A venture capitalist who is on the board of Facebook and HP is convinced that Apple is going to launch a television in 2014, or maybe even in 2013, but definitely by 2015.
Speaking at the DealBook conference last week, Marc Andreessen said that despite Apple's secrecy, rumours about an Apple television are strong. It's basically the worst kept secret of Silicon Valley.
And once the television launches, everyone will scrabble to copy it. Andreessen said: "There's a pattern in our industry. Apple crystallizes the product and the minute Apple crystallizes it, then everyone knows how to compete," he said, noting that, once launched, Apple's completion, namely “Microsoft and Google", will start "adjusting their strategy," according to Business Insider.
Andreessen went on to explain that such crystallizations were typical of Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs. When Steve Jobs was CEO, Apple would "invent a new product category, start with 100 percent market share, and then every day that goes by, lose market share until some terminal outcome," Andreessen said.
He noted that the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad are all examples of this strategy.
The way that Jobs and current Apple CEO Tim Cook differ is that Steve Jobs didn't care about market share, Andreessen claimed. Jobs was focused on supporting Apple's margins even if market share fell.
Andreessen observed that under Tim Cook's lead, Apple cares more about protecting market share. He pointed to the low-margin iPad mini and the cheaper last-generation iPhone models, suggesting that they are proof that Cook is willing to reduce margins in exchange for market share, Cnet notes.
However, as that report points out, it is not the case that any of the Apple products referred o have lost market share until some "terminal outcome". Also, Apple sold cheaper iPhones and cheaper iPads while Steve Jobs was alive.
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Related:
Apple Television: Foxconn and Sharp "in early stages of testing"
Analyst: Apple could sell more than 13 million 'iTV' television sets, consumers willing to pay more
Apple Television iTV release date, rumours, and pictures
Apple Television rumours: 'iTV prototypes sighted' ahead of 2013 launch
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Comments received
PostScript said on Mon, 17 Dec 2012
Give us a break Macworld. First analysts, now venture capitalists!
theanimaster said on Mon, 17 Dec 2012
The iPod is an example of that "terminal outcome" ?? Really? Either the guy explains his statement or gets his head out of his @$$
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