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Apple Retail's Emphasis on Profits Continues, Tied to Operational Perspective of Cook and Browett
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This feels very dark... I had no idea Tim was giving hear to Ron while Steve was on leave... I cant bear to think that Apple could fall twice...
Apple has been a corporation for around 30 years and some of the most successful of those are a result of costumer-centric approach to retail. I think people are concerned that Apple will evolve into what General Motors became in the 1970's a firm selling products that were stripped of everything that made them special by accountants looking for an extra buck at the end of each quarter (No offense to any accountants). Now I know that analogy is probably a stretch, since their design team has obviously not been co-opted by bean-counters, but the Apple retail store experience is such an integral part of what makes Apple special (and profitable). It's a little disconcerting to hear that the chiefs are in a hurry to change all of that.
I don't know but I went into the Apple Store to get a MacBook Pro on Sunday past & the store staff were quite keen to get me to buy One to One & AppleCare. When I went a few years ago to get an iMac, there was none of that pushiness. They aren't even based on commission.
But I doubt that such ethics has been pushed out to a single store in N. Ireland.
But I doubt that such ethics has been pushed out to a single store in N. Ireland.
To the Apple BOD: please get rid of Cook and Browett before it's too late (the price of buying them out is nothing in comparison to the damage they will cause to the value of AAPL if they are allowed free reign). Cook has been riding on SJ's legacy train, but it will soon come to a stop (all that is left is iPhone 5 and the retinization of the rest of Apple's computer offerings). He is a paint-by-$$$ CEO, with nothing to spark Apple's next wave of innovation. As for Browett, he came to Apple after ruining several retail businesses in the UK. Some track record
I see 3 main possibilities:
1. These stories are simply not true, or are being wildly misinterpreted. Maybe Browett is actually doing OK, and some disgruntled people are inventing an imaginary dire reason for some things that have happened. That could be, and we may never know except by judging the Apple Store experience in 2 years. But I for one find the stories believable, knowing Browett’s history.
2. Tim Cook made a mistake: he thought something (who knows what—not this!) made Browett worth having on the team, and then even after big problems came up, he gave Browett a second chance. This mistake can be corrected, and I’ll feel better about Apple and Cook if it is. Lose Browett!
or
3. Time Cook made a shockingly massive mistake: he hired Browett KNOWING that revenue-over-experience would be the plan, and stands behind it! I’m not enough of a pessimist to assume that, but it’s a pretty bad scenario!
One reason to have some hope for #2: Tim Cook has paid more than just lip service to the principles Jobs taught that have made Apple and its products great. He’s not Jobs—nobody is—but he DOES get it, at least as well as we random forum-goers do. And he’s not alone. Hearing him speak about Apple doesn’t leave me with the impression that he would stubbornly cling to something as extreme and stupid as this sounds like it could be.
For what it’s worth, we’ve been hearing on and off for years, under Jobs’ watch, about Apple Store pressure to sell “extras” like AppleCare. No commission—but still pressure. Experiences vary from visit to visit, but that doesn’t sound new to me.
1. These stories are simply not true, or are being wildly misinterpreted. Maybe Browett is actually doing OK, and some disgruntled people are inventing an imaginary dire reason for some things that have happened. That could be, and we may never know except by judging the Apple Store experience in 2 years. But I for one find the stories believable, knowing Browett’s history.
2. Tim Cook made a mistake: he thought something (who knows what—not this!) made Browett worth having on the team, and then even after big problems came up, he gave Browett a second chance. This mistake can be corrected, and I’ll feel better about Apple and Cook if it is. Lose Browett!
or
3. Time Cook made a shockingly massive mistake: he hired Browett KNOWING that revenue-over-experience would be the plan, and stands behind it! I’m not enough of a pessimist to assume that, but it’s a pretty bad scenario!
One reason to have some hope for #2: Tim Cook has paid more than just lip service to the principles Jobs taught that have made Apple and its products great. He’s not Jobs—nobody is—but he DOES get it, at least as well as we random forum-goers do. And he’s not alone. Hearing him speak about Apple doesn’t leave me with the impression that he would stubbornly cling to something as extreme and stupid as this sounds like it could be.
For what it’s worth, we’ve been hearing on and off for years, under Jobs’ watch, about Apple Store pressure to sell “extras” like AppleCare. No commission—but still pressure. Experiences vary from visit to visit, but that doesn’t sound new to me.
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A jagged edge....
When the bean counters congregate, no matter who they are or what they believe they know about customers, put two of them together and they will wreck a company faster than you've ever seen.. I've been thru three of these fiasco's over the last 30 years and NONE of those fortune 100 company's are still around..
Be prepared...
When the bean counters congregate, no matter who they are or what they believe they know about customers, put two of them together and they will wreck a company faster than you've ever seen.. I've been thru three of these fiasco's over the last 30 years and NONE of those fortune 100 company's are still around..
Be prepared...
In other words, while every company tries to be like Apple in creating a better customer experience, Apple is now striving to become like all the other companies (who less successful presently). Brilliant. </sarcasm>
It will be disappointing to see this trend continue. I don't see how this is good for an already wildly profitable company, but what do I know, I'm just a regular person.
Steve Jobs would've never allowed this.
Normally, this is a joke. But its 100% true, and I am NOT a Steve Jobs fan. But Steve jobs was not a bean counter. ( Neither was Bill Gates, to an extent. They both knew that you had to have a quality product, and provide good support, over everything else. )
Steve Jobs knew that if you were going to charge the kind of money Apples does for well ( at least hardware wise, mid range products ), you had to have great customer support, and an awesome retail experience.
Its one of the reasons why Apple became so successful.
With these idiots at the Helm, don't be surprised if Apple gets beaten to a pulp over the years by Microsoft ( Again), and they lose out in the Smart Phone Market.
Not Apple Hate, but with Apple being run by bean counters, I could see bad things happening. I think Apple being run by bean counters in the pre return of Steve Jobs in the mid 90s is what let the PC OEMs and Microsoft beat them to a pulp.
Ya know whats really sad? Companies like Microsoft, are 100% focused on created great products with great support, Windows XP/Xbox Line/Window 7 and 8 ( I hope ) seem to fuel my theroy.
While Apple, the company that used to be 100% about customer satisfaction, isn't really bringing anything new out, Look at OSX 10.7 and 10.8 ( Not as bad, I'll admit ). Total disasters compared to 10.5 and 10.6. And now they care more about maximizing profits while cutting things as cheap as 12 dollar an hour labor.
If apple goes into the *******, thank the bean counters.
I miss my old Apple, I really do.
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Not only this, but Apple seems to be headed down the path of locking down the freedom of computer operating systems into an iOS like walled garden where they say what goes. The beginning of the end may be here, in more ways than one. But let's hope not.
I agree.
Although anything is possible, I doubt Tim's goal is to turn the stores into an average mall retailer. He would have to be a complete idiot to do so and I don't think he is. We'll see how things progress.
Yeah. I mean WTF. Why change a winning strategy just because you want to make a couple extra buck$? LAME.
In 1997, Apple was in a bad shape. This current success is not certain to continue, and I hope some of these guys realise that.
They've spent too much time not developing their products (mainly iPhone, iMac, Mac Pro) in the last few years, tied down in patent litigation for one thing.
If the iPhone is to continue to be popular, iOS and the phone's design needs to move with the times. People are [un]surprisingly fickle when it comes to phones.
They've spent too much time not developing their products (mainly iPhone, iMac, Mac Pro) in the last few years, tied down in patent litigation for one thing.
If the iPhone is to continue to be popular, iOS and the phone's design needs to move with the times. People are [un]surprisingly fickle when it comes to phones.
I'm not sure about that, actually. Yes, Apple is a 30 year old company, but the majority of its success was a result of trendy products over the past 10 years. Now it is up for debate whether or not that is a result of products, customer service, or both, but even then, it is clear that Apple is looking to make profit and always have been.
Please don't do this, Tim
I have to say that turning a model that already generates more revenue per square foot than any other chain of stores to a more profit oriented approach - that is the one clear way to lose me as a customer. And many others as well.
It was the one true proof that when Apple says it's building the best products and product experiences are what come first for Apple, this must be true when you see their orientation within the stores too.
It's not the lawsuits (which I'm OK with) and I'm proud of their efforts to improve things in China, but this is where they will screw up and slowly erode their reputation for client first. This will be their downfall. A very slow fall but steady and accelerating nonetheless.
This was where they needed to look more generous to staff, to match their efforts in China. So wrong-headed...
I have to say that turning a model that already generates more revenue per square foot than any other chain of stores to a more profit oriented approach - that is the one clear way to lose me as a customer. And many others as well.
It was the one true proof that when Apple says it's building the best products and product experiences are what come first for Apple, this must be true when you see their orientation within the stores too.
It's not the lawsuits (which I'm OK with) and I'm proud of their efforts to improve things in China, but this is where they will screw up and slowly erode their reputation for client first. This will be their downfall. A very slow fall but steady and accelerating nonetheless.
This was where they needed to look more generous to staff, to match their efforts in China. So wrong-headed...
When I went to the Apple Bluewater store in the UK, they recommended that I buy AppleCare at some point through the year. No pressure, just advice. She even asked me if I wanted to consider an iPad instead, as it was cheaper.
Thankfully Apple Store employees don't run on commission. If they did...I think I'd just buy my stuff online.
Because thats the difference between people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates ( not so much with Bill Gates, but he knew when to put customer service and satisfaction over a couple of dollars of profit ).
And bean counters, Bean counters want to sqeeze every last penny of profit they can.
Trust me, Tim Cook and Steve Balmer are not a Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.
Thats not how bean counters think. They think about " if we fire a couple of workers! OUr stocks will go up! "
Ever notice that all the great companies were founded by visionaries and not bean Counters? Apple and Microsoft are just two examples of this.
Don't worry about making money. Worry about being the best at everything you do. If you do this, your customers will make your money for you.