Surely you're joking. Apple is spread throughout several office buildings in the area. This consolidated most employees in one building.
And yet they continue to do some of the very best work in the world.
I think it was Andy Grove who once noted that if more attention is being paid on the furnishings and offices, versus the work, there is a problem of focus (this is not a direct quote).
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span><div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>SpamSandwich</strong> <a href="/t/160117/miniature-model-offers-detailed-look-at-apples-spaceship-campus-2#post_2415838"><img src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" class="inlineimg" alt="View Post"/></a><br/><br/>I might be the lone dissenter, but I look at it this way: Apple didn't become the company they are today by having luxurious offices. They got there by having a stern taskmaster, in the form of Jobs, and by having great, talented people able to pull of the impossible regularly.<br />
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I view the campus as a mistake. Keep the cramped offices.</div></div><p> </p>The argument that "cramped offices" are responsible for Apple being "the company they are today", is neither true nor logical.
Apple employees aren't working in cramped offices, they are dispersed among various buildings around Cupertino, and into surrounding Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. Apple buys or leases additional space as needed. This is nothing new, Apple has been doing this from the beginning. What consolidation accomplishes is efficiency. That means less travel between buildings. Consolidation also allows for more opportunities to interact, to exchange ideas, and to collaborate, not to mention further foster a feeling of cohesion amongst team Apple. Regardless of the office space, Apple has always sought and hired talented people. The new campus doesn't change that.
Apple's success is due to the alignment of its corporate vision and strategy; an adherence to core values and a focus on innovation; a culture of innovation through iteration; vigorous communication and careful conservatorship of its clear, unified brand identity; anticipation of viable opportunities in the market sector, and the building and shaping of it; the belief that it isn't about getting to the market first, but rather creating the best product and user experience possible; understanding that customer loyalty is a result of building products that people love, not ones that show how smart you are; embracing a start-up's mentality, regardless of company size; understanding that product development should drive sales and marketing, not the other way around; knowing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning you market the soul of a machine - how it can improve your life, not the parts inside that make it up; knowing that the best ideas always win, regardless of source; the belief that people are the greatest resource: focused, effective, and accountable management, as well as skilled and talented engineers, designers, and support personnel; obsessive attention to detail, design, and the user experience; the belief that 'good enough' isn't, craftsmanship matters; intense focus and co-comittant efficiency as a result of a functional organizational structure of specialization; development and control of its own technologies; prudent allocation of resources to leverage R&D toward deliverable products; growth and continued relevance through the active acquisition of companies and absorption of their cutting edge technologies; efficient, flexible, and effective supply-chain management; tight operational control over manufacturing, procurement, and logistics; strategic partnerships in the formation and expansion of a digital ecosystem; carefully differentiated, yet coherent, streamlined product offerings; control, access, and brand promotion through attractive and valuable retail channels; a passionate focus on the customer experience; etc.
Or one could just go ahead and state any reason besides "cramped offices". At best, one might argue Apple is successful despite "cramped offices", if one accepted the assertion of "cramped offices" in the first place. The reality though, is that none of Apple's current success has any thing to do with working out of "cramped offices". If that were true, Apple would still be working out of 2066 Crist Drive in Los Altos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2462931/Apples-humble-beginnings-First-computers-revealed-Steve-Jobs-1976-photo.html
Stated concisely, the essence of Apple's success is that it is the result of its mastery of entrepreneurship at the nexus of technology and design.
Change is inevitable; a company only hopes that it is a result of growth and success, not contraction resulting from failure. Apple's continued success will depend upon how it functions; the consolidation of office space resulting from the new campus can only contribute to that.
What it does is place Apple workers in an environment that is utterly unlike the one their customers work in. That introduces several issues. The work becomes insular and relatable to fewer "normal" users in "normal" situations and employees start to feel more entitled. Creature comforts tend to do that to individuals. Things that are uncomfortable spur people to want to change them.
Problems like separate and diffuse work groups lead to innovations like FaceTime. Employees everywhere lead to online document collaboration.
Problems that mirror those of the customer foster innovation and solutions that customers need.
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And yet they continue to do some of the very best work in the world.
I think it was Andy Grove who once noted that if more attention is being paid on the furnishings and offices, versus the work, there is a problem of focus (this is not a direct quote).
What it does is place Apple workers in an environment that is utterly unlike the one their customers work in. That introduces several issues. The work becomes insular and relatable to fewer "normal" users in "normal" situations and employees start to feel more entitled. Creature comforts tend to do that to individuals. Things that are uncomfortable spur people to want to change them.
Problems like separate and diffuse work groups lead to innovations like FaceTime. Employees everywhere lead to online document collaboration.
Problems that mirror those of the customer foster innovation and solutions that customers need.