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

[thekeyring]

Getting sick of hearing about how Apple is doomed.

Steve Jobs was NOT the only one who knew how to run a profitable company, nor he was the man solely responsible for Apple's success.

Apple might not be the same, but you've got to be blindly ignoring their profits, market share and competition to view them as anything other than successful.

 

[mccldwll]

Typical book full of FUD to try and sell. Apple is going to be fine.

Kane really is on the warpath with her tabloid quality book. The only AAPL person who consistently gets, and has always gotten, a pass from Kane is Forstall. Her old insider insights into AAPL, which she claimed were from "good old shoe leather reporting" (yeh, right) were from the Forstall days, and dried up after his departure. What exactly is/was Kane's relationship with Forstall? Is she helping Forstall grind an axe? Was Forstall Kane's "Deep Throat"?

 

[rvinny]

somebody should write a book about Samsung

 

[samcraig]

somebody should write a book about Samsung

Ok. Why?

 

[LordVic]

Ok. Why?

to be fair, I think it would be interesting counter point to how Apple runs.

There is also quite a large history of Samsung that many of us in the west have no clue about.

how did samsung start? How did they become the huge juggernaut they are today? How and why are they in the business of making military equipment. There's also the tales of corporate espionage that they've been caught up in.

It actually does sound like quite an interesting story... albeit mostly unrelated to Apple. Though I believe the poster who said that was trying to make a lame joke about samsung rather than a valid point.

 

[mdelvecchio]

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.

that sort of emotionally neediness, and rush, is entirely on you. it's in your head.

----------

I will miss Steve, but I really don't see how Apple "on a decline". Not as strong as before, sure, but still very strong.

more products, more record sales, more profit, more money in the bank. not as strong?

 

[mccldwll]

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.

That's a dangerously delusional conclusion.

 

[rvinny]

to be fair, I think it would be interesting counter point to how Apple runs.

There is also quite a large history of Samsung that many of us in the west have no clue about.

how did samsung start? How did they become the huge juggernaut they are today? How and why are they in the business of making military equipment. There's also the tales of corporate espionage that they've been caught up in.

It actually does sound like quite an interesting story... albeit mostly unrelated to Apple. Though I believe the poster who said that was trying to make a lame joke about samsung rather than a valid point.

No joke intended. It seems everyone is watching Apple and I for one would like to see what the result would be if the internet & media communities applied the same level of scrutiny on a different company. You already mentioned more than I knew about Samsung and I think it would make an interesting topic (and counterpoint as you mentioned).

 

[LordVic]

No joke intended. It seems everyone is watching Apple and I for one would like to see what the result would be if the internet & media communities applied the same level of scrutiny on a different company. You already mentioned more than I knew about Samsung and I think it would make an interesting topic (and counterpoint as you mentioned).

sorry, just when most posters on MR bring up Samsung, it tends to be to shame them with some lame attempt of "samesung" "crapsung" or other juvenille and purile attempt to sound witty.

The question you asked though is a good one. Samsung does have some rather interesting stories. They're one of the largest conglomerations in the world. They make everything from Military equipment (tanks, guns and ships), Home appliances (Fridges, Microwaves, Washers, Driers, Dishwashers...) to the Mobile division on phones and tablets.

 

[sixrom]

Apple is simply going through an adjustment period.

They're too big and too strong to fail quickly. They've got room to slide into decline, which happens to any company that bets it's soul on one high profile pitchman.

With their unique following and brilliant marketing, Apple will carry on as a niche player at a minimum. If at some point they make the right moves, they're capable of more. Time will tell.

 

[mccldwll]

Tim Cook last year said in an interview with nbc they were releasing brand new products in 2013, not upgrades to existing products

Didn't happen

That's right. It didn't happen. That's not what Cook said. Get someone to help you find exactly what he said about "new stuff" and the overall time frame. However, nice try.

 

[samcraig]

sorry, just when most posters on MR bring up Samsung, it tends to be to shame them with some lame attempt of "samesung" "crapsung" or other juvenille and purile attempt to sound witty.

The question you asked though is a good one. Samsung does have some rather interesting stories. They're one of the largest conglomerations in the world. They make everything from Military equipment (tanks, guns and ships), Home appliances (Fridges, Microwaves, Washers, Driers, Dishwashers...) to the Mobile division on phones and tablets.

That was my gut reaction to his post as well. I agree with you - a book about Samsung might be a very interesting read. Although I think they are less shroud in mystery than Apple and Steve Jobs are - which is why it makes for great fiction/non-fiction.

 

[LordVic]

Tim Cook last year said in an interview with nbc they were releasing brand new products in 2013, not upgrades to existing products


Didn't happen

That's right. It didn't happen. That's not what Cook said. Get someone to help you find exactly what he said about "new stuff" and the overall time frame. However, nice try.

for reference (since sometimes it's nicer to help find to correct instead of derision)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1690414/

the Comments are directed to 2014, not 2013. and tim Cook is saying for 2014

https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/28/tim-cook-new-product-categories-still-coming-in-2014/

its now March. we're just about done the first quarter of 2014. And there is nothing yet. But lots of time left. I'm eagerly waiting to see what exactly he is talking about.

 

[mccldwll]

for reference (since sometimes it's nicer to help find to correct instead of derision)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1690414/

the Comments are directed to 2014, not 2013. and tim Cook is saying for 2014

https://www.macrumors.com/2013/10/28/tim-cook-new-product-categories-still-coming-in-2014/

its now March. we're just about done the first quarter of 2014. And there is nothing yet. But lots of time left. I'm eagerly waiting to see what exactly he is talking about.

Actually, it was earlier in 2013 that TC said that there was a lot "new stuff" that would be introduced in late 2013 and through 2014. That included services, software, and new products. No new product categories were promised for 2013, but that hasn't kept those who intend to attack AAPL/TC from claiming that a promise was broken.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/23/4258272/apple-tim-cook-teases-exciting-new-product-category

 

[LordVic]

Actually, it was earlier in 2013 that TC said that there was a lot "new stuff" that would be introduced in late 2013 and through 2014. That included services, software, and new products. No new product categories were promised for 2013, but that hasn't kept those who intend to attack AAPL/TC from claiming that a promise was broken.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/23/4258272/apple-tim-cook-teases-exciting-new-product-category

correct, and we got new products in late 2013. The new Mac Pro, we got the iPad air.

new products. Not new categories. The categories claim wasn't till 2014. At the end of 2014, if theres' nothing really new out, Then we can start calling out Tim Cook for the comments.

But as Is aid, we still have 3/4's of 2014 to go. Thats a long time. And there are going to be plenty of announcements between now and Dec 31st 2014 (we hope).

(i was trying to aid your claim with my original post)

 

[runeapple]

Without Steve we don't have the same enthusiastic keynotes, which were a big part of Apple to begin with. Just the loss of that alone for me is a big one. And it'll never be the same. So even if he left a master plan, that still doesn't make up for the loss the company suffered.

Agreed - however I must say I did enjoy the last one though - I really like Craig as a speaker I would like to see more of him on stage as less of Tim - as Tim has no passion on stage and his voice sends me to sleep.

 

[mccldwll]

correct, and we got new products in late 2013. The new Mac Pro, we got the iPad air.

new products. Not new categories. The categories claim wasn't till 2014. At the end of 2014, if theres' nothing really new out, Then we can start calling out Tim Cook for the comments.

But as Is aid, we still have 3/4's of 2014 to go. Thats a long time. And there are going to be plenty of announcements between now and Dec 31st 2014 (we hope).

(i was trying to aid your claim with my original post)

Sure. The bottom line is that no promises have been broken, as some have claimed. And yes, 2014 is far from over (although there may be some disagreement by some whether he was referring to fiscal or calendar 2014).

 

[macs4nw]

People can be terrifyingly fickle and negative.

Indeed! Ask any politician.

 

[melendezest]

While her thesis is obviously sensationalist and premature, I have to mildly agree in some respects.

For me, Apple has definitely declined. I find myself wanting their products less and less. And while Tim Cook is (obviously) capable enough, one thing cannot be denied: Apple has lost its visionary.

When Steve was at Apple, it is known that he was the final word on everything. It appeared that the Apple teams built HIS products, or at least his "version" of whatever ideas someone else came up with. Apple and Steve Jobs were inexorably tied together; he even referred to himself as a "marketing team of one".

His death thus signaled the end of the Apple I knew and loved. Tim's job is now to transform Apple into "Apple minus Steve". This is another company altogether. Whether this is successful or not remains to be seen. So far so good (for Apple, financially).

As far as I'm concerned, I have seen nothing "post-Steve" I want:

MBAir/Retina Macbook Pro--Not a replacement for the 17in MBP. Not even close.
iOS 7: Umm, no. Not a terrible OS, just not better than it's predecessor. Contributed in my move to Android, and effectively halted iPad purchases.
iPhone 5, 5s, 5c: Contributed in my move to Android. After using a 5 in screen, I'm not going back to tiny.
Mac Pro: Sexy, brilliant, and utterly unaffordable. Apple cranked the niche factor to 11 on this one, and left me out of it. I would've bought an updated "old" MP.
iMac: No access to internals (glue!) = no sale, and I've had several bad experiences with iMacs due to heat. No all-in-ones for me.
Mac mini: The only Mac I'd buy, simply because I love OSX
Mavericks: Not bad, but seems tailored for portables in many ways. I actually prefer ML.
iPad/iPad mini: Nice hardware, but I hate IOS 7 with a passion. Pass (until they let me put iOS 6 on it...which is never)
AppleTV: I like mine but the Roku is starting to look more attractive as I wean away from Apple products.

So (at least for me), decline it is. I'm stuck searching for refurb MBP 17s, and that's it, unless they release a 17in rMBP or an iMac without the screen. Here's to hoping!

I'm sure I'm not the only one out there that feels this way...

 

[ownamac]

Empire, yes. Haunted by the likes of the author.

 

[macs4nw]

The book sounds like a money-grab, lacking evidence to support the catchy sound-bites:

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

http://daringfireball.net/2014/02/fitting_facts_to_the_narrative

That Gruber report, as usual, was right on!

 

[sidewinder3000]

Dear Grinch...

You disliked matching employee contributions? Why? Encouraging their well compensated staff to make an impact on the world beyond just making great technology seems like a pretty cool thing. Is there a downside that's not obvious?

----

Cheap sensationalism to sell a book. Funny, the one thing she commended Cook on was the one thing I disliked, which is the matching employee contributions.

Sensationalist books about Apple post-Jobs = the new Flappy Birds.

 

[Rogifan]

Kane really is on the warpath with her tabloid quality book. The only AAPL person who consistently gets, and has always gotten, a pass from Kane is Forstall. Her old insider insights into AAPL, which she claimed were from "good old shoe leather reporting" (yeh, right) were from the Forstall days, and dried up after his departure. What exactly is/was Kane's relationship with Forstall? Is she helping Forstall grind an axe? Was Forstall Kane's "Deep Throat"?

Hmm...never thought about it this way, but it is interesting that Forstall apparently gets a pass in this book.

 

[zionation]

The legacy of Jobs lies in that he has the ability to define, to predict and to "create" a new way of thinking (i.e. market)

This is the difference between the old and the new Apple.

So far, Cook and Ives have done nothing either to 1) create a new trend, 2) carve out a new market and most importantly, failed to even predict the market trend.
Apple is lacking behind in growth of the tablet market, which they have single handedly created let me add, by their own indecision and conservatism. The iPhone was so technologically progressive 6 years back, right now it just looks and feels out of date. The iCloud just doesn't fulfil its promise. OSX? Maverick is a marketing gimmick, it is the 10th iteration of an ageing OS.

I am not here to say that I am not satisfied with Apple products, in fact, I have almost all of the products they have released since 2006 and I have used them loved them and all. What I am pointing out is the change of their once forward-thinking mindset. What we are witnessing is a car slowly losing its fuel, the falling of a giant.

One of two mistakes or slow-to-action is what it will take to sink a company, no matter how big, how seemingly invulnerable a company once might seem. There are too many examples in the literature I will not try to give examples. The cycle can only go upward or downward in the world of corporates.

It only takes one product or service to revive a company. That said, I am afraid that Apple might not have what it takes now to create such innovations it once has.

 

[Rogifan]

The legacy of Jobs lies in that he has the ability to define, to predict and to "create" a new way of thinking (i.e. market)

This is the difference between the old and the new Apple.

So far, Cook and Ives have done nothing either to 1) create a new trend, 2) carve out a new market and most importantly, failed to even predict the market trend.
Apple is lacking behind in growth of the tablet market, which they have single handedly created let me add, by their own indecision and conservatism. The iPhone was so technologically progressive 6 years back, right now it just looks and feels out of date. The iCloud just doesn't fulfil its promise. OSX? Maverick is a marketing gimmick, it is the 10th iteration of an ageing OS.

I am not here to say that I am not satisfied with Apple products, in fact, I have almost all of the products they have released since 2006 and I have used them loved them and all. What I am pointing out is the change of their once forward-thinking mindset. What we are witnessing is a car slowly losing its fuel, the falling of a giant.

One of two mistakes or slow-to-action is what it will take to sink a company, no matter how big, how seemingly invulnerable a company once might seem. There are too many examples in the literature I will not try to give examples. The cycle can only go upward or downward in the world of corporates.

It only takes one product or service to revive a company. That said, I am afraid that Apple might not have what it takes now to create such innovations it once has.

All of what you mention here started under Jobs. In fact there's probably little so far that Apple has done which wasn't already in the pipeline from years back. Maybe Jobs would have changed on a dime if he was still around but maybe not. We'll never know. But I'm curious as to what you think would be different at Apple were Jobs still around (besides iOS 7 design). Would we have an iPhone "phablet"? A 2-in-1 MacBook? Apple TV with ala carte programming? A revolutionary wearable device selling in the millions?