“Apple unveiled a solid and desirable lineup of new products and services this week. But the whole announcement event just fell flat. Something was conspicuously missing,” Mike Elgan writes for Computerworld. “It wasn’t the products. The iPhone 5 is arguably the best phone of any kind ever built, at least for now. I’m certainly going to get my hands on one as soon as possible. The new lineup of iPods was impressive, especially the iPod Touch and Nano. (It’s surprising Apple discontinued the use of the Nano as a wristwatch; I’m still hoping it will introduce a dedicated iWatch at its October announcement.) And who can argue with Apple’s big iTunes upgrade?”
Elgan writes, “But something was missing. Something elemental. And that something was Steve Jobs… Because of his legendary status as one of the co-founders of Apple — and, later, as the savior who brought the company from the brink of catastrophe to a position of dominance — Jobs had more power within Apple than just about any major CEO anywhere ever. That power — combined with an iron will, an incredibly keen intuition and hard-won wisdom about which ideas are likely to work — is what made Jobs so valuable to Apple.”
“Apple benefited from Jobs being able to overrule anybody in the company based on nothing more than his intuition, which was often right,” Elgan writes. “Jobs gave the company an extraordinary edge by using his unique authority to prevent the company from making big mistakes or missing big opportunities… I get the feeling that so many of Apple’s wrong notes this year would have been ruthlessly vetoed by Jobs. He would have killed the bad ads, willed Siri into full functionality, and persuaded [Siri founder] Cheyer to stay on. I also believe that Jobs would have lit a few fires that only he could light, which would one day result in major new product ideas. Without Jobs, those kinds of things aren’t happening. And it’s starting to show.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve already explained our fears ad nauseam. Yes, Steve Jobs was a unique, gifted, visionary leader. Shocker. It’s true that he can’t be replaced by one man, but Apple has a very capable group of people to step into his considerable shoes. Yes, we see the same issues with the advertising (blatantly – Jobs obviously oversaw the marketing and was gifted with superlative taste). Yes, we have issues with Siri remaining in beta for so long and becoming increasingly wonky over the past year (somewhat, but remember Jobs launched Ping, too). Yes, some executives have left. They may have left with Jobs alive, too. Founders of companies often end up leaving after a buyout in order to build their next company or to sail their yacht around the world or whatever.
We believe that Tim Cook is a extraordinarily bright man. If he turns out to be a caretaker CEO, he’ll be one of, if not the very best caretaker CEO in history. As we’ve said many times before, the jury is still out. We won’t really know what the post-Steve Jobs Apple can produce on pretty much on its own until next year at the earliest.
Knowing his condition, Jobs most certainly left general plans; i.e. iterate iPods, iPhone, and iPad; the overarching plan for OS X and iOS; how he believed he “cracked TV,” etc., but the details are key and Apple’s best and brightest will have to figure them out together. Beyond a few years in tech, even Jobs could not see except in very broad terms. That will be Apple’s true test. The ultimate question remains: Without Steve Jobs, will Apple produce an unending stream of beige Performas or will they be able to divine and create The Next Big Thing?
The pressure is on for Cook, Ive, Forstall, Mansfield, and Riccio, in particular. It will only intensify.
Personally, I think Sir Ive should become the new face of Apple. Younger appearance, dynamic, and who doesn’t like a Brit accent.
He does seem to be the true heir apparent. Time for Tim Cook to let this man behind the curtain come out and introduce new products and upgrades. I have no doubt he could excite the masses with his Brit style.
I think it’s well accepted that Ive doesn’t want the spotlight. I remember Jobs even joked about it once – maybe when showing off Facetime on the iPhone the first time? I know he called Ive and Ive looked distinctly uncomfortable.
He has yet to demonstrate any aptitude for public showmanship. He seems more the brilliant behind the curtains type, comfortable letting his work speak for itself and rarely giving interviews and showing up on highly edited film clips talking about products.
That said, he has plenty of power to create what he wants at Apple and doesn’t need to be saddled with the CEO role to which I feel he is ill suited in order to produce his magic. He is exactly where he should be. Whoever fills the CEO role after Cook should understand the company as a whole, which takes more than amazing design skills.
The brit is a very private person and he doesn’t do well in front of a crowd and Tim Cook is new at this, give him time he will be better but not as good as the legend who had been doing it all his life.
He has stage fright. Let the guy design and be great on camera. But speaking to a room full of people isn’t his forte.
Ah, but no other company has Steve Jobs, either. And they’re all tanking. They don’t have Cook, Ive, and company either.
Until the “next big thing” I’m enjoying the hell out of my many Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPods, FCPX, iTunes, iWork, etc., etc., etc. I have confidence Apple will persevere and keep winning with new products that will amaze consumers and confound competitors.
Well said MDN!
In the year since Steve’s death, AAPL (the stock) has grown from $380 to $690.
Does anyone here really believe that the Wall Street would have so much faith in a “caretaker CEO”, and a company running on autopilot, expending the final breaths of creativity of a deceased genius leader? For a full year?? Just a reminder: AAPL closed yesterday at an all-time high, after also hitting an all-time intra-day high of nearly $700 per share!
And for those who aren’t sure about Wall Street’s prudence these days, check out the competition (MSFT, GOOG, HP…). Obviously, no amount of Courrier, Surface, Win 8, mobile Win 8 or other “exciting” innovation from Seattle got those Wall Street guys to notice. Perhaps it is because they still have that same old CEO…
So….you’re saying a bunch of guys on Wall Street are right about Apple just because of stock price? Yea…look how that turned out last time people thought the suits on WS were considered ‘smart’
This is the start of a long decline for Apple. Not that that’s a bad thing but lets hope they don’t start to go the way of Sony.
And to prove you point. A lot of traders were selling Apple stock earlier in the year (hence some of the unusual sell offs) to make room for FB shares. Turns out FB is a dud. So what does the Street do? Dump FB and buy back AAPL.
Point is. I’d never measure success based on the Street’s perception. General public sentiment is more accurate.
Trading AAPL doesn’t necessarily correlate with Tim Cook running Apple. I made money with puts on Apple Monday and Tuesday. I cleaned up by Friday with some of my calls on Apple. So it’s possible to make money when a company’s stock goes up or down. You just have to hope that you know what you’re doing and have conviction. I have both. I also have Apple calls into next year. And I will add more if the stock price drops. Buying and selling equities is a way of investing. Buying and holding produces paper gains which are quite difficult to spend. Daytrading is very risky. There is a happy medium. That’s where I reside. And it works quite well for me thank you. And for your information a selloff in a stock is good, it’s called consolidation. It’s when the people who are amateurs get out of the stock. I’m not being rude it’s just a fact of life. Then the stock can trade higher. Investing has nothing to do with adoration of a company. You might fall in love with a company (which is quite childish) but you never fall in love with a stock. Apple is just a huge corporation that doesn’t care what you or I think. They don’t care how many fanboys are out here. They don’t need anybody to defend them. They can take care of themselves.
“Perhaps it is because they still have that same old CEO…”
Shhhh … I like his strategy, I like it a lot!
Methinks Apple has jumped the shark relative to having the eternally hot hand with the passing of Steve Jobs. No committee can replicate the impact of one guy with a golden touch for the market and the authority only a founding executive gets.
Cook impresses me as a guy that makes the trains run on time and all big organizations need that, but he is in no way a replacement for Steve Jobs. The rest are role-players that are first chairs, but Jobs was a composer and the conductor.
Sad, but true.
Jobs was a tsunami, a veritable earthquake that could at one fell swoop change the landscape forever, a mountain mover if you will. You felt the force of nature inside him that could decimate whole industries and transform entire markets.
Cook, by comparison, is the tremor you feel underfoot when a train passes through the subway line. Different scale altogether.
But Apple is like a rain forest now that creates its own weather patterns. No company within the computing, music, media, portable digital device, software, Internet, telecom, retail, or gps navigation industries can ignore Apple.
Apple heavily influences all of those industries and sets trends. In many of them Apple disctates the rules of engagement and determines who even gets to play.
Cook doesn’t need to be Steve Jobs for Apple to continue to plow through its competitors. None of them have a clue what it means to surprise and delight your customers and give them extraordinary and memorable experiences.
Yes Jobs was all that, but I recall the pundits and analysts criticizing him constantly and bitterly. They hated him right up until he died, then sainted him so they could attack his replacement.
Did Mike Elgan just write an article telling us that Steve Jobs was missing from the new iPod/iPhone unveiling?
Thanks, Mike! You really cleared that up for everyone.
Ahh, but Mike filled up one more column and didn’t have think about something worthwhile to research, analyze and summarize so readers could learn something useful…
*DING*DING*DING*
Mike did illustrate one thing: The concept known as CULT OF PERSONALITY.
Darn, Steve Jobs left Apple again, albeit permanently this time. I think the mourning period is over Mike. Deal with it and catch up with the present. DUH they’re a different company. They were also a ‘different company’ every single year Steve Jobs worked there as well. It’s called being ENTREPRENEURIAL. Go get some business education.
Tim cook is an excellent CEO, Elgan needs to find things other then tech to write about as he is clueless.
Maybe just maybe Ive is happy to be behind the curtain, yes he would do well out front presenting, but Tim and the others did a fine job.
All the tech pundits pissing and moaning about the iPhone 5, I’m really getting tired of that, what the heck do they want? The buying public seems to be quite happy as pre orders are flooding in.
Bottom line: The product lineup was really cool.
Bottom line: iPhone 5 was sold out in an hour.
Bottom line: Apple stock is higher than ever.
Bottom line: None of the presenters have Steve Jobs’s charisma.
Bottom line: Last presentation is proof that even without Steve Jobs, Apple continues being an amazing company delivering amazing products. Steve did a good job while alive.
Speaking about the iPod Nano watch bashing, my 2 cents:
I am a wristwatch user (@ age 40). I like wristwatches, and I own a couple. Having said that, regarding the new Nano:
Pros: Video, bigger screen, Bluetooth, Multi Touch
Cons: No wristwatch?
I’m happy with the pros.
I don’t think Apple would be in any better or worse shape today if Jobs was still here, and I still think that Siri would need some work etc, but things are different.
But what do you expect?
He’s gone – time to move on and accept Apple is a different, but still very successful company.
What they’re doing to the stores is a definite worry though.
Wednesday’s announcements surprised and pleased me. The iPhone 5 is far sweeter than I thought it would be. I think anyone with any doubt will change their mind once they hold one in their hands. iOS 6 looks great. I like the new iTunes. And, the new iPod lineup seems solid.
I think the whole iWatch talk is just ridiculous – that is an idea that Steve Jobs would have vetoed!
you know, Jobs made lots of mistakes along the way. this myth of his infallibility is BS. e.g., Cook just killed off one of them: Ping.
as i’ve posted before, 2013 is the year when we will first see products and services that Jobs did not get started. then we can talk about the results of new leadership – and it’s certainly a team effort now more than ever.
I think it’s important not to elevate Steve Jobs to God status. Yes he was brilliant and gifted. But he was human and made mistakes too. In addition to Ping (which MDN pointed out) he also gave us the hockey puck mouse, the G4 Cube, and he defended the huge price cut on the original iPhone before being forced to change his mind and give original purchasers refunds. So let’s not be too hasty or harsh in criticizing his hand picked team.
Agreed on all points. Steve not only made mistakes, but frequently reversed his position on all manner of issues.
If Elgan really believes that “the whole announcement event just fell flat” simply because Steve wasn’t there, then he’s missing a point somewhere. Steve would be the first to maintain that the products should speak for themselves, and the iPhone 5 is an impressive piece of technology.
Yeah, Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs when it comes to stage presence, but his presentation skills have improved considerably, and I’ve no doubt he’s worked at that.
I feel, Steve Jobs best “product” isn’t Apple, but us (including MDN) — the few, the proud, the uncompromising on good taste and true innovations that push the human race forward.
You’re missed but not forgotten, RIP Steve.
He’s dead. Move on. Jeez!
What such articles usually fail to note is that many years ago Jobs hired the head of Yale business school to codify Apple’s business methods and “culture” so it could be taught to employees. There is an “Apple U” operating inside the corporation that one would assume anyone with leadership responsibilities has to graduate from with honors and practice what was learned or he/she will be unlikely to advance.
@ Griftertus TOTALY AGREE
Media: If your father was still alive things would be different.
Me: He’s not, deal with it.
BTW Steve said yes to the hockey puck mouse . . .
Do we HAVE to hyper over analyze every time someone makes a product decision from now on and try to figure out WWSD?
Steve Jobs is gone and he’s taken his very large shows with him. Best to concentrate on the road in front and ignore the rear-view mirrors.
Well said.
Forstall clearly is the most watchable presenter with his ease and timing onstage. Apple, are u watching your own Keynotes?!
I was intrigued by the choice of the Foo Fighters. Just like Steve, there will never be another Kurt, but that doesn’t take away the talent and creativity of the other members of ” the band”. Life is change.
According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs considered his greatest legacy to be Apple the company. This implies that, genius that he was, he did his very best to ensure that Apple would continue to thrive without him for many years to come. Will every decision Apple makes be the one that Steve would have made? Not likely, but Apple certainly does have brilliant design and engineering teams in place that any other company would kill to have under their own roof.
Personally I think apple needs someone like jobs.
I don’t know where they will find someone like Steve. I feel really sad writing this.
The reason why is because I was at a new a new apple store opening today and it wasn’t as polIshed as it could have been. Maybe it’s me, because I’ve spoken to Steve when apple launched the regent street apple store and to speak to him was a moment of history. In the brief 2 minute conversation it was apparent I was speaking to a man who was totally unique.
It was like talking to leonado da Vinci or Jimi Hendrix a life changing experience.
I’m sure Phil Schiller, Tim, jinny and all the too executive still miss him badly. I know I still do, maye it’s the fact that it’s getting near the anniversary of his passing.
I have faith in apple and it will be very successful but the question I ask is where that charismatic figurehead that inspires the world in the company?
I personably think jinny I’ve is the only viable successor to Steve considering they worked together every single day while Steve was alive.
Steve Jobs would have, could have, should have, might have…
As a German writer said, life is easy in the subjunctive mood.
And what about opening up Facetime as an open standard! Jobs would never have said that would happen and then it not happen!
Oh wait.
Seriously, Jobs was amazing. But nothing in the Apple lineup or presentation needed his immediate presence. He left a great company, and great people in place to make great products. His legacy will be even more impressive than his accomplishments while alive.
I highly doubt that Steve Jobs would have approved that screen size. I am a designer for 30 years.
It is unestetic, odd, fits nothing in design, ruins a gigantic advantage that the iPhone platform had… minimal fragmentation.
It will create a glaring mismatch of hundreds of thousands of apps that will never be upgraded.
It was a purely ego movement by Apple not to appear to copy Samsungs larger screen. Apple had be different, but this time in a stupid way.
The platform will suffer from this mistake for years.
Apple could have simply continued to offer the smaller screen for people who prefer to have a smaller screen for whatever reason.
The argument that you can reach across the narrow screen is nonsense, because now the 4 inch screen is longer than if the screen was wider with a 4 inch screen… harder to reach the long end at the top, which is is the longest distance for the hand to reach.
You are not Steve Jobs. We don’t know what Steve Jobs would or wouldn’t approve so stop speaking for him.
There will not be a “glaring mismatch” with apps. There will only temporarily be a slight mismatch with small black bars where the previous black plastic used to be.
The argument to reach across a narrow screen is not nonsense. You don’t type on the top of the phone… ever. extra real-estate at the top of the phone doesn’t impede use with iOS.
The one gesture that is used at the top of the phone is bringing down the notification center. Try holding your iPhone 4 and reaching for the microphone on the top, you can do it, can’t you? It’s no higher than that.
Design is about choices, certainly you know this. There will always be negatives to any choice. But the positives of this very slightly taller screen (Full 16:9 video, extra set row of apps onscreen, more room for messages/emails, larger space for webpages, two extra days of landscape calendar, and overall usefulness and joy with better video and pictures) far outweigh the few negatives.
More than half of the 700,000 apps in the app store will never be upgraded to the new screen.
Why? Because only a small percentage of apps actually make money on the app store. Probably 200,000 to 300,000 apps are sitting in he app store and are free or get 3 downloads a week, making no money for the developers.
In other words these app developers have zero incentive to ever upgrade these apps.
Even EA, of the largest developers for iOS have already stated hat they will not updat their apps to TEH new screen.
I cannot imagine that Steve Jobs, who was obsessed with every tiny details of the iPhone design and screen would appreciate the black boxing that will be a permanent feature of this platform now for years to come.
Notice, not even the messy fragmented Android platform has such a glaring flaw in their devices, what to speak of the flagship device.
Nonsense! Those apps STILL WORK. Here is an example, I have apps not updated for iPad on my iPad, they still work. I have apps that are not updated for my retina dispatch, thy still work.
Another failure of your logic is that 300,000 apps that you say no one uses are not getting updated. Well if they are that useless, time to go and clear some of the cruft. How can you argue that some apps nobody is using not being updated indicates a problem? Makes no sense, you are looking to hard for a downside. There is no fragmentation issue.
Jobs is irreplaceable, but yes, he made many mistakes along the way:
– Ping
– No CD burners in original iMacs (just DVD /CD players)
– G4 Cube (something learned from this, however)
– Flower Power iMac
– Blue Dalmatian iMac
– hockey puck mouse
– allowed “the enemy” into his camp on more than one occasion (hello, Microsoft and Google)
I’m sure I may have missed a few, but Steve’s big mistakes have proven to be potentially fatal.
As long as Apple has the ability to recognize new markets (or recognize when they can reform current markets), they’re ok.
As long as Apple keeps innovating and Cook knows when to say no, they’re ok.
I trust Apple. But i feel that they should stop selling the ipod nano and shuffle…. or fussion both into a one great new product.
And yet, Apple make them both because the public love and buy them both. Apple enjoy being logical, as well as customer focused and friendly.
FUD FUD FUD FUD!
Manipulate this.
Manipulate that.
Nothing new here folks! Stupid statements about Apple have been made every single day since the release of the Macintosh. Just laugh.
Apple Death Knell Counter @MacObserver
If Apple end up falling for Marketing-As-Management again, the horror that messed them over in 1996, THEN I’ll get all worried and frantic and stuff. 😆