1) I see your point but I don't think it's fair to judge direct industries to a consumer product company. It's more fair to compare Apple's design of the A5 chip which they make only 1 or maybe 2 versions of.
2) You shouldn't take the comment so literally. Apple does make very few major products compared to their competitors. That's the take away.
3) I found this interesting? (Note that is only Samsung's line for the US through carriers)
[ nice pictures deleted ]
How about the iTunes music store? How many products does that count as?
Apple makes very little themselves; they design more and outsource the manufacture, and they sell a lot more of digital services.
What Apple did under Jobs was change from a manufacturing-centric to a services-centric operation.
Making something simple on the outside often results in complexity inside. In the larger view manufacturing something as simple as an iPod can be very complex.
It is sort of like climbing a mountain, each step might be simple but there is much complexity getting to the top. The goal is simple, take in the view from the top. Each step is also simple, but the trip up is seldom easy.
You missed the point. The paraphrase says they go from simple to simpler to simpler, whereas if you read the actual quoted text, he says they go from simple to complex to simpler.
How about the iTunes music store? How many products does that count as?
Apple makes very little themselves; they design more and outsource the manufacture, and they sell a lot more of digital services.
What Apple did under Jobs was change from a manufacturing-centric to a services-centric operation.
The iTunes Store would count as one major product, but in the quote I assume they are referring to physical products, not services as products.
Jobs changed a lot, but I don't think it's fair to say that moved to being services-centric. There fortune is had from HW sales. They have created a services ecosystem to tie in with their OSes that are tied to their devices. I'd say Jobs tightened that bond between SW and HW, not just with SW services, but with also pushing Apple to design more of the HW that goes into their HW products.
You missed the point. The paraphrase says they go from simple to simpler to simpler, whereas if you read the actual quoted text, he says they go from simple to complex to simpler.
One of the reasons that made Jobs great, amount many, was that he always wanted to be the best. Every other corporation in the world is just in it to make money. Everything else is secondary. The difference between Apple and Microsolth are legion. Apple, it just works great. Microsloth, if it works, great! A quote from the film "Robocop" is so true. Ronnie Cox's character is explaining the way things work during the fight scene at the end, "we had contracts, spare parts contracts for twenty years. Who cares if it works!"
Conviction might be a good replacement for courage. The words hero and courage are overused in our society. But in business and in sports, they rarely apply, if ever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paxman
Conviction is the cornerstone of courage.
And there's always the expression, "to have the courage of your convictions." Actually, I think the nature of courage is often over-romanticized and exaggerated. Courage shows itself in all sorts of little ways in lots of people every day, as does cowardice. You don't have to be a hero to be courageous.
These various news bits that throw focus on Apple employees like Joswiak illustrate (at least to me) that people are starting to jockey for recognition at Apple. This kind of talk to the press regarding internal operations at Apple would never have been allowed under Jobs because it takes the focus off the products. These guys need to be reminded to always, always, always bring the discussions back to Apple product and let Tim Cook be the one to talk (or not talk) about Apple's internal processes and thinking. It has been obvious for some time that Apple, as a marketing and engineering consumer products company performs best under a frighteningly tyrannical, secretive dictator... and I say that in the best sense.
Here they need to really address the fact that they don't really have a desktop solution. They have the Mini which is too minimal and the Pro which is grossly over priced for what the average desktop users needs.
Come on Wizard… You're lumping desktop success by measuring its edge products. Apple main desktop product is the iMac.
As Apple's philosophy says, you need the courage to say no.
The Mac Pro, in its day when it was designed, was praised as top on the line. It's still a great piece of hardware, but the design is antiquated for the personal computer market now. Just like Windows boxes are. Apple probably will drop the Mac Pro. Many Mac Pro owners will complain, just like when Apple dropped its dedicated server line, but Apple has the courage to say no. Apple thinks the tower design has seen its day, and Apple knew it couldn't be the best it could be in the server market, so it is focusing on the consumer market.
When the Mac Mini came out, it was hailed as a great addition to the product line, but the advocates of a Apple Mini Tower are still crying for one. Just like those into Blue Ray, but again Apple has the courage to say no. Apple's answer to them [IMO] is just buy a mobile MacPro laptop it has plenty of ports for external expansion, and if you want Blue Ray there are plenty of external players out there. Apple knows that the personal computer market's future is in mobile design. Everything they've done shows us Apple's focus is on what they do the best.
There are plenty of other examples where Focus, Simplicity, Courage, and "Be the Best" in Apple's decision making, but I think I've made my point. Apple's desktop iMac is the best desktop design in the personal computer market and its success proves it. The iMac isn't Apple's focus today, iOS devices are paying the bills, but they know the need is still there for a desktop computer. The PC-free metaphor is not ready to replace the desktop, but when it is, Apple will probably have the courage to say no to the iMac too.
It's good to finally be hearing from some of the powers behind the throne. Now we're going to start finding out how Steve set things up before before he left the planet.
[this is off topic but I couldn't resist]
...."before he left the planet" Some would say, me included, that he is still on the planet creating great soil as fertilizer.
The problem with a "real desktop solution" is that you're talking about generic boxes like PC's. There's nothing unique about them. Apple's solutions are always unique. i, too, would love to have a Mac Pro with a normal Core i7 processor and more standard parts, but does that mean it would be a successful product for Apple? No. Steve's original vision for the Mac was an all-in-one solution, and that's why they concentrate on the iMac. When they made more conventional boxes, Apple wasn't very successful.
Comments
1) I see your point but I don't think it's fair to judge direct industries to a consumer product company. It's more fair to compare Apple's design of the A5 chip which they make only 1 or maybe 2 versions of.
2) You shouldn't take the comment so literally. Apple does make very few major products compared to their competitors. That's the take away.
3) I found this interesting? (Note that is only Samsung's line for the US through carriers)
How about the iTunes music store? How many products does that count as?
Apple makes very little themselves; they design more and outsource the manufacture, and they sell a lot more of digital services.
What Apple did under Jobs was change from a manufacturing-centric to a services-centric operation.
Making something simple on the outside often results in complexity inside. In the larger view manufacturing something as simple as an iPod can be very complex.
It is sort of like climbing a mountain, each step might be simple but there is much complexity getting to the top. The goal is simple, take in the view from the top. Each step is also simple, but the trip up is seldom easy.
You missed the point. The paraphrase says they go from simple to simpler to simpler, whereas if you read the actual quoted text, he says they go from simple to complex to simpler.
How about the iTunes music store? How many products does that count as?
Apple makes very little themselves; they design more and outsource the manufacture, and they sell a lot more of digital services.
What Apple did under Jobs was change from a manufacturing-centric to a services-centric operation.
The iTunes Store would count as one major product, but in the quote I assume they are referring to physical products, not services as products.
Jobs changed a lot, but I don't think it's fair to say that moved to being services-centric. There fortune is had from HW sales. They have created a services ecosystem to tie in with their OSes that are tied to their devices. I'd say Jobs tightened that bond between SW and HW, not just with SW services, but with also pushing Apple to design more of the HW that goes into their HW products.
How will they manage without Steve?
Shotgun approach: offer anything that somebody somewhere might buy
Complexity: allow customers to open tin-can cases to make up for--and distract from--inferior design
Temerity: keep costs low-low-low by not offering support
A commitment to being average: what's more exciting than a low price?
Because that's what everyone else does, that's how Apple will manage with the system Steve put in place.
Ugh. Off to something else....
You missed the point. The paraphrase says they go from simple to simpler to simpler, whereas if you read the actual quoted text, he says they go from simple to complex to simpler.
-oops wrong post reply-
Conviction might be a good replacement for courage. The words hero and courage are overused in our society. But in business and in sports, they rarely apply, if ever.
Conviction is the cornerstone of courage.
And there's always the expression, "to have the courage of your convictions." Actually, I think the nature of courage is often over-romanticized and exaggerated. Courage shows itself in all sorts of little ways in lots of people every day, as does cowardice. You don't have to be a hero to be courageous.
Here they need to really address the fact that they don't really have a desktop solution. They have the Mini which is too minimal and the Pro which is grossly over priced for what the average desktop users needs.
Come on Wizard… You're lumping desktop success by measuring its edge products. Apple main desktop product is the iMac.
As Apple's philosophy says, you need the courage to say no.
The Mac Pro, in its day when it was designed, was praised as top on the line. It's still a great piece of hardware, but the design is antiquated for the personal computer market now. Just like Windows boxes are. Apple probably will drop the Mac Pro. Many Mac Pro owners will complain, just like when Apple dropped its dedicated server line, but Apple has the courage to say no. Apple thinks the tower design has seen its day, and Apple knew it couldn't be the best it could be in the server market, so it is focusing on the consumer market.
When the Mac Mini came out, it was hailed as a great addition to the product line, but the advocates of a Apple Mini Tower are still crying for one. Just like those into Blue Ray, but again Apple has the courage to say no. Apple's answer to them [IMO] is just buy a mobile MacPro laptop it has plenty of ports for external expansion, and if you want Blue Ray there are plenty of external players out there. Apple knows that the personal computer market's future is in mobile design. Everything they've done shows us Apple's focus is on what they do the best.
There are plenty of other examples where Focus, Simplicity, Courage, and "Be the Best" in Apple's decision making, but I think I've made my point. Apple's desktop iMac is the best desktop design in the personal computer market and its success proves it. The iMac isn't Apple's focus today, iOS devices are paying the bills, but they know the need is still there for a desktop computer. The PC-free metaphor is not ready to replace the desktop, but when it is, Apple will probably have the courage to say no to the iMac too.
Focus: on maintaining reality distortion fields.
Simplicity: Restrict customers from upgrading their Macs.
Courage: To shamelessly overcharge people for PC components.
A commitment to being the best: Industry drama queens.
How will they manage without Steve?
My post above is my answer to this.
It's good to finally be hearing from some of the powers behind the throne. Now we're going to start finding out how Steve set things up before before he left the planet.
[this is off topic but I couldn't resist]
...."before he left the planet" Some would say, me included, that he is still on the planet creating great soil as fertilizer.
It would certainly be helpful for people to look outside their own industry. Let's see - just off the top of my head:
Boeing
Airbus
Exxon (and any of the other major oil companies which is 4 of the 5 largest companies in the world by revenues)
AT&T
Arcelor Mittal
And so on....
Why not speak to the proper context of this article, you are talking Apple versus Oranges.
Joswiak -- almost like a last name combining Jobs and Wozniak...
Nice!
Am I the only 1 thinking that shirt has the Windows logo all over?
Joswiak -- almost like a last name combining Jobs and Wozniak...
I suppose it's better than Steve Balljobs.