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The most popular product of all time
Asymco ^ | July 29, 2016 | Horace Dediu

Posted on 07/29/2016 6:55:38 PM PDT by Swordmaker

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To: Shadowstrike

We had a (think) 1983 station wagon and it was a fantastic car.


61 posted on 07/29/2016 8:23:54 PM PDT by Gator113 ( Go Trump, Go! Just livin' life my way. Don't worry, everything's gonna be alright. 👍 &#1)
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To: Swordmaker

Durable goods: Designed to last 5-7 years. Your fridge, washer, dryer, kitchen appliances including the range, water heater, car, etc.

Consumables include EVERYTHING designed to last less than that length of time. Foodstuffs are a wholly different category.


62 posted on 07/29/2016 8:29:37 PM PDT by Don W ( When blacks riot, neighborhoods and cities burn. When whites riot, nations and continents burn.)
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To: Swordmaker
Okay, Thriller sold 70 million, while Dark Side of the Moon sold approximately 45 million albums. There is absolutely no comparison quality-wise, and influence-wise of both "products". People will be listening to DSOTM one hundred years from now, if their lucky.
63 posted on 07/29/2016 8:37:31 PM PDT by gigster (Cogito, Ergo, Ronaldus Magnus Conservatus)
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To: Swordmaker

Trojans.


64 posted on 07/29/2016 8:41:32 PM PDT by bigbob (The Hillary indictment will have to come from us.)
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To: Delta 21
To think that smart phones aren't meant to be consumables would require a measured amount of denial. :)

No, because Apple has always supported trade-ins and the trade-ins are resold. There is a thriving re-sale market in older iPhones for models as far back as the iPhone 3GS, which was release seven years ago. If they were intended to be consumable, Apple would not make them with such longevity that they would last so long.

My original first model iPhone, purchase on June 29, 2007, the first day they were available was used by various members of my family as a phone until March of 2014, with its original battery still taking a charge. That month it was finally retired as a phone and given to my three year old granddaughter to be used as an iPod touch, for which it is STILL being used today, still with its original over nine year old battery, which holds a charge for 24 hours! My granddaughter, who will turn five in December, loves her iPod, on which she plays games. It's perfect for her use. She's very careful with it. It is happily running iOS 5, if I recall correctly.

All other iPhones I've owned have either been handed down to other family members or sold for somewhere about 60% of their new price. . . far more than enough to pay for the initial cost of the next contract price for the new one.

That iPhone is still going strong. . . it has not proved to be disposable. The original iPad I bought in 2010 is still going strong also as a hand-me-down in the family, although we did have to replace the screen after a very tragic encounter with a cat, gravity, and a floor. I did the screen replacement. . . which cost me all of $16. It too is still running on the original battery, although it cannot be upgraded anymore.

YOU may be used to cheap consumable cellular smart phones, but apparently you have not used Apple products. The total cost of owning an Apple is ALWAYS less when you figure out you can sell your old Apple for such a high price when you are finished with it. My office is selling some SEVEN YEAR OLD iMacs that we have amortized completely. . . the value of the seven year old Macs is between $400 and $500. We bought them brand new for around $1100 each in 2009, so if we realize $500 for them, the cost per year to own these iMacs is only $85 per year each. That's very inexpensive. Of these iMacs, during the seven years, I've had to replace only one hard drive that went south on us out of twelve iMacs. That's it.

Try that with any Windows PC, which will usually have ZERO resale value at the end of its usable life. . . which is, from my experience at other Windows PC using clients with Dell products, less than five years before needing replacements. There, we are looking at yearly costs of around $135 per year plus the cost of subscriptions to anti-malware, something totally unnecessary on a Mac.

Total cost of ownership for the Apple is lower because Apple builds are better.

65 posted on 07/29/2016 8:43:12 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: Swordmaker

I have never even heard of the album Thriller.


66 posted on 07/29/2016 8:43:43 PM PDT by Fiji Hill
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To: AFreeBird
Consumable or not, I have to go with bacon as well.

There's a restaurant in Stockton called FATS, it's a Chinese name, that sells a BLT that has ONE POUND of bacon on it. . . I dare anyone to try and eat it. . .

67 posted on 07/29/2016 8:45:19 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: Fiji Hill

Oh yeah, that was that Quincy Jones album that had Michael Jackson singing on it.


68 posted on 07/29/2016 8:45:47 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Swordmaker

I don’t see the iPhone as being that good of a product culturally. People’s behaviors and attitudes have changed because of it, some not so good. Wasn’t there a murder committed in France only last week or so where the murderer recorded it on his phone? We are seeing many more instances of this kind of behavior lately.


69 posted on 07/29/2016 8:46:06 PM PDT by gigster (Cogito, Ergo, Ronaldus Magnus Conservatus)
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To: Fiji Hill

“I have never even heard of the album Thriller.”

You’re kidding?

I’m as 83 year old woman and even I have heard of it.

.


70 posted on 07/29/2016 8:47:18 PM PDT by Mears
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To: Don W

“last 5-7 years”

Then either the knife or the bowl would clearly be the most popular product- ever.
By far.
I’d say the knife.

Blankets, spoons and forks would be higher on the list than anything mentioned in the article.


71 posted on 07/29/2016 8:48:11 PM PDT by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: HonkyTonkMan
Not sure you mentioned it, but is there about 750 ppl on the ping list?

I mean surely somebody has contacted the Guinness people to record this worthy accomplishment. And the oldest ping list! That's really noteworthy.

There is. . . and I am not positive it is the oldest ping list still operating. I started it back around 2003 or so. But I was referring to Tech Ping lists when I was referring to oldest ping list. There might be older general interest ping lists. The cat picture ping list might be older. . . and that's limited to FreeRepublic.

72 posted on 07/29/2016 8:48:51 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: Phillyred
Android as an operating system has sold far more than iphone ios.

Google will not even admit that it is sold, because it isn't and cannot be, according to its license. . . nor will they claim that it is a product.

73 posted on 07/29/2016 8:51:14 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: kosciusko51
Apple, and all smartphone companies, seem to follow this pattern.

You're right. Regular upgrades to get people to buy again. A trend across most industries nowadays. Just when you get comfortable with something, an upgrade comes along. Once every couple years is okay, every year or less is too soon.

74 posted on 07/29/2016 8:52:52 PM PDT by roadcat
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To: Swordmaker

If,you want to count every individual item sold, you’d have to say grapes, grass seed, and sand for the kiddies sandbox.


75 posted on 07/29/2016 8:54:26 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: dangerdoc
The top cell phone designers have their own spin on the idea, Apple included a non user-replaceable battery and Samsung quits releasing software updates.

Apple batteries are intended for 5000 charge recharge cycle and Apple will replace your battery for a fee, and there are thousands of third-party entrepreneurs who use Apple's supplied instructions to also replace the batteries (That's part of Apple's business model of building an ecosystem). Both Samsung and Apple will stop releasing OS upgrades when the hardware can no longer support the software. I am not sure that counts as "planned obsolescence" or rather just the march of progress.

76 posted on 07/29/2016 8:56:07 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: Swordmaker

Coke?


77 posted on 07/29/2016 8:56:10 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
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To: right way right
Of course he works Apple, though maybe not paid specifically to spam websites. He vociferously denies it, as blatant advertising is not allowed on FR as it would be if he were paid to do so.

His ping list is allegedly for technical advice to the Apple crowd, but you will be hard pressed to find more that a very few tech postings, most being Apple cheerleading and product advertising.

There may be some other company that gets spam coverage lile Apple, but darn if I can recall seeing it. MS generally just gets bashed without mercy.

78 posted on 07/29/2016 8:58:04 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: dangerdoc
Not quite, they are designed to fail after a certain period of time.

Back in 1961 my dad bought a Curtis Mathes console TV and Stereo. It had a one year all-included warranty. One year and one week from the day we purchased that system, every tube in it blew out! All 97 went BLOOOUUUUIIIIIEEEE! My dad was convinced it was designed to do that!

79 posted on 07/29/2016 8:58:52 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue..)
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To: Swordmaker

I am a big car-guy from way back, but I have to ask the question: Where does the Ford F-150 pickup truck come on this list. I can’t find the number to back up my suspicion that the Ford,( I’m a Mopar Guy.) would place high on the list


80 posted on 07/29/2016 8:59:15 PM PDT by gigster (Cogito, Ergo, Ronaldus Magnus Conservatus)
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