Guess Who Just Dissed Apple?

I regularly complain about Apple. In particular about how stodgy they've become. About their prices. Well, about lots of things. I have pointed out that they serve an "elite" market. (A market with premium pricing that relies substantially on status and innovation for success, fashion and sports cars being traditional examples.) I have further pointed out that Apple is no longer cool... the tipping point for where the sudden fall starts in such a market.

Paul Krugman of the New York Times has just laid out a case containing many of the points I've been expounding:

On The Symmetry Between Microsoft And Apple - NYTimes.com

True to his economist's roots, he gives his blog post a really boring title. But the post itself is far from boring.

Here's some quotes to get you to read the article:

Back in the 80s, Microsoft and Apple both had operating systems to sell; Apple’s was clearly better. But Apple misunderstood the nature of the market: it said, “We have a better system, so we’re going to make it available only on our own beautiful machines, and charge premium prices.”

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So, my problem with Apple. In general, the thing about Apple is that it reflects the spirit of Steve Jobs, who knew what was good for you — and left you no way to do things differently. And if you are an atypical user, you end up putting a lot of effort into fighting iOS in order to do simple things.

I cannot think of better way for chills to be sent down the spine of the Apple faithful than him writing that post. Could it get Apple to change its ways? I'm not holding my breath.