Perception remains that Jobs IS Apple

[MacBytes]

http://www.macbytes.com/images/bytessig.gif (http://www.macbytes.com)

Category: Opinion/Interviews
Link: Perception remains that Jobs IS Apple (http://www.macbytes.com/link.php?sid=20090326124150)
Description:: Whatever you want to say about Apple, it’s a brand that is considered one of the best. In the latest brandchannel’s brandjunkies 2009 report, Apple won accolades in several areas. However, it’s also a company that is viewed as having its future tied to CEO Steve Jobs—and that’s an image that needs to be changed.

Posted on MacBytes.com (http://www.macbytes.com)
Approved by Mudbug

[bradl]

/me donning flame retardant suit

About time, and I fully agree.

No company, entity, or organization should ever be the sum of one person, because when that person is gone, the organization is gone; case in point, Apple when Jobs wasn't there.

People here (judging from all the posts on if Jobs is doing this/that/whatever) believe it; Wall St. believes it. And that's a problem.. As far as the media goes and Apple's current image goes, Jobs = single point of failure.

BL.

[barkmonster]

Jobs instigated every positive change at the company since his return but we've now have 4 generations of CPUs in proven ranges of computers that work well for everyone apart from that pesky lack of an "entry" tower at the £1,100 mark that's we had with the G3 and G4 range.

Without steve jobs, things would go just as smoothly for Apple as they are now.

Who knows, it might even be steve jobs who's personally responsible for removing firewire on the Macbook, not going with 12 or 6 RAM slot motherboards on the incredibly overpriced new range of Mac Pros and not allowing bluetooth file exchange or video on the iPhone.

A new CEO wouldn't hurt at all. Unless it's Sam Tramiel of course!

[ateslik]

Who knows, it might even be steve jobs who's personally responsible for removing firewire on the Macbook

And we're all still here apple, just waiting for that to be added back so we can spend our money.

[kironin]

I think the follow up comment by hmurchinson to the original post is worth repeating here:

http://macsimumnews.com/macosgforums/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=18691&sid=99d4b43e12b4f20f6240f33b68fc6684

... How does one quantify "innovative spirit"? Hell I sold Apple computers back when Job's was outstered and Sculley and Spindler were running the company and you know what? They still cranked out innovative stuff. The design ethos never left..what ran the company into the ground was an uncontrollable product mix and inefficient operations.

The new Apple is simply the same innovative spirit that Apple has always had married with some of the best and efficient operations and marketing that the world has seen.

That is a team effort. Apple's Executive Brass is like an All Star team. I've got no doubts that Cook, Joswiak, Forstall and more would fail to deliver the polish we expect.

Remember

Avi Tevanian is gone
Jon Rubinstein is gone
Tony Fadell is gone
Bruce Tognazzini is gone
Mike Boich, Bud Tribble and Andy Hertzfeld the orginal Mac UI leads gone


And Apple continues to march on. It is bigger than one person and always has. Few people have left the Apple fold and found success at the any significant level and that includes Steven P. Jobs himself

[ppnkg]

To acknowledge that Jobs is charismatic is one thing, to say that apple is nothing without him is quite another -it is the product line and its appeal to customers that will decide apple's future. Apple obeys the rules of the market just like any other in this respect. Good product line+competitive prices=survival (at a minimum).

[fredsarran]

In my view, Steve Jobs created Apple, and the fruit nourished him ! And yes, they have been more people behind the scene building up this company. But Steve is Apple and Apple is Steve. Apple being a big international company, people just want it to continue and make money (as well providing great products).

What I want to come too, has anybody thought that maybe the best solution for Apple is to die with Steve ? Crazy idea because I love Apple and I only want to use an Apple Mac or iPhone. But if the company cannot continue to live based on its original principles and philosophy, maybe it should stop with Steve.

What do you think ? Well, Think Different !

[jayducharme]

A new CEO wouldn't hurt at all. Unless it's Sam Tramiel of course!

Or Steve Ballmer....

There seems to be a good team in place right now, and that's the most important thing. A leader needs to inspire and push his/her teams to do their best. Jobs has been able to do this. Other leaders can do this as well. But they need to share Apple's aesthetic vision and that innate sense of how people use technology. As long as the management at Apple is committed to bringing the public amazing new and useful technologies, the company will continue along its successful path.

[ditzy]

In my view, Steve Jobs created Apple, and the fruit nourished him ! And yes, they have been more people behind the scene building up this company. But Steve is Apple and Apple is Steve. Apple being a big international company, people just want it to continue and make money (as well providing great products).

What I want to come too, has anybody thought that maybe the best solution for Apple is to die with Steve ? Crazy idea because I love Apple and I only want to use an Apple Mac or iPhone. But if the company cannot continue to live based on its original principles and philosophy, maybe it should stop with Steve.

What do you think ? Well, Think Different !

If when Steve leaves the 'Apple' way of doing things leaves with him. I would not want them to carry on. However I hope that he leaves a lasting legacy behind him when he does decide to leave.

[IJ Reilly]

If when Steve leaves the 'Apple' way of doing things leaves with him. I would not want them to carry on. However I hope that he leaves a lasting legacy behind him when he does decide to leave.

What? You want them to lock the doors and turn out the lights?

Of course, if none of these goodies don’t arrive until after Jobs return, the perception that he’s the heart, soul and brains of the company will continue.

Ouch. Somebody needs a copy editor.

[Cassie]

In my view, Steve Jobs created Apple, and the fruit nourished him ! And yes, they have been more people behind the scene building up this company. But Steve is Apple and Apple is Steve. Apple being a big international company, people just want it to continue and make money (as well providing great products).

What I want to come too, has anybody thought that maybe the best solution for Apple is to die with Steve ? Crazy idea because I love Apple and I only want to use an Apple Mac or iPhone. But if the company cannot continue to live based on its original principles and philosophy, maybe it should stop with Steve.

What do you think ? Well, Think Different !

I think Apple abandoned their philosophy a few years ago. It's no longer about the long time Mac users and what they want, it's what the switchers want. And since they have no clue what they want, Apple/Steve thinks they/he can market underpowered, overprice, flashy computers and turn a huge profit. The sad thing is, they're right, too.

I think if Steve is the one responsible for making the decisions on the latest products and updates, then he needs to leave.

[kironin]

wow, some of you Steve fans are just nuttier than the Mad Hatter.

[BenRoethig]

Steve is responsible for a lot of positive change, but he's also responsible for a lot of missteps. It's his nature as he tries to think ahead and can miss just as badly as he hits. He's both brilliant and arrogant, as sharp as a double edged sword as there could ever be.

As much as he's been the soul of this company, it and service and survive without him. Why? Because the culture is still there. In fact they might be able to take some needed steps that can't be done while he's there.

[lftrghtparadigm]

There is not one rationally thinking person that sees Steve Jobs as anything more than head of advertising.

Not one. If you personally see him as more than that, you are in fact nuts.

Apple is a massive company. None of the work is done by SJ. Not the designing, not the molding, the sketching, the metal cutting, the prototybe building, the physical components testing, the software designing......


It goes on and on, and Steve Jobs has nothing to do with any of it. Can we grow up already?

Wall St. "believes it" Good good, no they don't. GROW UP.

[IJ Reilly]

There is not one rationally thinking person that sees Steve Jobs as anything more than head of advertising.

Not one. If you personally see him as more than that, you are in fact nuts.

Then I am irrational and nuts -- totally gaga, by your silly definition at least. And so is everyone else who knows something about what goes on at Apple. It is well known that nothing gets out the door unless Steve approves it. There's a lot of history behind this. Back in the early Mac days, he was involved in virtually every, tiny detail. Steve Jobs is a perfectionist and a control freak -- always has been, always will be.

But don't take it from me, I'm completely out of my mind.

[jb1280]

I think Apple abandoned their philosophy a few years ago. It's no longer about the long time Mac users and what they want, it's what the switchers want. And since they have no clue what they want, Apple/Steve thinks they/he can market underpowered, overprice, flashy computers and turn a huge profit. The sad thing is, they're right, too.

I think if Steve is the one responsible for making the decisions on the latest products and updates, then he needs to leave.

I'm just curious - what is the flashpoint where an alleged philosophy was abandoned?

Apple still makes the whole widget, etc.

The price issue might be debatable, but the only under-served product line in terms of power is some sort of quad-core product in a consumer desktop, I don't think you can call anything else underpowered for the class of machine each product is in.

[MikeTheC]

At a minimum, I hope Steve stays at Apple long enough that Linux can become a 100% viable platform for people like me, 'cause I sure as h*** don't want to have to resort to Windows as my main OS.