The flip side you wouldn't have had the same proliferation of companies around the Windows environment. Nvidia, AMD, might not have existed if Microsoft had said they were only going to source from a small subset of companies (or even went their own way). And you probably wouldn't have had the same competition to the bottom on pricing that you have currently. Dell can sell a $299 laptop because Microsoft doesn't control the hardware that goes into the system and doesn't dictate how low a price a vendor sells a Windows computer. Apples price margin is as much about the quality of the product (which is very good) as it is the price controls Apple imposes. Apple puts into its contracts with 3rd party sellers that Apple hardware won't be sold much lower then what Apple sells at. That's why you may only save $60 through a third party. Apple doesn't want their product image diluted and is very strict in their price controls.
Ben On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 3:02 PM, Raymond E. Feist <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Oct 6, 2011, at 2:02 PM, Michael Hawksworth wrote: > > "Anyway, the thing about Apple isn't that they're selling one device, but > rather a system where all the devices work a certain predicable, reliable > way. That is very attractive to a lot of people." > Definitely a way to own a market and Apple also sells the systems using a > retail model where people don't expect the kit to last longer than their > latest TV. This is what Sony try to do but fail as they also want to be > connected to everything else. > I would, however, be interested to see how Windows would look and behave if > MS restricted it to a limited hardware platform the way apple does. It is > obviously far easier to develop something for a few dozen hardware > combinations than it is to deliver to thousands. Won't happen however. > Now that their visionary is no longer shining his torch to light the way it > will be interesting to see if they maintain the strategies of the last > couple of decades or gradually change focus. > > Had MS used a similar model, you wouldn't have had the need for eleven > thousand different drivers for peripherals, and all the wonderful conflicts > that arose. Had they not been wedded to Active X, you would have avoided a > lot of viruses and malware. The old joke was, "Microsoft! We love stanrds > so much we have hundreds of them!" > Best, R.E.F. > ---- > www.crydee.com > Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily be explained away by > stupidity. > > > > >
