From “think different “ to “Rethink nothing!”. It’s time for Tim to go!

[saboteur]

Keynote after keynote, they get less and less exciting. Apple no longer dares.

I started using a Mac back in 1993 — I loved it. But by 1995, everyone was declaring Apple dead.
Back then, Apple was run by financial managers with no vision, no creativity, and no interest in pushing boundaries. They focused solely on revenues — and nearly killed the company before Jobs got back.

But now, I feel Apple is heading down a similar path under Tim Cook. He lacks vision. The only boundaries he seems interested in pushing are how much revenue he can squeeze from a product. The number of products that haven’t significantly evolved in the last decade is astonishing.
Even the successful ones, like the Mac Mini, feel like an update from the 25-year-old G4 Cube. iOS 26? another back to the past.

I remember a bold Apple — the one that killed off legacy ports in favor of USB, that declared “we’re going wireless” long before anyone else. The Apple that looked at MP3 players and thought, “We can do better.” The Apple that dared to take on giants like Nokia and BlackBerry and annihilate them.

Tim Cook lacks the qualities that made Steve Jobs great, and while he compensates for some of Steve’s weaknesses, he doesn’t inspire the same spirit of innovation, quality and focus on user experience and satisfaction. Alone, Tim risks changing Apple’s motto from “Think Different” to “Rethink Nothing.”

Thoughts?

 

[baconcat_8964]

the one that killed off legacy ports in favor of USB, that declared “we’re going wireless” long before anyone else.

MacBook 2015 was announced by Tim Cook.

Tim Cook lacks the qualities that made Steve Jobs great

That great man made overpromises of 3GHz Power Mac G5, PowerBook G5, Ping, and MobileMe.

Keynote after keynote, they get less and less exciting.

One major reason of Apple stuff becoming less exciting is that too much rumours being posted every week.

 

[maflynn]

But now, I feel Apple is heading down a similar path under Tim Cook. He lacks vision

Really? Here's a list of products under Tim Cook's watch.

2014 iPad Mini (retina)
2015 Apple Watch (Series 1)
2016 AirPods (1st gen)
2018 HomePod
2020 Apple Silicon Macs (M1)
2022 Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)
2023 Vision Pro – Unveiled June 5, 2023 at WWDC;

Not a comprehensive list but impressive nonetheless.

A non-comprehensive list of mostly hardware by Steve Jobs,
1998 iMac G3
1999 iBook
2001 Mac OS X
iPod/iTunes
2006 MacBook / MacBook Pro
2007 iPhone
Apple TV
2008 MacBook Air
2010 iPad

While Steve Job/s list is more revolutionary, its mostly due to the timing of his tenure at Apple, where technology was changing, both in music, and phones. I'm also in no way taking away his insight, or dedication but lets not say Tim Cook lacks vision

 

[eyoungren]

Keynote after keynote, they get less and less exciting. Apple no longer dares.

I started using a Mac back in 1993 — I loved it. But by 1995, everyone was declaring Apple dead.
Back then, Apple was run by financial managers with no vision, no creativity, and no interest in pushing boundaries. They focused solely on revenues — and nearly killed the company before Jobs got back.

But now, I feel Apple is heading down a similar path under Tim Cook. He lacks vision. The only boundaries he seems interested in pushing are how much revenue he can squeeze from a product. The number of products that haven’t significantly evolved in the last decade is astonishing.
Even the successful ones, like the Mac Mini, feel like an update from the 25-year-old G4 Cube. iOS 26? another back to the past.

I remember a bold Apple — the one that killed off legacy ports in favor of USB, that declared “we’re going wireless” long before anyone else. The Apple that looked at MP3 players and thought, “We can do better.” The Apple that dared to take on giants like Nokia and BlackBerry and annihilate them.

Tim Cook lacks the qualities that made Steve Jobs great, and while he compensates for some of Steve’s weaknesses, he doesn’t inspire the same spirit of innovation, quality and focus on user experience and satisfaction. Alone, Tim risks changing Apple’s motto from “Think Different” to “Rethink Nothing.”

Thoughts?

Apple is doing what Steve Jobs intended it to do after he died - surviving in a world of mature technology. Until there are tech breakthroughs that push the boundaries of known physics or open some new frontier, there are no more 'bold' companies. Because there's nothing left to be 'bold' about.

The frontier of technology has been conquered, occupied and paved over with a parking lot.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Tim Cook isn't leaving until Tim Cook decides he wants to move on.. 98% of Apple customers are happy with the products and experience using the brand. It's the 2% on tech forums that are disappointed in Apple and seem to find reason after reason to complain about anything Apple releases or implements. All you have to do is visit our main page and read the articles. Doesn't matter what the thread is about, it's full of the same forum members with negative comments about the subject being discussed..

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Keynote after keynote, they get less and less exciting. Apple no longer dares.

I started using a Mac back in 1993 — I loved it. But by 1995, everyone was declaring Apple dead.
Back then, Apple was run by financial managers with no vision, no creativity, and no interest in pushing boundaries. They focused solely on revenues — and nearly killed the company before Jobs got back.

But now, I feel Apple is heading down a similar path under Tim Cook. He lacks vision. The only boundaries he seems interested in pushing are how much revenue he can squeeze from a product. The number of products that haven’t significantly evolved in the last decade is astonishing.
Even the successful ones, like the Mac Mini, feel like an update from the 25-year-old G4 Cube. iOS 26? another back to the past.

I remember a bold Apple — the one that killed off legacy ports in favor of USB, that declared “we’re going wireless” long before anyone else. The Apple that looked at MP3 players and thought, “We can do better.” The Apple that dared to take on giants like Nokia and BlackBerry and annihilate them.

Tim Cook lacks the qualities that made Steve Jobs great, and while he compensates for some of Steve’s weaknesses, he doesn’t inspire the same spirit of innovation, quality and focus on user experience and satisfaction. Alone, Tim risks changing Apple’s motto from “Think Different” to “Rethink Nothing.”

Thoughts?

Candidly, I doubt that the shareholders would agree with you, given that Apple has become an exceedingly wealthy company - one that dwarfs the economy of many (if not most) small to medium sized countries on the planet.

Innovation requires risk, and while risk (and imagination) are necessary for transformational change, embracing risk also requires that one admit that failure (rather than success) may be the outcome of such endeavours.

For Apple, this is a luxury that they no longer need to indulge.

Besides, the actual transformational "tech" part of Apple, that need to define the company by innovation and the ability to anticipate and define consumer desire, - has long since ceded its position within the company to marketing, sales, and growth, and is now something of an optional extra.

For that matter, given the size, power, global reach and extraordinary influence of Apple, and even though some of its customers, or its consumer base, (especially some of the long standing customers & consumers of Apple) lament the passing of the time when they were treated by the company as though they were members of an esoteric elect, or an esoteric elite, the very size and global reach of Apple means that it no longer has to, or needs to, treat (or consider) its consumers, or customers, to be anything - or something or someone - special.

This also means that customer service (which used to be a strength of the company) no longer needs to be such a priority.

Moreover, as @eyoungren has pointed out, the tech market has matured, making further radical transformations considerably less likely.

 

[eyoungren]

For that matter, given the size, power, global reach and extraordinary influence of Apple, and even though some of its customers, or its consumer base, (especially some of the long standing consumers of Apple) lament the passing of the time when they were treated by the company as though they were members of an esoteric, elect, or elite, the very size and global reach of Apple means that it no longer has to, or needs to, treat (or consider) its consumers to be anything - or something - special. This also means that customer service (which used to be a strength of the company) no longer need to be such a priority.

And that ultimately is what these threads are usually about. Certain people want to go back to the time where they were 'special' and 'set apart'. Better than others and a cut above the rest.

But outright stating that invites the inevitable comments of entitlement and criticism for thinking what they think - they are better than every one else because they use an Apple device. So, it's cloaked in criticism about Apple's practices. I.e., if Apple is 'great' again, then so am I. Fix Apple and I look like a god of tech again, the discriminating connoisseur who sagely and wisely made the right choice - while the rabble fight over the also rans.

This attitude was predominant in the iPhone subforum for years. It's never gone away completely unfortunately.

 

[saboteur]

Until there are tech breakthroughs that push the boundaries

I agree that Jobs pick Tim for his management qualities, but there is already a revolution in software happening, and one that will evolve exponentially, while where still stuck with Siri 😅

 

[eyoungren]

I agree that Jobs pick Tim for his management qualities, but there is already a revolution in software happening, and one that will evolve exponentially, while where still stuck with Siri 😅

If you're talking about AI, then I wouldn't hold my breath about that 'revolution'.

 

[IceCool]

One major reason of Apple stuff becoming less exciting is that too much rumours being posted every week.

I think people really underestimate this - if they even think of it to begin with. I really hope something is done internally to suppress the likes of Gurman.

 

[ForkHandles]

The last 40 years 1980 - 2020 have been a technological ecstasy. Every year new inventions just made our worlds better and better.

The last 5 years, by and large, most, if not all, of our problems have largely been solved.

When I was a kid, I could have invented FaceTime, I saw it on Star Trek, I could also have come up with tens of others problems that were looking for solutions.

Now, not so much, the've all been solved.

That is perhaps why the announcements aren't very exciting for you anymore.

 

[uacd]

Interesting perspective. I understand your point but don’t necessary fully agree with it.

The Apple that dared to take on giants like Nokia and BlackBerry and annihilate them.

The thing is, Apple nowadays is the giant. And for good or for bad, they sell what sells.

Right now, no one really invented anything that can even closely undermine Apple’s current market positions. And the key thing that differentiates Apple from mentioned Nokia and Blackberry is that mobiles are not their core business. Apple now produces everything: computers, servers, home accessories, TV boxes, watches, headphones, even a VR headset. If one stops selling, they have no issues since other still sells.

We have been in general market stagnation for many years already, Apple currently leads this stagnated market. This is because we have moved from philosophy pioneered by Steve Jobs: “people don’t know what they want” to “people know what they want, flood the market with all they want and let them buy. Add incremental updates every year to increase sales”. But this doesn’t only relate to Apple, every company is like that.

Look at Samsung. Sometimes it feels they don’t really care about their phone market since even if their mobile brand dies, everyone still gonna buy their microwaves and washing machines. Same for Google - if Pixel is no longer “cool tool for geeks”, they still have their functioning ad business, heavily amplified by AI now.

I am kinda afraid about Microsoft tho, if there is a company to disappear in next 20 years then they are perfect candidates😃

 

[heretiq]

Keynote after keynote, they get less and less exciting. Apple no longer dares.

I started using a Mac back in 1993 — I loved it. But by 1995, everyone was declaring Apple dead.
Back then, Apple was run by financial managers with no vision, no creativity, and no interest in pushing boundaries. They focused solely on revenues — and nearly killed the company before Jobs got back.

But now, I feel Apple is heading down a similar path under Tim Cook. He lacks vision. The only boundaries he seems interested in pushing are how much revenue he can squeeze from a product. The number of products that haven’t significantly evolved in the last decade is astonishing.
Even the successful ones, like the Mac Mini, feel like an update from the 25-year-old G4 Cube. iOS 26? another back to the past.

I remember a bold Apple — the one that killed off legacy ports in favor of USB, that declared “we’re going wireless” long before anyone else. The Apple that looked at MP3 players and thought, “We can do better.” The Apple that dared to take on giants like Nokia and BlackBerry and annihilate them.

Tim Cook lacks the qualities that made Steve Jobs great, and while he compensates for some of Steve’s weaknesses, he doesn’t inspire the same spirit of innovation, quality and focus on user experience and satisfaction. Alone, Tim risks changing Apple’s motto from “Think Different” to “Rethink Nothing.”

Thoughts?

So, the CEO and person who was the architect of the operating model that produced the Most Valuable Public Company, the company with the highest CSAT and highest brand loyalty, while also orchestrating multiple product category innovations with product leadership in those categories under his watch, while motivating competitors to copy them .. lacks vision and the qualities required to drive innovation and quality??? Hmmm .. 🤔

 

[ian-mac]

It’s largely already been said but Tech accelerated over the last 15-20 years and it’s been an exciting time of evolution.

We’ve hit a peak / plateau now across the board. The iPhone is an incredible device, arguably held back by the software but not everyone will agree.

I don’t get excited by tech anymore. I guess I’ve matured. What excites me more is having tech that works properly as I use it day in day out to do my job.

I don’t care if a fluid glass animation works beautifully, I care more that that my device isn’t laggy, that crashes don’t happen and that unnecessary gimmicky AI software doesn’t bloat my OS and slow it down.

Yes, I’m probably in a minority, but as the tech has matured so has my attitude to the evolution of it. I don’t want new and exciting, I want stable.

 

[aries81]

Another one of these threads.

 

[attohs]

“Think Different” targets consumers, as in don’t buy a beige PC. It’s not an internal motto. The internal mantra is (or was), “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

 

[seek3r]

Even the successful ones, like the Mac Mini, feel like an update from the 25-year-old G4 Cube.

The studio is the equivalent of the G4 cube, not the mini (worth noting there was also a G4 mini btw), so was the trashcan Mac Pro, and the G4 cube itself was a remix of the NeXT cube and other similar workstations like the SGI O2s - and the studio is the first Mac version of this to actually get it right and be successful at the right price point targeting the right customers, and that has been under Cook, so what are you talking about?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I honestly do not understand why Steve Jobs chose him. He's the opposite of revolution

 

[DHagan4755]

I've been a Mac user since 1994. Sure, Apple's had its ups & downs over that time. Some of Apple's current lull is of its own making but a lot of it is out of its control. Take the MacBook Pro, for example. Apple's currently waiting for tandem OLED panels (up to Apple's specifications) to be able to ship them in large volumes, they're also waiting on silicon battery technology, they're waiting on its own custom modem/Wi-Fi chip, and they're waiting for more thermally power efficient M-series silicon coming with the M6 that leak less power & run cooler since they're also planning on thinning out the design somewhat. Those changes need all of those components to align & they just won't be ready for another year or so. October 2026 is going to be a huge overhaul of that product alone. When you look this year at the MacBook Pro going on its 4th year without any changes other than newer Apple Silicon & a new, darker color finish, some think Apple's losing its touch. We could talk about iPhone & iPad too. Will silicon carbon batteries come to the iPad Pro M5? Will foldable phones have a visible display crease? These are all things that take time to iron out (no pun intended). Thanks to instant gratification, anything less than perfection is now a personal offense—cue the whining, the one-stars, and the performative doomscrolling.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I honestly do not understand why Steve Jobs chose him. He's the opposite of revolution

Jobs knew Cook would just carry on with Jobs' approach.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I honestly do not understand why Steve Jobs chose him. He's the opposite of revolutionary

I think that is exactly why Jobs chose him. Steve wasnt dumb; he saw the homogeny in a matured technology and with that the increasing focus on consistency and refinement vs being ground breaking and revolutionary. Steve was that because he could be at a time when technology allowed him to be so. Tim inherited a very different chess board. I think Steve chose Tim because Tim excelled where Steve needed him to in his stead.

I do give him credit for AVP. In a mature market, AVP is very cool and I think has a great future as AI companionship evolves and is refined into wearable devices. Tim did that.

 

[heretiq]

I honestly do not understand why Steve Jobs chose him. He's the opposite of revolution

Take an honest look at what Tim Cook did from the time Jobs hired him until Jobs tapped Cook to succeed him, plus what Apple has accomplished under Cook’s leadership (relative to what Jobs accomplished) and you can answer the question for yourself. And what do you mean by revolution? Why would Apple need a revolutionary CEO if it wasn’t broken either when Jobs handed over the reigns or now? 🤔

 

[myhaksown]

I agree but only somewhat. I think you’re right in your statement but not the argument for it. Tim Cook has done a lot in his time. But I think this year showed us he isn’t focused on making the OSs more stable (we haven’t had a stability focused iOS in a while), he isn’t adding many new things (sure expanding AI), and everything felt geared toward the past at this WWDC. Things like the games app and queuing up songs. He basically announced Game Center 2.0 and iTunes Remote 2.0. Those apps got killed off. So while they might be better thought out this time, it felt like leadership is unsure what to do next. Sure hardware upgrades are good and there are a ton of things that have happened in the last 5 years there but software wise…I’m disappointed.

Plus the original HomePod flopped, the Vision Pro flopped, and I worry this new home hub will flop too. The prices are so high that I worry it’s gonna make it hard for Apple to find a new product category they can win in. Thankfully AirPods, Apple Watch, and the HomePod mini seem to be doing well.

 

[CyberDavis]

Steve Jobs was without question a visionary who bought some great solutions to market.
But he did also make mistakes.
I think he did a fantastic job, but wouldn’t romanticise it too much.

Tim Cook is overseeing Apple through a different era.
Apple still seems to be performing well, and does many fantastic products.
Is Apple perfect, probably not. But it’s almost certain that anyone in charge would take flak and be subject to unrealistic comparisons.

 

[Naraxus]

.....the Vision Pro flopped

I assume you have evidence to back this claim up?