“Are investors losing faith in Apple because there’s no visionary spark at the helm?” Ernie Varitimos writes for The Street. “I think that’s a significant part of Apple’s stock performance of late. There was a grace period after Jobs’ passing, but as time wore on, the absence of a true, charismatic visionary at the top has hurt Apple.”
“There’s no problem from an operational aspect — things are running like a top,” Varitimos writes.
MacDailyNews Take: Uh, “like a top?” 2-months late iMacs that blow the quarter and therefore aid the fomenters in sending the stock tumbling some 40%? A mismanaged Maps debacle that taints “Apple Maps” forever, regardless of how much they improve? John Browett? Shall we continue?
Varitimos writes, “Yet there is a huge deficit in the passion the iMaker once exuded. Maybe it’s just perception, but it is clear that the reality distortion field has dimmed and people who were once devotees of the Apple aura are now being swayed by number of features rather than the balance between form and function.”
MacDailyNews Take: “It is clear?” Prove it or don’t write it, straw man.
Varitimos writes, “Cook is a smart man, a highly effective operations executive, and perhaps history will prove him to be the best. I think he knows not to upset what works. The problem is that he may not know what to do when the landscape changes, and he’s forced to innovate. If he’s truly inherited the vision thing, and if Jobs did his job well enough to surround Cook with people who can collectively carry on in a Jobs-like way, then all is good… Apple needs a charismatic leader… I think [Jony] Ive can do it. He’s already mastered simplicity, the balance of form and function, and aesthetics. He’s tempered and well-liked.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote on March 5th:
Nowhere is it more obvious that Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs than on stage. Jony Ive needs to be convinced to take his passion live onto the stage. We saw him do it with extraordinary aplomb at Steve Jobs’ memorial. We see him do it in each new major product’s marketing video. Cook needs to cede the stage to the guy at Apple who is closest to having Steve’s vision, passion and presentation skills. Cook doesn’t strike us as having an overblown ego. He should step back. If Jony is reticent, he needs to be convinced. There is no rule that the CEO has to be the one presenting at Apple events. It is a total waste for Cook to keep trying so obviously hard to do something that is not his forte when Jony exists and is sitting right there backstage. We don’t hang on Cook’s every word (we just wonder why he’s overemphasizing some of them so much). We hung on Steve’s every word. We hang on Jony’s every word. It’s that simple. At the very least, have Tim MC the events, but make sure Jony is the one out there doing the reveals and gushing about the products. If Jony really loves Apple, and we’re sure he does, then he should demand the job. Step back, Tim, and focus on doing what you’re good at.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David E.” for the heads up.]
Ashton Kutcher
You’re missing the “/s” at the end of that.
Fuck the investors! Apple should just go private.
1. Apple would have to raise $400BB. That’s a big mortgage.
2. Why bother? Do the shareholders have control over how Apple is run. Not really.
Me. (Just joking.)
Oh, I’m laughing alright. At you, not with you.
This is an absurd question. MDN shouldn’t even be bothering with it.
Truly pathetic.
Steve Ballmer. He’s doing such a stellar job making Apple look good, all without even stepping foot in 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino.
That’s some serious voodoo magic going on there.
One step further. If Ballmer wears a black turtle neck, that fat slob Mike Daisey of “The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” infamy will actually resemble an Apple CEO.
Who are the “visionary sparks at the helm” of Microsoft, Samsung, and just about every major player in the IT sector?
Right, there is no one in particular that stands-out in that role.
Varitimos pulled this nonsensical comment to retain a claim to the title of jester at The Street.
“Who are the “visionary sparks at the helm” of Microsoft, Samsung, and just about every major player in the IT sector?”
um…Steve Jobs.
That’s the problem
All this crap about Apple being doomed because Steve isn’t there is as sensible as sensible as saying theatre is no more because Shakespeare died. Yes, Steve was a rare genius. But without him, and in spite of a couple of major errors, Apple is still way ahead of any other tech company I can see.
They will never have a visionary leader, even if they DO have a visionary leader….
His name was Scott Forstall…
Tim fired him because Mansfield and Ive hated the guy..
So our options are Ive, which is not gonna happen he hates being on stage and Phil, who is too dorky and smug to pull it off. Uh OH!
THAAAATSSSS!! what wroooong with Apple. They subscribed to this new wussified workplace environment of –“oh yes we’ve all got to like each other and friends be successful–kiss kisss kiss hug hug hug collaborate team, this team that–well what do you think, I don’t know what do you think” environment.
I mean how many of them REALLLLY LIKED Steve Jobs?!?!
Rememeber when MEN used to run company’s with a cigar in one hand and a brandy in the other. Now they do it with a latte in one hand, an i-device in the other with their heads perpetually tilted forward 45 degrees, in a pair of flip-flops and shants!!!
*companies (I’m not THAT stupid)
…and now I’m talking to myself…
The Street might as well close up shop. This article proves there is nothing important anymore to write concerning Apple.
the “huge deficit in the passion the iMaker once exuded” ain’t gonna be remedied, ever. It’s like everyone sittin’ around Anaheim waitin’ for Walt Disney to return. Some people are one -in-a-million. Steve Jobs was one of those people.
Exactly my point, worded differently.
And even if one DID show up, he wouldn’t be considered as much no matter what he did….
How about Guy Kawasaki.
Is that you, Guy?
He has wandered off the range too much. He is a loose cannon..
Me!! Just joking, but I do have a clear vision where Apple should go in the living room before it is to late.
Will Moe and Curly join you?.
‘Oh, a wise guy!’ (yuck, yuck, yuck)…
Forget Tim Cook or Jony Ives… Go with Michael Dell! At least that would lend credence to Apple’s stock price drop!
Jony Ives, with a bit of coaching, would be the man to present new products but his passionate efforts to maintain high quality design and unique solutions could be in conflict with the executives responsible for engineering, production and delivery.
The answer to “Why isn’t Jonny the face-guy?” is surely a simple one: He doesn’t want to be.
Jony Ive is the soul behind Apple and has been for quite some time. He is the guy you want out there.
How about Steve Jobs Son?
I’ve often wondered if Reed Jobs would ever be interested in Apple. If so, I believe he would be a terrific leader; poised, prepared, professional.
See him in action here on Bay Area TV show Quiz Kids:
You want the guy out there who wants to be out there. Forcing someone to do something they are uncomfortable with won’t come off as very convincing. Tim does a decent job, and I think people aren’t giving him enough credit. He has time to grow into the role. Imagine someone like Steve being the operational genius, and suddenly being thrust into the CEO role. He too would be making lots of mistakes, because Steve had decades to polish and refine his delivery and approach. He had decades to develop comfort and to get used to having to lead and develop vision and direction. I think Tim will evolve and continue to grow as he gets used to dealing with all the things Steve dealt with on a day to day basis. This is one of the unfortunate consequences of Steve not handing over the reigns to a successor sooner, is that no one has had the experience of what it is like to be Steve, until he is deceased and can’t be consulted for advice any longer.
Leave Jonny alone. Let him do his thing, if he wants to talk about it, let him. Forcing him to deal with needy press members or stock analysts will waste his talent.
Cook is recognized as one of the absolute best operations guys around, and he really cares about Apple. Making great stuff in the ginormous quantities that Apple does is hard stuff. I see tech writers who don’t even seem to understand the difference between saying a feature should be a certain way and actually making the hardware and software do it, and just work.
The Manipulator: Investors losing faith in Apple because there’s visionary sparks on the street. Expect stock to drop. It’s been under $400 a while now for all those visionaries who read the street. Only mere mortals believe it to be around $450. The poor delusional fools.
Just laying low these days – I obviously have made my point as sophomoric contributors to this site keep trashing me. But, can’t resist pointing out how the number of tech and investment writers suggesting that Apple Inc. needs a new CEO keeps growing and growing and growing. Tim Cook must go! Soon everyone will realize that’s the problem with this company and its share price.
Well this is pretty easy..Wozzie of course! I have said this time and time again, who better could lead Apple than Wozzman?
And no, I am not talking about the post as CEO/CFO or anything like that but more like a tailor made position (maybe even chairman of the board).
He could be side by side with Jony innovating new products, taking the visionary role after Steve and be some kinda front figure for Apple in front of the public..would do wonders for AAPL as well.
As much as I respect those who think Jonathan Ives is the person to carry on the face of Apple, I disagree and think it should be Phil Schiller and/or Eddy Cue that should take the torch. Recall that for many years, in fact, since Jobs came back to Apple, it has been Phil Schiller that has been his sidekick in the many years of introducing groundbreaking products. I think Schiller is more than capable of being the front man to Apple marketing machine. As well, Eddy Cue seems to have that certain charisma that Jobs possessed while on stage and too think he is worthy of being one of the heirs to the face of Apple persona.
I would nominate someone who is obsessed with product development and total user experience. Without infectious enthusiasm driving from a user-focused vision, Apple will be just another tech company selling “units”.
“supply chain geniuses” simply don’t excite anyone — customers, existing users, investors, employees.
More alarming, however, is the fact that Apple seems to be making many of the same supply chain mistakes that every other US corporation seems inclined to try — reckless outsourcing. Short-term cost savings that offshoring experts tout comes with loss of control of IP, loss of schedule control, loss of direct quality control inability to provide meaningful incentives to sub-tier suppliers, long-term shipping cost increases, etc. Most corporations are finally waking up to the fact that their zeal to outsource everything has simply created the next generation of direct competition or, in many cases, complete loss of market leadership as the copycats take over.
What is Cook doing to assure anyone this isn’t happening at Apple? We hear silence.