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

[theorist9]

....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.

I have to disagree with you there. There's still quite a bit left for manufacturers to do. I.e., there are still a lot of substantive improvements waiting to come to smartphones that many consumers would like to see. Three key ones are: (1) much more reliable voice recognition; (2) a working foldable screen; (3) further improvements in camera technology.

Consider, in particular, #2. Suppose Apple were able to offer an iPhone Max that folded to half its height, making it 3" x 3", and thus easily pocketable. And further suppose, several years hence, they are able to reduce its thickness, such that it were not any thicker folded than the current phone is unfolded.

In the future we may also see some interesting advances in materials science that allow screens to be both more scratch-resistant and shatter-resistant (two attributes that are hard to get at the same time, especially in transparent materials).

Having said that, I don't blame manufacturers for not having yet brought these to market; the technology is probably not quite there yet.

 

[Steve121178]

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"?

I don't care how much Star Wars Episode 7 & 8 made, they were still abysmal. The amount of money a film makes has nothing to do with it being any good or not.

 

[BvizioN]

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.

His screw-ups generated interests mainly due to how he dealt with his screw-ups (generally never acknowledging them as screw-ups) But you are right, we are talking about a different time and better or worse Apple completely depends on who you ask. Apple had so many talented people during Steves area just as it does now. I enjoy Apple products now just as much as I did when Apple was under Steve. Politics and fanboyism do not interest me that much.

 

[prasand]

That was a great article / read @ Vanity Fair. #tearyeyed

I can see a TV+ and Disney+ thing happening. Not necessarily merger / acquisition as that would dilute either’s branding ... but instead, partnerships, even movie or series collaborations.

 

[cmaier]

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!

Yes. He says that when he was alive, the updates to the iPhone were also small and incremental, and that truly revolutionary products happen about once a decade. He also says stay tuned.
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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!

I had a disney watch when I was a kid.

I’d like to imagine what the imagineers could do with the UX on these devices.

 

[d0nK]

If Steve Jobs were alive, he would likely be disgusted with Bob Iger's destruction of Star Wars by the use of Globalist propaganda and identity politics.

 

[jlocker]

Disney buys Fox and then then Fox blocks public access to Fox sports and the Big 10. Millions of sports fans are blocked from enjoying sports this fall.

Boo!!!!! Disney Boo!!! Disney!!!!!!