Apple, Google and Microsoft’s Size Problem
I like the three derived strategies on slide 16 – they are sound, yet the underlying starting points and rationales are a bit flawed I think:
1. Open source OS are left out of the strategic analysis (and this has different implications for the contenders) – think of Jolicloud, UbuntuNetbookRemix, Moblin, and YES Google Chrome OS
2. the usage scenarios (ie. the arrows depicting how low or high a specific OS can go) aren’t a function of technical issues alone – licensing matters a lot in this space, think the prolongation of XP by Microsoft or the continued resistance of Apple to open up their iPhone platform.
3. and last – competitive marketplaces don’t care much about single companies wishes. So, even when Apple wants to avoid netbooks they can’t do this for long. Netbooks are here to stay, so they better find ways to embrace this innovation (even when it’s at the cost of an established, well-running business model).
