One things hasn't changed with the passing of Steve Jobs - there's still no shortage of "experts" who know better than Apple.
But now they can tag their "expertise" with supposed argument clinchers like "this would never have happened if Steve was still here."
Sorry guys, but you weren't experts when Steve was alive, and you aint now either, know matter how much you invoke Steve's name.
This exactly.
The problem is that these folk (bless 'em) aren't so much experts at running multi-billion dollar corporations, as armchair CEOs with a man-crush on the late Steve Jobs (or the usual anti-Apple crew hoping to spread a little doubt).
This is why they've forgotten the PR foul-up that involved Apple trying to demonstrate the problem on other phones by having some fella squeeze a Motorola until he was ready to pass out.
That happened under Jobs, along with a number of ads that were banned in the UK for playing fast and loose with the truth.
The G5 Cube happened under Jobs.
The iPod Shuffle with no buttons happened under Jobs (and who seriously thought that idea was going to fly?).
Now for my tuppence worth:
I reckon these ads are the work of the John Browett (cue: 'Browett wouldn't have been hired if Steve Jobs was still alive!'), and though I wasn't expecting to, I really liked them.
Well acted, tongue-in-cheek, and got two messages across very clearly:
We have the Genius bar to help.
Just because it's shiny, doesn't make it an Apple.
Actually made me laugh, and I haven't laughed at a commercial since that fisherman kicked the bear in the groin (not a real bear, not a real fisherman).
And to the folk suggesting that it's a bad idea to make it look as though you'll need help with your Mac? Think it through.
The Genius Bar has been a prominent feature in the stores for years; it isn't hidden in a corner, or stuffed in the basement. It's out where people can find it because knowing that you can come back and get help with your Apple device is reassuring to any potential customer.
What Apple is trying to sell here is the whole experience. Not just the phone, or the Mac; they're showing that they've got your back even after you've spent your hard-earned cash.
And I think the armchair CEOs would see that, if Jobs was still alive.