The Trail Behind Apple’s Tail

Apple is moving forward so quickly that the company’s wake (sounds a little better than tail) has caused tremendous turbulence throughout the market place. The stock market is hurting. Apple’s stock price is not (still a bargain). The company cannot make iPhones, iPads, or Macs fast enough, and competitors suffer. Including arch enemies Microsoft and Google.

Withering Competition

Let me go down the list of iPhone killers and iPad killers, after disposing of the Mac killer, the netbook. Netbook sales are in the ditch while the iPad has become the netbook killer. Mac sales? They’re chugging along at record levels.

Remember Xoom?

Of course you don’t. Most people have never seen one except on television. How about the Galaxy Tab. It’s a nice conversation topic, but the whole market is an iPad market, not a tablet market. Samsung is having trouble selling the Galaxy anywhere except Korea and the US. Can you name five friends with a Galaxy?

Smart phones are a dime a dozen, and the most expensive major smart phone is– ta da!– the iPhone. Some analysts say Apple will sell 10-million iPhones a month next year. High dollar. High margin.

Remember HP?

They’re almost out of the tablet business. Except when they sell them for $200 or $300 below cost. Their $99 sale was so successful they’re planning another. Looks like HP doesn’t like the low margin Windows PC business, and can’t figure out how to make money by selling quality products anymore. Out with the hardware. In with the software.

Remember Microsoft.

Their iOS killer will be out soon. Maybe next year. It’ll be Windows with a touch screen. And that strategy has worked so well for the past decade. In fact, Apple’s juggernaut has so stymied Windows mobile efforts that the company is forced to pay cell phone makers to create phones with the latest Windows Phone version (can you say, Nokia?). Do you know five people using a Windows Phone 7 smart phone?

Remember Google?

Ah, that’s a different story, right? Or, is it? While Android has gained market share, it’s mostly at the expense of non-Apple phones. Why is Google so desperate with Android? Because Apple’s iPhone and iPad have shown the world that Google isn’t necessary. When did you last do a Google search on your iPhone?

iPhone and iPad users love their apps, but Android users just love to call someone. That means little time and effort goes into searching the web on an Android phone, which means Google doesn’t make as much money on search advertising. No wonder they don’t like Apple anymore.

Remember Nokia?

Or, TiVo? Or, Sony? Or, Adobe’s Flash? Or, Google TV? Apple’s wake has disrupted the market place of long entrenched technology leaders.

What’s left to conquer?

Television. That will be a tough nut to crack. Already televisions have internet connectivity. Apple TV remains a hobby. What can Apple do with television that will disrupt the marketplace? I don’t have the answer but I know what I want. Any television show or movie at any time, any where, on any device. If Apple can pull that off, they’ll rule the world.