iOS‘ Hauptmerkmal: Die „Top 20%“ der Nutzer

Apple hat im mobilen Plattformduopol die aus Partnerunternehmens- und allgemeiner Ökosystemsicht attraktivsten Nutzer. Die Konsequenzen aus diesem immer deutlicher werdenden Umstand sind kaum zu überschätzen. Apple weitet den Graben außerdem um seine iOS-Plattform gerade massiv aus.

Ben Bajarin auf Tech.pinions(Paywall):

It is becoming overwhelmingly clear that Apple’s near monopoly on the “most profitable” customer base is a huge differentiator for their ecosystem. More importantly, the things they are doing — larger iPhones, Apple Watch, etc., — are all things that increase their grip on the top 20% of customers. What this does is create catalysts for their ecosystem. Apple Pay is a great example of this. With rapid adoption of contactless payments and retail outlets recognizing the benefits of supporting Apple Pay to attract Apple’s valuable customer base, it creates what is, in essence, a network effect. Because Apple’s customers generally are more apt to spend money and are therefore more profitable, they are the type of consumers stores and brands desire to attract. So they will support something like Apple Pay because it drives their end goal.
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Stepping back and looking at the big picture, it certainly feels like there are distinct and clear lines between Apple’s customers and Google’s with Android. Two completely different ecosystems in nearly every way.

Es ist vor allem angesichts des Monsterquartals, das Apple gerade erlebt hat, nicht mehr unwahrscheinlich, dass iOS als Plattform langfristig eine längere und erfolgreichere Lebenszeit haben wird als Windows. Insgesamt.