Linked List: August 8, 2014

Friday, 8 August 2014

How India Is Different Than China 

Ben Thompson, regarding the aforelinked Bloomberg piece on Apple selling the iPhone 4 in India:

Ultimately, I think these numbers confirm my hypothesis: Apple is indeed the preferred vendor for people at the top of the market, but because the iPhone is priced (about) the same everywhere in the world, its market share is a function of a country’s average income and the way in which that income is distributed.

To be fair, this is hardly a controversial thesis: the more pertinent takeaway is that as long as Apple has globally available iPhones (which I don’t think will ever change), the chief constraint on Apple going downmarket in countries like India is the risk of forgoing profits in countries like China or in the West, both of which have plenty of people who can afford Apple’s prices. That’s why I continue to doubt we’ll see Apple abandon its lower-cost iPhone = old iPhone strategy in favor of releasing a new-to-the-world low cost device.

The iPhone in India 

Bianca Vázquez Toness, reporting for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc., which has struggled in emerging markets because of the price of its new iPhones, has devised a strategy for India that’s starting to pay off: It’s pushing older models that offer cachet at affordable prices.

The iPhone 4, which was released in the U.S. in June 2010, is still available. So is the iPhone 4s that went on sale in October 2011.

“You flaunt an iPhone, but you don’t flaunt an Android,” said Punit Mathur, a 42-year-old vice president of a digital media company who switched to a new iPhone 4s from a Nexus 4. An iPhone 5s that would cost 53,500 rupees ($874) is too expensive, “but the 4s is still an upgrade,” he said.

That’s one quote from one guy, and I’m sure there are literally millions of Indian mobile phone buyers who have no desire to “flaunt” an iPhone, who genuinely prefer Android, etc. But there are millions of people who do see the iPhone — even older ones — as carrying a prestige.

For developers, though, this strategy means supporting older hardware for years longer than we’ve been used to here in the U.S., at least for apps targeting a worldwide audience.

The Best Beer in Baseball 

The Washington Post ranks every ballpark in Major League Baseball by the quality and breadth of their beer offerings. Yankee Stadium gets rightly nailed: their beer selection truly stinks. The Phillies’ Citizen’s Bank Park scores pretty well, and rightly so.

The Verge: ‘This Is How You’ll Charge a Moto 360 Smartwatch’ 

It looks like Motorola’s designers tried to draw as much attention as they could to the 360’s stupid flat-tire display shape.

The only way this could get funnier would be if it doesn’t even ship until after Apple announces their wrist wearable thing next month.

Layer Tennis: Season 4 

“There go our Fridays”, indeed.