Bolded the important part.
It is much, much easier said than done. In fact, it is the most difficult element to pull off successfully, and requires a deep philosophical view of tech )and how tech and people relate) that is already in place well before this Apple-killer product is even in the planning stages.
And we're not talking about the "most different from status quo", but something that "just works" and delights at the same time. Like iOS. A study in simplicity, elegance, and effectiveness. That's a rare combination. But one that is also made possible by controlling the whole widget. If you don't have that, if you're licensing out your OS or if you're the licensee, then just forget it. It's game over before you're even out of the gate. Any Apple-killer requires vertical integration, and the kind of vertical integration that is superior to Apple's.
This requires some fundamental shifts in thinking at places like HP and Dell. This doesn't happen overnight. It requires an Apple-like culture. Good luck trying to get that to germinate at places that are the most un-Apple like as you can find.
In that famous video thatI'm sure we've all seen, Steve Jobs talked about putting "culture" into products. Who the hell else even thinks that way? Who the hell else even views their role in the tech business as an expression that is as much of art as it is science? Who else tries to build culture into their products? Yes, it sounds nebulous, but when you see what Apple is doing, when you see what they've done under Jobs even in the early years, it is something that is easily understood - immediately recognized (even if you can't easily articulate it verbally), but very, very difficult to imitate successfully.
MS, HP, Dell . . . all these folks, lack the culture necessary to pull off Apple-like achievements.
