“Ecosystems are the desired business construct for technology companies. They allow a more consistent and repeatable transaction model and offer a predictability which is sorely lacking in the rapidly when technology changes rapidly,” Horace Dediu writes for Asymco. “It allows a company to define itself on its customers rather than on its products.”
“However, old habits die hard. Regardless of the exhortations of product companies, the notion of being valued on audiences is reserved for the service-oriented,” Dediu writes. “Hence the outburst from Tim Cook at the latest shareholder’s meeting. Reports have him saying that: ‘Apple now has 800 million iOS users and has handled over 16 trillion push notifications, with 40 billion new ones occurring every day. Apple also delivers several billion iMessages and FaceTime requests every day. Cook added that iPad now accounts for 78 percent of all tablets used throughout the enterprise.'”
“Trillions of push notifications aside, the claim that Apple has 800 million iOS users seemed way out of line,” Dediu writes. “This is because the number of iOS devices (excluding Apple TVs) shipped through to the end 2013 was exactly 774,336,000. One could easily imagine another 25 million or so since, giving us about 800 million sold, but I cannot see the number in use being the same, and even if they were, the number of users being the same… Perhaps he was mis-quoted or he mis-spoke but the real question isn’t the exact number but rather the implication that Apple should be seen for its users rather than its quarterly shipments. Them’s fighting words, Mr. Cook.”
Much more in the full article here.
Did this guy forget that the ecosystem isn’t just iOS users? It includes Mac desktops/portables which account for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of users.
Users are users not devices. One device may have more than one user. (spouse, grand kid, …)
And if you’re me, one user can have several iOS 7 devices and 3 Mavericks iMacs. I’m just agreeing that device count != user count.
… log in more than a single person per device – did our iPad get that feature while I wasn’t paying attention? – then an iPad or iPhone counts as One User. And OSX >< iOS – thank Jobs!
My opinion – FWIW – is that 774 million is close enough to 800 million to make it a no never-mind. Like saying the price of a burger is "$8" when it's really only "$7.99" WITH tax.
Did anyone notice his main point?
“but the real question isn’t the exact number but rather the implication that Apple should be seen for its users rather than its quarterly shipments.”
In other words, you are all arguing about the thing that he just said he doesn’t care about: the exact numbers of users. Instead, he is saying he thinks it is important to notice that Tim Cook is focusing on the number of human beings using iOS INSTEAD of just the quarterly shipment of devices.
First, excluding AppleTV is a mistake because AppleTV runs iOS.
Second, I’m sure Tim Cook was throwing out a round number at a shareholder’s meeting. He also didn’t say 16,928,456,256,301 push notifications, either.
Horace needs to find something meaningful to write about. Perhaps he should try to find out Samsung’s actual sales numbers vs. numbers shipped?
Apple itself excludes AppeTV from iOS count, because, even though the OS is indeed a stripped down version of iOS, it is still different. You can not install iPhone application on it.
Not yet, anyway. 😉
Click Whore – OMG – what douchebaggery is this?
“800 million clearly out of line”??? Should he have said 774,336,000? Ridiculous. He rounded up dipwad. And by the end of the meeting there would be another 1/2 million. What a stupid comment.
Rounding Error
Cook probably meant to say I goofed up on the iPhone 5C which aren’t selling as well as we anticipated, but hey, chew on this, we’ve sold about 800 million iOS devices, which by the way directly translates to the number of users, which isn’t true because if we count individual accumulated sales since the beginning of time as users, Windows must have 7 billion users by now.
Does anyone have a home address for this guy?? The reason I ask is that I’ve got a case of Preparation H I tried to send to the White House and they refused it. This anal sphincter has been my second choice for the past coupla weeks.
Address: 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039
Come visit me any time. Don’t forget to ring the front door bell and announce yourself. Just tell the person answering the door that it’s ‘that asshole from MDN’ for Trevor & I’ll let you right in. See ya!
Trevor, I don’t care who you ‘are’. I only care that you’re a persistent troll. As such, go frack yourself. You’re destroying your reputation, whoever you ‘are’. Or don’t you care to be known as sane and honest?
Trevor does not have any friends.
He is just sad and lonely, but he did it to himself…
Speak for yourself. Oh yes, you have. Pretending to know, but clueless just the same.
Destroying your reputation?
HA!
Rest easy cause you have nothing to do with it, D.C. And pigs fly …
Um, hmm. Must be some alternative POV I don’t comprehend. Whatever you say GoeB.
Troll vomit. Clean it up Trevor! 👿
Two types of trolls: Anti-Apple and Pro-Apple.
Both are necessary for a spirited discussion.
It doesn’t sound like Trevor is going to bow to your command, shrink like a violet and nor should he or anyone else for that matter.
Can only wish for a dissenting opinion that is almost spot on, treated with respect and argue the merits sans automatic divisive labeling. And if that is too much to ask, why not take it with a grain of salt and call it a day.
In other words — it’s all good.
Self-righteous indignation coming in 3… 2…1…
I’ve had a multitude of incredible spirited discussions without any trolls. Trolls never discuss anything. They’re all about sadomasochism, which I personally find to be sad and self-destructive. But what really bothers me is the ABUSE such people wreak on others. Whenever I encounter them I turn into Troll Trampler Man! Stompity stomp!
Of course, there’s always that other useful alternative: Don’t Feed The Trolls.
But I do so enjoy making miserable misery mongers so much more miserable. 😉
“800 million iOS users seemed way out of line”
So a guy walks into an Apple store and buys and iPad.
He takes it home and starts using it. Then his wife starts using it. Then their two kids use it to play games.
I count 4 users for one iPad.
Maybe 800 million iOS users is off! It’s SEVERAL 100 million TO LOW. 😎
My thoughts too. While I might contend that 800 million is to low, I doubt it is “SEVERAL 100 million TO [sic] LOW.”
It’s like in the early 80s with the start of home computers. Typically, in households that had them, there was only one per family. Thus there were multiple users per computer. The current iPad situation is likely not too much different in a home environment.
Conversely, if you’re using cell phones rather than land lines you’re unlikely to have multiple users per phone.
100,000,003. there are video documents of at least 3 of the feline family using an ipad.
A more useful measure might be the number of Apple IDs which are attached to iOS devices.
Slicing and dicing Bald Eagles with windmills from Hell.
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/03/05/Apple-comes-out-for-corruption-junk-science-and-crony-capitalism
The opulent corporate headquarters is always a sure sign of the coming company decline.
The source article has been updated:
[Update: Thanks for Philip Elmer-DeWitt’s investigation, Apple clarified that Tim Cook referred to 800 million as the number of iOS devices sold not users of iOS. He was mis-quoted.]
In any case:
Sensationalist title rigging, designed as click-bait. NOT worth reading IMHO. There was no Tim Cook ‘outburst’. As per usual, tech journalism these days is in the pits; High on hype (and substances?), low on content. 😛
Click bait. Hit whore. But he got all of you to read it now didn’t he? Apparently he’s not too stupid.
This guy writing this article is an absolute moron.
With more than a few chips on his shoulder!
How about if multiple people are using a single iOS device!?!?!?
Horace’s next feat: Picking the fly shit outta pepper!