Despite beating Dell at the commodity PC game, HP has killed its TouchPad product and is looking to exit the PC business altogether to focus on higher-margin business (enterprise hardware, services, etc.). With WebOS gone from the mobile market, Apple's platform has fewer competitors, though Google is left (and Microsoft; but partnering with Microsoft can work out differently than expected, and even proving MSFT wrong won't lead to any contrition).
Who will be left to make a quality product?
In news from the other side of the globe, Apple has passed Lenovo in share of the China market (in sales; but remember, unit share isn't profit share). In mobile computers, DisplaySearch reckons that iPads are notebook computers and on that basis concluded that Apple became the worldwide leader in notebook unit volume during the second quarter of 2011 and in that quarter sold just more than 1 of every 5 notebooks sold worldwide. To the extent that platform market share reflects its "stickiness" and serves as a competitive advantage, Apple may have a real and growing platform advantage not just from hipness, but from the virtuous cycle of customers and developer resources being attracted to one another.
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