Apr 26, 2021 4:00 AM PT
Apple s strategy, which has worked well financially up until now, is called vendor lock-in.
This approach, pioneered by IBM until it almost put the company out of business in the 1990s, is incredibly profitable, but it treats customers like a resource to be mined. It restricts customer movement away from the platform to provide lower quality goods at higher prices because the customer can t easily switch to something else.
In addition, with lock-in, the dominant vendor can easily replace third-party apps and products with their high-cost alternatives by crippling or just creating FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) around a third-party offering like, in this case, Tile.
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//]]>// >By Rob Enderle
May 10, 2021 4:00 AM PT
Last week at Dell Technologies World, the most significant announcement was a massive as-a-service offering called Dell Technologies Apex.
This promises to return the IT market to its long lost but fondly remembered IBM past. Back when I came out of school, IBM was the most revered and powerful technology company. This benefit was mainly due to a sales model that predated as-a-service but was surprisingly similar.
The services first leasing model assured IBM a steady, easy-to-manage income stream; and customers an equally manageable cost stream that assured IBM and its customers were tied together at the hip. Dell s Apex promises even better benefits for Dell and its customers.
Social media has become the home of fake news, unscrupulous advertising, places to dole out abuse, and disseminate alternative history. Let s talk about what is likely to happen to social media companies; and how they might work to prevent that outcome. We ll close with the product of the week, a category-busting new smartwatch from OnePlus.
Last week was particularly interesting. Microsoft had two big announcements with Mesh and Viva, while Huawei showcased a strategy for a universal OS that covers PCs, smartphones, tablets, TVs, and IoT devices to perfect integration across them all. Let s talk about both this week and work in Microsoft Mesh as the product of the week.
Fortnite maker girds for epic court battle with Apple Today 06:00 am JST Today | 06:33 am JST SAN FRANCISCO
In a court clash with potentially huge repercussions for the world of mobile tech, Fortnite maker Epic Games takes on Apple starting Monday aiming to break the grip of the iPhone maker on its online marketplace.
The case opening in federal court comes with Apple feeling pressure from a wide range of app makers over its tight control of the App Store, which critics say represents monopolistic behavior.
The two firms will be debating whether Apple has the right to set grounds rules, control payment systems and kick out apps from its marketplace that fail to comply.