Hacker News Reader

Comment by zachwill | Hacker News Reader

After reading both this and the iMore article, I really feel like Q4 this year is going to be like nothing we've ever seen. There won't be a reason for the average consumer not to get an iOS device. I think we're heading into a time where Apple's dominance will pass the threshold of what Microsoft had in the 90's.

And, if you consider a revamped TV is on the way in a couple years — man, we're talking about iOS in the living room, in your lap, and in your pocket. It's astonishing to think that the iPhone is only 5 years old at this point.

View on HN

Um... So a quarter notable mostly for Apples entry into a tablet form factor market already pioneered by other competitors is somehow a testament to the platform's... dominance?

(I really want to respond to the idea of yearning for another IBM/Microsoft-scale monopoly too, but I'll limit myself to simple snark for now.)

Apple's entry into the phone market already pioneered by other competitors is a testament to the platform's dominance.

Also, no one would be making tablets of any size if it weren't for the success of the iPad (introduced January 2010.) If you recall, 2009 was all about the netbooks. Remember them? Nobody else does either.

The Nexus 7 (released at the end of June) is the first non-iPad tablet of any size that has ever gotten a legit positive review. It's hard to see how the unimpressive Android tablets of the past two years and the Kindle Fire constitute successful pioneering. And now Apple looks to introduce a very strong competitor three months later.

Here's my prediction. Unless the iPad mini is an unmitigated turd, Apple's iPad mini will outsell the Nexus 7 five-to-one during the Christmas quarter. That's platform dominance.

it will outsell the Nexus 7 just because it has an apple on it's back. I know that like everyone in here.

its dominance will be established (or not!) when customers have their say. They are certainly dominating tablet sales to date. They are making something that people like so much they are willing to pay more for it, rather than the ibm/msft days when people bought something because it was merely cheaper than the alternatives.

> There won't be a reason for the average consumer not to get an iOS device.

My only real complaint about the iOS devices and pretty much the main reason I don't (and very likely never will) own one is that they are made by a company that I really can't stand. Hardware wise, they are decent devices that really don't have any more or less problems than their Android counterparts I have. But I won't buy into their ecosystem. I quit getting involved in debates about which product is superior because in the end, they both have strengths and weaknesses. Neither one needs to be a "killer" of the other. The world will function just fine with each of them maintaining a comfortable market share. So... ya... there actually is reason to not get an iOS device. But I'm happy you found something that works for you. Good for you. So did I. ;)

> There won't be a reason for the average consumer not to get an iOS device.

Wow, that's some hyperbole. Other than price I presume you mean.

Actually, I suspect the presumption is that the "iPad Mini" is going to take price off the table as an objection -- if Apple brings such a device in for even a base price of $249, it's going to be seriously competitive.

(And, of course, "average consumer" is also probably a key phrase. There are rational objections to be made to iOS, but they're mostly relating to things that HN readers are likely to value more highly than most consumers.)

Tired old saw is tired. Apple competes on price pretty well these days. How long did it take to get a 10" iPad competitor that was cheaper than the iPad itself?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com