Moats Illustrated:  Apple Corporation

Slate.com reports:Steve Jobs has gone from producing a computer—the original Macintosh—that he called "insanely great" to producing a computer—the iPad—that is totally insane. Actually, the iPad and its silicon predecessors, the iPod Touch and iPhone, aren't insane. What's insane is the perimeter mines, tank traps, revetments, and glacis he's deployed around these shiny devices to slow software developers to a crawl so he can funnel them through his rapacious toll booth and collect a sweet vig before he'll let their programs run on your new iDevice.Key Excerpts:Apple wants to play gatekeeper so it can establish itself as toll-taker.In Stogdill's telling analogy, you "aren't buying a computer when you buy an iPad, you are buying a 16GB Walmart store shelf that fits on your lap—complete with all the supplier beat downs, slotting fees, and exclusive deals that go with it—and Apple got you to pay for the building."Full ArticleA look back at Apple Corporation, circa 2003.

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