Apple : 8 easy steps to beat Microsoft (and Google)

Apple: 8 Easy Steps to Beat
Microsoft (and Google)
Paris, July 2010

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons to allow for further contributions by other
experts and web users in the coming months.

To view a copy of this Attribution – NonCommercial – ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 1712nd
Street, Suite300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

..…….

July 2010 • Apple Study 2

Table of contents

Introduction

Step #1: Believe in the simple
Step #2: Design a full experience
Step #3: Lock customers in
Step #4: Sell at a premium
Step #5: Cross-sell your product line
Step #6: Balance control vs. freedom
Step #7: Think different
Step #8: Assess risks and competition
Conclusion: happily ever after Apple?

Appendixes: Glossary

..…….


Why and how did Apple beat
Google & Microsoft?

Microsoft
Google
Apple

In 6 years, Apple’s market cap outweighed
both the new and old tech champions
..…….
Source: Bloomberg July 2010 • Apple Study 4

Step #1: Believe in the simple

Apple: the arrogance of simplicity

..…….

June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 5

What is Apple’s design process?

“When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with
are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, […] you can often
times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions.” Steve Jobs1

Apple identifies needs and use cases to make
decisions about function and technologies. Vision
Drops 20 % of non-required functionalities to
perfectly design 80 % of key user needs. Focus
Attention to details leads to excellence in user
experience. Global

..…….
1 Q&A: Jobs on iPod's Cultural Impact, Newsweek, 10/16/2010 July 2010 • Apple Study 6

Case study: iMac (1998)
Simplicity & choices

Simplicity
All-in-one computer
Setup & go

Choices
No floppy disk
No extension stack

..…….


Case study: why does making choices
implies constraint?
“It became an intense and almost religious argument about the purity of the system's
design versus the user's freedom to configure the system he liked.”
Christopher Espinosa (Apple employee #8) speaking about the Macintosh project, 1984

No sign of upcoming blu-ray
“YouTube now supports HD video.” Steve Jobs1
support on Apple computers.

“Other companies tried to do everything on the
Music can only be managed
device itself and made it so complicated that it
through iTunes.
was useless.” Steve Jobs2

“We created an approval process [to] avoid
App Store approval process
applications that degrade the core experience of
as a quality insurance.
the iPhone.” Apple Answers the FCC’s Questions

..…….
1 Emailon 04/14/2010
2 Q&A: Jobs on iPod's Cultural Impact, Newsweek, 10/16/2010

Step #2: Design a full experience

Apple adopts a comprehensive
approach

..…….
UX: User experience July 2010 • Apple Study 9

Apple re-legitimize vertical integration

Customer-centric Business design Focus

Apple goes against
the outsourcing Apple adopts a Apple focuses on a
trend. holistic approach to very lean product
its business. line.
Contrary to industrial
vertical integration, Products Risk management on
Apple uses it to UX technological choices
control the global Financial and consistency at all
experience of its Marketing layers
customers.

App Store contributed to only Apple advertisement are “We’ve reviewed the road map of
1 % in profit!1 designed internally. new products and axed more
than 70 percent of them, keeping
“Pure” financial management Mobile carriers are only allowed the 30 percent that were gems.”
would have required it to be to show their logo at the end.
outsourced as soon as possible. Steve Jobs upon his returning to
Apple in 1997
..…….
1 Source: Piper Jaffray July 2010 • Apple Study 10

Apple’s vertical integration offers three
competitive advantages
“Our competitors, Dell and Compaq, are distribution companies […].
They don’t create anything.”
Steve Jobs, Time, Oct 1999

Simplicity Quality Innovation

Apple does not
Apple acts as an depend on its
abstraction layer. Thanks to hardware suppliers’ technical
and software tight breakthroughs.
Technical complexity integration, Apple’s
hidden behind slick products offers great It can innovate on
and intuitive UI: quality. hardware and
seamless experience. software at its own
pace.

..…….


Case study: the digital music revolution
(2001-2004)

•  Chose high-speed FireWire
instead of USB1
•  Game-changing click wheel
•  Apple’s design guidelines applied

•  iTunes software
•  Available on Mac & PC
•  Simple and reliable software

•  Agreements with the music industry
•  Distribution
•  DRM1

Apple provides a comprehensive music experience
..…….
1 Digital Rights Management (DRM): technologies used by content owners to control usage of music, movies… July 2010 • Apple Study 12

Case study: Apple’s vertical integration
in hardware for consumer electronics

Apple controls every step: it ensures that almost every hardware and
software parts are customized to perfectly fit its needs.
..…….


Step #3: Lock customers in

iTunes’ goal is to lock the consumer in

..…….


iTunes revenues are insignificant

$6.6 bn
Hardware iTunes Store
Software
37% Other software
82% 18%
63% $4.1 bn
$30 bn

Revenue Distribution in 2009

The iTunes Store represented only 11 % of Apple’s revenues in 2009.

..…….
Source: Apple annual reports July 2010 • Apple Study 15

Case study: App Store revenues
are a drop in the bucket

$6.8 bn Revenues generated by iPhone (hardware) sales in 2009
(22 % of Apple’s revenues)

$400 m Revenues generated by App Store sales since its creation

< 1% App Store contribution to gross profit since its creation

Apple authorizes and sometimes promotes apps competitors
to its iTunes Store during keynotes.

..…….
Source: Keynote WWDC 2010, Piper Jaffray July 2010 • Apple Study 16

Yet iTunes’ goal
is to lock the consumer in

iTunes-devices relationship is locked Consumers lock themselves in

One-way sync $100
(Palm controversy) spent per device on av.1

FairPlay 125 m
DRM software invented by Apple, iTunes accounts linked with credit
protecting videos, eBooks, apps2 card (painless buying experience)

Great customer loyalty (user retention/walled garden)
..…….
1 Deutsche Bank.
2 There are no DRM on iTunes Music since 2009.

Step #4: Sell at a premium

Apple’s revenues come from high
margin hardware products

..…….


Case study: Apple’s profit comes from
margins in hardware (iPad)

$499
$110 + Apple margin
Margin:
40 %
Average industry margin
$90 (approx. 30 %)

Cost of sales
$70 (approx. 30 %)

Cost of materials and
$230 manufacturing1

..…….
1 Source: iSuppli July 2010 • Apple Study 19

Big picture: hardware drives
Apple’s gross margin

vs.

iPod iPhone iPhone 3G iPad

Biggest gross margin growth in the industry

..…….
Source: Apple annual reports June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 20

Step #5: Cross-sell your product line

Apple brand appeal drives its product
line

..…….


Who is the iCustomer?
Product line covers all markets, all price ranges, all needs with an accurate segmentation.

Market leader 100m iPhones sold by 2011 (est.) 8 % market share

+ Product lifecycle: each new product implements appealing new features, strongly inducing the
loyal iCustomer to buy new products (iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4)

The iCustomer needs all Apple products to maximize his user experience.

..…….
1 Pricesfor entry-level models.
Source: Apple, Morgan Stanley, Gartner. July 2010 • Apple Study 22

Case study: iPod and iPhone
drives Mac sales

Mac Mac (left axis) iPod and
sales, m iPhone
sales, m
iPod (right axis)
iPhone (right axis)

Halo effect1 + seamless experience with mobile devices requires a Mac

40 % of Apple revenues comes from Mac sales (desktop and laptop).

..…….
1 Haloeffect: e.g. a product (the iPod) has positive effects on our perception of something else (the Apple brand)
Source: Apple annual reports, Oppenheimer July 2010 • Apple Study 23

Integration reinforced by retail strategy

“We want to make the best buying experience in the world […]. It’s impossible to get
knowledge at the point of sale. We can’t thrive in that environment.” Steve Jobs, D2

% revenue from Apple’s retail stores
Number of Apple stores

Contribution to revenue starting to plateau (but profitability sacrificed to enhance buying
experience) but still Apple Stores are a place where the company can:
•  showcase a 100 % Apple environment (to appeal the iCustomer)
•  have a trained sales force selling its products.

Apple Stores fosters the brand appeal and consequently, the halo effect.
..…….
Source: Apple annual reports July 2010 • Apple Study 24

iCustomers will drive Apple’s sales

Apple’s main focus is the consumer market where “every person votes for themselves”
Steve Jobs, D8

However, thanks to its thriving success in B2C, Apple will be able to raise its
market share in B2B

..…….


How did Apple cross the chasm?
iPhone and iPod sales have enabled the Apple brand to cross the chasm.
Example: Amazon Kindle sold 3 m units in its first year. Apple’s iPad did the same in 80 days.

Killer products Immediate
+ mainstream
Brand leverage adoption

..…….
Source: Apple, Electronista July 2010 • Apple Study 26

Step #6: Balance control vs. freedom

Apple needs an ecosystem

..…….


Case study: how Apple failed in the 80’s
“We weren’t so good at partnering with people […]. If Apple could have a little more of
that in its DNA, it would have served it extremely well.” Steve Jobs, D5, 2007

1982: Steve Jobs forces Bill Gates to develop productivity software only for the
Mac
1985: Apple allows Microsoft to use Mac technologies in Windows in exchange of
a Word and Excel upgrade for Macintosh
1988-1995: 7-year legal battle lost by Apple
1995: Launch of Windows 95 has definitively dwarfed Apple’s share in the PC
market
..…….


Lessons learned!
Copyright owners Carriers

Apple: Crucial to iPhone’s success:
•  understood their market •  AT&T first allowed Apple,
structure which had no experience
•  gave them what they wanted in this market, to make the phone
most (DRM for music, they wanted
price control for publishers) •  Set a standard for others

Developers Google

Contrary to the Mac, Apple has attracted
Apple’s keeps partnering with its #1
developers on iOS
competitor because it’s the best at
•  Ground breaking
certain services (native apps on iOS):
revenue sharing
•  Search
•  56 % of US mobile dev
•  Maps
on iPhone
•  YouTube
(90 % are single-platform)1

Apple understood it needed to partner with other players.
..…….
1 Source: Millenial Media July 2010 • Apple Study 29

Mobile application paradigms:
Native Apps vs. Web Apps

Apple’s model put the emphasis on native apps (iPhone SDK), but also
promotes HTML5 (iAd, WebKit). Flash represents “the past”.

..…….
SaaS: Software as a service (see Wikipedia) June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 30

Case study: What is Apple’s vision about
mobile applications?
To Apple HTML5 is a complement to the curated App Store model, providing
developers with liberty and an open architecture.

Near future

Long-term vision: promoting open standards will prevent other players from
excluding Apple, as Microsoft did with its Office proprietary formats.
..…….


Step #7: Think different

Apple uses the cloud to foster a
new computing paradigm.

..…….
From Wikipedia: “Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information
are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid.” June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 32

What was Apple’s vision of computing ?

Personal computer
= only digital hub

Applications and UX
= glue

Devices = media
consumption/creation

..…….


iPad embodies the transition
to post-PC era
“We are scratching the surface on the kind of apps we can build for it. […] One can
create a lot of content on a tablet.” Steve Jobs, D8

New input Progress in
technologies + UI

People will turn to a more intimate and
direct relationship with content

Personal computers Other devices,
are trucks: most including tablets, will
people do not need be mainstream, just
such an extensive as cars are great for
interface. everyday life.

..…….


To make it happen Apple is investing
in cloud

Differentiation Independence

Without cloud computing, Apple
Without cloud computing, Apple
would lose ground before its
would fail to secure reliable
competitors.
infrastructure.
•  Mobile resources are
•  It would be dependent on
constraints (end of Moore’s
competitors (notably Google
law1, battery life), while cloud
and Amazon)
computing enables speech
•  Entry barriers are increasing
recognition, unlimited storage…
(experience maintaining
•  Competitors are already
security and scalability)
differentiating: Google Voice,
Microsoft Office Online…

..…….
1 Moore’s Law: see Wikipedia. July 2010 • Apple Study 35

Three upcoming features
to build an Apple cloud
“We’re working on it”, Steve Jobs, D8, June 2010

MobileMe Streaming New glue

Streaming as a new
The cloud is the new
paradigm for media
glue that links all Apple
consumption
Apple makes MobileMe devices
free for all Apple users
•  Streamlined UX: no
•  Unified storage (iDisk)
more downloading/buying
Devices will be synced •  Streaming vs.
•  Media & entertainment
wirelessly downloading
as a service
•  Would greatly improve
•  Monetisation: via
the iPad
Quattro Wireless1

Apple bought Lala (an online
music store) in 2009,
presumably to build up a
cloud-based iTunes.com
..…….
1 Quattro Wireless is a mobile advertising agency bought by Apple in January 2010. July 2010 • Apple Study 36

Fostering a new Apple environment

Decentralisation

Glue = iTunes.com
and MobileMe

Variety of devices

..…….


Step #8: Assess risks and competition

Apple’s notion of control is the
company’s greatest risk

..…….

June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 38

Overview of Apple, Microsoft and Google

..…….
Source: Google Finance, IPO June 2010 • Apple Study v1.0 39

Will iOS vs Android be the revival of
Macintosh vs. Windows?

Apple: control and decide Microsoft & Google: dominate and divide

Focus on one strategic
Tight control on all
layer
aspects of UX
(Windows, Search)
The firm cannot support
They create competition
all development cost and
to let others innovate in
must focus on a few
all remaining layers
products.
(hardware, web…)

Microsoft Office (at the beginning only available 1985: Bill Gates begs Apple to consider licensing
for the Macintosh platform) was instrumental in the Macintosh: “Apple must make Macintosh a
fostering its sales. standard”.

1996: “If we had licensed earlier, we would be
the Microsoft of today” (Apple executive VP Ian
W. Diery)

The same year, Apple reports $740 m loss.

..…….


Differences in business models
explain why Google and Apple compete
Apple Google

Freely adapted from a comment by Dominique de Vito on affordance.info
Car dealer Road Toll
Apple sells “great products”. Attacks Monetises web streams via ads.

Differentiation: strives on selecting Volume: an Internet that is more
the best technologies available open increases the traffic, which
(Google’s when they’re the best). increases Google’s revenues.

“I’ve always wanted to own the […] “[We don’t want] a future with one
technology in everything I do” man, one company, one carrier”
Steve Jobs1 Vic Gundotra, Google VP, Engineering2

..…….
1 BusinessWeek Online, Oct. 12, 2004
2 Google I/O 2010

Worst-case scenario:
How could Android kill iOS?

Technological value User base Complementary goods

Android benefits from
Android Market
open innovation.
Android supports a fosters developers’
variety of devices. freedom.
Apple’s walled
garden prevents
Only Apple products App Store approval
others from innovating
can use iOS. process is not
in input method,
flexible.
hardware…

Swype, an alternative input Ford, GM announced a line of Developers’ opinion: Android best
method replacing the Android “Android cars” in the long term1
keyboard

Apple’s vertical integration prevents partnerships: why would Apple let
others compete with one of its layer?
..…….
1 Appcelerator study July 2010 • Apple Study 42

What are Apple’s main short-term risks?

Product Brand image Steve Jobs

Apple’s strategy is a
Apple’s strategy of strict Apple’s nightmare began
limited number of high
product control can come with Jobs’ departure and
quality products.
across as evil. ended with his return.
If a products had to be
Developer lock-in: Xcode Its capacity to focus may
recalled, it would
(only IDE3), Objective-C be significantly impeded
dramatically impact the
(only language) without him
brand.

Heating issue in Apple III released in “We have created for the first time in all “Apple desperately needs a great day-to-
1980, due to Steve Jobs’ insistence that history, a garden of pure ideology, where day manager, visionary, leader and
the computer should have no fans. each worker may bloom secure from the politician. The only person who’s
pests of contradictory and confusing qualified to run this company was
iPhone 4 antenna controversy truths.” crucified 2,000 years ago.”
Michael Murphy, San Francisco
Steve Jobs speaking about the App Chronicle, September 11, 1997
Store?
No. Dictator representing IBM in Apple’s
famous “1984” ads. 2 ..…….
1 BusinessWeek
2 Apple’s Mistake by Paul Graham 3Integrated Development Environment July 2010 • Apple Study 43

Conclusion: happily ever after Apple?

Step #9: you can’t afford to make the
slightest mistake?

..…….


Appendix

1.  Glossary
2.  Acknowledgements
3.  Contact

..…….


Glossary

•  Digital Rights Management (DRM): technologies used by content owners to
control usage of contents
•  DX (D5, D8…): The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference
•  Halo effect: a product (the iPod) has positive effects on our perception of something
else (the Apple brand)
•  Moore’s law: “The number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an
integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years.” (see Wikipedia)
•  IDE: integrated development environment (see Wikipedia)
•  iOS: iPhone OS (operating system)
•  SaaS: Software as a Service (see Wikipedia)
•  Software Development Kit (SDK): set of development tools that allows for the
creation of applications (from Wikipedia)
•  UI: user interface
•  UX: user experience
•  Vendor lock-in: makes a customer dependent on a vendor for products and
services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs (see
Wikipedia)
•  WWDC: Apple WorldWide Developers Conference
..…….


Acknowledgements

•  Mr. Gilles Dounès (MacPlus)
•  Mr. Christophe Laporte (Mac Génération)
•  Dr. Christian Chabrerie (Founder and CEO of MobiNear, professor at École Centrale
Paris)

•  To our faberNovel contributors:
•  Sabrina Distinguin
•  Estelle Specque
•  Matthieu Lecomte
•  Romain Perrier

..…….


Stéphane Distinguin Cyril Vart
Founder & CEO VP Strategy & Development
stephane.distinguin@fabernovel.com cyril.vart@fabernovel.com

Baptiste Benezet Clément Ravouna
Senior Project Designer Project Analyst
baptiste.benezet@fabernovel.com clement.ravouna@fabernovel.com

Johan Ismaël Charles-Axel Dein
Project Analyst Assistant Project Analyst Assistant
johan.ismael@fabernovel.com charles-axel.dein@fabernovel.com

17, rue du faubourg du Temple 75010 Paris
Tél. : +33 1 42 72 20 04
Fax. : +33 1 42 72 20 03
www.fabernovel.com

..…….


Apple : 8 easy steps to beat Microsoft (and Google)

More Related Content

What's hot (17)

Similar to Apple : 8 easy steps to beat Microsoft (and Google) (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Apple : 8 easy steps to beat Microsoft (and Google)