“There are many words that characterize Apple under the second reign of Steve Jobs: resurgent, exciting, innovative, successful. I’d add one more to that list: fearless,” John Siracusa writes for Ars Technica.
“Most large corporations are afraid of change. Successful product lines, business plans, and especially brands are milked for every penny. And when there’s nothing left, when the thing’s been beaten into the ground until not a single ounce of value remains, only then will corporations reluctantly move on,” Siracusa writes.
“Over the past decade, Apple has been using a different playbook. In Apple’s estimation, the best time to kill off a successful product or brand is “as soon as possible.” Dropping a winner means creating a new winner to replace it, and that’s exactly what Apple has decided it must do to be successful: create great new products again and again. Brand momentum, product inertia, and all the other naturally occurring forces in large corporations stand in the way of Apple’s execution of this plan,” Siracusa writes.
“This brings us, finally, inevitably, to yesterday’s Macworld Expo announcement… Though painful and jarring in the short term, these kinds of moves are a big part of what makes Apple great. While other companies are paralyzed with indecision, or cling relentlessly to what has worked in the past, or are seduced by sentimentality, Apple is busy murdering its darlings,” Siracusa writes.
Full article – highly recommended – here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “MrMcLargeHuge” for the heads up.]
That’s right. Jobs knows his customers are the people who buy his stuff, not the shareholders.
Steve works to please the customers. Well, except for that little problem with the lack of FireWire ports on the MacBook
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> (ducking)
It may well turn out to be a great plan, but I question it. Apple has enjoyed huge press boosts by scheduling Macworld so close to CES. It is often the case that CES is practically made irrelevant by Apple announcements at Macworld. I can’t see how giving that up could be good.
However, I thought the move to intel was a mistake too, so what do I know!
You know, this take makes a lot of sense. If Apple were to take the typical corporate chicken-shit approach to this decision, they would have allowed the rumours to keep flying and not announce Steve’s absence until a week or so before MacWorld.
And as for the decision to make this the last MacWorld ANY other company would have held onto that little gem until after MacWorld and even after the end of this business quarter.
You have to have some very big balls to make these kinds of announcements right in the middle of your most important selling season, just before your perceived biggest marketing presence (MacWorld) and right in the middle of one of THE WORST economic downturns.
The folks at APPLE are anything but dumb. I’m guessing they know a helluva lot more than the collective twitter amongst the so-called analysts.
So… Steve Jobs is unhealthy. If Apple only kills off healthy successful products, logic suggests they have to wait for Steve to get healthy again before they can kill him.
Ergo… It’s in Steve’s and possibly Apple’s best interests to stay unhealthy… otherwise Eddie Cue might kill him. You can’t refute my logic. It’s based on math.
Good article. Although it was not mentioned, the difference between Apple and Microsoft could not have been made more clear.
In my opinion Steve Jobs doesn’t see much of a future for Mac’s.
Desktop Mac sales are down considerably, there isn’t much professional or gaming need for them anymore as nearly computers are using cheap Intel processors gotten from any vendor. The processor wars are long over.
People buy a computer now don’t have the foggiest idea if the Intel processor they get is more powerful than the $100 more computer sitting next to it on the store shelves. Processors can’t be made to go faster, only they can add more cores which really doesn’t add much to performance unless your running multiple applications at once, which not many do.
The complete shunning of the professional crowd who need non-glossy computer screens for longhours in favor of the impulsive eye-candy of the consumer crowd is also proof where Apple is going.
Apple sees the “small devices” as the future and web based applications and data storage as well where the “heavy lifting” will be done for processor intense applications. This will require giving up a lot of privacy which Apple really isn’t too concerned about.
It’s the new industry additude, if you got something to hide, you must be guilty of something.
So expect a announcement of a Mac netbook from Apple come January, because Apple’s Mac sales are slowing do to their higher cost than Windows based PC’s.
Expect this new Mac Netbook to come chained to AT and T and use web based applications from Apple’s online service.
True, iSight anyone?
It seems nearly everyone, left to their own devices, has Jobs laying in the coffin, if not already dead; Apple with nothing to introduce or announce of any import; and trotting out ol’ Phil to stand in front of the crowd and receive thrown vegetables.
If anything, the upcoming ‘last’ Macworld Expo is an excellent opportunity for Apple to hit the ball out of the park, and exit the room to a stunned crowd. This is not the ‘last chapter’ in the book of Apple. Far from it.
@Big Mac Attack
You know what to do with that rolling donut.
@Big Mac Attack
You are so full of (**)it.
“Desktop Mac sales are down considerably …”
No they aren’t, the report say that sales are currently “flat” which is not down, not like the PC which are “down considerably”.
“… the professional crowd who need non-glossy computer screens …”
I’m a professional photographer using a 24″ iMac. NO PROBLEM!
MacBook sales are through the roof, but the truth would get in your way.
“… higher cost than Windows based PC’s.”
This has been proven wrong more times than I can remember.
“… new industry additude …”
It’s spelled ATTITUDE. Loser
ahhh MDN comment section.. the most unforgiving place in hell.
i love you guys
@ Peruchito
Ever been to a pro sports game in Philadelphia? There will be no congratulating the opposing team on a game well played! Dallas Cowboys attire may be subject to taring and feathers.
@ Peruchito
“ahhh MDN comment section… the most unforgiving place in hell.”
No, its the most unforgiving place NEXT to Hell. Dumbass!
(Just joking, Peruchito) 😀
This is Apple “skating to where the puck will be”, positioning themselves for the next decade. Macworld 2009 is the last trade show Apple will attend in person.
There are so many ways to get the word out about what they’re doing next (including ways we don’t even know about yet that they do) that it doesn’t make sense to spend the money, orient the whole year around January, and work your employees so hard during Christmas month.
I can’t believe some of the people I’ve read saying Apple doesn’t have any more killer products to amaze us with. This decade was primarily about laying a foundation (OS X, retail, iMac, iPod, iPhone/Touch, $24.5B); the next decade will be the one to blow us away.
Mark my words, or as we say around here, “iCal it”.
Peace.
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Olmecmystic
No more MacWorld Expo means Apple is now bigger than its fan base. Apple goes mainstream and MacWorld is now in every Apple Store. It’s also killing the resellers which will die at some point. MacWorld used to be their big Moment. Apple don’t need them anymore.
The new Apple mess is WWDC where no sales are done and Apple communicate directly with its developers.
Hahaha, man, the wit is at an extremely high level today, I must admit. Perechito, HMCIV, you guys game me a few good chuckles. Thanks!
Er…whit…
We’ll always have WWDC. That’s not going away.
You would have thought that there would be another option for Apple, like reducing their presence at the show.
Apple could have still attended with a drastically smaller booth.
Why kill the show?
“Why kill the show?”
Because when partners have served their purpose, Steve discards them.