4 ms·

why do you call it disintermediation? apple is still the big intermediate here

mikeyouse 4y ago
Intermediate to what? They own the software, hardware, and are moving toward owning the network and billing relationship.. Intermediate between consumers and app builders maybe, but as they build more features into their own devices (e.g. Apple Maps), even those relationships are being brought into the ecosystem.
efaref 4y ago
The real word here is "monopolisation".
- arcticbull 4y ago
  A monopoly would require they control the entire market for a given product or service. Apple isn't a monopoly in any area - but they are a strong competitor in many areas. They're more like a western take on a chaebol [1] in my opinion. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol
  - lr1970 4y ago
    > Apple isn't a monopoly in any area - but they are a strong competitor in many areas. New term: "Vertical Monopoly"
traceroute66 4y ago
> why do you call it disintermediation? Because Apple want to control the quality of the user experience. Right now Apple Hardware and Apple Software are tightly interlinked. Apple can do things in software because they design 100% of the hardware, and vice-versa. There's a lot of stuff Apple do in terms of quality of experience that's only possible because of that tight integration. Stuff that would be impossible to do with generic hardware and generic software. But equally Apple know that if you buy an iPhone, you are dependent on a carrier for service. Like the rest of the world, it has probably not escaped Apple's attention that the quality of service you get from the carriers is becoming rapidly worse by the day. As a result, an Apple user's poor experience with an iPhone might have nothing to do with Apple but everything to do with the carrier. Having carrier level integration with iPhone could also open up further user experience improvements (e.g. maybe they could do clever stuff at carrier level to help preserve battery).
- turndown 4y ago
  As I sit here on an iPad Pro that refused to correctly highlight and copy a piece of your post so I could directly reply to it, I just want you to know that nobody views the whole “Apple can do unique things because they own the hardware/software stack” in a positive light. Apple is very bad at software and I will always stand by that… it is very sad that such nice pieces of hardware are married to some of the worst software.
  - caned 4y ago
    Subjective, but I'll second this as an Apple user - at least for iOS devices. I mostly like the design, but I'm appalled at how glitchy the interface controls are, for one. And it has been consistently so for years. Don't even get me started on the Apple TV. I've never been able to reliably use the remote (physical or app).
- lotsofpulp 4y ago
  > Like the rest of the world, it has probably not escaped Apple's attention that the quality of service you get from the carriers is becoming rapidly worse by the day. In my experience, mobile connectivity just keeps getting better and better. I have lived on both US coasts and traveled to multiple developing countries, and even in places like Zimbabwe I had pretty great connectivity considering where I was.
  - traceroute66 4y ago
    > In my experience, mobile connectivity just keeps getting better and better. To clarify .... When I spoke of "quality of service" above, I didn't mean technical service (although for some carriers it can be a factor), I meant customer service. I think you'll struggle to find anyone who will say their carrier's customer service has improved in recent years. Carrier customer service, irrespective of what country you live in, is generally globally accepted to only be in the "awful to non-existent" range.
    - r00fus 4y ago

Intermediate to what? They own the software, hardware, and are moving toward owning the network and billing relationship.. Intermediate between consumers and app builders maybe, but as they build more features into their own devices (e.g. Apple Maps), even those relationships are being brought into the ecosystem.

efaref 4y ago

The real word here is "monopolisation".

arcticbull 4y ago
A monopoly would require they control the entire market for a given product or service. Apple isn't a monopoly in any area - but they are a strong competitor in many areas. They're more like a western take on a chaebol [1] in my opinion. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaebol
- lr1970 4y ago
  > Apple isn't a monopoly in any area - but they are a strong competitor in many areas. New term: "Vertical Monopoly"

traceroute66 4y ago

> why do you call it disintermediation? Because Apple want to control the quality of the user experience. Right now Apple Hardware and Apple Software are tightly interlinked. Apple can do things in software because they design 100% of the hardware, and vice-versa. There's a lot of stuff Apple do in terms of quality of experience that's only possible because of that tight integration. Stuff that would be impossible to do with generic hardware and generic software. But equally Apple know that if you buy an iPhone, you are dependent on a carrier for service. Like the rest of the world, it has probably not escaped Apple's attention that the quality of service you get from the carriers is becoming rapidly worse by the day. As a result, an Apple user's poor experience with an iPhone might have nothing to do with Apple but everything to do with the carrier. Having carrier level integration with iPhone could also open up further user experience improvements (e.g. maybe they could do clever stuff at carrier level to help preserve battery).

turndown 4y ago
As I sit here on an iPad Pro that refused to correctly highlight and copy a piece of your post so I could directly reply to it, I just want you to know that nobody views the whole “Apple can do unique things because they own the hardware/software stack” in a positive light. Apple is very bad at software and I will always stand by that… it is very sad that such nice pieces of hardware are married to some of the worst software.
- caned 4y ago
  Subjective, but I'll second this as an Apple user - at least for iOS devices. I mostly like the design, but I'm appalled at how glitchy the interface controls are, for one. And it has been consistently so for years. Don't even get me started on the Apple TV. I've never been able to reliably use the remote (physical or app).
lotsofpulp 4y ago
> Like the rest of the world, it has probably not escaped Apple's attention that the quality of service you get from the carriers is becoming rapidly worse by the day. In my experience, mobile connectivity just keeps getting better and better. I have lived on both US coasts and traveled to multiple developing countries, and even in places like Zimbabwe I had pretty great connectivity considering where I was.
- traceroute66 4y ago
  > In my experience, mobile connectivity just keeps getting better and better. To clarify .... When I spoke of "quality of service" above, I didn't mean technical service (although for some carriers it can be a factor), I meant customer service. I think you'll struggle to find anyone who will say their carrier's customer service has improved in recent years. Carrier customer service, irrespective of what country you live in, is generally globally accepted to only be in the "awful to non-existent" range.
  - r00fus 4y ago