

Gabe Newell  (Source:
Steam Box has to beat Apple into the living room








Source: Polygon

Comments     Threshold


You're five years too late, Gabe.
By Articuno on 1/31/2013 10:12:02 PM , Rating: -1
It's sad to see that Steam is going to destroy itself just like Microsoft is in its mad, pointless quest to chase Apple's former glory. And for what? The Apple bubble has popped and their profit shares have nowhere to go but down; this isn't 2009 anymore.

Gabe always has a very long term outlook.





RE: You're five years too late, Gabe.
By Tony Swash on 2/1/2013 6:02:08 AM , Rating: 1

A word of caution.

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s many Mac users convinced themselves that the popularity and business success of Microsoft was some sort of temporary aberration, a fluke, and that soon Microsoft would be put in their place as purveyors of substandard ugly software. Because Mac users tended to mostly talk to other Mac users that delusion was sustained for a long time but it's only result was that we suffered a long period of false hope followed by bitter disappointment and, more importantly, completely failed to understand what made Microsoft strong and Apple weak. We became disorientated and depressed because it seemed the tech world had gone wrong, but actually the problem was that we didn't understand the reality of the tech world as it was because the reality of the tech world was so deeply unpalatable. So we hid inside comforting fantasies which felt real because we parroted them back forth to each other.

I notice many people making a similar mistake when convincing themselves that Apple's growth, size and success is some sort of temporary aberration and a big correction is coming that will put Apple in it's place (that place being, of course, a niche player). But it's not going to happen. Apple now have in place all the business components to remain a huge presence in the mobile device market for possibly as long as a decade, certainly for the next five years. Apple will continue to grow (although that growth will slow), will probably double in size, and will be the world's largest tech company by any business metric. Apple's mobile platform, iOS, is going to be the biggest mobile platform by value for a long time, it's possible Android may never equal it in terms of platform value and utilisation. If you wish to avoid disappointment and frustration and if you wish to really understand the dynamics of the modern tech markets you need to accept that reality. You don't have to do that of course, you can continue to find comfort in the idea that the Apple bubble has burst or is about to burst but you will condemn yourself to years of disorientation.

RE: You're five years too late, Gabe.
By retrospooty on 2/1/2013 7:31:57 AM , Rating: 1
Very well said... I don't think Apple is as important as you, obviously, but the jist of it is right on. Apple will remain a big player. This time they got past the bubble that they missed in the early 90's. I don't think the growth will continue, it will level off. That doesn't mean they are going away. They will just go from being ridiculously record breaking profitable to merely extremely profitable and stay there. A great place for a company to be.

By zero2dash on 2/1/2013 9:45:18 AM , Rating: 1
It's sad to see that Steam is going to destroy itself

Yes because Steam's life is utterly dependent on whether the "Steam box" idea succeeds or fails. Surely if it fails, the entire platform gets its plug pulled and the Windows and Mac clients will cease to exist. Think about all the poor gamers who spent their hard earned money on games that they'll never be able to play anymore!!!


