Pelluz

When the iPod first came out, it was written off as a failure-to-be because it didn’t offer various features. It was a choice-limited product and therefore it couldn’t possibly succeed in a market that was all about choice. Rob Glaser, CEO of RealNetworks, even used its choice-limited characteristics as an argument to predict its downfall “five years” later. Funny, that: it’s five years later, and iPods have just passed 100 million sales.

The biggest mistake many technology companies make, whether they’re hardware– or software-oriented, is thinking that consumers want choice, because choice equals freedom. However, what consumers want is satisfaction, and as explained above, too much choice leads to less satisfaction.

Carl Howe, The Secret Behind Apple’s Loyal Customer Base