Replies to post #127859 on Biotech Values

[vinmantoo]

poorgradstudent,

Right on the mark. Jobs was the guy who kicked IBM/Microsoft in the butt. Before Jobs, there was only one font and Jobs realized that people have different tastes so Apple allowed different fonts as well as cool looking products. I started on IBM computer and you had to type in code to do things. Job revolutionized computers with the concept of having folders as distinct windows that could be opened by clicking a mouse. Somehow the Microsoft cabal was able to pirate his concept without paying royalties, and they had the gall to call it windows.

Did Apple also invent the mouse? What about itunes? That was a stroke of genius as well. Jobs envisioned new products that created many new demands.

[10nisman]

OT

He's a much, much better business man than people like you give him credit for...

I never said he wasn't a great business man, however, he's not the world's greatest business person of all time and the world overstates his recent successes as innovation vs. marketing (iPod, iPad, etc.), IMHO.

The comment about the iPod is laughable. Can you name another MP3 player on the market??? It'll be the same way for tablets.

Rio use to be on the market - there are a number of other brands on the market ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/iPod-MP3-Players/MP3-Players/abcat0201010.c?id=abcat0201010 ). Like I said its about marketing. Its an insanely simple product that any tech company could produce however Apple marketed the iPod much better and thus has taken the market. I use a non-iPod MP3 player today and it works just as well as my wife's iPod and was half the price. The thing about technology is you never know how the landscape may change. Amazon's Kindle Fire could cause downward pressure on iPad's, lack of consumer demand could take hold when consumers realize how it provides nothing new and actually does a lot less than what they can do on their phone and laptop.

Because of his vision in regards to how we use technology, he opened up markets for his products. You don't see grandma and grandpa rushing to "build" themselves a Dell computer online. You do see them at the Apple store realizing that they can use the iPad without calling their grandson. So they walk out with one. A market that was basically untapped with regards to technology is now almost all Apple's (unless you know many grandparents with Blackberry Playbooks and BBMing on their Blackberry Bold).

How exactly would you see someone else "build" themselves a Dell computer online? Where exactly do you go to see this? I bet there are more grandma and grandpa's that have personal computers/laptops than iPads by a very wide margin and that won't change without a major overhaul of today's tablets.

"because his vision in how we use technology"... Okay. How are you using technology any different today than 5-10 years ago because of Apple/Jobs? What markets did he open in recent years? He provided an iPod after MP3 players were on the market for years. No new market was opened up it was already there. He put the iPhone out after the smart phone market was more than established. The iPad came out after the Kindle took off and Apple realized it could make a large version of the iPhone to target this market. Apple's recent products aren't any better than its competitors and thus it comes down to branding and marketing (which is very similar to Nike).

BTW, do you own an iPad? If so, has it replaced any other devices you use? I used a laptop 10 years ago and I use one today. I had a smart phone 10 years ago and I use one today. I guess someone could use an iPad for their personal TV remote and a number of other fun things but its purely a status symbol and notion of how the average American can be suckered into buying just about anything, IMHO.