Good luck Apple. Seems like you haven't been able to produce a single hardware or software product in the past 10 years that hasn't had major flaws. Your software upgrades break as many things as they fix most times.
I am a huge Apple fan, but time and experience has taught me never to be an early software update adopter when it comes to Apple; and that all Apple hardware releases come with serious defects when they are first released.
Knowing the news media and blog articles like I do, and being pessimistic on the side, I think this is just bullshit Apple PR to garner attention and renew faith in its customers.
This news is fortuitous given the bad press Apple has recently received for the iPhone 4 antenna issues.
Exactly on target... amazing how Steve Jobs charisma can continue to sell mediocrity as superior - you know, like it really used to be. Let's see if this is for real.
Well, it's evident the guy's adept at "climbing" the ladder: He has a Prana shirt on. Prana is a clothing maker heavily associated with the rock climbing crowd.
Shit, in fact, he might even own the company given the compensation he's getting.
Wow, why would Apple need a Senior VP of Operations to address product quality? Antennagate is a non-issue. It affects less than 1% of users! Who cares about them. They were holding the phone all wrong in the first place.
Besides, this seems to be sending the wrong message. Apple products were supposed to be superior and well-thought-out-in-every-aspect. All of a sudden quality is a problem or a potential problem?
Reminds me of Toyota. Quality was better when they were a smaller producer of cars. Now they are huge and having quality problems.
I can see Steve resigning himself to Chairman of the Board only and Tim taking the CEO role next year. That would be less of a blow to Apple's culture than if Jobs outright left altogether.
What they really need is to implement a down-ranking filtering comment scoring system where community members can vote on a particular post. Posts that earn a negative score get filtered out from the default view (logged in members can adjust the filter threshold).
Such a system was implemented at Slashdot and brought that site back from the seventh layer of Internet hell. Before that, the site was unreadable.
That way, members can down rank flamers, idiots, spammers, the morons who post "first post!" etc. into oblivion. Those miscreants will quickly give up and go elsewhere. Ignore lists don't scale well. Judging the content is better than judging the user anyhow. Everyone can occasionally misstate something or get their facts wrong. This system encourages people to make interesting and intelligent responses. It also reduces the tendency for people to add meaningless posts like "+1" or "this". Agreeing with someone's post might seem nice, but without adding any original commentary, it doesn't add any long term pedagogical value to the conversation.
The only risk is the possibility that haters take over the forum by downranking all the Apple-positive comments. That's where the site operators and moderators need to steer the conversation. Some sites have failed at this task.
That said, this site is marginally better than some of the other Apple rumor sites. You might confuse some of the other forums with YouTube comments.
I like this idea. It is pretty much what Digg has used for a long time, right?
My ignore list here is impressively long, but a great many are peeps that joined since June '10 and suddenly have 50 - 100 posts. Not that difficult to understand when you read their post history. In fact, what about using the ignore function on a corporate level? Instead of voting each article up or down, how about the posters that are on the greatest number of ignore lists get banned for a short period of time until they mend their ways. Multiple violations = permaban.
What about some kind of 'audition' system like Gizmodo used to have when it was funny and interesting and not some swamp of haters and click bait articles. I miss those days.
Through it all though, AI has always been the first site I check everyday..
I used to work for a company that had a lot of production problems and so they hired a chap for just this sort of role. There wasn't any improvement for ages that I could see but I could see the benefits of having a dedicated damage control person. Of course production runs take a while to make a difference in terms of public perception, but in the long run it was a good decision.
Apple appoints new Senior VP of Operations to address product quality
Apple has appointed a new Senior Vice President of Operations dedicated to ensuring that Apple products meet "the highest standards of quality, "AppleInsider has learned.
Daniel, you're pretending to be an editor for IT industry topics. Look into what you write about, dig into it, bordel! Stop vomiting a misleading nonsense.
``Operations' ' everywhere in industry and in the Apple's business structure in particular mean ``product deployment, production management and logistics' '. It all's got very --- very --- little with product quality (yep, precisely in Apple's structure Operations supervise some aspects of QC). Yet, it may indeed disclose some Apple concerns about their logistics.
This probably should have been done a while ago, but this is very good news. Having a single, high level person responsible for something can make a real difference.
What they really need is to implement a down-ranking filtering comment scoring system where community members can vote on a particular post. Posts that earn a negative score get filtered out from the default view (logged in members can adjust the filter threshold).
Such a system was implemented at Slashdot and brought that site back from the seventh layer of Internet hell. Before that, the site was unreadable.
That way, members can down rank flamers, idiots, spammers, the morons who post "first post!" etc. into oblivion. Those miscreants will quickly give up and go elsewhere. Ignore lists don't scale well. Judging the content is better than judging the user anyhow. Everyone can occasionally misstate something or get their facts wrong. This system encourages people to make interesting and intelligent responses. It also reduces the tendency for people to add meaningless posts like "+1" or "this". Agreeing with someone's post might seem nice, but without adding any original commentary, it doesn't add any long term pedagogical value to the conversation.
The only risk is the possibility that haters take over the forum by downranking all the Apple-positive comments. That's where the site operators and moderators need to steer the conversation. Some sites have failed at this task.
That said, this site is marginally better than some of the other Apple rumor sites. You might confuse some of the other forums with YouTube comments.
The problem is that there are far too many people on here who cannot accept any form of criticism of Apple and their products, accusing anyone who dares to criticise them as being "Apple haters" when this is often not the case. This is supposed to be a forum for a wide spectrum of views not a vociferous minority who seem more interested in blind allegiance to the cause. Valid criticism leads to better products and services from Apple, which is surely what we all want in the end.
Good luck Apple. Seems like you haven't been able to produce a single hardware or software product in the past 10 years that hasn't had major flaws. Your software upgrades break as many things as they fix most times.
Funny - considering that Apple consistently has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in any of the industries it's in and is always at or near the top in hardware quality, too.
I'm just curious - did your parents never pay attention to you when you were a toddler (about 10 years ago)? Is there no constructive way for you to get attention in your sad life?
Quote:
Originally Posted by KingKuei
But you are no Steve Jobs.
I have upmost respect for Tim Cook when it comes to the daily operations at Apple, and hearing him on the quarterly conference calls, it is apparent to me that he is careful, methodical, and extremely detailed in his work performance.
I have no doubt that he will run a tight ship at Apple even when Steve has left us. But words like efficiency, supply chain management, low channel inventory, etc., are not words that people typically ascribe to Apple. Instead, we think of Apple is innovative, revolutionary, visionary, inventive, and so forth.
So with all due respect to Tim Cook, Apple does need someone who can maintain its remarkable, operational efficiency, but what it needs the most is someone who has a vision to see things as they could be, not as they are. Cook is the kind of guy who is rooted in the reality of today, but Apple also needs someone who can imagine an unreal tomorrow, and ultimately bring it to fruition.
I know that sounds harsh, but if Tim Cook (the manager) is Apple's succession plan, then they had better have a good idea of where they will find the next Steve Jobs (the visionary).
I disagree. Companies need the right CEO for their time. Read Jim Collins "Good to Great" and the follow-up (I don't remember what it's called, but it might be "Great to Good"). Companies grow and change, just as people do. Jobs has been as close to perfect in his CEO role as anyone could expect. But his visionary, 'do what I want or get out' role may no longer be needed.
When Jobs came on board, they needed a single vision with strong leadership. They could not afford any massive failures - almost everything had to be a hit. While they have been limited by Jobs' vision, that also ensured a solid, consistent quality of design.
Now, they've created a culture built around this ecosystem. They have a lot of people who have learned 'the Jobs way' of design and implementation. If Jobs were to leave, the company would change, but I don't believe it would be a bad thing. There would be a less rigid conformance to Jobs' ideals, but at the same time, that would be countered by a growth in individual creativity.
Keep in mind, too, that Apple can't keep up 25% growth rates forever. They already dominate personal music players. They sell the single largest volume phone model and are the leader in mind share in the phone industry (although not in sales). They dominate internet app and music sales. Growth will eventually level off in existing markets so they will continue to rely on getting into new markets -- or they will have to learn to thrive on lower growth. I wouldn't want to call it either way. I could picture a set top box for TV which does everything as being a new market for them to dominate, but once you get beyond that, it's not clear how much further their ecosystem can go.
In any event, Cook may well be the person for the next generation of Apple. Instead of relying on this hard-core 'do it my way' leadership, the CEO role will evolve into more of a role of shepherding all the native talent that Apple has grown over the Jobs years. That may be a perfect role for Cook.
Quote:
Originally Posted by easy288
Wow, why would Apple need a Senior VP of Operations to address product quality? Antennagate is a non-issue. It affects less than 1% of users! Who cares about them. They were holding the phone all wrong in the first place.
Besides, this seems to be sending the wrong message. Apple products were supposed to be superior and well-thought-out-in-every-aspect. All of a sudden quality is a problem or a potential problem?
Reminds me of Toyota. Quality was better when they were a smaller producer of cars. Now they are huge and having quality problems.
Nonsense. 'Anntennagate' isn't a quality issue. It was a design choice. Every engineering choice involves tradeoffs. Apple decided that they would rather have the best antenna on the market, even if it wasn't perfect. Sales figures appear to support that decision.
I agree with the gist of the original article. This promotion isn't about quality at all - it's about succession planning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun, UK
The problem is that there are far too many people on here who cannot accept any form of criticism of Apple and their products, accusing anyone who dares to criticise them as being "Apple haters" when this is often not the case. This is supposed to be a forum for a wide spectrum of views not a vociferous minority who seem more interested in blind allegiance to the cause. Valid criticism leads to better products and services from Apple, which is surely what we all want in the end.
Nonsense. EVERYONE here will accept valid criticism. There are a lot of people who are disgusted with all the incessant "Apple sux" kind of mindless trolling that goes on, but that's a different issue.
I think it's about time AI create a tiny little section reserved for those who care to engage in quality discussion. It's just getting ridiculous now.
It's called flamebait for the antenna trolls.
Pretty soon, every article posted on AI will reference "antennagate" directly or indirectly. For example: "Apple is rumored to be working on a new version of Final Cut Studio. Could it be that they are finally responding to antennagate?"
PS. Jean Louise Gassee is no more than a French prick.
Jean Louise and I butted heads on more than one occasion, but for some reason I miss the guy. He was colorful...
I still have the Apple "postcard" he sent me regarding an conversation we had at a Monterey Aquarium Apple event so many years ago. I'm paraphrasing as the document as it is not in my hands as I write this, but it went something like this: "Membership in the SVAS *(Silicon Valley Asshole Society) is difficult to obtain, but perhaps we could come up with a mutually agreeable number?"
I have it hanging in my home office and it makes me laugh ever time I read it.
*Definition added by me. Even Jean Louise wouldn't put that on official Apple correspondence.
Pretty soon, every article posted on AI will reference "antennagate" directly or indirectly. For example: "Apple is rumored to be working on a new version of Final Cut Studio. Could it be that they are finally responding to antennagate?"
It could be worse. The articles could open with "AppleInsider has just learned from Fox News that"
Funny - considering that Apple consistently has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in any of the industries it's in and is always at or near the top in hardware quality, too.
I'm just curious - did your parents never pay attention to you when you were a toddler (about 10 years ago)? Is there no constructive way for you to get attention in your sad life?
I disagree. Companies need the right CEO for their time. Read Jim Collins "Good to Great" and the follow-up (I don't remember what it's called, but it might be "Great to Good"). Companies grow and change, just as people do. Jobs has been as close to perfect in his CEO role as anyone could expect. But his visionary, 'do what I want or get out' role may no longer be needed.
When Jobs came on board, they needed a single vision with strong leadership. They could not afford any massive failures - almost everything had to be a hit. While they have been limited by Jobs' vision, that also ensured a solid, consistent quality of design.
Now, they've created a culture built around this ecosystem. They have a lot of people who have learned 'the Jobs way' of design and implementation. If Jobs were to leave, the company would change, but I don't believe it would be a bad thing. There would be a less rigid conformance to Jobs' ideals, but at the same time, that would be countered by a growth in individual creativity.
Keep in mind, too, that Apple can't keep up 25% growth rates forever. They already dominate personal music players. They sell the single largest volume phone model and are the leader in mind share in the phone industry (although not in sales). They dominate internet app and music sales. Growth will eventually level off in existing markets so they will continue to rely on getting into new markets -- or they will have to learn to thrive on lower growth. I wouldn't want to call it either way. I could picture a set top box for TV which does everything as being a new market for them to dominate, but once you get beyond that, it's not clear how much further their ecosystem can go.
In any event, Cook may well be the person for the next generation of Apple. Instead of relying on this hard-core 'do it my way' leadership, the CEO role will evolve into more of a role of shepherding all the native talent that Apple has grown over the Jobs years. That may be a perfect role for Cook.
Nonsense. 'Anntennagate' isn't a quality issue. It was a design choice. Every engineering choice involves tradeoffs. Apple decided that they would rather have the best antenna on the market, even if it wasn't perfect. Sales figures appear to support that decision.
I agree with the gist of the original article. This promotion isn't about quality at all - it's about succession planning.
Nonsense. EVERYONE here will accept valid criticism. There are a lot of people who are disgusted with all the incessant "Apple sux" kind of mindless trolling that goes on, but that's a different issue.
Actually it is not nonsense and what Shaun has said is true and your comment about trolling. They are extreme of the spectrum in this forum. The die hard Apple people, who get very kindergarden in their behaviour, if you provide an opinion or factual data that shows Apple in bad light ever though it is true. You get Apple hatters that I call 'spin-doctors' who for some reason has made it a passionate commitment to push as much negative information about Apple.
BUt the majority of people are actually like me, enjoy Apple products and will compliment them on their success, BUT able to see the light when there is a fault and comment in constructive healthy manner, voicing their opinions.
To be frank, I do not want any control over people's comments unless their our unlawful or against forum guidelines, since if I do not like your comments, then I just ignore them and move on.
Everyone (100%) does not accept valid criticism, no need to provide examples, it is clear as day, since what you may think is valid is not another person's understanding and thats why we have different views and opinions.
Comments
Good luck Apple. Seems like you haven't been able to produce a single hardware or software product in the past 10 years that hasn't had major flaws. Your software upgrades break as many things as they fix most times.
I am a huge Apple fan, but time and experience has taught me never to be an early software update adopter when it comes to Apple; and that all Apple hardware releases come with serious defects when they are first released.
Knowing the news media and blog articles like I do, and being pessimistic on the side, I think this is just bullshit Apple PR to garner attention and renew faith in its customers.
This news is fortuitous given the bad press Apple has recently received for the iPhone 4 antenna issues.
Exactly on target... amazing how Steve Jobs charisma can continue to sell mediocrity as superior - you know, like it really used to be. Let's see if this is for real.
Shit, in fact, he might even own the company given the compensation he's getting.
Apple's problems usually come with early "hardware" update instead of software's. For instance iOS 4.01 is running very well on my iPhone 3GS.
I have learnt not to buy first generation Apple products over the years, that's why I skipped the original iPhone, iPhone 3G and first iPad.
Ya might want to consider skipping the iPhone 4 too!
Besides, this seems to be sending the wrong message. Apple products were supposed to be superior and well-thought-out-in-every-aspect. All of a sudden quality is a problem or a potential problem?
Reminds me of Toyota. Quality was better when they were a smaller producer of cars. Now they are huge and having quality problems.
What they really need is to implement a down-ranking filtering comment scoring system where community members can vote on a particular post. Posts that earn a negative score get filtered out from the default view (logged in members can adjust the filter threshold).
Such a system was implemented at Slashdot and brought that site back from the seventh layer of Internet hell. Before that, the site was unreadable.
That way, members can down rank flamers, idiots, spammers, the morons who post "first post!" etc. into oblivion. Those miscreants will quickly give up and go elsewhere. Ignore lists don't scale well. Judging the content is better than judging the user anyhow. Everyone can occasionally misstate something or get their facts wrong. This system encourages people to make interesting and intelligent responses. It also reduces the tendency for people to add meaningless posts like "+1" or "this". Agreeing with someone's post might seem nice, but without adding any original commentary, it doesn't add any long term pedagogical value to the conversation.
The only risk is the possibility that haters take over the forum by downranking all the Apple-positive comments. That's where the site operators and moderators need to steer the conversation. Some sites have failed at this task.
That said, this site is marginally better than some of the other Apple rumor sites. You might confuse some of the other forums with YouTube comments.
I like this idea. It is pretty much what Digg has used for a long time, right?
My ignore list here is impressively long, but a great many are peeps that joined since June '10 and suddenly have 50 - 100 posts. Not that difficult to understand when you read their post history. In fact, what about using the ignore function on a corporate level? Instead of voting each article up or down, how about the posters that are on the greatest number of ignore lists get banned for a short period of time until they mend their ways. Multiple violations = permaban.
What about some kind of 'audition' system like Gizmodo used to have when it was funny and interesting and not some swamp of haters and click bait articles. I miss those days.
Through it all though, AI has always been the first site I check everyday..
I used to work for a company that had a lot of production problems and so they hired a chap for just this sort of role. There wasn't any improvement for ages that I could see but I could see the benefits of having a dedicated damage control person. Of course production runs take a while to make a difference in terms of public perception, but in the long run it was a good decision.
Apple appoints new Senior VP of Operations to address product quality
Apple has appointed a new Senior Vice President of Operations dedicated to ensuring that Apple products meet "the highest standards of quality, "AppleInsider has learned.
Daniel, you're pretending to be an editor for IT industry topics. Look into what you write about, dig into it, bordel! Stop vomiting a misleading nonsense.
``Operations' ' everywhere in industry and in the Apple's business structure in particular mean ``product deployment, production management and logistics' '. It all's got very --- very --- little with product quality (yep, precisely in Apple's structure Operations supervise some aspects of QC). Yet, it may indeed disclose some Apple concerns about their logistics.
What they really need is to implement a down-ranking filtering comment scoring system where community members can vote on a particular post. Posts that earn a negative score get filtered out from the default view (logged in members can adjust the filter threshold).
Such a system was implemented at Slashdot and brought that site back from the seventh layer of Internet hell. Before that, the site was unreadable.
That way, members can down rank flamers, idiots, spammers, the morons who post "first post!" etc. into oblivion. Those miscreants will quickly give up and go elsewhere. Ignore lists don't scale well. Judging the content is better than judging the user anyhow. Everyone can occasionally misstate something or get their facts wrong. This system encourages people to make interesting and intelligent responses. It also reduces the tendency for people to add meaningless posts like "+1" or "this". Agreeing with someone's post might seem nice, but without adding any original commentary, it doesn't add any long term pedagogical value to the conversation.
The only risk is the possibility that haters take over the forum by downranking all the Apple-positive comments. That's where the site operators and moderators need to steer the conversation. Some sites have failed at this task.
That said, this site is marginally better than some of the other Apple rumor sites. You might confuse some of the other forums with YouTube comments.
The problem is that there are far too many people on here who cannot accept any form of criticism of Apple and their products, accusing anyone who dares to criticise them as being "Apple haters" when this is often not the case. This is supposed to be a forum for a wide spectrum of views not a vociferous minority who seem more interested in blind allegiance to the cause. Valid criticism leads to better products and services from Apple, which is surely what we all want in the end.
...although I'm not sure how much time he has to read these discussion threads....
Good luck Apple. Seems like you haven't been able to produce a single hardware or software product in the past 10 years that hasn't had major flaws. Your software upgrades break as many things as they fix most times.
Funny - considering that Apple consistently has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in any of the industries it's in and is always at or near the top in hardware quality, too.
I'm just curious - did your parents never pay attention to you when you were a toddler (about 10 years ago)? Is there no constructive way for you to get attention in your sad life?
But you are no Steve Jobs.
I have upmost respect for Tim Cook when it comes to the daily operations at Apple, and hearing him on the quarterly conference calls, it is apparent to me that he is careful, methodical, and extremely detailed in his work performance.
I have no doubt that he will run a tight ship at Apple even when Steve has left us. But words like efficiency, supply chain management, low channel inventory, etc., are not words that people typically ascribe to Apple. Instead, we think of Apple is innovative, revolutionary, visionary, inventive, and so forth.
So with all due respect to Tim Cook, Apple does need someone who can maintain its remarkable, operational efficiency, but what it needs the most is someone who has a vision to see things as they could be, not as they are. Cook is the kind of guy who is rooted in the reality of today, but Apple also needs someone who can imagine an unreal tomorrow, and ultimately bring it to fruition.
I know that sounds harsh, but if Tim Cook (the manager) is Apple's succession plan, then they had better have a good idea of where they will find the next Steve Jobs (the visionary).
I disagree. Companies need the right CEO for their time. Read Jim Collins "Good to Great" and the follow-up (I don't remember what it's called, but it might be "Great to Good"). Companies grow and change, just as people do. Jobs has been as close to perfect in his CEO role as anyone could expect. But his visionary, 'do what I want or get out' role may no longer be needed.
When Jobs came on board, they needed a single vision with strong leadership. They could not afford any massive failures - almost everything had to be a hit. While they have been limited by Jobs' vision, that also ensured a solid, consistent quality of design.
Now, they've created a culture built around this ecosystem. They have a lot of people who have learned 'the Jobs way' of design and implementation. If Jobs were to leave, the company would change, but I don't believe it would be a bad thing. There would be a less rigid conformance to Jobs' ideals, but at the same time, that would be countered by a growth in individual creativity.
Keep in mind, too, that Apple can't keep up 25% growth rates forever. They already dominate personal music players. They sell the single largest volume phone model and are the leader in mind share in the phone industry (although not in sales). They dominate internet app and music sales. Growth will eventually level off in existing markets so they will continue to rely on getting into new markets -- or they will have to learn to thrive on lower growth. I wouldn't want to call it either way. I could picture a set top box for TV which does everything as being a new market for them to dominate, but once you get beyond that, it's not clear how much further their ecosystem can go.
In any event, Cook may well be the person for the next generation of Apple. Instead of relying on this hard-core 'do it my way' leadership, the CEO role will evolve into more of a role of shepherding all the native talent that Apple has grown over the Jobs years. That may be a perfect role for Cook.
Wow, why would Apple need a Senior VP of Operations to address product quality? Antennagate is a non-issue. It affects less than 1% of users! Who cares about them. They were holding the phone all wrong in the first place.
Besides, this seems to be sending the wrong message. Apple products were supposed to be superior and well-thought-out-in-every-aspect. All of a sudden quality is a problem or a potential problem?
Reminds me of Toyota. Quality was better when they were a smaller producer of cars. Now they are huge and having quality problems.
Nonsense. 'Anntennagate' isn't a quality issue. It was a design choice. Every engineering choice involves tradeoffs. Apple decided that they would rather have the best antenna on the market, even if it wasn't perfect. Sales figures appear to support that decision.
I agree with the gist of the original article. This promotion isn't about quality at all - it's about succession planning.
The problem is that there are far too many people on here who cannot accept any form of criticism of Apple and their products, accusing anyone who dares to criticise them as being "Apple haters" when this is often not the case. This is supposed to be a forum for a wide spectrum of views not a vociferous minority who seem more interested in blind allegiance to the cause. Valid criticism leads to better products and services from Apple, which is surely what we all want in the end.
Nonsense. EVERYONE here will accept valid criticism. There are a lot of people who are disgusted with all the incessant "Apple sux" kind of mindless trolling that goes on, but that's a different issue.
Best
I think it's about time AI create a tiny little section reserved for those who care to engage in quality discussion. It's just getting ridiculous now.
It's called flamebait for the antenna trolls.
Pretty soon, every article posted on AI will reference "antennagate" directly or indirectly. For example: "Apple is rumored to be working on a new version of Final Cut Studio. Could it be that they are finally responding to antennagate?"
PS. Jean Louise Gassee is no more than a French prick.
Jean Louise and I butted heads on more than one occasion, but for some reason I miss the guy. He was colorful...
I still have the Apple "postcard" he sent me regarding an conversation we had at a Monterey Aquarium Apple event so many years ago. I'm paraphrasing as the document as it is not in my hands as I write this, but it went something like this: "Membership in the SVAS *(Silicon Valley Asshole Society) is difficult to obtain, but perhaps we could come up with a mutually agreeable number?"
I have it hanging in my home office and it makes me laugh ever time I read it.
*Definition added by me. Even Jean Louise wouldn't put that on official Apple correspondence.
It's called flamebait for the antenna trolls.
Pretty soon, every article posted on AI will reference "antennagate" directly or indirectly. For example: "Apple is rumored to be working on a new version of Final Cut Studio. Could it be that they are finally responding to antennagate?"
It could be worse. The articles could open with "AppleInsider has just learned from Fox News that"
Funny - considering that Apple consistently has the highest customer satisfaction ratings in any of the industries it's in and is always at or near the top in hardware quality, too.
I'm just curious - did your parents never pay attention to you when you were a toddler (about 10 years ago)? Is there no constructive way for you to get attention in your sad life?
I disagree. Companies need the right CEO for their time. Read Jim Collins "Good to Great" and the follow-up (I don't remember what it's called, but it might be "Great to Good"). Companies grow and change, just as people do. Jobs has been as close to perfect in his CEO role as anyone could expect. But his visionary, 'do what I want or get out' role may no longer be needed.
When Jobs came on board, they needed a single vision with strong leadership. They could not afford any massive failures - almost everything had to be a hit. While they have been limited by Jobs' vision, that also ensured a solid, consistent quality of design.
Now, they've created a culture built around this ecosystem. They have a lot of people who have learned 'the Jobs way' of design and implementation. If Jobs were to leave, the company would change, but I don't believe it would be a bad thing. There would be a less rigid conformance to Jobs' ideals, but at the same time, that would be countered by a growth in individual creativity.
Keep in mind, too, that Apple can't keep up 25% growth rates forever. They already dominate personal music players. They sell the single largest volume phone model and are the leader in mind share in the phone industry (although not in sales). They dominate internet app and music sales. Growth will eventually level off in existing markets so they will continue to rely on getting into new markets -- or they will have to learn to thrive on lower growth. I wouldn't want to call it either way. I could picture a set top box for TV which does everything as being a new market for them to dominate, but once you get beyond that, it's not clear how much further their ecosystem can go.
In any event, Cook may well be the person for the next generation of Apple. Instead of relying on this hard-core 'do it my way' leadership, the CEO role will evolve into more of a role of shepherding all the native talent that Apple has grown over the Jobs years. That may be a perfect role for Cook.
Nonsense. 'Anntennagate' isn't a quality issue. It was a design choice. Every engineering choice involves tradeoffs. Apple decided that they would rather have the best antenna on the market, even if it wasn't perfect. Sales figures appear to support that decision.
I agree with the gist of the original article. This promotion isn't about quality at all - it's about succession planning.
Nonsense. EVERYONE here will accept valid criticism. There are a lot of people who are disgusted with all the incessant "Apple sux" kind of mindless trolling that goes on, but that's a different issue.
Actually it is not nonsense and what Shaun has said is true and your comment about trolling. They are extreme of the spectrum in this forum. The die hard Apple people, who get very kindergarden in their behaviour, if you provide an opinion or factual data that shows Apple in bad light ever though it is true. You get Apple hatters that I call 'spin-doctors' who for some reason has made it a passionate commitment to push as much negative information about Apple.
BUt the majority of people are actually like me, enjoy Apple products and will compliment them on their success, BUT able to see the light when there is a fault and comment in constructive healthy manner, voicing their opinions.
To be frank, I do not want any control over people's comments unless their our unlawful or against forum guidelines, since if I do not like your comments, then I just ignore them and move on.
Everyone (100%) does not accept valid criticism, no need to provide examples, it is clear as day, since what you may think is valid is not another person's understanding and thats why we have different views and opinions.