iPhone Teaches Mac a Thing or Two:
If the vast majority of Apple's active customers are using the most recent releases of its services on Macs, iPads, iPhones, and even the Apple TV, then Apple can innovate faster. It knows who its customers are, and it knows how many will be able to tap into new features and services. This enables Apple to move millions upon millions of customers forward more quickly than any.
The Mac came first, but the iPhone and iPad are what rocketed Apple to the top of the consumer technology mountain. The thing is, while the iPhone was a great phone -- and while the iPhone 5s is still a great phone -- the head-scratching success of Apple's mobile device sales is only partially due to the hardware and OS itself.
Apple's success is all about how well Apple creates, connects and distributes its entire hardware and software ecosystem.
Taking the Leap
When Apple announced that it would offer its next generation of Mac OS X for free, it wasn't just playing the free card. Apple was incorporating the Mac into its ecosystem- building strategy in the best way possible: OS advancement.
While Microsoft ties a cinderblock around its ankles with its varied and confusing versions of its OSes -- along with pricing -- and then dips in a toe to test the buying waters, the whole mess just flounders. However, it's not floundering just because of the price. It flounders because the ecosystem is hard for many consumers to understand, and when it's time to upgrade, the reasons and the hows and costs are a pain to figure out.
Not so with Apple. The company in Cupertino creates just one hurdle for its consumers: buying the hardware the first time at a premium price. If a customer can get over the price, every interaction after the initial credit card transaction makes the purchase better and better over time.
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