Bob Iger: If Steve Jobs Were Alive, We Would Likely Have Combined Apple and Disney

[Grayfox691]

It always seems to me that Jobs was a hard man to "know". He had strong working relationships with plenty of people but it always drives me crazy when some boring corporate suit like Bob makes statements alleging what a dynamic man like jobs "likely" would have done. I mean seriously honor those who passed and don't assume anything especially if it's for your personal gain.

 

[curtvaughan]

I just spoke to him. He says you are wrong.

As you apparently have an inside pipeline to the late SJ, did he give you any hints as to why he would prefer small incremental updates to the iPhone? Did he have any particular opinions into developments with the Mac line of products over the last five years or so? You should capitalize on this ultimate insider connection while it lasts!

 

[MarkB786]

Why?? I kinda doubt it unless Jobs thought he himself could transform Disney into something different... But into what?

 

[thebeans]

Disney CEO and former Apple board member Bob Iger has a new book coming out later this month, and ahead of its release, Vanity Fair has shared some key excerpts about Steve Jobs, who was Iger's close friend.

When Iger first took over as CEO of Disney, the relationship between the two companies was strained due to Jobs' disagreements with Michael Eisner and the end of a deal that had seen Disney releasing Pixar films.

Steve Jobs and Bob Iger. Image credit: Paul Sakuma/A.P. Photo​

Iger broke the ice with Jobs and rekindled a relationship by praising the iPod and discussing iTunes as a television platform.Jobs went on to tell Iger about the video iPod, and asked Iger to put Disney TV shows on it, which Iger agreed to, leading to a solid friendship between the two and ultimately, a new Disney/Pixar deal.

According to Iger, in 2006 just ahead of when Disney was set to announce its acquisition of Pixar, Jobs told Iger that his cancer had returned and spread to his liver, giving Iger time to back out of the deal.After the acquisition, Jobs underwent cancer treatment and served on Disney's board as Disney's largest shareholder. He weighed in on important Disney decisions like the acquisition of Marvel, and even vacationed with Iger on occasion. "Our connection was much more than a business relationship," wrote Iger.

Iger says that with each Disney success, there's always a moment where he wishes Jobs was there, and further, he believes that if Jobs were still alive, the two companies may have merged."The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company" is set to be released on September 23, 2019. It can be pre-ordered from Amazon for $19.60.

The full excerpt, which has a lot more on the history of the deal between Disney and Pixar, can be read over at Vanity Fair.

Article Link: Bob Iger: If Steve Jobs Were Alive, We Would Likely Have Combined Apple and Disney

No

 

[curtvaughan]

Yeah. Like it took them several iPhone models/iOS versions to support something as simple as custom wallpaper (to not go into deeper features like multitasking/copy and paste and other stuff) Correct me if I am wrong, but it was Apple under Steve Jobs then, wasn't it?

To compare Apple directions under SJ to current operations is about as valid as comparing Joe Montana to Tom Brady, Michael Jordan to LeBron James - different times, different companies/teams, different technical/business scenarios - the overall games and their environments have changed by orders of magnitude. The Steve Jobs comparisons still had purchase a couple of years after he died - a lot of folks have made them, myself included - but after nearly eight years they're losing their relevance. The only still valid point, imo, is to compare overall philosophy motivating Apple directions - things like customer service, quality control, and operational priorities (marketing vs. R&D) come to the fore. The latest ho-hum reactions to Apple product announcements are symptoms of a trend which I rarely, if ever, witnessed when Jobs was CEO. Even his screw-ups garnered interest.

 

[Naaaaak]

A combined Disney+Apple would be scary.

Very. The Mac would be even more neglected than it is now.

 

[curtvaughan]

We should have a weekly thread with "If Steve Jobs was alive Topic ".
An alternative timeline series. Heck, this would be a great TV show for Apple TV +.

If well directed with the right actors, that might make a good movie, especially with the current tech malaise. You could also resurrect a fictional Bill Gates still running Microsoft as a paper tiger motivating the imaginary Steve Jobs. All sorts of possibilities come to mind.

 

[Jimmy James]

If Steve Jobs we’re alive the iPhone would be a lot more than it is right now. Not stupid little incremental updates

James

I’ve noticed that specifics are always vague or nonexistent in these types of posts.

 

[Jimmy James]

“...it was only a matter of time before we would be accessing TV shows and movies on our computers”

He became CEO in 2005. I was exclusively watching videos on my computer since 2003. This isn’t a lack of vision. It’s failing to recognize what was already in front of him.

 

[nStyle]

I have a 6S, and I see little more than incremental improvements between the phone I have and what was announced a week ago. But that’s not Apple’s fault, really - pretty much all smartphones became feature complete a number of years ago. They all already do everything the average person really wants them to do. All that’s left for these companies to do is try to up-sell people on prettier screens, better battery life, and the ability to project oneself as a talking poop emoji.

While technically true in that they basically do the same things, I went from a 6 to X and the difference has been substantial. Much faster, much better screen, FaceID far superior, removing the home button has made navigating faster for me.

That said, I don’t see myself buying another phone for another five years at least.

 

[lazyrighteye]

Well, for starters Mr Iger, could you at least upgrade your films available in iTunes to 4K?

With Dsney+ on the horizon, why would he do that?
I mean, I'd be ok if he did...

 

[Jav1563]

I couldn't think of anything worse. I don't understand the whole Disney thing anyway. Their general movie output is a tragic mess and you can see their greedy business culture has already ruined the Star Wars franchise with some woefully inept movies. They just want to sell as much tacky crap & toys with each movie as possible.

Disney ruin almost everything they buy. They are the equivalent of EA in the gaming world.

Just some of the headlines / facts you can google...

Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, a decade later it’s made more than $18 billion at the global box office

The four Star Wars feature films Disney has released since 2015 have grossed more than $4.8 billion at the box office

Disney became the first studio to hit the $5 billion mark overseas

The Walt Disney Studios has established a $7.67bn all-time industry global record after seven months and remains on track for a $10bn-plus year.

and you could go on about industry leading theme parks, cruise line, attractions, environment initiatives, preservation, etc. Let alone Steve became the largest shareholder and board member for Disney, we know he didn't waste any time on things he didn't fully believed in, or was fully invested in.

I don't think Disney is perfect, I don't like every single thing they do, and I'm not sure how a entire Disney business would have worked out with Apple... but it is an incredible company and undeniably Successful by many measures.

Makes me wonder if you know/understand the definition of "Inept" and "Ruin"?

 

[nStyle]

“...it was only a matter of time before we would be accessing TV shows and movies on our computers”

He became CEO in 2005. I was exclusively watching videos on my computer since 2003. This isn’t a lack of vision. It’s failing to recognize what was already in front of him.

I’ve been watching movies in my mind since 1999.

 

[ipedro]

What an incredible company that would be. Apple making the hardware, Disney providing the content, this would be an unstoppable creative giant. 😧

Absent Steve Jobs and his relationship with Disney, I doubt it could happen now but the companies are still very much aligned. While they'll be competing on TV, I think they can still be complementary to one another. This doesn't have to become an Apple/Google rivalry. I very much doubt Disney will be getting into hardware so the kind of animosity that prevailed between Google and Apple won't happen here. I can see Disney and Apple partnering up for a bundle of their respective streaming services. Disney + AppleTV $9.99? Disney would help sell AppleTV+ and Apple featuring Disney+ prominently as a Channel in the AppleTV app would gain Disney customers by default.

 

[lanegandy]

This would have been such a weird alternate reality.

 

[wtholliday]

Hopefully a Apple/Disney merger would be blocked by DOJ. Our companies are big enough. Read "The Curse of Bigness" by Tim Wu.

 

[Jimmy James]

I’ve been watching movies in my mind since 1999.

I’ve been doing that since 1978. However, my comment spoke directly to his point.

 

[macfacts]

James, in all honesty, I don’t think you understand how smart phones evolve . What’s incremental to you might be a major upgrade to someone else who is upgrading from an iPhone 6 or 7.

Why didn't that iPhone 6 user upgrade to an iPhone 6s? Was it because it was an incremental update?

 

[Apple Freak]

If Steve Jobs we’re alive the iPhone would be a lot more than it is right now. Not stupid little incremental updates

James

I actually think if Steve were still alive he'd have killed the iPhone by now. Before people say I'm crazy, he killed the iPod Mini at the height of its popularity saying it was holding Apple back.

 

[nStyle]

I’ve been doing that since 1978. However, my comment spoke directly to his point.

You’re special

 

[jimmirehman]

Then we would have Jarvis instead of Siri.

 

[aka777]

I would not want them merged with Apple.

These guys are the sole reason as to why cableTV is so expensive today. ESPN charges cable like $13+ for that one channel, plus another good $3 to $5 for every other Disney owned channel. They have sued many who have tried to unbundle them.

They are far from the original vision of the founder of Disney.

 

[Jimmy James]

You’re special

Looks like we both are.

 

[coolbeep]

Oh man, thank god that didn’t happen! Could you imagine a “Disney MacBook Pro” or “Disney Watch”?? It’s Disney so if they merged you know they’re gonna keep their name!

 

[rugmankc]

I am not going to read previous pages. But, tired of the "If Steve Jobs---"

No one knows what he would have done. not even him. Business is fluid----

Rest in peace Steve----