Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Shareholder Meeting Notes: Leopard, Apple TV, Research
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It only makes sense that Apple decreased their R&D budget for this year: The iPhone, the transition to Intel, the Apple TV, the portal of OSX to embedded platforms, multitouch -- these were all new projects that take more energy and money to start up than to sustain and renew.
.Mac
Yeah, I have .mac too. I love it, but everyday I see other choices that really catch my attention. Grrr! I want a real improvement to .Mac!
Yeah, I have .mac too. I love it, but everyday I see other choices that really catch my attention. Grrr! I want a real improvement to .Mac!
Bill Campbell shoudl be kicked off the board
I am extremely disappointed that nobody stood up & asked Steve Jobs why in the HELL he is keeping Intuit Chairman Bill Campbell on the Apple Board of Directors, when Bill Campbell has CONTINUED to deliver COMPLETELY SUBPAR financial products for Mac OS X?
Even in the year 2007, Quicken & QuickBooks are absolutely horrible products on the Mac, and COMPLETELY pale in comparison to their Windows counterparts.
Just a quick example:
1. Quicken for Mac does NOT auto-download from MOST financial institutions for instantaneous downloading like it does in Quicken for Windows.
2. Quicken & QuickBooks for Mac both feature less than 50% of the feature set of the Windows versions of these products.
3. QuickBooks has no multi-user support, whereas every version of QuickBooks for Windows can be networked.
4. Neither product supports a cross-platform file format so Windows users will actually LOSE MANY FEATURES & FINANCIAL INFORMATION upon switching to Macintosh, and the tedious export/import routine for QuickBooks still does not work reliably under any circumstances.
5. Absolutely no API for QuickBooks for Mac (unlike QuickBooks for Windows), so programs like FileMaker Pro can't tap into QuickBooks on the Mac like they can on the Windows side of things.
These are just the top 5 issues off the top of my head, but obviously there are DOZENS UPON DOZENS more! There are no other real personal financial software alternatives for the Mac (with the exception of MYOB, which is okay for small businesses), so we are stuck with these subpar products from Intuit. These products are horrible.
And the only way that many Windows users can switch to the Mac is to end up using their Intuit product in Parallels or Boot Camp.
All of this and BILL CAMPBELL SITS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT APPLE!!
As far as I'm concerned, Bill Campbell should be kicked off the board completely or step up to the plate and treat Mac users with the respect that they deserve.
It is waaay past time to kick Bill Campbell off the board!
Can somebody PLEASE keep this information on hand for next year's shareholders meeting, and please ask this next year?!
I am extremely disappointed that nobody stood up & asked Steve Jobs why in the HELL he is keeping Intuit Chairman Bill Campbell on the Apple Board of Directors, when Bill Campbell has CONTINUED to deliver COMPLETELY SUBPAR financial products for Mac OS X?
Even in the year 2007, Quicken & QuickBooks are absolutely horrible products on the Mac, and COMPLETELY pale in comparison to their Windows counterparts.
Just a quick example:
1. Quicken for Mac does NOT auto-download from MOST financial institutions for instantaneous downloading like it does in Quicken for Windows.
2. Quicken & QuickBooks for Mac both feature less than 50% of the feature set of the Windows versions of these products.
3. QuickBooks has no multi-user support, whereas every version of QuickBooks for Windows can be networked.
4. Neither product supports a cross-platform file format so Windows users will actually LOSE MANY FEATURES & FINANCIAL INFORMATION upon switching to Macintosh, and the tedious export/import routine for QuickBooks still does not work reliably under any circumstances.
5. Absolutely no API for QuickBooks for Mac (unlike QuickBooks for Windows), so programs like FileMaker Pro can't tap into QuickBooks on the Mac like they can on the Windows side of things.
These are just the top 5 issues off the top of my head, but obviously there are DOZENS UPON DOZENS more! There are no other real personal financial software alternatives for the Mac (with the exception of MYOB, which is okay for small businesses), so we are stuck with these subpar products from Intuit. These products are horrible.
And the only way that many Windows users can switch to the Mac is to end up using their Intuit product in Parallels or Boot Camp.
All of this and BILL CAMPBELL SITS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT APPLE!!
As far as I'm concerned, Bill Campbell should be kicked off the board completely or step up to the plate and treat Mac users with the respect that they deserve.
It is waaay past time to kick Bill Campbell off the board!
Can somebody PLEASE keep this information on hand for next year's shareholders meeting, and please ask this next year?!
It's about time they admit .mac is terrible (aka not reaching it's potential).
The potential is there, but they insist on charging WAY TOO MUCH for a fraction of a fraction of useful space. Dropping it if there aren't some major changes in the future.
The potential is there, but they insist on charging WAY TOO MUCH for a fraction of a fraction of useful space. Dropping it if there aren't some major changes in the future.
Someone else would look at it as the glass as half empty. It sounds more like jobs is justifying cutting their R&D budget. Apple hasn't really innovated in years. I mean real innovation. The parts in an iPod, other then the wheel, aren't revolutionary. Since G1 of the iPod its been an evolutionary increase. Ditto with the Macbook and Macbook pro. Ditto with the Mac pro. Ditto with theTV which is pretty much nothing more then a slimmed down Mac Mini. iPhone. *shrugs* Its not out yet so its hard to say. But the products Apple has been shipping over the lasts 5 years use pretty dang traditional parts. Just put together in a way that is creative and pretty. If you want want to call it innovative style then sure. Apple is innovating style. I mean some of the things that really put Apple in the lead long ago really haven't happened in years. Apple was the first, AFAIK, to come up with the claimshell desktop design. It was a godsend to get into the system. Apple was one of the first, I think IBM beat them to it though, to allow really easy access to most of the components inside of your laptop. Apple has done a lot of firsts in their history. I would love to compare those firsts to what they have put out since 2000.
Yes they are nice, beautiful devices. But innovative from a technological standpoint? Meh. IMHO no.
I've said it before and I will continue to say it. Apple has stopped taking risks. Actually the iPhone IMHO is the biggest risk since the Newton IMHO.
What is your definition of innovation? There have been five major revisions to the OS since 2000. This is not innovation? It cost a lot of money to develop the software, and if customers are not satisfied with what they get for each $129 upgrade, mindshare and marketshare go south. This is not risk?
What of the migration from PPC to Intel? This was not risky? The decision to open bricks-and-mortar stores? But you were talking about technology, weren't you? How did each generation of iPods get smaller and effectively cheaper? Apple does not directly fund advances in semiconductor research, that is true, but they sure do a lot with form and function, and that is not idiot's work.
Perhaps the best question I would pose to you in return is to ask what technological windows Apple missed in the last few years?
Yeah I know what you mean. I help manage an IT department with 4 Windows 2003 servers and over 30 Windows XP computers and I know what you mean.
All working fine today, but right after installing a Windows Update the system crashes, or sound doesn't work...etc.
I've heard it countless amounts of times from my end users..."It started happening after the computer rebooted from the Windows Updates..."
Just make sure you update .Mac Mr. Jobs.
Been paying too much too long for features that Gmail offers for free. Gmail may not have sync and iDisk, but its FREE!
I am paying for obsolete web technology Come on Apple shame on you.
Been paying too much too long for features that Gmail offers for free. Gmail may not have sync and iDisk, but its FREE!
I am paying for obsolete web technology
Come on Apple shame on you.
Not to beat a dead horse, but I think the premise of the question is misplaced. Apple has not been cutting its R&D budget, as the question seems to suggest. Rather, Apple's been increasing the R&D budget, but just not as fast as it's revenues. Of course, Apple's revenues have exploded the last few years, so this is hardly a surprise.
http://www.thestreet.com/_yahoo/tech/gamesandgadgets/10273658_2.html
your claim about quicktime pro isn't only non-constructive, but its incorrect. people who think that quicktime pro is a ripoff are the same people who think that quicktime is simply a media player. the fact is that I couldn't do the multimedia work I do without the underlying technologies that are a vital part of qt pro.
on a completely unrelated note, could I possibly inspire some arguing over whether or not apple is improving their environmental standards?
i hope to see your comments.
The main problem with that is it will lower Apple's margins and bottom line growth rates.
Rocketman
Yes and no... if you look at a budget as a percentage of the money that you have to work with, then yes, Apple is cutting money from R&D. However, its a good point to make that the dollar amount may not be going down.
I see macrumors lack business conscious people. If instead of focusing on what he failed to deliver or say is less important then what he said about MICROSOFT then you know there s a problem with your fan base.
But then again, even on the mac commercials the mac dude is more worried about being cool instead of focusing on how to improve business productivity which will get you a mac. Last time I checked being cool got you nothing but a belly a combover & crushed beer cans wishing you concentrated more on how to make money instead of "dude im cool and hip".
Seriously the microsoft jokes are old-you know damn well apple wishes their marketshare in computers was like their dominance on the ipod market.
July apple if not im droping my account
But then again, even on the mac commercials the mac dude is more worried about being cool instead of focusing on how to improve business productivity which will get you a mac. Last time I checked being cool got you nothing but a belly a combover & crushed beer cans wishing you concentrated more on how to make money instead of "dude im cool and hip".
Seriously the microsoft jokes are old-you know damn well apple wishes their marketshare in computers was like their dominance on the ipod market.
July apple if not im droping my account
Just to be fair in most businesses budgets are expressed in dollar amount not percentage.I'm sure someone will correct me.
Speaking of business minded... I think it is foolish to dismiss the power of branding and marketing in the name of marketshare and CURRENT dominance. Apple is poised to make gains in the computer industry. It is doubling it sales percentages each year. Thanks to the iPod cool, there are more adoption of Macs. More people within the age group of 18-40 see Apple as the ultimate brand than any other. What do these 20 somethings and 30 somethings turn into?
People with money and in positions of power to control the decisions tomorrow. Just wait. Once the older generations finally retire and give up their positions instead of holding on till 60 or 70, we will see a shift in Apple's influence in business. Already IT departments are on edge, with no allegience to Windows. They are only using them now because the old school is still in charge. Fear of change. Once you get someone who uses a Mac at 20 today or have had excellent experiences with Apple iPods into a position of decision making....
We will see.
I agree with SA on this one. IMHO Apple is not really an innovative technology company, but instead are more of an American Sony.
They seem to take existing technology and design simple, elegant, stylish products that are extremely functional for the average & pro consumer.
That in itself is a creative, difficult process but it isn't really innovative in terms of completely new technolgy.
You contradicted your first sentence with the second. Furthermore, it is not false at all. Regardless, you are dodging the bigger issue. MS's QC is virtually non-existant. They have so much 'push it out the door', undocumented, backward compatible, interdependent, poorly-written code, no one can get a handle on it any more.
You were just bragging about how much your 4400 shares of Apple had gained you. But, now you are ready to 'drop your account'.
"I see macrumors lack business conscious people." I am beginning to agree with you.
I don't have a Blu-Ray player now, but for me it depends on the movie (just like when it comes to buying or renting).
For something like Spider-Man 3, I will certainly buy it on Blu-Ray disc. But for something like Wild Hogs as an example, buying or renting from iTunes is the mostly choice.
Ditto here
I have been a subscriber to .mac since it was free. I have kept paying for it but I will not roll it over this October unless I see a lot more value.
I have been a subscriber to .mac since it was free. I have kept paying for it but I will not roll it over this October unless I see a lot more value.
1st-Hand Opinion of the meeting
As an interested shareholder I attended the meeting and found it very interesting.
First off, my question, during the Q&A was concerned HD content for the iTunes store (for AppleTv use of course) and the possibility of being able to rent videos through the AppleTV as well:
"When a shareholder asked Jobs for high-definition video content on iTunes and asked if his Apple TV could allow him to rent movies, the CEO smiled. 'One never knows,' he said cryptically."
Now that may seem like an artful dodge, but what didn't get reported was when a question that another shareholder asked as to whether or not Apple was going to be getting into the medical data collection field. To which questions Steve Jobs flat out told him, no we are not.
So a cryptic "One never knows" probably means it's only a matter of time (hopefully short) until these features are present in the AppleTV universe.
Truly the most disappointing part of the meeting was all the special interest HACKS that showed up to spout their self-righteous opinions as to how Apple should be running their company. The Greenpeace hack was actually shouting most of his statement. And that's not an exaggeration. It only made him look pathetic.
Here's how the meeting went down in the Reader's digest version. The board's proposals were announced and voted on. Then the shareholders (special interest group's) motions were read and voted on. Then we learned that given the preliminary voting data ALREADY in to Apple, all the Board's motions passed. All the Hack's motions failed.
Then they took some Q&A where the Hacks each came back to attack the board members again. Fortunately they were limited to just a few minutes each.
As an Apple Inc. shareholder, and part owner of the company, here is how I see it. The Board DOES and SHOULD run the company. Special interest groups should stay home, or as Jobs recommended seek a more constructive way of communicating with companies. As a shareholder I am free at anytime to vote with my shares. If I think the Board isn't running the company well. Then I'll sell my Apple shares and look elsewhere. And they know that.
They made a mistake with the options backdating. They learned their lesson (several times over). Now let's all just move on...to June and iPhones for everyone...
Al
Macworld.com and CNBC have notes from Apple's shareholder meeting which took place today.
In it Steve Jobs fielded various questions covering the backdating stock options, Fred Anderson, Greenpeace and the iPhone. Some of the interesting tidbits are posted below:
"Leopard will be worth the wait" - Steve Jobs
When a shareholder asked Jobs for high-definition video content on iTunes and asked if his Apple TV could allow him to rent movies, the CEO smiled. One never knows, he said cryptically.
Regarding .Mac, Jobs admitted that Apples suite of online services hasnt achieved its full potential, but said the company was working on it.
Regarding a decreasing research budget, Jobs said research is a lot more about people and quality engineers than it is about the money. "I wish developing great products was as easy as writing a check," said Jobs. If that were the case, Microsoft would have some great products."
As an interested shareholder I attended the meeting and found it very interesting.
First off, my question, during the Q&A was concerned HD content for the iTunes store (for AppleTv use of course) and the possibility of being able to rent videos through the AppleTV as well:
"When a shareholder asked Jobs for high-definition video content on iTunes and asked if his Apple TV could allow him to rent movies, the CEO smiled. 'One never knows,' he said cryptically."
Now that may seem like an artful dodge, but what didn't get reported was when a question that another shareholder asked as to whether or not Apple was going to be getting into the medical data collection field. To which questions Steve Jobs flat out told him, no we are not.
So a cryptic "One never knows" probably means it's only a matter of time (hopefully short) until these features are present in the AppleTV universe.
Truly the most disappointing part of the meeting was all the special interest HACKS that showed up to spout their self-righteous opinions as to how Apple should be running their company. The Greenpeace hack was actually shouting most of his statement. And that's not an exaggeration. It only made him look pathetic.
Here's how the meeting went down in the Reader's digest version. The board's proposals were announced and voted on. Then the shareholders (special interest group's) motions were read and voted on. Then we learned that given the preliminary voting data ALREADY in to Apple, all the Board's motions passed. All the Hack's motions failed.
Then they took some Q&A where the Hacks each came back to attack the board members again. Fortunately they were limited to just a few minutes each.
As an Apple Inc. shareholder, and part owner of the company, here is how I see it. The Board DOES and SHOULD run the company. Special interest groups should stay home, or as Jobs recommended seek a more constructive way of communicating with companies. As a shareholder I am free at anytime to vote with my shares. If I think the Board isn't running the company well. Then I'll sell my Apple shares and look elsewhere. And they know that.
They made a mistake with the options backdating. They learned their lesson (several times over). Now let's all just move on...to June and iPhones for everyone...
Al