Simplicity in Second Place
Seth Godin has a snack for conveying the obvious with pithy brilliance.
This time, it's his post about The Frontrunner Paradox
His last point about the risks of those not in the lead is quite apparent. When the spotlight isn't so much on you, there's a freedom to run a little wilder and carve a niche for yourself that the glacier-like corporations can't possibly match.
While I'm sure they're their own glacier in many ways, my recent experience purchasing a Mac has taught me that the market leader, in this case Microsoft (and the entire PC market), is clearly a lot of less innovative than the second place Apple. Is it because they're behind and striving to catch up? Is it because they didn't strike the exclusive, open-platform type of deals which have thrusted Bill Gates to the top of the heap? What is it about this cute little easy to use computer with built in video conferencing and no marketing-ware that makes it better, yet not completely uber-mainstream?
The more I use it, the more I come back to one amazing word: Simplicity
Probably the most interesting aspect I've come across this week is, why do all the sales people at the Apple Store have t-shirts on which say "Go Beyond Vista"? Why are they promoting their competitors? Why do they feel the need to call them out and say 'I'm better'?
It's all very intruiging, and I'll really try not to make every blog post from here on out about my mac...but they're making it damn hard.
This time, it's his post about The Frontrunner Paradox
His last point about the risks of those not in the lead is quite apparent. When the spotlight isn't so much on you, there's a freedom to run a little wilder and carve a niche for yourself that the glacier-like corporations can't possibly match.
While I'm sure they're their own glacier in many ways, my recent experience purchasing a Mac has taught me that the market leader, in this case Microsoft (and the entire PC market), is clearly a lot of less innovative than the second place Apple. Is it because they're behind and striving to catch up? Is it because they didn't strike the exclusive, open-platform type of deals which have thrusted Bill Gates to the top of the heap? What is it about this cute little easy to use computer with built in video conferencing and no marketing-ware that makes it better, yet not completely uber-mainstream?
The more I use it, the more I come back to one amazing word: Simplicity
Probably the most interesting aspect I've come across this week is, why do all the sales people at the Apple Store have t-shirts on which say "Go Beyond Vista"? Why are they promoting their competitors? Why do they feel the need to call them out and say 'I'm better'?
It's all very intruiging, and I'll really try not to make every blog post from here on out about my mac...but they're making it damn hard.
posted by Andy at
9:21 PM
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