Apple focuses on quality products not money, says designer Jonathan Ive

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  • Reply 41 of 125
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,375member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


     


    I would believe that more if they didn't make 40% Gross Margin on most of their products.


     


    Of course it's all about making money. That's what public corporations do. Apple is not a charity building products for the good of humanity.


     


    If it's not about the money why don't they donate all their profits to charity.



     


    Way to let what he said fly completely over your head. Seriously, are you that obtuse? Is that what you got from what he said? You think the primary motivation of people like Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive, and even Tim Cook is to make money? That's what made SJ stay up nights obsessing over the most mundane details that a CEO would never bother him about, and why he was giving keynotes a couple months before his death? Because he was dreaming about the balance sheet? Thats where the passion comes from? Incredible. What Ive said that if the product is great the money will come. You focus on the product, thats the end result. Not that hard of a concept to understand. There are so many points in Apple's history where it seems there was a much easier way to make easy money than the risky route they ended up taking. What a disgusting, cynical view, in that either someone's primary motivation is money, and if not they need to give it all away. What a reasonable, practical, realistic perspective you have there. 

  • Reply 42 of 125
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    spacerays wrote: »

    Get a life Shaun, watch the Olympics, stop trolling here.


    He could be at the Olympics scoping out the talent for all we know.


    [VIDEO]
  • Reply 43 of 125
    hmmfehmmfe Posts: 79member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26 View Post


     


     


    No, in my world, the normal way that big companies do things makes more sense than someone claiming nonsensical platitudes.  Especially when he is on a PR mission.



    I can see the appeal to this way of thinking; only those things I can make sense of are true, therefore if I cannot make sense of it it must not be true.  Very comforting.  Despite it's appeal, though, it is neither rigorous nor well reasoned.

  • Reply 44 of 125
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Ive is really cute at trying to make everybody believe that Apple works to give beauty to the world. I think he's 50% doing PR and 50% sincerely influenced by his work. If he's doing what he's doing that's because SJ thought he was good at doing design without thinking about the cost. It's up to the CEO to think money. For certain Apple is inarguably the only company in the world to make such high quality products (at least their exterior aspect, not talking about components' quality). Sony was at its place once but in now trails with all others far behind.
  • Reply 45 of 125
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,375member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26 View Post


     


     


    Because the statement  makes little or no sense in the context of a for-profit multinational corporation?



     


    His statement actually makes complete sense, if you're a semi-intelligent human being that can spend a couple seconds thinking about the concept. Seriously, it's not that tough. I very much doubt Jonathan Ive gets inspiration to make his designs drooling about how much money he might make. Is it so difficut to understand there are many others at APple like him, who actually have a passion for the product, and doing amazing work? As he said, money tends to follow, if people like what you do and buy it. It doesn't mean making huge sums of cash was the original goal. Apple has a ton of cash because a ton of people buy their stuff. Who the hell DOESNT want to make money? Who DISLIKES money? It's not either this or that. It doesn't mean it was their primary motivator. There's absolutely no contradiction in his statement, but one wonders about people like you who pretend not to get it so you can make some assinine commentary. 

  • Reply 46 of 125
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    He could be at the Olympics scoping out the talent for all we know.





     


    I wouldn't say no. Don't you just love those Aussie women. I'm more into the beach volleyball at the moment as the athletics hasn't started yet. image

  • Reply 47 of 125
    shaun, ukshaun, uk Posts: 1,050member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tylerk36 View Post


    Johnny is thinking "oh shit I knew I should have shaved today" "oh wait I did.  I should have worn shorts."



     


    She's probably saying "I say my dear fellow can you get me a glass of champers please" and he replies "Yes m'lady"

  • Reply 48 of 125
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    slurpy wrote: »
    Way to let what he said fly completely over your head. Seriously, are you that obtuse? Is that what you got from what he said? You think the primary motivation of people like Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ive, and even Tim Cook is to make money? That's what made SJ stay up nights obsessing over the most mundane details that a CEO would never bother him about, and why he was giving keynotes a couple months before his death? Because he was dreaming about the balance sheet? Thats where the passion comes from? Incredible. What Ive said that if the product is great the money will come. You focus on the product, thats the end result. Not that hard of a concept to understand. There are so many points in Apple's history where it seems there was a much easier way to make easy money than the risky route they ended up taking. What a disgusting, cynical view, in that either someone's primary motivation is money, and if not they need to give it all away. What a reasonable, practical, realistic perspective you have there. 
    People just look at the bottom line and see $8bn in profit and think Ive's full of it. I don't think most of them are really that obtuse, they just hate Apple, hated Steve Jobs and Ive has become the new Jobs (in terms of hate) for them.
  • Reply 49 of 125
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    shaun, uk wrote: »
    I wouldn't say no. Don't you just love those Aussie women.

    I'm not allow to comment that I find a woman attractive or AppleGreen(?) will derail the thread calling me racist against women or something else just as silly.
  • Reply 50 of 125


    "I don't want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want." - Steve Jobs


     


    Apple cares about building excellent products. It's focus is on beautiful products instead of design by committee so many other companies are stuck on. As a great byproduct of their focus, they make tonnes of money. I won't say they don't care about money but they definitely go about it differently than anybody else.

  • Reply 51 of 125
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by GadgetCanada View Post

    "I don't want your money. If you offer me $5 billion, I won't want it. I've got plenty of money. I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want." - Steve Jobs


     


    When Samsung loses, they're going to cite that as the reason they can't "legally" be fined $25 billion, forced to recall all their products, and to stop using Android on their devices.

  • Reply 52 of 125
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


     


    I would believe that more if they didn't make 40% Gross Margin on most of their products. ...



     


    I think you're missing the point entirely.  A 40% margin is a normal profit and very typical of most industries.  By simply adding that on everything, they completely eliminate having to worry about the money part at all.  If it was about making money, the margin would vary and it would be equal to "whatever they can get" or in other words, much higher.  


     


     


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shaun, UK View Post


    ... Of course it's all about making money. That's what public corporations do. Apple is not a charity building products for the good of humanity.


     


    If it's not about the money why don't they donate all their profits to charity.


     



     


    Wrong again.  And these statements are not mutually exclusive anyway.  Just because it "isn't about the money" doesn't mean they would give all the money away.  Those two things are not equal at all, why would they be?   Apple builds products because it's what they do and they like to do it.  They add the profit margin so they can keep doing it, but the *reason* they exist is to make the products, not the money.  It's pretty much exactly as Ive says.  

  • Reply 53 of 125
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by hmmfe View Post


    I'm guessing that was rhetorical, but I'll answer anyway.  Without profits, they cannot fund the research and development of future products.  I guess you could argue they make more money than is necessary for R&D.  However, the cash hoard has been used to create economies of scale necessary to bring the products to market at a price point that is required by the market.  So, I'd still argue the "excess" profit is part of the strategy to use money for the benefit of the product.  


     


    Besides, the quote from Ive is a statement of priority and focus not absolutes.  Money exists to allow for the creation of products rather than products being produced for the creation of profit.   Both statements require two things - money and products.  The difference is one of priority and focus.


     


    Of course, the simplest answer is that Ive is in a better position to speak about the goals and motivations of Apple than you or I.  Without real information to the contrary, I see no reason to doubt Ive's statement.



     


    Thanks for saving this thread for me.  You are one of the only people that seems to get it.  


     


    I was dismaying at all these otherwise smart people making all the idiotic comments about (paraphrased) "of course it's about the money because everything is about the money."  Anyone who seriously thinks this has no idea about how business is supposed to work. 

  • Reply 54 of 125

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Are you really that obtuse?


     


    More like pathological. Beating up on Apple users gives his life meaning. It really does.

  • Reply 55 of 125
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    This is probably the 3rd or 4th time I've heard Ive say Apple's goals are great products not making money. Outside of Cook he's really the only one who gives interviews. If Tim Cook or anyone else took issue with what Ive said he would've been told by now to stop saying it or more likely Apple PR wouldn't allow him to give interviews.
  • Reply 56 of 125
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,392member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Are you really that obtuse?


    He is. Don't feed.

  • Reply 57 of 125
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,392member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SchnellFowVay View Post


     


    He came off as a bit obtuse, but his overall point is still valid.


     


    It is completely ridiculous to say that Apple does not focus on money......



    You really didn't read the article, did you?

  • Reply 58 of 125
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    The goal is 100% about money.  The means to that goal involves making products that people pay lots of money for.  

    Jerry, you need some Zen to understand the principle of making money before you can understand what made Apple so successful. Striving for perfection eventually brings wealth. It doesn't happen overnight but if you are persistent and do not lose sight of your idealist goals, people will flock to you, and throw money at you, but the money is not the goal. The goal is to become as close to perfect as you possibly can. All good things will follow you if you maintain your focus on the purity of your ideals.
  • Reply 59 of 125

    Quote:


    I would believe that more if they didn't make 40% Gross Margin on most of their products.



    I wonder whether Apple's competitors would be able to sell anything at all if Apple's margins were as low as theirs?

  • Reply 60 of 125
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,392member


    Two things that SJ would say -- in keynote after keynote -- still resonate for me.


     


    Paraphrasing: "We want to surprise and delight our customers;" and, "It's all about the music."


     


    Do you think the CEO of, say, ATT, Comcast, Samsung, Microsoft -- pick yours -- would ever be heard saying something like that?

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