From there, the conversation would tail off in another direction but I always remember thinking wishfully to myself that if Apple ever did rule the world again, what a fantastic problem it would be. Instead of having our future dictated to us by a company who didn’t even care enough to fix a broken web browser for over five years, we’d have our future dictated to us by a company who produced the most wonderful products in the world. The dream seemed so far-fetched, however, that it was easy to miss the potential for nightmare in it.

In fact consumers never really were paying for content, and publishers weren't really selling it either. If the content was what they were selling, why has the price of books or music or movies always depended mostly on the format? Why didn't better content cost more?

Bedrijven die zich de afgelopen vijftien jaar hebben gericht op verhoging van de winst voor hun aandeelhouders, blijken juist slechter te presteren dan bedrijven die zich niet volledig op de aandeelhouders hebben gefocust, constateert Pieter Jan Bezemer (27) in zijn promotieonderzoek dat hij vrijdag verdedigt aan de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. ‘De structurele onderprestatie van deze bedrijven wordt veroorzaakt doordat zij te veel focussen op de korte termijn en daardoor hun binding met de Nederlandse maatschappij deels verliezen.’

For Apple, which has enjoyed enormous success in recent years, “build it and they will pay” is business as usual. But it’s not a universal business truth. On the contrary, companies like Ikea, H. & M., and the makers of the Flip video camera are flourishing not by selling products or services that are “far better” than anyone else’s but by selling things that aren’t bad and cost a lot less. These products are much better than the cheap stuff you used to buy at Woolworth, and they tend to be appealingly styled, but, unlike Apple, the companies aren’t trying to build the best mousetrap out there. Instead, they’re engaged in what Wired recently christened the “good-enough revolution.” For them, the key to success isn’t excellence. It’s well-priced adequacy.