There are many issues here at stake... sure hulu/amazon/netflix are just content providers, but they provide a lot of content, and at reasonable prices that people like. I would never claim that everyone who has an iOS device wants these apps, I personally don't use them, but knowing they're available makes the device more attractive. Right now I can't afford those services, int he future, things will change, and I can. I WANT those services available on my phone or future tablet etc.
Well what you want is reasonable priced video delivery right? You don't actually want hulu or netflix or lovefilm or blockbuster, you want Avatar and Star Wars and Kill Bill. Apple will already rent you most movies, though some like Star Wars you can't get, and eventually the last few studios will sign up with iTunes.
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I am not afraid of Apple going head to head competing with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc. What I am afraid of is that Apple will offer competing services, and then block out my ability to use a competitors service. Or if not outright blocking it, making it extremely annoying to use a competitors service, such that I default to using Apples. This is exactly what Microsoft did in the past, only to nowhere near the degree that Apple appears to be doing it. When Microsoft crippled opponents office software on Windows, there was an outrage. If Apple does the same thing on iOS, will there be? Sure, iOS isn't a monopoly, but it IS a monopoly on the iOS devices that we already own. I can't install Android on my iphone at the moment and avoid apple, and even if i could, there's no way it would run well.
I'm not suggesting that Apple would block or harass these firms, anymore than they harassed software firms that compete with them on the Mac platform. The only thing that I can think of that they've cut out in that way is Adobe Flash, and that was entirely justified by technical considerations.
I'm just suggesting that streaming audio & video services would fit into their existing iTunes business and so there's really no chance that an iPad owner will be left adrift and unable to watch Greys Anatomy in 2018.
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What happens when Apple decides that Netflix is stopping people from paying to rent Apple's movies? Or that Amazon is preventing people from buying more iBooks, etc.
But that's not why Apple would be setting up these services, because from a profit perspective they won't even touch the bottom line. To put it in perspective, Netflix made $150mil last year - Apple made $20B. Apple will eventually enter these businesses because they like to provide a completely integrated service and it fits their existing media proposition.
If Apple was going all out to maximize media revenue it could have limited iTunes to only digitally purchased music - lord knows the RIAA wanted it to. Apple's media presence is a defensive play. The point I was making was that Hulu & Netflix aren't rain-makers for a mobile platform in any meaningful way, they're just another fish in the ecosystem - and not even an important fish. Apple isn't designing policy with them in mind.
The big fish are game makers like Rovio (Angry Birds), if they left iOS that would be ten times bigger than Hulu leaving. Margins on games are far better than on video or music and games are differentiated far more because the experience of listening to Radiohead on an iPhone isn't really any different to listening on an Andoid, but games can feel totally different or even be exclusive to a platform. I'd bet cash money that Apple have registered an interest with Rovio's VCs, that if there's ever a move to sell they're interested.
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There are just a lot of things going on here, and it seems on these forums everyone thinks Apple can do no wrong, as they have been fairly benevolent in the past, and not overly restrictive. However, the thought of giving them so much power sickens me.
Somebody always has the power over a platform - who would you prefer? Google? Microsoft?
The sales of the iPad-2 have been constrained by supply since it's launch, so while I'll stipulate that the loss of some apps would reduce demand I'll say that yes - the lack of those apps wouldn't have hurt its sales. But of course it's just an opinion, and there is no way to know, unless you have some links to market research that shows that those apps were foremost in peoples' minds when they purchased.
As for the iPhone I don't think that any of those apps are remotely important to its sales, and as 3G gets capped across america they'll be even less so. If anything was going to hurt iDevices it was the lack of Flash. Remember how Adobe insisted they were doomed because they lacked it? How the IT press got on board and insisted that Flash was a key requirement? Users apparently shrugged and went on buying. Nowadays practically nobody believes that Flash is a key selling point on mobile.
Suppose those apps really were critical to iDevice's success. Then Hulu/Amazon/Netflix could offer Android or MS an exclusive and make considerable income from the deal. You can be sure that MS would pay - they have a history of offering content suppliers exclusives and it worked well for them with the Halo franchise.
If you disagree and think that Hulu & Netflix are such strong brands that they can make or break a mobile platform then I strongly recommend you buy their stock - I however think that they are commodity purveyors of other peoples content and that ultimately Apple at least will cut them out. iBooks is already directly competing with Kindle, and if they just add an orientation lock on iPhone it will probably be good enough on the A5 that I'll cease to have a preference either way. On the A4 processor I find it a bit sticky.
Now see if you can answer my simple question. Why is it not an issue that Amazon don't allow 3rd party eReader software on the kindle?
I you doesn't want to answer it's easier saying "I don't want to answer' than writing such a post answering to something I haven't asked.
Comments
There are many issues here at stake... sure hulu/amazon/netflix are just content providers, but they provide a lot of content, and at reasonable prices that people like. I would never claim that everyone who has an iOS device wants these apps, I personally don't use them, but knowing they're available makes the device more attractive. Right now I can't afford those services, int he future, things will change, and I can. I WANT those services available on my phone or future tablet etc.
Well what you want is reasonable priced video delivery right? You don't actually want hulu or netflix or lovefilm or blockbuster, you want Avatar and Star Wars and Kill Bill. Apple will already rent you most movies, though some like Star Wars you can't get, and eventually the last few studios will sign up with iTunes.
I am not afraid of Apple going head to head competing with Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc. What I am afraid of is that Apple will offer competing services, and then block out my ability to use a competitors service. Or if not outright blocking it, making it extremely annoying to use a competitors service, such that I default to using Apples. This is exactly what Microsoft did in the past, only to nowhere near the degree that Apple appears to be doing it. When Microsoft crippled opponents office software on Windows, there was an outrage. If Apple does the same thing on iOS, will there be? Sure, iOS isn't a monopoly, but it IS a monopoly on the iOS devices that we already own. I can't install Android on my iphone at the moment and avoid apple, and even if i could, there's no way it would run well.
I'm not suggesting that Apple would block or harass these firms, anymore than they harassed software firms that compete with them on the Mac platform. The only thing that I can think of that they've cut out in that way is Adobe Flash, and that was entirely justified by technical considerations.
I'm just suggesting that streaming audio & video services would fit into their existing iTunes business and so there's really no chance that an iPad owner will be left adrift and unable to watch Greys Anatomy in 2018.
What happens when Apple decides that Netflix is stopping people from paying to rent Apple's movies? Or that Amazon is preventing people from buying more iBooks, etc.
But that's not why Apple would be setting up these services, because from a profit perspective they won't even touch the bottom line. To put it in perspective, Netflix made $150mil last year - Apple made $20B. Apple will eventually enter these businesses because they like to provide a completely integrated service and it fits their existing media proposition.
If Apple was going all out to maximize media revenue it could have limited iTunes to only digitally purchased music - lord knows the RIAA wanted it to. Apple's media presence is a defensive play. The point I was making was that Hulu & Netflix aren't rain-makers for a mobile platform in any meaningful way, they're just another fish in the ecosystem - and not even an important fish. Apple isn't designing policy with them in mind.
The big fish are game makers like Rovio (Angry Birds), if they left iOS that would be ten times bigger than Hulu leaving. Margins on games are far better than on video or music and games are differentiated far more because the experience of listening to Radiohead on an iPhone isn't really any different to listening on an Andoid, but games can feel totally different or even be exclusive to a platform. I'd bet cash money that Apple have registered an interest with Rovio's VCs, that if there's ever a move to sell they're interested.
There are just a lot of things going on here, and it seems on these forums everyone thinks Apple can do no wrong, as they have been fairly benevolent in the past, and not overly restrictive. However, the thought of giving them so much power sickens me.
Somebody always has the power over a platform - who would you prefer? Google? Microsoft?
The sales of the iPad-2 have been constrained by supply since it's launch, so while I'll stipulate that the loss of some apps would reduce demand I'll say that yes - the lack of those apps wouldn't have hurt its sales. But of course it's just an opinion, and there is no way to know, unless you have some links to market research that shows that those apps were foremost in peoples' minds when they purchased.
As for the iPhone I don't think that any of those apps are remotely important to its sales, and as 3G gets capped across america they'll be even less so. If anything was going to hurt iDevices it was the lack of Flash. Remember how Adobe insisted they were doomed because they lacked it? How the IT press got on board and insisted that Flash was a key requirement? Users apparently shrugged and went on buying. Nowadays practically nobody believes that Flash is a key selling point on mobile.
Suppose those apps really were critical to iDevice's success. Then Hulu/Amazon/Netflix could offer Android or MS an exclusive and make considerable income from the deal. You can be sure that MS would pay - they have a history of offering content suppliers exclusives and it worked well for them with the Halo franchise.
If you disagree and think that Hulu & Netflix are such strong brands that they can make or break a mobile platform then I strongly recommend you buy their stock - I however think that they are commodity purveyors of other peoples content and that ultimately Apple at least will cut them out. iBooks is already directly competing with Kindle, and if they just add an orientation lock on iPhone it will probably be good enough on the A5 that I'll cease to have a preference either way. On the A4 processor I find it a bit sticky.
Now see if you can answer my simple question. Why is it not an issue that Amazon don't allow 3rd party eReader software on the kindle?
I you doesn't want to answer it's easier saying "I don't want to answer' than writing such a post answering to something I haven't asked.
I you doesn't want to answer it's easier saying "I don't want to answer' than writing such a post answering to something I haven't asked.
I did answer you if you had bothered to read the post. Also you never answered my question.
I'll say that yes - the lack of those apps wouldn't have hurt its sales