Integration Modularization in Technology

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The theory is that an integrated product wins at the beginning, because all products are not good enough. But overtime, the madr product will catch up and then by virtue of having competition at the different layers of the stack, will drive prices down. It will also actually end ot being better. And so you saw that in the case with apple, where i o s and the iphone got large enough, quickly enough that even though android did come along, it never peal off the equal system that apple had already built.

Ben and James discuss the downsides of monopoly, and Apple. Then, why there is no absolute answer when it comes to integration or modularization, and why different approaches require different types of organizations and different types of leaders.

Links

Ben Thompson: Integration and Monopoly — Stratechery
Ben Thompson: Facebook and the Cost of Monopoly — Stratechery
John Gruber: 16-Inch MacBook Pro First Impressions: Great Keyboard, Outstanding Speakers — Daring Fireball
Ben Thompson: Apple’s Organizational Crossroads — Stratechery
Ben Thompson: Why Microsoft’s Reorganization Is a Bad Idea — Stratechery

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