From 9to5Mac:

Way back in the 1980s, In Search of Excellence author Tom Peters wrote about the concept of the lifetime value of a customer. Lifetime Value (LV) or Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a way of thinking about the total profit a company will make during the entire life of a loyal customer if they can keep them happy. That’s a very different mindset to thinking only about a present-day sale.

I think the specific numbers are overly optimistic, but the idea does hold true. Getting new users into the Apple ecosystem can have a huge impact in their subsequent tech purchase decisions. I don’t think Chromebooks always guarantee someone will end up buying an Android phone either, but getting in on the ground floor certainly increases either company’s odds of a lifelong customer.