Jobs Biographer Walter Isaacson: Apple 'No Longer the Most Innovative Company'

[MacRumors]

Walter Isaacson, the biographer of Steve Jobs, went on record this week to express his belief that Google and Amazon have overtaken Apple to become the most innovative technology companies of the modern day.

The Aspen Institute CEO and writer of the best-selling biography made the frank remarks in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Alley" show, during which he singled out Apple's lack of movement in the virtual assistant space as an example of where the company had been left behind.

Image via CNBC​

"Apple is no longer the most innovative of companies," Isaacson said. "But they are good at execution. The innovation in the virtual assistant space, for example, is coming from Google and Amazon, not Apple."

Isaacson said he was "surprised" that Apple hasn't moved its virtual assistant Siri into the home and claimed that he frequently used both Amazon's Echo speaker and Google Home. "Sometimes I let them compete," he said.

Apple is expected to release a smart speaker with Siri integration soon, possibly as early as next month at WWDC. However, Isaacson thinks it could be too late for the company to catch up in that space, and suggested Apple should look at other areas in which to innovate.

"You could have a great company -- and Apple is a great company -- without having really a next big thing, but it isn't in Apple's DNA to be that way," said Isaacson.

Article Link: Jobs Biographer Walter Isaacson: Apple 'No Longer the Most Innovative Company'

 

[fokmik]

"The innovation in the virtual assistant space, for example, is coming from Google and Amazon, not Apple.""
Yea thank you google and amazon for not letting my kids out to find REAL people and playing with kids toys like those products

 

[Sunny1990]

Apple 'No Longer the Most Innovative Company'

That will be true if they placed fingerprint sensor on the back of upcoming iPhone

 

[decafjava]

Surveillance capitalism for the win!1111!

 

[pentrix2]

"The innovation in the virtual assistant space, for example, is coming from Google and Amazon, not Apple.""
Yea thank you google and amazon for not letting my kids out to find REAL people and playing with kids toys like those products

So it's only those two products that kept your kids from being in the "real world?" Wow

 

[djcerla]

Isaacson thinks it could be too late for the company to catch up in that space, and suggested Apple should at other areas in which to innovate.

Remember the "if Apple does not release a smartwatch next month it will be in trouble" analyst guy? Apple did not release a smartwatch the following month. Today, they dominate the space.

 

[pentrix2]

It's more like, since Steve. Tim Cook hasn't done nothing. Siri what time is it. Siri says, "do you want to buy apple's smar wtch".
Siri tell me about thermal nuclear. Siri says, "Steve is an expert in thermal nuclear and made the Trident missile that launched against Mars"

 

[profets]

Isaacson thinks it could be too late for the company to catch up in that space, and suggested Apple should at other areas in which to innovate.

Remember the "if Apple does not release a smartwatch next month it will be in trouble" analyst guy? Apple did not release a smartwatch the following month. Today, they dominate the space.

Bingo. Not to mention, in Canada (and I assume most countries) neither the Echo nor Google Home are even available for purchase.

 

[MH01]

Apple 'No Longer the Most Innovative Company'

That will become true if they placed fingerprint sensor on the back of upcoming iPhone

Cause the current 3rd year on the same design is more innovative?

The macrumors buyers guide kinda summs up why they have lost the innovative tag, this includes new and existing products , very little is changing. Just a thought
[doublepost=1494497457][/doublepost]

Isaacson thinks it could be too late for the company to catch up in that space, and suggested Apple should at other areas in which to innovate.

Remember the "if Apple does not release a smartwatch next month it will be in trouble" analyst guy? Apple did not release a smartwatch the following month. Today, they dominate the space.

Question: Do you think the smart watch is a success ? Not Apple Watch but all smart watches ? I think it's a niche product

 

[Macwatcher123]

I have a hard time taking this guy at all seriously.
Not only did he write that appalling Jobs biography which just rehashed old stories even though he had uber-access to Steve, doing the man -- and the world -- a complete disservice,
But isaacsson also sits with Google's Eric Schmidt on the Defence Technology Committee, meaning both men see surveillance capitalism as the way forward. This is nothing to do with innovation and everything to do with Apple's stance on privacy.
My response? Don't buy this guy's books.

 

[Sandstorm]

Think this obvious to anyone who pays attention. At the beginning I was positive about Tim Cook, but he have proved to be a unapologetic beancounter. Apple has become a money milking machine, things like leaving the dent in the universe are long forgotten. Unfortunately.

 

[iapplelove]

I dunno, I somewhat disagree. I mean we are talking about home personal assistants. Not really a big deal imo.

Apple still has the bet mobile platform and iOS. Still the best ecosystem. Still the best continuity between devices.

I don't really feel any major tech company is "innovating".

Elon Musk is the innovation king as we speak. Everyone else is playing with toys.

 

[decafjava]

I dunno, I somewhat disagree. I mean we are talking about home personal assistants. Not really a big deal imo.

Apple still has the bet mobile platform and iOS. Still the best ecosystem. Still the best continuity between devices.

I don't really feel any major tech company is "innovating".

Elon Musk is the innovation king as we speak. Everyone else is playing with toys.

Hate to use cliched meme but... THIS.

The things Musk is involved in have the potential to change society in a broad sense.

 

[nfl46]

Well, it's the truth. I'd love to see Apple take some risks instead of playing it safe.

 

[fokmik]

So it's only those two products that kept your kids from being in the "real world?" Wow

i was sarcastic, but the future,if we are not careful, this it will be

 

[smallcoffee]

I don't consider smart home assistance innovative. Intrusive and unneeded and built to get me to buy **** I don't need, but not innovative.

I think Apple has become less innovative, but I think so has everybody else. Nobody has released "the next big thing".

 

[Porco]

Phil Schiller was unavailable for immediate comment but is expected to put such criticism behind him.

 

[flyinmac]

Think this obvious to anyone who pays attention. At the beginning I was positive about Tim Cook, but he have proved to be a unapologetic beancounter. Apple has become a money milking machine, things like leaving the dent in the universe are long forgotten. Unfortunately.

Ok..... now you've gone too far. We all know Apple is working hard to make that dent much smaller.

 

[maflynn]

I see a lack of excitement, a lack of coolness and lack of strategy coming from Apple. We get thinner products and emojis, but Amazon created Alexis. I mean Apple used to be the one that created products that people didn't know they needed, now Google, Amazon and the reviled and hated Samsung are doing that.

I see at times, Apple protecting its lead more then taking chances. To use Steve Job's quote they're not staying hungry staying foolish.

How many years have we heard Tim Cook say that they have some pretty exciting products in the pipeline, 4 years? 5 years?

Lately we see less true innovation and more following the crowd. I mean they're copying the popularity of snapchat with those emojis/balloons and other affects in Messages.

 

[TimothyBe]

Imagine Elon Musk becoming the next CEO of Apple..
Would it be good, it don't know.
But it would definitely be more exciting..

 

[Iconoclysm]

Cause the current 3rd year on the same design is more innovative?

The macrumors buyers guide kinda summs up why they have lost the innovative tag, this includes new and existing products , very little is changing. Just a thought
[doublepost=1494497457][/doublepost]

Question: Do you think the smart watch is a success ? Not Apple Watch but all smart watches ? I think it's a niche product

Have you actually taken a look at how many years in a row Apple's competition use the same smartphone designs? Or are you ONLY looking at Apple? Because Samsung, HTC, and LG repeat up to 4-5 years on their designs.

 

[Keane16]

Apple have never been first to market on major product lines.

MP3 players, smartphones, tablets, fingerprint readers, smart watches etc.

Even a casual follower of Apple knows that. And this guy wrote Steve Jobs' biography (and it wasn't very good considering the access he had to the man).

 

[shanson27]

He's right

 

[Keane16]

I see a lack of excitement, a lack of coolness and lack of strategy coming from Apple. We get thinner products and emojis, but Amazon created Alexis. I mean Apple used to be the one that created products that people didn't know they needed, now Google, Amazon and the reviled and hated Samsung are doing that.

Apple are rarely first. Stop re-writing the past.

I see at times, Apple protecting its lead more then taking chances. To use Steve Job's quote they're not staying hungry staying foolish.

Yep, removing a headphone jack from their most important product was not taking a chance at all. /s

How many years have we heard Tim Cook say that they have some pretty exciting products in the pipeline, 4 years? 5 years?

Haven't we got them? Pencil on iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods etc. I like and use them and they've been released recently.

Lately we see less true innovation and more following the crowd. I mean they're copying the popularity of snapchat with those emojis/balloons and other affects in Messages.

- TouchID
- Apple Pay
- Stepped batteries in the MacBook
- The A series of SoCs
- ResearchKit
- Swift
- AFPS
- AirPods (in particular the magic of the W1 chip)

Yeah all they do is emojis and balloons. /s

 

[RationalFanboy]

Innovation is a funny word, everybody fills it in differently. To me, and I suspect to Apple, innovation just means "making a product better", whether that is through iterations on an existing product or entering a market with a "revolutionary" breakthrough product. It's hard to name an Apple product that is worse than its predecessor or, if it's in a new product category, worse than whatever competing products existed before Apple's entry.

Every iPhone and iPad is better than the previous generation. iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch were at launch better than their competitors in fundamental ways. Sure, Apple makes some missteps, Siri is not perfect, and llook at the Mac Pro. But nobody is perfect and those are the exception, not the rule. It's hard to deny that Apple knows how to improve their products and knows how to get a new product category right when everybody else gets it wrong.

I think that's how Apple looks at innovation, but unfortunately what innovation means to a lot of people is flashy, different, futuristic, out there. iPhone 7 is not considered innovative because it looks similar to 6 and 6s, even when the 7 is better in subtle but important ways and people love their iPhones. Like Jony Ive said, it's very easy to be different, but very difficult to be better.