joeblack

Another well articulated piece of work DED! It's always great to go a trip down memory lane to get the facts straight. Back in the day Microsoft was a real bully and Google was considered the underdog in desktop search. I think Steve Jobs, in his best interest to protect the iPhone from being copied by Microsoft, got side-blinded and copied by Google instead.

Some people read articles like these and might think: the fact is Microsoft and Google won, let's just move on. Well here's the thing, Bill Gates in his "mea culpa" statement tries to establish how Google is yet another success story on how horizontal integration will always triumph over vertical integration. The common denominator between Microsoft and Google was that both CEOs:

1. were fortunate enough to partner with Apple and have access to Apple's innovations in potential disruptive-market products before public release,
2. managed to replicate key innovations with a quasi Apple experience,
3. and licensed their cloned software to OEMs and have them compete in producing products at a fraction of Apple's price.

When deprived from Apple's mojo, Microsoft did miserable in trying to compete in others markets where Apple succeeded:

• MP3 players: they failed trying to answer Apple's iPod by licensing PlayForSure and later marketing Zune,
• Smartphones: Microsoft had a head start before Apple and Google, and they still blew it.
• Tablets: the iPad obliterated Microsoft's Tablet PC, Slate PC, and Surface RT efforts.

What about Google? After being deprived of Apple's mojo, where has Android been successful outside of smartphones?

Conclusion: horizontal integration does not necessarily always result in a natural win. 

stoneyg said:

joeblack said:

True, that feature would be especially useful for the times we're living in now (requiring face mask) and other scenarios you might have your face covered like in extreme weather conditions.

Not sure what the use case is for using an iPad in Extreme Weather Conditions, but face masks obviously makes sense. I do remember a story a few days ago talking about Apple being send to make FaceID more usable with masks. Not sure how secure FaceID would be in that case.

For extreme weather conditions, I was thinking like a person being in cold weather with one of those caps that covers the face; but now I think about it, the last thing a person is probably thinking about is whipping out their iPad outside with freezing temperatures 😂