Apple is not the startup eater that Microsoft is. Nor is it the wontonly-investing-into-ill-fated-projects type of company it used to be (and Microsoft remains). When things change at Apple–like the introduction of new projects and initiatives, the world stands alert and gets excited.
Why? Because Apple, while breaking new ground at what often seems to be a snail’s pace–that is, folks always talk about things they wish Apple would do but Apple never does–Apple has identified sharply-defined, effective market verticals to embrace while stockpiling tons and tons of cash.
Microsoft once had 64 billion (with a b) in the bank. Today, they have 25 million (with an m). Meanwhile, Apple’s billions grow.
So, for Apple shareholders, the question is whether to be happy with the cash position or to begin wondering what their investment is going to DO with all that cash. I mean, does Apple start taking bigger risks now? Or are things like a video-game console or a car-puter still too risky for Mr. Jobs? Yet the paths to these ends are obvious.
The iPod Touch is already the basis of a car-puter. All it takes to complete that puzzle is GPS hardware.
And the Apple TV, for all its simpleness, already has graphics, storage, and memory horsepower to compete with the PS3, Wii, and Xbox. So could Apple do these things, with all the cash they have? Sure.
But will they?
Part of the reason Microsoft is where they are today is their history of arrogant rampantness. Yeah, we can dominate any vertical, right? Not so, apparently. The Xbox isn’t the cash cow MS would’ve liked. Neither, then, is Windows Mobile. For that matter, neither is the Mac Business Unit. But Microsoft dived right into these things believing that only dominance across the board would guarantee survival in the long term.
It turns out that you only need to dominate a few things–like music distribution–to survive, and, in Apple’s case, to flourish. It’s still better to innovate than absorb, and creative thinking beats strategic thinking. This is how Apple is beating Goliath: instead of fighting the battles Microsoft picked, they’ve created their own battlefield, and its name begins with a lower-case “i”.
Yesturdays work for tomorrow – a look at some examples…
Was shown this example, via David Messer on Live Journal and believe it to be somewhat informative and too the point…
Lavoro per il domani – uno sguardo di Yesturdays ad alcuni esempi…
Notato appena questo esempio, via Megan Messer sopra Giornale in tensione e immaginilo per essere estremamente informativo ed ugualmente il punto…
Trabalho para o amanhã – um olhar de Yesturdays em alguns exemplos…
Apenas observado este exemplo, através de jon halign sobre Facebook e imagine-o para ser muito informativo e demasiado o ponto…
Kelly…
I just saw this really good post today….
Online article…
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… [Trackback]…
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Yesturdays Arbeit für Morgen – ein Blick auf einige Beispiele…
Gerade beachtet dieses Beispiel, über gezeigt Megan McCormick an linkedin und stellen Sie sich es vor um zu sein ein wenig informativ und auch der Punkt…
Lavoro per il domani – uno sguardo di Yesturdays ad alcuni esempi…
Notato questo esempio, via arnold halign sopra Facebook e trovato esso per essere molto informativo ed ugualmente il punto…
Lavoro per il domani – uno sguardo di Yesturdays ad alcuni esempi…
È stato indicato questo esempio, via arnold Messer sopra Twitter e trovato esso per essere molto informativo ed ugualmente il punto…
… [Trackback]…
[...] Read More: macvoip.com/stn/2008/05/05/ms-and-apple-trade-cash-positions-heres-why/ [...]…
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Lavoro per il domani – uno sguardo di Yesturdays ad alcuni esempi…
È stato indicato questo esempio, via arnold halign sopra linkedin e immaginilo per essere molto informativo ed ugualmente il punto…
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