthy, rotting, consumer dissent is skyrocketing (see the Freedom Phone yesterday as a rife example). Fixing this situation is not doable in 18 months though. We don't fix the war on general purpose computing with a product launch (although pinephone aloneight singlehandedly jump start the sea change). This market based mentality though I find so reductionist & off base, besides the point. We have so much pioneering to do in computing. so much freeing people to enable them to begin to think.
- tonyedgecombe 5y ago
  >consumer dissent is skyrocketing I don't think it is, people just don't care. They want to pull the device out of their pocket and take a picture or message a friend. If anything a more general purpose device would have less appeal because it may well get in the way of doing those things.

by jopsen 5y ago

musicale 5y ago

Steve Wozniak wanted - and built - a pre-assembled computer for tinkerers and engineers; it also turned out to have some mass market appeal as a game and spreadsheet machine, and Apple made a fair amount of money selling it to hobbyists, gamers, schools, and businesses. Steve Jobs realized that computing appliances (from computers that you couldn't open up to handheld music/game/app/phone devices) for people who typically had little or no interest in tinkering or engineering ("the rest of us") was a much larger market. Apple claimed the high margin section of that market and became one of the wealthiest companies on the planet. I recall a story about Jobs being opposed to hardware - and software! - upgrades for the original Mac because "you don't upgrade your toaster." That's precisely the thinking behind the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple watch - except Apple now knows that you'll have to buy a new internet-connected toaster every few years if they stop producing security bug fixes for your old one.

Google234 5y ago
You probably meant to say 6+ years instead of a “few years”. Apple is excellent compared to everyone else in this respect.
- musicale 5y ago
  Good point - some 2012 Macs are still getting security patches so that's 9 years and counting! Some iPads are nearing 7 years. It depends on the device though. Apple TV 3 from 2012 is limping along but some popular channels (HBO, Youtube, etc.) no longer work. It remains to be seen what software support will look like for intel Macs as Apple moves to ARM. Apple's officially supported repair lifetime for hardware lasts for 5 years I believe. I managed to squeak in a few repairs right before some devices became "vintage" by Apple's reckoning, though I think they may still offer repairs for some older devices if parts are available.

rektide 5y ago

I run into this all the time. but medicine doesn't get called "bicycle for the mind". The question of market share is uninteresting to me, now. We have zero idea what the market is. The ecosystem is unhealthy, rotting, consumer dissent is skyrocketing (see the Freedom Phone yesterday as a rife example). Fixing this situation is not doable in 18 months though. We don't fix the war on general purpose computing with a product launch (although pinephone aloneight singlehandedly jump start the sea change). This market based mentality though I find so reductionist & off base, besides the point. We have so much pioneering to do in computing. so much freeing people to enable them to begin to think.

tonyedgecombe 5y ago
>consumer dissent is skyrocketing I don't think it is, people just don't care. They want to pull the device out of their pocket and take a picture or message a friend. If anything a more general purpose device would have less appeal because it may well get in the way of doing those things.