“The big picture is this: For the long-term health of Apple the company needs to prove that it is more than just Steve Jobs. Jobs could stay at the helm of Apple for 10 months or 10 years. It doesn’t really matter. At some point in the future, Apple will have to get along without Jobs,” Dignan writes.
“That’s why Schiller’s keynote, which probably benefited from low expectations, is more important than it initially appears. Apple is putting executives such as marketing guru Schiller and operating chief Tim Cook in the limelight to show it has a bench. The transition from Jobs is a gradual process that will take years to unfold if Apple is lucky,” Dignan writes.
“The truly successful and unique companies–Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines come to mind–have managed to capture their founders’ DNA in a bottle and carried it forward no matter who was in charge. That’s Apple’s challenge,” Dignan writes. “Jobs’ challenge is to solidify Apple’s culture so the company carries his zeitgeist for decades to come.”
Full article here.
Philip Schiller’s keynote was very good. I enjoyed it.
I thought Phil did a great job as well. He took what he was able to present and made a pretty good keynote out of it. Not as good as some of the more memorable Jobsnotes, but definitely on par with some of the lesser ones.
–mAc
Me too, I thought the additions to iLife 09 were great. I totally get why Apple wants to be set free from the shackles of MacWorld’s schedule.
Considering the fact that Schiller had no blockbuster announcements to make and no hot products to reveal, he did great with what he had.
Yeah, I thought Schiller did a really nice job. I figured the keynote would go one of two directions, and as soon as he started with iLife, I knew about what to expect. However, I actually think the new stuff looks pretty good. I’m quite excited to get the new iLife, since I have a couple of things I’d like to do with it. Also, it wouldn’t surprise me if they have a special event pretty soon and announce some other stuff.
I think we should all heave a major sigh of relief. For months now the question in everyone’s mind was “what is Apple doing about the transition to the post-Jobs reality.” The announcements about MacWorld, Phil’s keynote, etc. are solid indications that Apple is NOT asleep at the switch on this critical issue.
There are bound to be rough spots and nay-sayers, no one likes change. But Apple is doing the right thing. Steve Jobs and Apple do have a strategy and they are exercising it.
On so many levels Apple has chosen the tougher, high road. And I predict they will be around for a long, long, long time to come.
Happy New Year everyone.
I can’t believe Apple doesn’t have a new Mac mini ready to go. That is a big hole they need to fill in this crappy economy.
But given what he had, Schiller did fine. Jobs might have hypnotized us for a few hours, but Apple is apparently between new product announcements.
I read that Philip Schiller clearly noted in the beginning of the keynote that this would be about the Mac. I find it interesting that the talking heads think that Apple should have talked about the next new thing. Apple is not only putting new faces out there, they are going to talk about new and old products and services in the market that they are in. They also stated, they see many more people in the in their Apple Stores than at MacWorld. They don’t need anyone’s help now!
Apple will now pick the time and place to show off their stuff.
I never expect Apple to announce all their products in a single day, which is what they would be doing if all the rumors were right. (I think they confuse Steve Jobs with Santa Claus.) Even if all those products were all magically ready at the same time, how would they get media attention later? And if they made a big bang at Macworld, everything afterwards would pale in comparison.
Having said that, I was not expecting iWork 09, and I am very excited about it. They put in all the features I need. I can break my shackles and replace Microsoft Office entirely. I’m glad they didn’t make any hardware announcements, so I don’t have to feel bad about my computers so soon after I bought them.
my take on what most people are not getting. steve jobs has turned the apple ship. it is a task almost every ceo fails miserably and the few that are successful become icons (oops, already is one!). later we find that some people that turned their ship didn’t do a good a job as we originally thought, ala jack welch.
he accomplished turning the apple ship with his 3 legged stool strategy. when he started apple had one leg. it was a pole, not a stool. he added a mobile leg (ipod/iphone) and a consumer channel leg (retail stores/itunes-apps store). his timing was impeccable of just flat out lucky-really doesn’t matter). the strategy is in place and executing like gangbusters. part of its success is the de-success of all the competitors. again, it doesn’t matter why. success is success.
the secret moving forward is not just continuing to execute, but to predict the next maneuver correctly. that is steve’s magic. even when no none else thought the ideas would work he took the risk because he was confident in his vision and his companies ability to execute it. that is what the next ceo needs. putting it in the hands of a caretaker like they did with mr. pepsi and mr. national semiconductor will eventually repeat the demise of the 90’s.
guess the real secret of steve’s success is he does not respond to the idiotic, short term emotions of the shareholders wanting to make a quick buck. he has a board that allows him to do that. if that changes, even with steve at the helm, i would predict a gloomy future for apple.
“Oh my God! If Schiller is the likely successor to Jobs as CEO he’s way overweight and will probably die of a heart attack and then what happens to Apple and the Mac and the sky is falling and I burnt the toast again and Apple is doomed and the the stock price goes into a tail spin!”
from news stories yet to come.
Excellent Keynote.
I enjoyed the keynote. Schiller did a fine job. I liked watching the engineer because he seemed excited about what he was demoing. To get a crowd excited about what you’re doing, you have to be excited first. I’d like to see him on stage more. Over all, the keynote was great. I’m getting the ’09 releases and will give iWorks.com a try. It may make my job easier. Am happy with my MacBook Pro so no sale on the new one. To get me to up grade, a new laptop will have to do something surreal. Or my laptop will have to go TU and not be repairable.
All this fear of Jobs not announcing new products is silly. Let the guy get some rest and get healthy. Whether the announcements come from MacWorld or Cupertino or it’s Schiller or Jobs doesn’t matter. We’ll all watch with the same anticipation.
Speculation on someone’s health is just that… speculation – theory or conjecture without firm evidence.
Phil did a great job and is very likable and acceptabe…sure he was a little unrelaxed at the beginning…he willingly stepped up to the plate in a huge pressure situation.
Steve and Apple would have taken alot more heat for having only 3 things than what Phil and Apple took yesterday. Actually, Steve’s letter and deathbed hype was a good distraction for a more limited feature keynote.
Now, Apple is done with Macworld and has tapered themselves out of the January expectations. Macworld is now old newz along with Tony Bennett’s last hurrah. I rushed out to buy his albums.
Has anyone forgotten that Apple is building a new campus…what better place now to hold a special keynote event than in a new live HD streamed auditorium, where the rest of the world can tune in, and when APPLE decides it is ready to introduce a new product, not when the rest of the choir does. No more betas.
There were two breaks with tradition yesterday: no Jobs and no major new products. This left Phil with REVISED products to hype. The only “new” product wasn’t actually shown, just mentioned – that would be iWorks.com, and that was more along the lines of “we’re going to do a Beta Test FIRST … this time”.
I’m not saying iLife’09 and iWork’09 are not respectable products, but they are simply being refreshed. Refreshed is GOOD, no question, but it isn’t the same as an All NEW, All SNAPPY Mac MINI … or whatever. The new CPUs are available, the new models are surely close to ready, they COULD have been introduced. But, Apple had a statement to make. The new models will be introduced at their own press conferences.
A solid and most creditable performance. Not quite the showman Steve Jobs is on his best day perhaps, but a pair of safe hands nonetheless.
I don’t want to be disrespectful to Steve Jobs or anyone who appreciates his keynotes, but… I am a minister, a professional speaker, and have been one for many years. Steve’s keynotes never impressed me for a presentation. Why so many have gotten wowed by his presence and presentations leaves me scratching my head. The content is good, depending on what he is presenting, but the delivery is average at best. At times I felt people just expected they were to be awed, no matter what the item that was being talked about.
Steve: “Here is our Apple screwdriver”
Audience: “Wow!” “Incredible!” “I am dumbstruck!” (All with appropriate applause)
Steve; “You use this screwdriver to put screws in where you want them.”
Audience: (Gasps) “I need one now!” “This is the second coming of the screwdriver…” (Applause)
Steve: “We are shipping in 4-6 weeks and they are priced at $199.”
Audience: (Pull out iPhone to place order pronto on Apple.com) (Appropriate Applause and Gasps) “What a deal!” “That is way to much, it should only be $199”
Shiller did a great job and I am sure he will be up to future challenges. When he or others begins to speak more and understands the presentation delivery and body language, many will forget that Steve ever did them.
I wish Steve Jobs the best, and I know he is the heart of the company. But perhaps now we will get better presentations in a package ready for delivery.
“Steve; “You use this screwdriver to put screws in where you want them.”
Audience: (Gasps) “I need one now!” “This is the second coming of the screwdriver…” (Applause)”
LOL!!
I’d like to see Steve drop and give us 20 at WWDC.
Minister or not, your critique of Jobs’ presentation skills are completely off-the-wall and inaccurate. Maybe you’re a talker, not a listener.
What I find hard to fathom is how none of the reporters are acting like reporters instead of pundits. Apple has decided to withdraw from future MacWorlds. Apple needs to demonstrate a viable transition on several fronts.
Did Apple make the keynote and MW seem like a event they can do without? Did they demonstrate that others beside Jobs hold the values and skills he brings to Apple? Did they give themselves room to make a blockbuster announcement soon to further demonstrate that they can execute without MW? I say yes.
If Apple and Shiller had rocked today the questions would be how are they ever going to survive without MW. I think they successfully took the first steps to demonstrate just that. We may even see additional press releases this week or next with the long anticipated updates to the mini and pro systems.
It would fit a strategic design to move forward. And if we know anything about Apple it is that everything is designed. We know Apple is aware of their needs and we know that they will think and act strategically about them. Enjoy watching the plan unfold, I know I am.
Wow, Dean Waterman, you must be the best presentation speaker, ever! Without a doubt, some of the best public speakers can be found in a church, perhaps you should apply for Steve’s job?
A side note: The engineer that gave the presentation on iMovie was none other than the legendary Randy Ubillos. Randy is responsible for the original Adobe Premier which morphed into today’s Final Cut Pro. A true icon in the history of bringing digital video editing to the masses. Rock on Randy!
No killer products. Yet, iWorks is getting very close to MS Office by addressing it’s short comings. iLife was a huge upgrade that really will bring new functionality to all it’s components. No more DRM. I don’t know what people expect from Apple, but for me, it was all very welcome news.
The Philnote wasn’t all that historic. For one, he’s filled in for a sick Steve before, and Steve has shared the stage with his lieutenants before.