I recall reading an article a few years ago about Harley-Davidson's conundrum: strong loyal fanbase, but that very...

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I recall reading an article a few years ago about Harley-Davidson's conundrum: strong loyal fanbase, but that very same loyalty preventing HD from innovating their product line. For example, the article spoke of the poor sales figures of the Z-Rod against traditionalists who didn't want to see the engine, chassis or any other design change.

Apple seems to be falling into the same Catch-22. A strong and loyal (some might claim, blindly loyal) user-base that will end up holding innovation back.
http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwlaGzpAk

Comments

Jason ON said…
It's not blaming the users, but rather blaming the hole Apple dug for itself. When you have a fanatical fanbase you must meet the needs of that fanbase or risk backlash.

Windows is a good example. With both Vista and 8 they made radical changes that upset their user base resulting in a strong opposition to their move. Apple would face the same repercussions if they decided to run instead of walk.
March 21, 2014 at 3:24 PM
Jason ON said…
You're arguing points that haven't been brought into the discussion. We're not discussing Samsung, we're discussing Apple and their user base. What you're trying with your Samsung argument is called false equivalency.

Do you have any fault with the article's points?
March 21, 2014 at 4:23 PM
Steve Ruge said…
Why are people on G+ so obsessed over Apple and what their owners are doing?  I suggest the only people holding any innovation back are Apple themselves. It's widely known that as a company they prefer to do small incremental updates. Saying people are dumb because they choose Apple products only makes yourself look poor and foolish. People choose tech because it suits their needs at the time - not because of any 'blind loyalty' unless that means people just keep buying the same thing over and over again because it simply works. What a horrible idea. Then again the article does come from Forbes.
March 21, 2014 at 7:24 PM
S. LeBeau Kpadenou said…
Alice Cabrera Steve Ruge People on G+ talk about Apple so much because we talk about technology so much, and Apple is an important subset of that subject. We trash Apple so much for the same reason we trash Verizon, Comcast: we feel it is a powerful company using its power to prey on the uninformed with substandard products marketed dishonestly so they can become more dominant, leave the market in shambles, and then prey on the rest of us. This isn't what I FEEL, it is what I have concluded from the evidence. If you FEEL I'm wrong, present some evidence.
Also, Jason ON, the link incorrectly is labeled Google.com, rather than Forbes.
March 21, 2014 at 10:57 PM
Jason ON said…
S. LeBeau Kpadenou, it's shared from Google's Newsstand app on Android, hence the Google.com redirect.
March 22, 2014 at 3:48 PM
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