Dethroning Apple (AAPL), Easier Said than Done
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Last month we learned about new tablets from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), and this week we learned that Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) is considering a venture into smartphones. For the most part, tech insiders have cautioned that all of these ventures are risky; accept for perhaps Google's Nexus tablet, although few are expecting it to be a stallion.
The fact of the matter is that none of these tech titans can hold a candle to Apple, who is the dominate force in both the smartphone and tablet market. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all playing catch up to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), and no one expects them to close the gap anytime soon.
All of these newly announce products are examples of these companies imitating Apple while trying to stay relevant in the smartphone and/or tablet market, which understandably isn't as easy as it sounds. With all the copycat products floating around, it begs the question: Is "I wanna be like Apple" really the best plan these companies can muster?
In a lot of ways Apple was playing catch-up to Microsoft for years. At the time, few were expecting a changing of the guard. Fewer still could predict that Apple's coup would begin with the iPod rather than some new-fangled PC.
A company imitating its history is Apple's biggest risk, not its products. In other words, if it happens -- if Google, Microsoft, or Amazon eventually dethrone Apple -- it isn't going to be as a result of having a tablet that looks a lot like Apple's and is maybe a little smaller and cheaper. It will take Steve Jobs-esk vision, and so far, when it comes to smartphones and tablets, none of the other companies have shown signs of having it.
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The fact of the matter is that none of these tech titans can hold a candle to Apple, who is the dominate force in both the smartphone and tablet market. Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are all playing catch up to Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), and no one expects them to close the gap anytime soon.
All of these newly announce products are examples of these companies imitating Apple while trying to stay relevant in the smartphone and/or tablet market, which understandably isn't as easy as it sounds. With all the copycat products floating around, it begs the question: Is "I wanna be like Apple" really the best plan these companies can muster?
In a lot of ways Apple was playing catch-up to Microsoft for years. At the time, few were expecting a changing of the guard. Fewer still could predict that Apple's coup would begin with the iPod rather than some new-fangled PC.
A company imitating its history is Apple's biggest risk, not its products. In other words, if it happens -- if Google, Microsoft, or Amazon eventually dethrone Apple -- it isn't going to be as a result of having a tablet that looks a lot like Apple's and is maybe a little smaller and cheaper. It will take Steve Jobs-esk vision, and so far, when it comes to smartphones and tablets, none of the other companies have shown signs of having it.
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