Should Apple diversify more like Sony?

[hob]

I was just on the Sony website and I noticed they now do a GPS!!

I was in two minds about the whole thing:

part of me thought, "wow, they're spreading themselves even thinner", another part of me thought "imagine an Apple GPS!!"

I'm not suggesting apple go after the Games industry (with a PlayStation killer etc.) but certainly they could broaden their spectrum a little, no?

Thoughts?

[MisterMe]

The key to success in today's market is to focus on what you do best. An examination of Apple's moves over the last ten years shows that the company has done precisely that. Apple has dropped its game console, PDAs, digital still cameras, printers, and scanners. Its most recent move was to sell PowerSchool. The results speak for themselves. Apple is wildly successful. So the answer to your question would be "No!"

[mkrishnan]

Agreed...Sony's strategy doesn't really even work all that well for Sony....

[Timepass]

should apple look into expanding a little yeah might be a good idea. Right now they are pretty heaving with all there eggs in one basket. If that market flops at some point in time apple goes with it.

But at the same time expanding 2 quickly will kill a company just the same. If anything I think apple should look at expanding into the TV market and see some high end TVs. it a good market it to get into and it right up apple alle right now. Good way to make money. Looks good and they are still not really leaving there core. GPS is a little out side of apple core.


Mind you apple does have a cult following so they could easily put dog crap in a white box, sell it for 100 bucks and sell quite a few of them having people claim how good it is. (sad part is you all know it true.) But that being said not only would you get the nut jobs that would buy anythign apple says and claim it is great you would get integent people who can think for themselves buying the product that in turn bring even more people to apple.

[jive]

I'd say they've got the creative market sewn up (with the help of Adobe) and the only thing they might start to need to make is HDTVs for Post production...


But that's all I can think of...

[MisterMe]

....

But at the same time expanding 2 quickly will kill a company just the same. If anything I think apple should look at expanding into the TV market and see some high end TVs. it a good market it to get into and it right up apple alle right now. Good way to make money. Looks good and they are still not really leaving there core. ...What is this fixation with TVs? Is there something that your TV set needs that you can't get from JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Zenith? Did you know that computer maker Gateway was the No. 1 maker of plasma screens when it abandoned the product? It could not sell them at a profit. Havew you seen the flat screens sold by HP? They look like crap. Have you seen the flat screens sold by Dell? They look nicer, but not better than those from the traditional manufacturers like JVC, etc.

What do you mean by "some high end TVs"? Have you been to Wal-Mart lately? Do you know that you can now buy an integrated flat screen HDTV for less than $1000 US? In 2004, I bought a 37" Sharp HDTV monitor. Within months I could buy a new integrated 37" Sharp HDTV for less than I still owed on the old monitor. Where do you see an opportunity for profit if Apple gets into this market?

[PlaceofDis]

no apple shouldn't start going out in all directions, perhaps diversify thier product lines a bit more though.

perhaps a tablet computer. perhaps an ultra portable. things like that.

[lord patton]

What is this fixation with TVs? Is there something that your TV set needs that you can't get from JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Zenith? ... Where do you see an opportunity for profit if Apple gets into this market?

exactly.

But they should expand into cell phones and a home media center/hub/router/perfect-life-maker type thingy. And I think they will.

[7on]

no apple shouldn't start going out in all directions, perhaps diversify thier product lines a bit more though.

perhaps a tablet computer. perhaps an ultra portable. things like that.


How about $300 desktops and $600 laptops?

[MisterMe]

exactly.

But they should expand into cell phones and a home media center/hub/router/perfect-life-maker type thingy. And I think they will.Not so fast. Again, the cell phone industry has several entrenched manufacturers who make great products. To be successful in this market, the cell phone manufacturer requires carriers which will bundle the manufacturer's phone with their new services. Apple currently has a good relationship with Cingular Wireless. However, I think that Apple can hardly make a dent in the armor of Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, etc.

As for the home media center thing, Apple already has a family of wireless routers. They are called Airport. Wired routers come from various other manufacturers. I use a Linksys. Before that, I used a Siemens. An Apple wired router might appeal to the fanboy market, but will do little to contribute to the bottomline. This whole home media center thing seems to appeal more to teenage boys who want a setup in their bedrooms than to adults who want to setup their living rooms and media rooms. What do you want to do that you can't do now?

[PlaceofDis]

How about $300 desktops and $600 laptops?

well now, we all know that isn't going to happen anytime soon, even though we would like it too. ;)

[Timepass]

What is this fixation with TVs? Is there something that your TV set needs that you can't get from JVC, LG, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Zenith? Did you know that computer maker Gateway was the No. 1 maker of plasma screens when it abandoned the product? It could not sell them at a profit. Havew you seen the flat screens sold by HP? They look like crap. Have you seen the flat screens sold by Dell? They look nicer, but not better than those from the traditional manufacturers like JVC, etc.

What do you mean by "some high end TVs"? Have you been to Wal-Mart lately? Do you know that you can now buy an integrated flat screen HDTV for less than $1000 US? In 2004, I bought a 37" Sharp HDTV monitor. Within months I could buy a new integrated 37" Sharp HDTV for less than I still owed on the old monitor. Where do you see an opportunity for profit if Apple gets into this market?


You argument had something going for it up until the end where it just fell appart. I sorry but a compared a $1000 HDTV to lets say a $2000+ of the same size and you see a very noticible diffence in quillity.

Taking you argument even farther was does apple make LCD monitor. What does apple offer that is not provide by other manfactors. ummm not really anything. Oh they have a firewire hub big deal.
By high end Plasma TV we are talking about the $4k+ for a 43 inch. And before you call it a waste there are people who like them. They have great quility and look good. It is a market where apple computer fit in. Apple computers target is not cheap but luxery to begin with.

Oh and please dont use Gateway as an example there list of mistakes and screws up is to long to even begin to list so no one can tell what really cause there downfall.

Dell does pretty well selling those TVs just FYI. High end is has a good market up.

But using you agurment why does apple make monitors. what does apple offer than some else doesnt.

[netdog]

The key to success in today's market is to focus on what you do best. An examination of Apple's moves over the last ten years shows that the company has done precisely that. Apple has dropped its game console, PDAs, digital still cameras, printers, and scanners. Its most recent move was to sell PowerSchool. The results speak for themselves. Apple is wildly successful. So the answer to your question would be "No!"

Ummmmm.........iPod?

[MS bulldog]

i pray apple doesn't diversify into the rootkit business as sony tried to do.;)

[Dane D.]

How about $300 desktops and $600 laptops?

I knew this wouldn't take long, why is it that people just can't accept the fact that Apple products are worth their cost. Must be a PC thing, because every PC user I know throws that in my face. They think everything should be little or no cost, face it, Apple is a quality machine not some POS box made up of cheapest bidder parts.

On the original poster's thought....NO. They shouldn't expand into products that don't integrate well with the Mac.

[MisterMe]

You argument had something going for it up until the end where it just fell appart. I sorry but a compared a $1000 HDTV to lets say a $2000+ of the same size and you see a very noticible diffence in quillity.

...I am not going to get into an argument with you over this. The point is that the prices of flat panel displays are dropping rapidly. Those $1000 HDTV sets at Wal-Mart occupy the low end. However, the prices of high end displays are also dropping like a stone. FWIW, Panasonic will sell you a 42-inch plasma screen integrated HDTV for $2500-$3000. Your price of $4000 US buys a 50-inch top-of-the-line plasma screen integrated HDTV. The company has 50-inch sets for $3500 if $4000 is too rich for your blood. Neither Panasonic set would qualify as low-quality.

I believe that I have made my point. The prices of flat panel television sets are in steep decline. Apple has nothing to add to the market for HDTV sets. The company would be virtually guaranteed to lose its shirt selling them.

[Mord]

yes but not like sony.

[Blue Velvet]

Apple (and many others) will be taking a very close look at where 'broadcast' television and other video content meets the computer in the home and on the move. The video iPod is just the visible tip of this iceberg.

This is the area that will have the most legs in the medium to long-term and one where they can potentially carve out a lucrative space.

As to what form these products may take, I haven't the faintest clue. :p

The other thing where we can expect some movement is iTunes on phones and other mobile devices. Many people here (myself included) wouldn't want a phone with that functionality but recent research by Nokia shows that about 2/3rds of people do... this is the iPod's achilles heel in terms of future growth.

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1054096

[7on]

I knew this wouldn't take long, why is it that people just can't accept the fact that Apple products are worth their cost. Must be a PC thing, because every PC user I know throws that in my face. They think everything should be little or no cost, face it, Apple is a quality machine not some POS box made up of cheapest bidder parts.

On the original poster's thought....NO. They shouldn't expand into products that don't integrate well with the Mac.


Even Mercedes makes large semi-Trucks. Different tools for different guys.

[Applespider]

Many people here (myself included) wouldn't want a phone with that functionality but recent research by Nokia shows that about 2/3rds of people do... this is the iPod's achilles heel in terms of future growth.


The BBC ran an article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5048966.stm) on that survey and some of the numbers weren't quite so impressively in favour of one-device when you broke them down more by country etc. 87% of Americans wanted their devices to remain separate (tough to see in context whether it was just phone/camera or all functions) whereas those in India had a majority in favour of keeping them separate.
Statistics... huh!

I suspect the iPod will morph into a variety of different things as hard drives get bigger. We may end up with a larger powered Dock which has DVI/HDMI connections back out and PVR capability so that the iPod becomes the ultimate storage for media. Have it plugged into your TV/cable system and shows record automatically to your iPod to watch on the go.

If the public decides they want mobile video, then phones ain't going to cut it. Phones are being designed to become smaller and slimmer so that you can have it with you always - that doesn't mesh well with video. Watching it on mine is a somewhat painful experience - interesting but pretty pointless aside from the gimmick/desperate factor.

[mkrishnan]

Even Mercedes makes large semi-Trucks. Different tools for different guys.

Mercedes truck/van/bus lines are pretty old...the Mercedes that started making those products was a product of that timeframe.... At the time, it was a logical expansion based on their core expertise of making frames and integrating motors and so on. Important core expertises way back when, when the element companies were founded. Nowadays, as far as I know, DCX's commercial vehicle and passenger vehicle groups are fairly separate with relatively little overlap.

All I think is that Apple should expand in ways that make sense for Apple based on what they're good at. Not based on what markets Sony is in....

[miniConvert]

I'm in the 'stick to what you're good at' camp. Apple's relatively small range of products is the key to their success, and lets face it, they have enough problems with the products they already have ;)

Everything is about convergence in the UK at the moment. Mobile phone operators are scrambling to offer broadband, ISP's are scrambling to offer mobile and everyone is scrambling to offer TV as if it was just invented yesterday. It'll all end in tears.

[Counterfit]

Right now they are pretty heaving with all there eggs in one basket. If that market flops at some point in time apple goes with it.
Yeah, it's such a horrible idea to stay only in the personal computer market. It's going to completely crash any time now. :confused:

[tipdrill407]

I would definitely love to see a LCD television from Apple that looks similar to the ACD.

[Scruff]

An Apple printer/scanner would be nice, not that it's necessary... I just like Apple stuff :p.

They seem to focus on what they do best, then, when they've reached a point they're happy with, they branch into something new, and try that. It's slow, but methodical, and it works for them.

No need to take on everything at once.

[hob]

Haha, i seem to have started quite a healthy discussion here, but as usual I've gone off and forgotten about it for a few days.

I've always remembered the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none"... this is apparent in devices like my mobile phone.

It's a Sony Ericsson K600i. It has not one, but two cameras on it, a built in high-speed 3G modem, and the ability to play MP3/AAC (maybe even WMA) files.

The pitfalls of this device are, the camera is awful, there's only about 2MB onboard memory so playing any albums is out of the question... of course when it comes to the telephony side it's fine. I can send texts, place calls and browse the internet (even on my powerbook via bluetooth!)

My point is - I would LOVE this device to be able to do everything, but I can't see any phone camera beating my Canon for the next 10 years....

On the original poster's thought....NO. They shouldn't expand into products that don't integrate well with the Mac.

I never said the "products" wouldn't integrate well with the mac :confused:
If Apple made a phone/camera/printer/gps/car it would presumably integrate very well with the mac!

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1054096

Thanks for that link Blue!

The BBC ran an article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5048966.stm) on that survey and some of the numbers weren't quite so impressively in favour of one-device when you broke them down more by country etc. 87% of Americans wanted their devices to remain separate (tough to see in context whether it was just phone/camera or all functions) whereas those in India had a majority in favour of keeping them separate.
Statistics... huh!

I'd say that's maybe because the average American can afford to buy 10 devices whereas your average Indian might be a little less wealthy?

I certainly would prefer one device that did it all - but only if it did it all well.

[Sesshi]

Phones are what Apple needs to get into to leverage iTunes. Motorola just did not understand the concept and even Jobs didn't look too keen on it. The problem was that too much of the design was Motorola and not enough Apple. The problem on Apple's end is the R&D costs to be able to engineer a phone on their own. It's not like the 1G iPod for sure that way, where they lifted a number of off-the-shelf stuff to engineer a player. However it was pretty obvious that Apple was taking baby steps towards introducing a phone with the Motorola connection. They need to get a 'true Apple' phone out, or Sony has every chance of succeeding where it lost with the Walkman.

[Applespider]

Phones are what Apple needs to get into to leverage iTunes. Motorola just did not understand the concept and even Jobs didn't look too keen on it.

Leave the phones as they are; just build a mini-Java iTunes client (since more and more phones support Java) that lets you specify a playlist of x size to pull over from your regular computer iTunes. Oh look... now iTunes is available on every phone on any network. Forget buying songs over the phone (it's too long-winded and I don't want my album purchases showing up on my phone bill) just let me hear what I've already got.

My k750 takes good enough pictures for quick snaps and I've got the odd song on it to use as an alarm/ringtone but there's no way it's replacing my camera/my camcorder or my iPod. And while I can use it as a Bluetooth modem, it's not replacing my ADSL2+ broadband connection either.

[Thomas Veil]

I'd say they've got the creative market sewn up (with the help of Adobe) and the only thing they might start to need to make is HDTVs for Post production...Actually, I just got a big, glossy catalogue in the mail the other day from Sony. They've now got a pretty complete video suite, including counterparts to Final Cut, GarageBand and other components. No Sony version of Shake, but they do have pre-made motion backgrounds, which Apple has not yet got into.

Looks like a concerted effort to give Apple and Adobe a run for their money in the video market.

I knew this wouldn't take long, why is it that people just can't accept the fact that Apple products are worth their cost. Must be a PC thing, because every PC user I know throws that in my face. They think everything should be little or no cost, face it, Apple is a quality machine not some POS box made up of cheapest bidder parts.Some industry experts think that Apple is close to saturating the high end market, and the only place left for them to expand (in computers) is the lower end. That doesn't mean cheap junk...just that they may have to accept lower margins on things like Mac minis if they want to continue to expand their market share beyond 5% or so.

It would probably be a smart move on their part. Better to slowly expand, at a little less profit per machine, than to remain satisfied with the status quo. More people buying Macs means more people buying Mac software, like iLife and OS X upgrades...and eventually, more Macs....

[hob]

Some industry experts think that Apple is close to saturating the high end market, and the only place left for them to expand (in computers) is the lower end. That doesn't mean cheap junk...just that they may have to accept lower margins on things like Mac minis if they want to continue to expand their market share beyond 5% or so.

It would probably be a smart move on their part. Better to slowly expand, at a little less profit per machine, than to remain satisfied with the status quo. More people buying Macs means more people buying Mac software, like iLife and OS X upgrades...and eventually, more Macs....

I think they would do well to offer a couple more Displays - on the lower end. Maybe not "Cinema Displays", perhaps "Mac Displays" - 15" and 17", similar design to the CD, but in Apple White?

If you could buy a Mac Mini and a Mac Display for say... £650-£800, I think they'd get a few more mac mini customers...