While the bigger, sophisticated salons and supermarkets snubbed his products, they were very popular with street side local hairdressers because of their availability and significantly lower prices in comparison to the products on the shelves of the big retail outlets.
FORBES: Kenyan Entrepreneur Stands To Make Millions After Sale To L'Oreal
Still, that number pales in comparison to other Apple products.
No more can a local merchant get away with overpricing products that savvy shoppers can comparison price with Amazon.
FORBES: $1,000 For a Dental Crown? Maybe You Should Shop Around
You can even write a comparison (or commission a comparison or review) of your own products and service, if you are explicit about your involvement.
FORBES: 5 Rules: How To Survive (and Thrive) in the Chaos of Current Media
The reason mobile devices have been immune is arguably because in many ways the opportunities to capitalize on weaknesses and flaws in the relatively young operating systems of these new products have been scarce in comparison to the millions of machines running, for example, Windows.
In Google's shopping service, where retailers pay to place products, links to rival shopping comparison websites will be auctioned.
There are millions of websites, small and large, that list the top products in any given category or help you comparison shop.
FORBES: DoubleClick Co-Founder Wants To Help You 'FindTheBest'
Google has been accused in both Europe and the United States of using its dominant position in search to unfairly promote its own products and services -- from travel and shopping comparison engines to advertising and mapping.
Under the new policy, which Google quietly rolled out in mid-October, the company highlights the products of paid advertisers on Google Shopping, its comparison-shopping service, while effectively discriminating against other companies who do not pay to be listed.
FORBES: Links 29 Nov: Google Keeps Its Word, Microsoft Attacks
The iPhone OS, by comparison, is a closed operating system where only certain Apple approved products can be loaded onto the device.
FORBES: Worm Attacks Coming For Google's Android - Kaspersky Lab
By comparison, some competitors offer similar software at a fraction of that price, and open-source products are usually free.
For a point of comparison, consider the Federal Drug Administration ( FDA), whose actions suggest it respects the importance of the products provided by the pharmaceutical industry which it regulates.
FORBES: Regulatory Lessons from Obama EPA Appointee's Resignation
应用推荐