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"CEO Tim Cook reportedly thinks further Android fragmentation brought about by the Kindle Fire will drive consumers to the iPad." Fragmentation, eh? That's wha

by dean 15y ago

"CEO Tim Cook reportedly thinks further Android fragmentation brought about by the Kindle Fire will drive consumers to the iPad." Fragmentation, eh? That's what Apple thinks will be the downfall of Android tablets? I wonder if the following was ever said about Apple in the past: CEO Steve Jobs reportedly thinks that further PC fragmentation brought about by yet another PC maker will drive consumers to the Mac.

bradleyland 15y ago
> I wonder if the following was ever said about Apple in the past? Probably not, but these are different markets, and Apple is in a drastically different position. I don't own a crystal ball, and I try not to pretend I do, but I do like to play devil's advocate, so I'll take the opposite position here and say that fragmentation does matter in the post-PC market because Apple managed to define the segment, first with the iPhone and followed it up with the iPad. With the iPhone and iPad, consumers who are used to the traditional PC computing experienced were introduced to a closed-loop vendor relationship. For all the warts that we (geeks) see, this is a fantastic experience for many consumers. Case in point: this last week, I was in Ohio (I live in Florida). I had a problem with my MacBook Pro, and I had none of the things I needed to fix it. I used the Apple Store app to schedule a Genius appointment, dropped my laptop off, had lunch, and walked out of the store with a fully functional laptop, all within the span of a couple hours. My partners now take this level of service for granted. We recently switched to all Apple equipment after very positive experiences with iPhones and iPads. When you contrast this to the typical PC vendor relationship, there are stark contrasts: * Where do I take my Dell/HP/Acer computer to be repaired? * When I call Dell/HP/Acer, what is the experience like? * What are the costs associated with the repair? In the case of Apple, it's Apple, Apple, and (often) zero. I have AppleCare on my MacBook Pro, but as it turns out, it didn't matter. Apple will perform simple software fixes at the Genius Bar for free, even if you're not covered by warranty. Are there cases where it would have cost me money? Plenty, but there wouldn't be any confusion over who I need to talk to. This leads to a high level of satisfaction [1]. Fragmentation has a significant impact on the consumer experience. "Android" has become a brand, but there is no consistency in revision, manufacturer, or expectation of service. All of these lead to open questions and insecurities in the minds of consumers. As the price of the device and term of commitment extends in to hundreds of dollars and multiple years, the opportunity for a negative experience compounds. Next thing you know, Uncle Dave is standing in the Verizon store frustrated because the counter clerk doesn't know why all his email account won't work with his phone. Why can't he run the app he just downloaded from the internet? When will updates be available for his phone? Lot's of open questions. 1 - http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/09/apple-tops-j-d-power-customer-satisfaction-survey-grim-reading/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/09/apple-tops-j-d-power-cust...

by dean 15y ago

bradleyland 15y ago

> I wonder if the following was ever said about Apple in the past? Probably not, but these are different markets, and Apple is in a drastically different position. I don't own a crystal ball, and I try not to pretend I do, but I do like to play devil's advocate, so I'll take the opposite position here and say that fragmentation does matter in the post-PC market because Apple managed to define the segment, first with the iPhone and followed it up with the iPad. With the iPhone and iPad, consumers who are used to the traditional PC computing experienced were introduced to a closed-loop vendor relationship. For all the warts that we (geeks) see, this is a fantastic experience for many consumers. Case in point: this last week, I was in Ohio (I live in Florida). I had a problem with my MacBook Pro, and I had none of the things I needed to fix it. I used the Apple Store app to schedule a Genius appointment, dropped my laptop off, had lunch, and walked out of the store with a fully functional laptop, all within the span of a couple hours. My partners now take this level of service for granted. We recently switched to all Apple equipment after very positive experiences with iPhones and iPads. When you contrast this to the typical PC vendor relationship, there are stark contrasts: * Where do I take my Dell/HP/Acer computer to be repaired? * When I call Dell/HP/Acer, what is the experience like? * What are the costs associated with the repair? In the case of Apple, it's Apple, Apple, and (often) zero. I have AppleCare on my MacBook Pro, but as it turns out, it didn't matter. Apple will perform simple software fixes at the Genius Bar for free, even if you're not covered by warranty. Are there cases where it would have cost me money? Plenty, but there wouldn't be any confusion over who I need to talk to. This leads to a high level of satisfaction [1]. Fragmentation has a significant impact on the consumer experience. "Android" has become a brand, but there is no consistency in revision, manufacturer, or expectation of service. All of these lead to open questions and insecurities in the minds of consumers. As the price of the device and term of commitment extends in to hundreds of dollars and multiple years, the opportunity for a negative experience compounds. Next thing you know, Uncle Dave is standing in the Verizon store frustrated because the counter clerk doesn't know why all his email account won't work with his phone. Why can't he run the app he just downloaded from the internet? When will updates be available for his phone? Lot's of open questions. 1 - http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/09/apple-tops-j-d-power-customer-satisfaction-survey-grim-reading/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/09/apple-tops-j-d-power-cust...