Special Report: Apple’s Strategic Shift: Whether they knew it or not, the development of the iPod signalled Apple’s move toward consumer products and will allow them to rely less on computer sales alone. This is an excellent series of articles about how Apple is reinventing itself and why the Windows world should pay attention.
“‘They are redefining what kind of company they are.’ Indeed, the release of iPod for Windows last August established the demarcation line in an extraordinary strategic change for Apple, a company that over the past two decades has steadfastly refused to loosen its control over the creation, manufacturing, or distribution of its products.”
I believe that Apple's shift is about much more than broadening its product line to include consumer products; it's about making technology more accessible by making the hardware and software that people use work together more seamlessly. Right now the focus is on computers (with e-mail, internet, digital content, etc...), mp3 players, digital cameras, pda's, and whatever else you can think of having your computer do. Next it will be the ability to set up or control your TV, VCR/DVD player, telephone, refrigerator, alarm clock, HVAC system, water heater, room lighting, etc... from your computer. If you think about it, all of these devices have digital controls at some level, but they all operate independently and need to be maintained independently. Jobs' vision is about making gadgets work together to keep them from controlling our lives. But then again, he may be out to just sell toys.
This is the same kind of thing that Gateway is doing. I think this is the way to go. Computers and consumer electronics are going to collide in a big way in the coming years.
