This article seems like a good reminder to know what your fundamentals are and to be deliberate about picking them.

But I'm not convinced that this advice can be used to pick your fundamentals, your core business model.

Amazon opted for more choices and lower prices.

Barnes & Noble stuck with faster solutions to problems (get your book today not after a week of shipping as was common when Amazon started), deeper human interactions (you can go into the store and ask someone for recommendations, meet authors, etc.), and increased confidence/trust (you know what you're getting because you can hold it in your hand and read it before you buy it).

Low-cost carriers have moved in on traditional airlines because while it's true that people will never stop caring about added comfort, it turns out they care about lower prices much more.

But Apple built a staggering market cap relying on the assumption that while people care about lower price, they care about great control of your time (just works) and higher social status more.

So it seems like this article provides a good framework for thinking about your business, but doesn't give any answers as to the actual strategy you should use.

Or am I missing something?