“Like the rest of the business world, Apple is embarking on treacherous times in 2009. But Apple faces special challenges: It sells boutique products that cost more than the competition,” Mitch Wagner writes for InformationWeek. “However, Apple also has special strengths: Those same products cost more because they’re better, and Apple has a fiercely loyal customer base.”
Wagner writes, “To help Apple successfully navigate the turbulent financial waters, here are 10 pieces of advice on what the company needs to do with its operating system, iPhone, App Store, hardware, marketing, and more.”
1. Build A Moat Around Apple Headquarters, Fill It With Crocodiles
2. Give Users Something Shiny In Snow Leopard
3. Add Basic Features To The iPhone
4. Come Out With A Netbook
5. Establish A Clear Path Of Succession
6. Develop Low-power, High-performance Processors For Portable Devices
7. Clarify Policies In The App Store
8. Improve Enterprise Support
9. Continue The Fight Against DRM
10. Stay Classy, Apple
Full article, a somewhat mixed bag (we do not agree with #1 at all, for example), but of interest nonetheless, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
bring out new LED Cinema Displays for desktops and make it capadable with older Mac’s or at least adapters
#1 is a really good idea except that crocodiles are all wrong for Apple’s image. Maybe wild snow leopards.
The trouble with crocodiles is that they always escape from your moat and breed in the sewers, yielding foul-smelling hordes of slavering killers climbing out of people’s lavatories in the night. Trust me people, when that happens, it’s a public-relations nightmare.
Snow leopards, on the other hand, will try to escape but they always come back for the raw rack of gazelle ribs.
Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick, don’t these journalists do their homework?
Why would you put snow leopards in a moat(a water filled pit)?
Wouldn’t they drown?
The snow leopards would roam in a grassy area in front of a tall fence around Apple HQ, but there would be no fence between the snow leopards and the street. The snow leopards would would not leave the grassy area … because Steve Job told them not to.!
Same old sh*t, different, anal-yst
you people need to quit bogarting the joint and pass it to others who are yet to be as loaded as you are.
@nekogami13
Many moats are now dry in the UK for health and safety, not to mention budgeting for their care, reasons. Thus, one of these would be ideal.
@Sum Jung Gal
Crocodiles do not enter sewers. The idea that they do goes back to a minor and unverified news article in the New York Times – in the early 20th century – concerning a group of boys who had battered a crocodile to death in NYC. It had been dragged out of an inversely flooded storm conduit, and thus had no relation to normal sewerage systems. It seems that the crocodile escaped from a ship containing exports of crocodiles for zoos in Europe. The issue with crocodiles is that they also enter wet grassland. Think a rainstorm and crowded streets… you get the idea. They get confused and go for lunch.
Personally, I’d like to see them come out with a “hobbyist” computer – a mini tower that you can access easily like the MacPro.
There’s one additional thing that Apple needs to do for it’s iPhone clients… DUMP AT&T;ASAP!
I JUST SPENT 3 HOURS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHY AT&T;WOULD PRE-APPROVE ME FOR AN ACCOUNT, ALLOW ME TO ORDER A iPHONE SPECIAL, i.e. a 16 GB rehab model, CONFIRM THE ORDER AND THEN 10 DAYS LATER WHEN I CALL TO ASK WHERE MY IPHONE WAS TO BE THAT THE “SYSTEM” HAD KILLED THE ORDER AND O’YES, THE SPECIAL IS LONG GONE!
AT PRESENT I Spend something in the area of $200.00 for ATT-UVERS services, i.e cable, internet and land line phones for two Mac computers…AT PRESENT THAT MONTHLY INCOME IS IN REAL DIRE STRAITS SERVICES, I.E. CABLE, INTERNET AND PHONE FOR TWO COMPUTERS…
THANKS FOR ALLOWING ME TO VENT A BIT!
DO NOT BE FOOLED THE SO CALLED ATT STILL HAS A LOT OF SMC BS IN IT’S MAKEUP!
If I had the money, I know I’d build a moat and fill It with crocodiles. I think it’s a great idea!
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P.S. – on an unrelated note, can I borrow one of Steve Ballmer’s socks for… something.
1. Moats? Animals?
His Steveness would fill the moat with Snow Leopards that ride around on Crocodiles, like stealth Sea-Doos.
And yes, of course, the Snow Leopards would have frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads.
When I saw this was from InfoWeek I thought, Oh boy, another round of stupidity. But this list has some merit. Some.
1. Build A Moat Around Apple Headquarters, Fill It With Crocodiles
The stupid one.
2. Give Users Something Shiny In Snow Leopard
Totally unnecessary. Give us speed, stability and no-bloat and most all Mac users would be very happy.
3. Add Basic Features To The iPhone
You mean cut-n-paste? Or reminder beeps for a missed call (MY favorite want).
4. Come Out With A Netbook
Maybe.
5. Establish A Clear Path Of Succession
Yeah, feed the Apple critics something to shut them up about this.
6. Develop Low-power, High-performance Processors For Portable Devices
Ever heard of PA Semi? Don’t you people keep up?
7. Clarify Policies In The App Store
Good idea, but certainly not an original one.
8. Improve Enterprise Support
Maybe, maybe not. I for one don’t need it.
9. Continue The Fight Against DRM
A given.
10. Stay Classy, Apple
Certainly no problem for Apple.
/* 2. Give Users Something Shiny In Snow Leopard
“Totally unnecessary. Give us speed, stability and no-bloat and most all Mac users would be very happy.” */
Well said- EXACTLY. I’m SICK of eye candy. Apple was starting to lean that way with that stupid fanning thing in the initial release of Leopard. The leaning tower of icons…. whatever.
Snow Leopard will be the return of what an OS should be. Fast, Lean, Powerful, Useful and non intrusive… like it’s not even there.
Get rid of some of the worthless eye candy! Don’t add more performance-killing eye candy. Simplicity and ease-of-use is the key to Apple’s success.
I will pay for a significant increase in performance.
Finally, Apple should stay focused on security. A lack of viruses is a huge advantage for OS X at this point. Windows is dying in part because of the time consuming virus protection crap.
#10 is built into Apple’s DNA
How Jobs can go away
But always be around
BC
Re: Establish A Clear Path Of Succession
I wonder if Mitch Wagner’s boss has one. I’ll bet Mitch is not part of it.
Incidently, does anybody think that Mrs. Mitch Wagner has someone in mind to step in if Mitch can’t perform? It would be tragic if it failed to survive him. Mrs. Wagner needs to disclose a clear plan of succession for her husband.
Afterall, It would seem to be something that Mitch has a Viagra-induced reaction for.
1. Build A Moat Around Apple Headquarters, Fill It With Crocodiles
Only if they have frickin Apple lasers on their frickin heads.
2. Give Users Something Shiny In Snow Leopard
No, just make it take up 1GB and run 20 times faster than Leopard!
3. Add Basic Features To The iPhone
Bluetooth OBEX, MMS, Tethering, Video and or sound capture, Scrobbling and push notifications for App Sore apps would be nice. Cydia helps with these though!
4. Come Out With A Netbook
Not going to happen. Just get an MSI Wind and sail over to ‘the Bay’
5. Establish A Clear Path Of Succession
Who says there isn’t one?
6. Develop Low-power, High-performance Processors For Portable Devices
PA Semi?
7. Clarify Policies In The App Store
Agreed
8. Improve Enterprise Support
Lets see what Snow Leopard has in store. This might benefit Apple, but it might not…
9. Continue The Fight Against DRM
The fight will be over by April.
10. Stay Classy, Apple
Of course.
11. Ignore the anal-ysts and those who don’t understand Apple’s market strategy AT ALL (i.e. the “Apple must sell a cheapass, headless, upgradable Mac that will cannibalize Mac Pro sales and cater to the vocal, whiney minority who want one” crowd).
12. Continue to ignore the “Apple is gonna FAIL if they don’t come out with a cheapass, headless, upgradable Mac” minority. 27 billion dollars in the bank sure sounds like they know what they’re doing to me; the elitist, entitlement-prone whiners be damned.
I want to see Apple take security to the next level.
iPhone – abililty to lock, wipe and track from iTunes
Mac – Application-level security, so that 3rd party apps can only do what it says on the tin, to be proactive against social engineering type trojans
@G Spank: not gonna happen, so shut up about it already.
4. Come Out With A Netbook- now why would they want to come out with a piece of crap like a netbook?
8. Improve Enterprise Support- I disagree. They should continue to push ZERO marketing to the enterprise. SCREW the enterprise. Let Dell continue to sell to them and flounder.
Asmodeus … I pretty much agree with G Spank, we may differ on the details.
“It sells boutique products that cost more than the competition”
That’s like saying BMW, MB and RR sell “boutique autos” that cost more than the competition. I don’t believe many who know the difference would class anything from GM or Ford as “competition” for these brands. And … GM and Ford are losing! Sure, you can say it’s Toyota and Honda who are “winning”, but BMW is doing just fine, thanks.
Articles like this are a constant reminder of how easy it is to be the CEO of Apple.
just my $0.02
One thing that underpins the popularity of netbooks is free or inexpensive internet access. Is free or inexpensive internet access certain to survive this crisis?
Sorry but I agree that its just another stupid writer that has NO idea of what is going on and is just parroting the things they have heard or seen on the net.
No brains or effort, just quick noise for a deadline.
Just a thought.
en
I agree with the author that Apple products are simply “too” expensive (I already expressed that opinion which is that of 80% of the prospective buyers-who do not want nor need a ferrari to move around). Why find the remark impotable? Again, go to any computer section of any big superstore and look at how many people play with Apple computers for instance instead of PCs. Encore again, Apple stores are the biggest obstacle to Apple retailers doing a motivated and rewarding job of advancing Apple machines at the street level, where real, everyday people are.