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Reading Steve Jobs‘ biography written by Walter Isaacson, one could see that Steve Jobs had wanted to create his own wireless carrier. Steve Jobs had always obsessed with making sure that Apple would be the one that got the final say on user experience. Steve Jobs had not wanted to have Apple’s partners dictated how the users would see Apple products, therefore he had decided to create his own retail stores (i.e., Apple stores). The same thing could be said how Steve Jobs took the wall garden approach to Apple applications as these were and are being tightly integrated and guarded within Apple App Store. So, it was painful for Steve Jobs to see that he had to put up with how things weren’t in his control when it came down to wireless network. Perhaps for certain difficulties that proved to be too illusive to solve when it came to create a wireless carrier, therefore he had abandoned the approach and copulated with AT&T exclusively from the start. Of course, now we know that Apple folks are at the point where they will work with just any carrier, and so the exclusivity which AT&T enjoyed earlier is no longer in place. This explains how Verizon and the rest got to sell iPhone 4S.
Image by stevegarfield via Flickr
The question is this, is it wise to use Steve Jobs’ wall garden approach for everything, even with wireless carrier, so the business could provide better user experience and boost bottom line? I think in some moving parts that responsible for the health of certain businesses, it’s not wise to use wall garden approach. Why? Perhaps, when a business is well known for not being talented with something might take the wrong approach and end up creating a disaster. With that being said, I still think Steve Jobs is right about Apple should have its very own wireless carrier. After all, what is important most to a business should be run by its own master to ensure the ultimate customer experience stays positive!
Just imagine several major wireless carriers could band together to form a coalition of sort to demand Apple to work with them in limited terms, would this be unreasonable to Apple? Perhaps, because Apple might not be able to provide the ultimate customer/user experience when Apple could not dictate how their very own customers/users enjoy staying connected. Some people might argue that Apple should be OK as long their products sell in millions. Sure, Apple could make its competitors rage with envy when it comes down to selling products, but customers could eventually hate Apple for not providing better customer/user experience. Perhaps this was why Steve Jobs knew and created Apple’s own retailer stores while his advisors were against the very idea in the first place. Steve Jobs’s advisors and colleagues pointed out that Dell did not own retailer stores and yet had been doing fine; also, HP and others were doing fine without owning their own retailer stores for they worked with various retailer distributors such as Best Buy. Steve Jobs was right as Apple stores boosted Apple sales. As seeing the success of Apple stores, I have to wonder should Apple be even more successful if it had its own wireless carrier?
Wireless carriers are a major part of determining how customers/users feel about Apple products, this is why Steve Jobs might have been right about having Apple to run its own wireless carrier. To explain why wireless carriers are a major moving part of Apple’s overall business strategy, one has to recognize that without reliable and fast wireless carriers, Apple products are just cumbersome and dull; perhaps with few self-contained software and games. This might not be enough for today customers/users since today world emphasizes more on staying connected with the Internet (i.e., the world). This explains why data can determine customers/users’ interests and joys and connections and social interactions and e-commerce and everything. Therefore, Apple products end up just represent the hardware side, and we know when hardware have no software, nobody would care! In today world, we also to have acknowledge that when hardware have no data, nobody would care! This is why as one appreciates the wall garden approach of Steve Jobs, one has to recognize Apple needs to create its own wireless carrier.
As now, major wireless carriers complain users are using too much data that put strains on their networks. Instead of finding real solutions to make customers/users stay happy, several major wireless networks have combatted heavy data by selling limited wireless plans; they think limiting how customers/users use data might deter users from using too much data. Raising costs and limiting users the ability to use wireless networks freely, I fear one cannot say customers/users are having good experience with wireless carriers. I don’t think the ultimate experience of using something is to be limited. It is not so good experience when one can only watch half of a great film and not the rest. It is not so good experience when one can only lick a cake but not eat it. It is not so good experience when one can only smell the wine but not drink it. So on and so on… Therefore it’s not so good experience when one cannot stream data on the go freely. This is why it’s not a bad idea to see even if there is only one more wireless carrier enters the wireless market to boost competition, lower down the costs, and improve customer/user experience. Should Apple be the one more wireless carrier to make Apple users happier?
It’s a hypocrite of me to support open movement and not so a fish tank approach to mobile apps and yet I wish Steve Jobs’ own wireless carrier should have happened. Still, for Apple users’ greater good, I like the idea of Apple having its own wireless carrier (Hint: notice how I say for Apple users’ greater good only). I think with Apple’s own wireless carrier, Apple can carry out its wall garden approach fully to improve customer/user experience. Of course, I think wall garden approach only works when Apple truly wants to improve the customer/user experience and not just pushing for greater profits. If what being read in Steve Jobs’ biography written by Walter Isaacson are mostly true, then one could see Steve Jobs were more interested in making excellent products than just making more money. It also explained how the come back of Steve Jobs to Apple board had allowed Apple not only survived the almost bankruptcy but thrived and became one of the most valuable companies in the country. So, my point is that Apple might continue to rise even more by putting Steve Jobs’ original intention to work as in creating Apple wireless carrier.
On the side note: Even Google is slowly experimenting in building its own broadband. Perhaps too Google will build its own wireless carrier. Why? I think Google knows that it cannot be too happy to allow today major broadband and wireless carriers have all the saying in how Google users should use Google data. Just imagine what if Internet users experience data throttling by major broadband and wireless carriers, how Google be sure its users would be able to enjoy Google data fully? Google is in the business of marketing and more, and when users could not reach an ad or two and a service or two, it might be costly for Google’s bottom line to not do something to prevent such things from happening. Should Apple take note from Google on the matter of creating one’s own broadband/wireless carrier? I think very yes so!
Back in the early November, I had mentioned of Republic Wireless which offered $19 unlimited wireless plan per month, but I also pointed out how Republic Wireless $19 unlimited wireless plan could only truly be unlimited if users hogged their Wi-Fi networks so users would not have to be throttled when limited minutes, texts, and data are running out. Well, Republic Wireless has just turn up the heat by offering truly unlimited, $19 unlimited wireless plan per month. I feel I’m in love again.
Vinh Nguyen
