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R.I.P. Steve.

There were times when I find myself wondering what would Apple be like in 2016 if he was still at the helm.
I like to think that he would be on the front lines of the "battlefield" and not hanging back, strategizing in his tent.
 
Well, not all is bad. The iPhone 5 was reportedly the last iPhone design Steve was involved in, and the iPhone SE is carrying on this design, and kicking with respect to style & performance. :)

On the other hand, the current Apple Watch design probably wouldn't have gone past prototype with Steve on the helm. :confused:
 
Again, citing the word "courage" is not appropriate in this case. Tim Cook is using Steve Jobs quotes only for this benefit, in this case for the audio jack controversy. He should just say he has taken that decision and not quote Steve Jobs. In all other product release, he did not mention Steve Jobs, only when he screw up he does mention him. Its a new low and this should stop.
 
I miss Steve's tantalising product presentations.

THIS I genuinely do miss. However, people are crazy to think that Apple would be that much different if he were alive today. Mistakes were made while Steve was alive and they're still being made today.

Tim Cook doesn't have the same energy/charisma as Steve and that's why it's his stage presence that I miss most.
 
What has Cook provided? Thinner phones, computers? The apple watch is his baby, and its seemingly not a huge seller. I think Apple has been coasting under Cook

My question is, how long in your mind does Time have to lead Apple at their current market cap & sales before you're proven wrong?

Will it take another 5 years before you finally come around to Tim being the best person for the job?
 
I liked Steve and his crazy genius, but we really need to move on. Either that or Tim should call the pope to see if we can get a sainthood for SJ.
You're right. We should also do away with President's Day, Memorial Day, MLK Day and any mention of people who have changed the world, but have died. No sense in paying homage to people who are no longer alive.
 
Keynotes just aren't the same. Or the obsession over awesome details. Apple are still awesome, but it was better when Steve was at the helm. Tim's doing everything he can, but he's an operations guy at heart.
 
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The first PowerBook G4 and the first iPhone announcement always give me a rumble in my nether regions. Boy, I loved the way he presented. I find myself shouting "I want one!", even if the tech's 15 years old. :D

The original 17" PowerBook G4 was my first Mac. It hurt to sell it after 3-4 years (I had to), but I replaced it with a refurb G5 Tower I kept for 8...

Still, for me the original iPhone announcement was the pinnacle. It was a "holy crap I can't believe we're here" kind of moment, and he built it up brilliantly...

Still, I couldn't afford it so I drooled until my first (and sadly last) iPhones: Two 4s.

My kids still use them, though, a testament to Apple's baddassery back then.
 
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What has Cook provided? Thinner phones, computers? The apple watch is his baby, and its seemingly not a huge seller. I think Apple has been coasting under Cook

It's difficult to say, because we can quite quickly condense a decade of Jobs, while comparing to 5 years of Tim Cook.

Apple are setting themselves up for hardware in the long run and drop dependancies where possible. And the software is certainly more stable now on release date than it's ever been.

I agree it's always a bit of a worry with the computers. That's really how most of us discovered Apple. For me it 'clicked' at University, when I plugged a USB MIDI piano into a Mac Pro, and Pro Tools immediately recognised it. None of this installing driver stuff. Something as simple as that got me hooked.

Personally I think there's going to be something special coming with the computers. Really, really special. But we'll have to wait and see -- time will be the judge of Apple under TC.
 
There is no true passion at this company anymore, only incremental updates.

Their mantle is that they 'no' to certain, things, as if they have a purity of focus only they themselves have attained. But Jobs took risks - where is the risk taking at Apple, today? It doesn't exist. All the executives are rich and complacent. They don't see Apple as a company to move humanity forward - they create videos about Apple creating technology that assists disabled people, and that's great. They pat themselves on the back and repeat things like 'only Apple can do this'. And we all politely clap, but everyone who has followed this company from the beginning nervously looks at each other and asks - 'is this seriously it?'

Where is the technology that inspires the rest of humanity? When was the last time you were excited about a keynote because they had a skunkworks project that wasn't leaked by the supply chain?

No, this company pales to what it was under Steve.
 
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For so long, people accused Apple users of caring more about aesthetics than real computer power. Now that Apple have an in-house chip with double the single-core performance of the competitor, people start moaning about things like bezels.

But hey, I guess 'innovate' means different things to different people.

The processors have incredible power; I can attest to that. But maybe they could innovate a way to drastically improve battery life for one or two product cycles...I'm more than content with the speed the A9 runs iOS 10 on my phone. I would just like them to work on running at that speed longer.
 
Not trying to take anything away from Jobs, regardless of what he has done or not, but I feel like Tim & Co just milk his memory for business purposes every year.
Apple was Steve Jobs. If you remove him completely from it, it fundamentally redefines the company and diminishes part of what made it unique. I don't think anyone is comfortable with that. Hence Steve's office, as he left it, is being moved to the new headquarters and he'll always be remembered in the spirit of Apple. I think that it is not only touching for Apple to do that, but it is necessary for them. Even outside of Apple corporate leaders are remembered for their impact on the company (e.g. General Electric and Jack Welch). Apple is a little different as it was death that separated Steve from Apple and Apple, even in Steve's absence, had always been identified as "Steve's company".
 
There is no true passion at this company anymore, only incremental updates.

Their mantle is that they 'no' to certain, things, as if they have a purity of focus only they themselves have attained. But Jobs took risks - where is the risk taking at Apple, today? It doesn't exist. All the executives are rich and complacent. They don't see Apple as a company to move humanity forward - they create videos about Apple creating technology that assists disabled people, and that's great. They pat themselves on the back and repeat things like 'only Apple can do this'. And we all politely clap, but everyone who has followed this company from the beginning nervously looks at each other and ask - 'is this seriously it?'

Where is the technology that inspires the rest of humanity? When was the last time you were excited about a keynote because they had a skunkworks project that wasn't leaked by the supply chain?

No, this company pales to what it was under Steve.

I agree. Apple is the most valuable brand in the world. Look no further than all of the top end hires they have made to find out all they care about is maximizing profit for bigger shareholder returns. As much as I know that Jobs was a nutcase, I liked his technology belief which was to make the best product possible and the people will love it. Now Apple has successfully found ways to offer the smallest performance boosts so you have to buy a new product every few years. A new product every few years, a new iPhone every year --> yes Apple, please open your next keynote on how green the company is.
 
My question is, how long in your mind does Time have to lead Apple at their current market cap & sales before you're proven wrong?
Just my opinion. Mac sales shrinking, iPhone sales shrinking, iPad sales stagnant. Apple not updating the MacPro and Mini in years, the 15" MBP still running the Haswell chipset. Yes, even with shrinking iPhone sales, Apple is making money hand over fist and has a gazillion dollars in the bank, but the fact remains we're seeing some level of contraction with Apple's product lines. Given what I see, I'd say Cook is not as good as a CEO and leader as Steve Jobs. I'll be happy to be wrong but from what I see right now, It doesn't look like I am.

Apple certainly lost a significant amount of talent when Steve passed. No company would be able to replace a Steve Jobs.
Yes, there's really never going to be another individual like him.
 
I miss him every time I watch a keynote. He was so charismatic on stage, and although he made mistakes like everyone the best products came with him as a CEO.
 
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