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Because it makes customers happy, and thus more likely to purchase from you again in future.

Long term vs. short term.



There are two theses:

1) People purchase products from you because they are happy that they can use those products anywhere.

2) People purchase products from you because they are happy they work on the device/service/ecosystem they've invested in, and they don't have lose their sunk cost.

I feel that 1 is a great lead in for new customers - if they have options. I know that 2 definitely wins in the long run - people want to avoid the pain of their sunk cost. That's why lock-in works.

The core of the issue is that people are asking companies who are wildly successful with locking people in to open up their ecosystem on some nebulous promise of future earnings based in popular goodwill.




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