“I’ve spent time over the last few months poring over technology and content company financials,” Jan Dawson writes for Tech.pinions “I’ve been struck by the fact Apple resembles as much as anything a movie studio, with results much lumpier than most tech companies, driven by big hits. I’ve been meaning to write something about this for ages, but never got around to it. Walt Mossberg has penned a piece making a very similar comparison, though with some important differences. My initial inclination was ‘oh well, I guess I won’t write that post after all,’ but a Twitter discussion with Brian S Hall changed my mind, because there are other ways in which Apple resembles a movie studio beyond those which Mossberg highlighted. And perhaps more than any other studio, Apple resembles Disney.”
MacDailyNews Take: Actually, Steve Jobs’ Pixar took over Disney from the inside out with John Lasseter responsible for the success of Frozen, Tangled and, of course, all of Pixar’s remarkable run of blockbuster hits.
Therefore, appropriately and rather understandably so, Steve Jobs’ Apple resembles Steve Jobs’ Pixar.
“How so? Well, there’s the obvious comparison about big hits – just as the iPhone is the biggest selling phone, Disney’s Frozen just became the biggest selling animated movie ever, as many of Disney’s previous films have before it,” Dawson writes. “But less obviously, Apple has created a business in which several product lines feed each other in a virtuous circle.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: At the end of his article, Dawson arrives at the same conclusion we did above writing, “Apple is, like Pixar, producing hit after hit after hit, however improbable that may seem. Yes, it’s theoretical Pixar will release a dud at some point, but its core values and creative process ensure it never has so far, and unless those things change it likely never will. And it’s no coincidence Steve Jobs helped found both companies.”
Related articles:
Mossberg: Why Apple is like a movie studio – April 22, 2014
The single greatest piece of advice Steve Jobs gave ‘Frozen’ executive producer John Lasseter – December 5, 2013
Pixar founder John Lasseter accepts Steve Jobs’ Disney Legends Award in emotional speech (with video) – August 11, 2013
John Lasseter receives star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honors Steve Jobs – November 2, 2011
Disney completes Pixar acquisition; Steve Jobs now Disney’s single largest shareholder – May 5, 2006
It is sad how Apple can’t seem to tell their story effectively to the masses. So many can only replay the past theft by Microsoft and want to see it again with Google playing the part of the victor. Although many want to see Apple’s striving for excellence torn down to meet their mediocre expectations they have for themselves, Apple continues to delight customers who want insanely great products.
I expect Apple to surprise us again soon with something very few people saw coming.
Steve Jobs helped found both companies?!!!!!!!
Perhaps MDN has not recovered fully from the Easter Sauce!!!
In one of my many dreams, taking place on alternate realities, Steve Wozniak helped Steve Jobs found Apple Computers because he was under the RDF of Steve Jobs.
In another, Steve Jobs bought Pixar and set it free off the tight control that George Lucas exerted on its work flow as well as the influence his personal life was having on Pixar by dragging it down the financial plug hole.
Steve Jobs pumped money into Pixar having total faith that the staff at Pixar equipped with the latest technology knew their craft better than he did and that in the end they would come through. And Like How???
Pixar’s success deposed Disney as the animation powerhouse so that Disney felt they had no option other than to buy Pixar.
Steve Jobs pulled an RDF on Disney that ended up with him becoming the largest shareholder of Disney and then he repaid his Pixar team by effectively having them take control of Disney’s production.
Thus Mr. Lasseter once a disgruntled employee of Disney, was and is Mr Lasseter the de-facto boss of Disney!!!
Zzzzzzzz, Snorrrrr, I just love my dreamzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!, Snorrrrrrrr!!!
Was this a response to my post?
Frozen was the worst story ever! It was completely pieced together and made to fit. One guy was good, then he was bad. Tangled storyline was awesome. Except for some fancy transparent snow, Tangled blew away Frozen. The snowman never fit in at all. Watch them both back to back, and you will see.
I have to agree. Frozen was a well-executed, beautifully animated and well-acted movie, but the story was seriously lacking. Elsa lived a life of solitude, lonely and outcast. Meanwhile, Anna had a normal, happy childhood. When Elsa causes the freeze and retreats to her ice castle, this would have been a PERFECT time to get to know her better. Her interests, her anguish, her humanity. She could have concocted a character or two (like Olaf), and had some wonderful interactions with them in the same vein as Beauty and the Beast. I thought the best scenes of that movie were Beast in his mansion interacting with the household characters.
Instead, we’re treated to the traditional road trip style comedy, centering on Anna and her boy crush – it was fairly well done and still somewhat entertaining, but they missed a huge opportunity to turn a decently good movie into a truly GREAT movie. Elsa never had her happily ever after, meanwhile Anna gets two guys in two days.
It just would have been much more satisfying to see more of Elsa’s character, see her develop more, and find happiness in the end. She truly deserved it.
Hey MDN! Jobs didn’t found Pixar, he bought it from G. Lucas. Thought you knew that.
Ouch!
MDN knows!…Pixar was just only in a name before Jobs bought it. Since then PIXAR is what to day, not just the name but a gold mine!
I didn’t like Tangled or Frozen. I mean, they’re OK. There are too many trendy phrases in the scripts and the stories aren’t fully developed.
The song in Frozen is a pretty good song but it feels forced into the movie rather than feeling like a natural progression of the story.
And Planes? I noticed they didn’t release that under the Pixar moniker. That should tell you something.
The point is not whether some people disliked Frozen, the point is that it and other Disney/Pixar moves, like Apple in general, have had one massive hit after another.
Yes. Let’s try to keep our eye on the ball. Similarly, I have noticed that many people express a negative opinion about today’s music. In cultural and economic terms, a hit is a hit, whether or not someone insists it doesn’t deserve to be.
Pixar has had a bomb…Cars 2 anyone?
Cars 2’s worldwide box office was $560,000,000! I think I’d love to own the rights to a “bomb” like that.
Everyone’s a critic all of a sudden. Let’s see those criticising Pixar movies go and make better ones.