iOS6 is a Scott Forstall problem in the narrow view, but it's just another in a growing list of symptoms of the larger problem. Apple is leaderless. Yes, there's a guy in the office, sitting at the desk, but he's no leader.
Apple is full of wacky creatives. It used to have Steve Jobs to reel them in. He would say no as often, if not more so, than yes.
Now it seems that no is being said far less often, and yes far too often.
Yes, let's spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy programming funny stuff for Siri to say.
Yes, lets spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy making 3D maps out of leftover Quake II textures that do absolutely nothing to get people where they need to go, instead of concentrating on nailing basic maps.
Yes, let's change things for the sake of changing them.
Yes, let's not add things that people have been clamoring for since the first iPhone.
Yes, let's make it nearly impossible to find what you're looking for on the App Store.
People went on and on about the genius of Steve Jobs. Sure, he had some cool ideas and was a great showman. But the qualities he had that made Apple what it is today, were his borderline personality, his micro managing, his OCD, his ability to badger, berate and belittle, then kiss and make up, and above all, his ability to instill fear into the hearts of his employees, his vendors, his retail partners, everyone who crossed his path. Everyone feared the wrath of Steve.
No one fears the rath of Tim Cook. There is no rath of Tim Cook. Tim Cook is Apple's stepdad.
Vendors don't fear him. That's why the iPhone 5 was so leaky that a fully functioning phone was built from parts leaked by myriad vendors. That's why Goophone patented Apple's own design before they even launched it.
Scott Forstall doesn't fear him. That's why he had either the loudest or the most final say in iOS6. SJ would have shot down the new App Store design in about 3 seconds and Forstall would have run home with his tail between his legs.
Jonny Ive and his design boys are now a loose cannon too. SJ was all about materials. What does Tim Cook know about materials? He knows how much they weigh on a cargo ship. That's about it. Jonny Ive wanted a black metal iPhone. Steve Jobs probably shot it down 50 prototypes ago. But now Jonny gets his way. In the eyes of a nice guy like Tim Cook, Jonny Ive is probably the closest embodiment to what Steve Jobs stood for and the next person after Steve to get the most credit for where Apple is today, so of course he will defer to Jonny's penchant for a black metal phone, especially since he doesn't know anything about materials.
And I've said it many times, Tim Cook's supply-guy tactics of manufacturing far more product than Steve Jobs did is great for short term bottom lines, but bad for the long term status of the cult of desire for Apple products.
Tim Cook made millions of iPad 3s. There were no lines at the stores. No news cameras. No real buzz. Just a **** ton of iPads.
Steve knew that people want what they can't have. He knew how to get people drooling...dangle the iDevice in front of them for a couple of months before releasing worldwide. That may have meant less iDevices sold on launch day, but it also meant a lot more free press and a lot more cult status, which carried over to the next product, and the next.
With Tim driving, the world is blanketed in iProducts all at once. The vendors leak the parts with no repercussions. The lines to buy are smaller. News about bad decisions in the software is louder than the news about the devices themselves. That's ared flag that something is wrong at the top.
