'Haunted Empire' Profiles Apple After Steve Jobs as a Company on the Decline

[62tele]

No one can deny Jobs vision or his impact on the industry (multiple industries actually).
However he oversaw some huge flubs such as Mobile Me. He failed to see the value in a smaller iPad or a larger iPhone. Had Apple introduced a large iPhone, I doubt you would have seen the growth of Samsung. After all, Samsung's only claim to fame is a larger screen.
Apple is not in decline. What could they have done that was revolutionary since Jobs death?
Isn't it enough that in the span of 3 years they introduced two products which totally and irrevocably changed the entire PC industry by converting it to mobile platforms? That is not an overstatement. It's the truth.
Everyone seems to be chasing the next big thing but what is it? The living room? Wearables? We already seen failures and ambivalence in those two areas. Maybe Apple will get it right.
Steve was not an engineer or a programmer. He had talented people chasing his vision and they delivered. They will deliver in the future.

 

[jimthing]

This review sums-up the fallacies of this spurious book:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/mar/10/haunted-empire-book-review

 

[gnasher729]

Before Touch ID came out, the idea that touch sensors could be miniaturized to fit the little home button was laughable. Apple delivered. (... and so on... )

Quite often what these people claim is that Apple didn't deliver anything... except the long list of things that they delivered, which don't count because we know about them. They basically blame Apple because everything Apple delivered since Steve Jobs left was delivered in the past.

 

[jon3543]

the impression Kane gives readers is that she reached her conclusion before even embarking on the project

Well there you have it. That's a dead giveaway that "Kane" is the nom de plume of "Judge" Cote.

 

[macs4nw]

…..While the book includes some interesting tidbits such as Jobs' comments on TV at a 2010 company retreat, Haunted Empire will likely not sit well with many Apple fans given Kane's thesis that the company is entering a period of decline without Jobs' guidance. That may indeed be the case, but the impression Kane gives readers is that she reached her conclusion before even embarking on the project, proceeding to selectively choose anecdotes to support her predetermined view…..

Article Link: 'Haunted Empire' Profiles Apple After Steve Jobs as a Company on the Decline

Obviously I haven't read the book yet, but I find the above observation a very troubling one.

Also "Kane's thesis that the company is entering a period of decline without Jobs' guidance", is just that: her hypothesis, opinion and sentiment. She would perhaps like that to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There are thousands of carefully selected, very talented and dedicated people working at Apple, and no matter who's their CEO, many of those are 'living the dream' of being a part of producing awesome products that are highly anticipated the world over.

Of course the company is changing; how could it not? And no company will stay at the top forever, no matter who's in charge. Also who knows when another individual with all the right attributes will come out of left field, with a meteoric rise, and will, yet again, change our world for the better? The only certain thing about that is, that it will happen sometime in the future.

But until such time, the sky is not falling yet, and Apple fans the world over can expect to be dazzled with years more of well thought-out, meticulously designed and skillfully fabricated products that enhance our lives.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Not a Cook fan based on what I've seen from him so far but even I would say it seems premature to issue a book suggesting Apple is on the decline. The book could be a fun read, gossip wise, but the conclusion is flawed at page 1. Cook has 2014 to prove he's worthy of his title and even longer to show he's worth his pay.

Carplay just shipped and will take some time to evaluate it's profitability to Apple, both indirectly (via consumer hardware sales) and directly (via carmaker adoption rates). And we still don't know what form a revamped ATV will look like or the rumored "smart" wristband.

 

[jltj]

The book might be an interesting study of confirmation bias.

 

[michaelsviews]

It means they have declined, not that they are on a decline. We all knew Apple wouldn't be the same without Steve, it doesn't mean all will go south now.

Didn't Steve also leave a Master 10 Year plan to be followed after his passing?

 

[macs4nw]

…..Sure, Apple is still strong and probably still the best, but in comparison to what Apple would've been if Steve were alive, I'd prefer the latter.

Such speculation is futile and useless, cause we don't have that choice, and we'll never know the answer to that.
Let's move forward.

 

[Lesser Evets]

... Cook's appearance at the D11: All Things Digital conference ...

The performance was a disaster. Cook came across as delusional and painfully out of touch. If he was truly unfazed by the host of problems facing Apple, if he actually believed that everything was going well, then the company was really in trouble.

... Kane leaves no doubt of her belief that Apple is on a downward slide, led by "a man laboring at an impossible task" with "no spark" and "no fire" in the way he presents his company to the world.

Well, that is certainly true. Cook's recent address to the shareholder's conference was a sure sign of a dangerously delusional man running a huge, cutting-edge corporation as if he was wielding a rusty steak knife in a gun battle. It is obvious to anyone involved that Cook is not a keen CEO--he's probably a decent middle manager at best. You can't have the highest profile tech company in the world have such a surly face with lack of enthusiasm for product while full of wild-eyed rhetoric and idealism for extraneous issues.

We'll see how 2014 pans out. Apple could be cored out once the iPhone's novelty and utility fade.

 

[icolove]

Before Touch ID came out, the idea that touch sensors could be miniaturized to fit the little home button was laughable. Apple delivered.

Where are the car integration platforms from Google and Microsoft? Apple delivered.

No, the idea was not laughable. The technology has been around for a decade, Apple didn't invent it. I have a door handle that has a finger sensor as small for unlocking it.

Microsoft has been in cars for a long time. Lots of bumps along the way, but they've been doing it. Google's implementation is around the corner.

And no, Apple has not yet "delivered" on in car. Though I think it's great you like the implementation, how long has your car been running it?

An incredible (and risky) concept for the new Mac Pro. The entire thing is a wind tunnel. It's pure premium art. And it's cheaper than the competition. Apple delivered.

One of the worst designed computer products in history. Apple is leading the way of cluttering your desk with a pile of external accessories. They couldn't even get 4K implementation right, nor did they even launch a monitor.

I didn't think they could design a worse computer than the current iMac, what's the point of it being thin? Other than to remove the optical drive and make it impossible to add hard drives to the interior. The 21.5" requiring a screen removal to upgrade RAM is beyond stupid.

Fantastic new re-imagining of iOS. It's not perfect (yet), but it's a bold step in the right direction. Apple delivered.

Most people seem to dislike the new iOS, as all they did was add features Google and Microsoft already had, while adding the very polarizing UI.

Ditto for OS X. Apple delivered.

Apple hasn't done much to improve OS X, they just name some service packs..... Lots of stupid stuff like launchpad, and causing a lot of headaches for professionals (ie medical and dental) with legacy software.

Bold new pricing strategy for iWork and OS X. Apple delivered.

Bold pricing? Again, Apple gives away a service pack... Microsoft has done that forever... and oh, there have been open source and free operating systems for decades.

Apple is a company that lost its way a long time ago and isn't innovating anything. They have merely become a lifestyle company... and that will continue to work financially, and kudos to them. However, it's not because they make the best or most cutting edge products out there.

The only Apple products I own and actually like are the 11" Macbook Air and AppleTV, even though the UI is now a mess.

 

[iamMacPerson]

OMG Apple didn't post a profit much higher then last year!!! Their DDDDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEEEEDDDDDD!!! DOOMED I TELL YOU! DOOOMMMEEEDD!

Please. Apple is doing just fine. It could be worse. Apple could be posting no profits at all. Or, negatives. They have the same profits as last year, and its all going down the drain.

Tim is no Steve, lets get that out of the way. He isn't. He never will be. Thats not necessarily bad. Steve was great, a truly amazing visionary. Thing is, its too early to judge Tim. True, Steve came out with the iMac and iBook within a few years of returning, but that was because something needed to be done since Apple was weeks from bankruptcy. The way I look at it, we are hitting that dry spell that comes around every 10 years or so where there is no innovation. In fact, someone was taking about it. Who was it? IIRC, it was John Scully (I doubt most here under 25 will know who that is, if not, look him, Michael Spindler, and Gil Ameilo up and come back).

Its an off decade. Just so happens that when Tim took over so now he's being blamed for not innovating. Right now, there isn't much to innovate on! From 2010 to 2020, the most we are going to see are bigger phones, smaller tablets, bigger TVs, faster computers, faster mobile devices, etc, etc. In 2020 to 2030, I see a bright future. Maybe we'll finally get hover cars, holographic phones, touchscreen tables, and Jarvis. The tech just isn't there right now, but the small innovations in this decade will fuel the innovation in the next decade.

 

[Roniniku]

Japanese Doomsayer

Kane is hilarious. You only have to look at her website to see how anti-Apple she is. She just posted a retweet from FOSS Patents recommending her book...so much for unbiased reporting. She's also very anti-Western in Japanese business and ripped Howard Stringer at Sony before he had even started work. All-in-all, typical Japanese behaviour.
It's also amusing to read the "About Yukari" page on her site.
I'm all for critical reporting of Apple, but critical doesn't mean negativity, PURE GOSSIP and outright lies. I'm guessing her "sources within Apple" that leaked info to her weren't available anymore and she's trying to squeeze one more story out of Apple since she GOT FIRED FROM THE WSJ.
A hacky book like this won't gain any traction since, if phantom sources won't come forward, there's nobody to back up her claims.


Some of her story titles:

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER: HACKING INTO IPHONES WITH FRIENDS
"Foil Apple Inc.'s brightest engineers and annoy chief executive Steve Jobs."

IPAD FANS FACE NEW DILEMMA WITH TOUGH-TO-TOTE GADGET

THE ONLY TECH THESE GEEKS LACK IS A CART TO HAUL THEIR GADGETS

YOUR APPS ARE WATCHING YOU

APPLE VS SAMSUNG, A PATENT BATTLE WITHOUT AN END

IS APPLE'S E-BOOK FIGHT WORTH THE TROUBLE?

WHY IS APPLE BEING SO NOSTALGIC

 

[chrimux]

Since Jobs died Apple has lost it's spark. I use to get so excited when they released a new product, but these days the feelings aren't there. Apple just feels like another company now.

True. When Steve Jobs delivered his keynote, he was a man being very proud of his company and the great products they made. We couldn't wait for the Apple Store to be online again so we could place our orders - because we wanted these things Jobs got so excited about.

When Tim Cook does his keynote speech, he is a grand-uncle telling a story to little children. He is not proud, excited or fascinated about the stuff they had done. His "wow, how great" doesn't sound as if he believed it himself. He does the job he gets paid for.

 

[gnasher729]

Tim is no Steve, lets get that out of the way. He isn't. He never will be. Thats not necessarily bad. Steve was great, a truly amazing visionary. Thing is, its too early to judge Tim.

Here's the problem some people have: A CEO is two things. He or she is the person responsible for the company going into the right direction. And sometimes, the CEO is an actor or actress putting up a show for people.

Steve Jobs was exceedingly good at the second thing. He was enjoyable to watch, to see the show he put on. (He wasn't bad at the first thing either, or Apple wouldn't be where they are right now). However, many people seem to think that is the important part of his job. I don't think so.

When Tim Cook does his keynote speech, he is a grand-uncle telling a story to little children. He is not proud, excited or fascinated about the stuff they had done. His "wow, how great" doesn't sound as if he believed it himself. He does the job he gets paid for.

Speak for yourself. To me, Tim Cook looks entirely trustworthy. You can believe what he says. He _knows_ what he is talking about. If you are too superficial to appreciate that, maybe it's your problem.

 

[D-Dave]

While I do agree that this Book and especially it's conclusions are at least questionable, you maybe were so infuriated by it, that you went a little over board with your statements. Just a quick reality check on a couple:

Before Touch ID came out, the idea that touch sensors could be miniaturized to fit the little home button was laughable. Apple delivered.

Nope, been done before. For example was my office dore fitted with a new "lock" end of 2012: http://www.technikneuheiten.com/turklinke-2-0-grabit-smart-vergleicht-die-fingerabdrucke-in-der-turklinke/ (Sorry, only have a German link to this)

The first devices in history to have "ac" Wi-Fi? Apple delivered.

Well, wrong again. Airport Extreme released June 10, 2013, Netgear R6300 Released May 2012(!) and even the Samsung S4 (and this realy hurts to say) was released with "ac" April 27, 2013.

Fantastic new re-imagining of iOS. It's not perfect (yet), but it's a bold step in the right direction. Apple delivered.

YMMV, but to me iOS 7 is, well, a color theme with some minor tweaks but not a re-imagination. Functionality did not realy change, did it?

Ditto for OS X. Apple delivered.

Same as above. What is re-imagined in OSX? To me it's a simple update to the existing Product nothing new that is a game changer...

Just to make this clear, I am not trying to say that Apple does not do a great Job at enhancing their Products. But neither do I feel the urge to say Apple is perfect and probably invented electricity as well as the sunlight just to dismiss some silly "Apple is dooooooomed"(tm) Book.

Apple delivered enough in the past to be where it is now, and probably will continue to do so in the near future.

 

[iLLucionist]

Overall, I give Cook a B+. After 2014, he'll have earned his A+.

"We used to have a saying here around Apple. Once you start hiring B-players, you will end up with C-players. Once you start hiring C-players, you end up with ..." – Guy Kawasaki

So, this means Cook need to be get rid of? B+ is not A. And certainly not A+.

We know/knew Apple for delivering A+++ (ok, let's be fair. Yellow tint, battery problems, 1st gen problems aside, first mba heat issues, etc.). If even the CEO can't keep up with A+, what does that mean for the rest of the company?

----------

Kane is hilarious. You only have to look at her website to see how anti-Apple she is. She just posted a retweet from FOSS Patents recommending her book...so much for unbiased reporting. She's also very anti-Western in Japanese business and ripped Howard Stringer at Sony before he had even started work. All-in-all, typical Japanese behaviour.
It's also amusing to read the "About Yukari" page on her site.
I'm all for critical reporting of Apple, but critical doesn't mean negativity, PURE GOSSIP and outright lies. I'm guessing her "sources within Apple" that leaked info to her (Forstall among them) weren't available anymore and she's trying to squeeze one more story out of Apple since she's not on that beat anymore...again, due to her source not being there.
A hacky book like this won't gain any traction since, if phantom sources won't come forward, there's nobody to back up her claims.


Some of her story titles:

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER: HACKING INTO IPHONES WITH FRIENDS
"Foil Apple Inc.'s brightest engineers and annoy chief executive Steve Jobs."

IPAD FANS FACE NEW DILEMMA WITH TOUGH-TO-TOTE GADGET

THE ONLY TECH THESE GEEKS LACK IS A CART TO HAUL THEIR GADGETS

YOUR APPS ARE WATCHING YOU

APPLE VS SAMSUNG, A PATENT BATTLE WITHOUT AN END

IS APPLE'S E-BOOK FIGHT WORTH THE TROUBLE?

WHY IS APPLE BEING SO NOSTALGIC

Couldn't agree more. What if she is in a lobby? For Sammy?

 

[fhall1]

Obviously I haven't read the book yet, but I find the above observation a very troubling one.

Also "Kane's thesis that the company is entering a period of decline without Jobs' guidance", is just that: her hypothesis, opinion and sentiment. She would perhaps like that to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There are thousands of carefully selected, very talented and dedicated people working at Apple, and no matter who's their CEO, many of those are 'living the dream' of being a part of producing awesome products that are highly anticipated the world over.

Of course the company is changing; how could it not? And no company will stay at the top forever, no matter who's in charge. Also who knows when another individual with all the right attributes will come out of left field, with a meteoric rise, and will, yet again, change our world for the better? The only certain thing about that is, that it will happen sometime in the future.

But until such time, the sky is not falling yet, and Apple fans the world over can expect to be dazzled with years more of well thought-out, meticulously designed and skillfully fabricated products that enhance our lives.

You said it very well...people thought the Disney Company was doomed when Walt died, yet it still seems to be doing pretty well. Walt wasn't the only person that could come up with "Disney-esque" visions and make them come to fruition. Same for Apple.

 

[proline]

Good thing she gets to sell her crap now. By the end of the year this kind of drivel is going to look very dated next to iOS 8 running on hardware that Jobs could have never imagined...

 

[sshambles]

I disagree with the sentiments expressed by the writer about personal opinion of Apple's direction, and Cook. I understand, yes, that's what the book is mainly about, but most of it seems like a recount about events past.

All of it is personal opinion I'm sure.

I think when enough people say things, and the company take notice, they might start to believe it themselves, but let's just hope that they end up not taking any notice, and get on with their jobs instead. Nobody can or will replace Steve's position in the company, but Cook is going to do a pretty damn good job so it seems. Steve himself seemed envious of it, given the '09 situation and it's explanation.

 

[Teste]

Topics like this one are great to lure all the Apple fanboys out of their caves so they can be properly identified and tagged. While the quality of the book itself is questionable, the posts claiming Apple is perfect and can do no wrong are ridiculous.

 

[underkuerbis]

Somehow I really dislike it when books that talk about Apple try to mimic elements of Apple's different UIs

 

[ugahairydawgs]

This is form over function. Nobody cares if your tower is smaller or thinner, it sits there and you never move it anyway.

Furthermore, you can build your own computer for a much, much cheaper price.

It's always been cheaper to part out and build your own machine than to buy pre-assembled. But you compare the new Mac Pro to PC workstation offerings from Dell and the pricing is right on market value.

 

[chrimux]

"... executives' repeated efforts to dismiss much of the previous design work

led by Scott Forstall"

True. It made them look so little. Talking bad about a former co-worker is disgraceful, especially if he didn't do anything wrong.

 

[Jjaro]

I'm going to pick up a copy. But it sounds like this woman doesn't understand a lot of the decisions and WHY they were made. Skeumorphism for example, it did look good, but it wasn't functional on some levels! Many websites, including Ars Technica's awesome technical reviews of Mac OS X, pointed this out. Sounds to me like she was biased as the article said and made up her mind before she even wrote the book.