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I love Apple but this is a bunch of BS. If they were not looking to make "profit", their products wouldn't be so overpriced. A lot of people bought the iPhone 4S because they only made Siri available for that device when the iPhone 4 is more than capable of handling Siri.

Cut his salary in half and let's see if he will be talking like that then...

Apple is a great company, probably the best one out there but profit is your number one goal like any other company in this world.

As long as people with your view exist, Apple will continue to make money. I'm guessing there are a lot of people that think like you running many of their competitors. Ive never said profit was not something they are not interested in. What he said more or less is design a great product first and foremost. Then profit will follow.

Many companies focus on engineering, tech specs and profit and when you do this you don't create the best product and the market responds accordingly.

You only have to look at Apple's share of profit to see that they have it largely right.

Some people have suggested because profit is not their main focus why not take less? Why take less? After you've designed a great product sell it for what you can get for it. Clearly their price point is right because demand is there.

I personally think they could be a little cheaper too. But would I switch. No. I enjoy that they just work. And when they don't I can call and speak to someone and get the problem sorted. Apple do pretty much everything well. Brilliant customer service. I remember sitting on the phone for ages and going around and around when ringing Microsoft and no one damn well knew the answer.

It seems to me that Apple value their customers and their experience.

The funny thing is many can see what Apple does but most competitors are unable to replicate the good stuff.

Apple is an incredible lesson in how to do business right.
 
Originally Posted by Mystic386
Apple is an incredible lesson in how to do business right.

Outsource to China. I agree.

Apparently you don't agree. That was not my full statement, nor did I mention that as part of why they are an incredible lesson in how to do business right. Outsourcing to China on it's own doesn't make a great business. Ask the many other US tech companies that do that.

Doing business right includes some of these factors and more;
- great product
- great design
- ease of use
- reliability
- customer service

Manufacturing, buying and selling are also important functions. Does Apple do them more right than any of their competitors at this time?

Yes they outsource to China, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, India?, USA, Singapore?, Phillipines? and where else for manufacturing and parts, and have a presence in many countries for retail sales.

They probably generate substantial revenue and profit per employee in the US.

What was your point exactly?
 
Apple's focus has always been on profits like every other company. Making high-quality products and not trash that people buy then hate is a way of getting loyal customers. They don't make good products "just cause".

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Compare to Ferrari... Ferrari is in the business of making a great sports car... If it was solely about profits, they'd build a 25K compact that gets 40 MPG.

Actually, Ferrari is Fiat, and they do make compacts that get at least 40MPG.

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The headline made my laugh straight away ;)

I don't think any number of marketing initiatives and quotes of Jonathan's "wisdom" will change public opinion about Apple's profit-focused strategy.

Every company is profit-focused. Apple is the best at making profits.
 
Hehe I still havent bought a Mac because of this

hated windows, got a mac, had a really great time working with mac, then i my gfx needs outgrew the stuff i was doing (BOXX rules post), now just hanging onto a 17" MBP, will be building my next computer. :\
 
If Apple's Focus on Great Products instead of profits, why not assemble iPhone in America instead of chineese sweatshops?
Please name a single company with manufacturing plants in the US that have the production capacity to make the quantity that Apple needs at a cost that will allow them to make a profit with their current prices.

The focus IS on great products. That doesn't mean cost doesn't matter. Kevin Durant loves to play basketball, right? And he's good at it. Doesn't mean he'd play for OKC for free. But just because he won't play for free doesn't mean his real love is for money, and not basketball.
 
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For people bashing the "new iPhone" that has been leaked, you guys know you'll be buying this thing when it first drops. All the hate was just as bad when Gizmodo leaked the iPhone 4. What happened after WWDC? People fell in love with it. I'm pretty sure we're in for a repeat.
 
what an incorrect statement. Every competitive company's goal is to maximize profits. Their goal is to make money.
Jonny is trying to make it look like Apple is different than any other company, when in it's definition it's the same as Samsung, RIM, Google etc, ... their goal is to make money.
Apple makes great products to get money, but money is still the main driving force.

Also, if a two-toned iPhone is their 'best work yet'.. then i'm unpleasantly surprised.

Maybe Apple is different? I'm not claiming that Apple IS in fact different. What I'm saying is that money hasn't been a driving force at Apple for its products. Ethics and great design and consumer experience have been the driving force. It is obvious that a company needs money to survive and more money to prosper; but there are some people and some companies that wish to go ahead of the rhetoric and make some thing that they could be proud of.

If you don't think Apple is that company, then good enough for you. No need to discredit someone's intentions and opinion just because you think you are right. Grow up.

If your goal isn't making money, then why not lower your profit margins and sell your stuff at a reasonable price?

What is reasonable price? The price you want to pay or lesser than that? ;)
 
Do you really believe in this marketing nonsense?

Yes.

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Some of these types of comments are pure comedy. Just last year Apple deliberately locked up the supply of screens for tablets forcing its competitors to wait for additional supply. Oh yes, changing the world one $ at a time.

I'm glad they did, they put those screens to much better use, IMO.
 
what an incorrect statement. Every competitive company's goal is to maximize profits. Their goal is to make money.
Jonny is trying to make it look like Apple is different than any other company, when in it's definition it's the same as Samsung, RIM, Google etc, ... their goal is to make money. Apple makes great products to get money, but money is still the main driving force.

NO. You need context for his statement. In the early 90's Apple pursued revenues, in the manner of most companies, not making great products. Jobs saw this as their strategic downfall and applied his theory to his return.

He believed great products would bring the revenues and, looking at the fourteen years he ran the company the second time around, he was absolutely correct.

Apple passes up revenue opportunities other business would follow all the time. Think of when it skipped the netbook fad, for example, or not releasing more phone variants or killing off what had been its biggest iPod seller, the iPod mini.

There's no xMac, they don't license Mac OS X or iOS, the XServe was axed because it was a distraction relative to the few customers it got. People whine but these are choices that represent the thinking Ive's talking about. It's about being focused on trying to build great products.
 
This thread is a classic example of the old adage "opinions are like a$$holes, everyone's got one" ;)

It's amazing the number of people posting here that insist they know more about the inner workings of Apple than one of the key members.

Since Apple has become very successful financially a lot of people have decided the company is just evil and greedy like every other company out there.

I keep seeing these silly posts about "why can't Apple make the exact computer I want to have". Well, the world doesn't revolve around you after all.

There's a lot of thinking going on at Apple collectively. About things we never get to know about. Yes, this is an assumption on my part, but one that is based on studying the history of Apple. One of Steve Jobs' legacies is the DNA he has instilled in the company which has created so much success. I take him at his word (and Ive) that the priority and passion was and is with creating the best products they possibly can.

Now, a part of any successful business is to be profitable, but that does not automatically mean that profits above all else are the number one concern for the company as a whole. Apple has seen some financial rough times in the past. I can imagine quite easily that Steve also wanted to make sure that would never happen again. Financial success enables Apple to be free to pursue ideas and designs without concerns for finances. It allows them to pool the appropriate resources to make things happen. I think this financial "freedom" would have been on Steve's mind, but this is not anything like the motivation (or perhaps obsession in many cases) for profit above all else.

I realise this post is most likely wasted on the many who seem to have jumped on the bandwagon of Apple Hating. It's become more and more difficult to put up with the sheer stupidity that some people display quite forcefully on internet forums. There is also a mental disorder that seems to show up quite regularly where people insist that they are right despite lacking a logical foundation, consistency or evidence. Counter arguments are simply dismissed and things often get a bit ugly.

It's a shame so many forums have degenerated into this.
 
Maybe Apple is different? I'm not claiming that Apple IS in fact different. What I'm saying is that money hasn't been a driving force at Apple for its products. Ethics and great design and consumer experience have been the driving force. It is obvious that a company needs money to survive and more money to prosper; but there are some people and some companies that wish to go ahead of the rhetoric and make some thing that they could be proud of.

If you don't think Apple is that company, then good enough for you. No need to discredit someone's intentions and opinion just because you think you are right. Grow up.

Legally, Apple cannot be different.

Of course ethics, great design and consumer experience are important forces, because they get the consumer (the person who has the money) to spend money on Apple (who gets the money from the consumer).
Don't get me wrong, i'm sure companies like Apple make things they are proud of..because they believe consumers will pay top dollar for it. It's a win-win situation. Apple, or any company for that matter, won't invent something if they can't make a good buck from it, they would obviously make a good buck from it because the invention would 'change the world'.
Jonny is basically saying that they are, as a corporation...fundamentally different from other corporations.
And that's false.

I am grown up, and i don't think i'm right.. i know i'm right, as i was just pointing out what felt very obvious to me.

It's amazing the number of people posting here that insist they know more about the inner workings of Apple than one of the key members.

You don't need to be a key member of a corporation to know how a corporation works. That's what business school is for.

Since Apple has become very successful financially a lot of people have decided the company is just evil and greedy like every other company out there.

Some people, maybe. I don't think profit maximization is a bad thing.

There's a lot of thinking going on at Apple collectively. About things we never get to know about. Yes, this is an assumption on my part, but one that is based on studying the history of Apple. One of Steve Jobs' legacies is the DNA he has instilled in the company which has created so much success. I take him at his word (and Ive) that the priority and passion was and is with creating the best products they possibly can.

Completely agreed, but definitely not 'top' priority.

Now, a part of any successful business is to be profitable, but that does not automatically mean that profits above all else are the number one concern for the company as a whole. Apple has seen some financial rough times in the past. I can imagine quite easily that Steve also wanted to make sure that would never happen again. Financial success enables Apple to be free to pursue ideas and designs without concerns for finances. It allows them to pool the appropriate resources to make things happen. I think this financial "freedom" would have been on Steve's mind, but this is not anything like the motivation (or perhaps obsession in many cases) for profit above all else.

Profits are not the number one concern for the company as a whole? Tell that to the shareholders.

I realise this post is most likely wasted on the many who seem to have jumped on the bandwagon of Apple Hating. It's become more and more difficult to put up with the sheer stupidity that some people display quite forcefully on internet forums. There is also a mental disorder that seems to show up quite regularly where people insist that they are right despite lacking a logical foundation, consistency or evidence. Counter arguments are simply dismissed and things often get a bit ugly.

It's a shame so many forums have degenerated into this.

Since when did pointing the obvious become Apple Hating? I don't see anything wrong with profit maximization, my issue is to blatantly lie that it's not about profits. And the fans who see that and say "see! this is why Apple is different than the rest", when it's just not true.

Are you calling the fans mental? ;)
 
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NO. You need context for his statement. In the early 90's Apple pursued revenues, in the manner of most companies, not making great products. Jobs saw this as their strategic downfall and applied his theory to his return.

He believed great products would bring the revenues and, looking at the fourteen years he ran the company the second time around, he was absolutely correct.

Apple passes up revenue opportunities other business would follow all the time. Think of when it skipped the netbook fad, for example, or not releasing more phone variants or killing off what had been its biggest iPod seller, the iPod mini.

There's no xMac, they don't license Mac OS X or iOS, the XServe was axed because it was a distraction relative to the few customers it got. People whine but these are choices that represent the thinking Ive's talking about. It's about being focused on trying to build great products.

Yes, I remember this when Steve Jobs & Bill Gates were interviewed by I believe Mossberg. Steve said when he returned to Apple, they believed the only way to get ahead was to beat Microsoft. He refocused Apple on making products rather then competing with other companies.
 
For those of you claiming Apple should lower margins if they didn't care about money. There are two points you'd need to address to make your claim plausible.

#1: Given the fact that Apples sells out, I mean, given the fact Apple has no problem selling as many products as it can produce, why should they reduce costs? To say they don't care about making money doesn't mean they don't see the benefit in having money lying around to make more products, should they need to draw on those resources during the course of their development.

#2. R&D is expensive, so having that extra cash might be incredibly useful down the road. Acting like a charity might mean they wouldn't have the resources they need to produce what they would want down the road. They can't predict what ideas they will come up with and how much it'll cost to implement and research them. Better be safe and sell for as much as they can get for the products now, so that they continue to produce them later.


For those claiming it's clear on the basis of iOS devices Apple only cares about money since those are where the focus is right now, and it's only there because of the money iOS devices bring in. The sad fact is you fail to truly grasp the significance of these small devices. Desktops and laptops were very matured products, and though Apple continues to make progress on that front, they realize they need to remain focused to produce quality products, and right now the sector of our technology in most need of evolution is the small portables. What was offered just a few years ago was truly abysmal. Now things are starting to improve and it boggles the mind to think what our phones and tablets are capable of. Call them toys if you want to appear cool on the forum, but to anyone with just a little sense of where the future is headed, we all realize these aren't toys and will improve the lives of many people. The technological revolution of the internet is only beginning and it will pervade every aspect of our lives.
 
Legally, Apple cannot be different.

Nonsense.

I am grown up, and i don't think i'm right.. i know i'm right, as i was just pointing out what felt very obvious to me.

I'm still a child, and the only thing I might come remotely close to knowing is that I don't know anything. For every single thing I once thought I knew, there always turned out to be counter-examples that proved I didn't quite know what I thought what I did. Lucky for me, this experience was a humbling one. When I see hubris as expressed in these words, I cringe for the speaker.
 
You really need an answer?
I would like an answer, yes. Apple is not different from the rest of the corporations in the world, period.

You make them seem exceptional, but all I see is them acting the same as every other company in the world by outsourcing production to China and Brazil, doing everything legally possible to evade taxes, asking for tax breaks and incentives from state governments, etc.

Do you really think Apple is the only company that changes the world?
 
Since when did pointing the obvious become Apple Hating? I don't see anything wrong with profit maximization, my issue is to blatantly lie that it's not about profits. And the fans who see that and say "see! this is why Apple is different than the rest", when it's just not true.

When you have to make liars of so many of us in order to square your world view with our words, I think it's time to start asking yourself if you world view needs revision. Please do tell us why you think Ive would lie in this regard? What goal or motive might he have to do so? Let me guess, money?

Those who only look through the world in pink tinted glasses will only see a pink world. What's scary is when they forget they have the glasses on. Based on your posts, I'd conjecture you have an infatuation with money. For many of us, and the business' we are a part of, money is the last thing on our minds.
 
When you have to make liars of so many of us in order to square your world view with our words, I think it's time to start asking yourself if you world view needs revision. Please do tell us why you think Ive would lie in this regard? What goal or motive might he have to do so? Let me guess, money?

Those who only look through the world in pink tinted glasses will only see a pink world. What's scary is when they forget they have the glasses on. Based on your posts, I'd conjecture you have an infatuation with money. For many of us, and the business' we are a part of, money is the last thing on our minds.

Motivation? How about public image? If Ive separates Apple from the rest of its peers, Apple sales will skyrocket. The image of a company is really important, and Apple has a great one right now for being innovative, building quality products, great customer service, etc. Why not add even more to that?
 
I would like an answer, yes. Apple is not different from the rest of the corporations in the world, period.

You make them seem exceptional, but all I see is them acting the same as every other company in the world by outsourcing production to China and Brazil, doing everything legally possible to evade taxes, asking for tax breaks and incentives from state governments, etc.

As someone pointed out, depending on your conceptual scheme you can reduce everything within it to one single thing if you want. Everything is ashes and dust at the end of the day. Well, great for you. My world involves far more distinction than that, and it is precisely because of those many distinctions that I can appreciate the subtle and not so subtle differences between various objects. I find the experience much richer than the reductionistic world-views. There are many companies that value their product, and pursue perfection first and foremost, many that don't. In many ways Apple is exceptional, in other ways, not so much.

Do you really think Apple is the only company that changes the world?

Certainly not, nor did I ever insinuate otherwise. What I did say is that Apple is striving to change the world, and the way they are attempting to do so is by bringing utter simplicity and elegance to the tech industry. Technology's potential is almost limitless, and so far as I can see, no other company has made the experience of interacting with that technology nearly so fun and efficient as has Apple. I'm quite grateful for what their products have allowed me to accomplish, and I see few products that I find as innovative and of comparable quality. I'd love to see a real Apple competitor, another company or two that produces the same total package. Sadly, none has emerged yet.
 
Motivation? How about public image? If Ive separates Apple from the rest of its peers, Apple sales will skyrocket. The image of a company is really important, and Apple has a great one right now for being innovative, building quality products, great customer service, etc. Why not add even more to that?

Do you have any hard data to back this up? The interesting thing many of you always fail to appreciate is that if the company does not live up to that image, the public trust collapses and it is incredibly hard to restore. You can't lie to the public forever without them noticing. Interestingly enough, Apple has a history of producing products that make it borderline absurd to think they don't care about the supreme quality of their product. So far as I can see, most of the complaints aren't that they don't live up to the standards, but that the standards are too high and that prevents Apple from introducing more diversity into their product lines.

Apple's history makes their words credible. They've always backed up their words in deeds. So again, I ask, why would they need to lie to the public to boost their image, when that image was already established on the basis of truly remarkable products, and when that imagine is already very positive. Unless you think Ive and the rest of the people at Apple are idiots, it seems to me it would be extreme foolishness and arrogance to resort to lying when its not needed.

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Yes, I remember this when Steve Jobs & Bill Gates were interviewed by I believe Mossberg. Steve said when he returned to Apple, they believed the only way to get ahead was to beat Microsoft. He refocused Apple on making products rather then competing with other companies.

But but I thought competition = good, = money = innovation!!!

Often times it seems there is plenty of self-propulsion in the world and no extra external pushes are needed.

I'm glad you bring this point up.
 
Ive was knighted in late May, and he noted at the time that Apple's current projects are "the most important and the best work" his team has done with the company.
I find the new MBPr an exemplary example of the gorgeous designs Apple is known for. When it comes to thin & light, the current line of MBA's are simply stunning.

Of all the stylish Apple products, only one is out of character for Apple. Not only did it require little to no styling, it's lack of shape is as anti-Apple design, as anything I've seen.

Nothing more than a basic rectangle with rounded corners, the iPhones flat front & rear panels, are the height of featureless.

When I read "Apple's current projects are "the most important and the best work" his team has done with the company." I can't help but wonder how anyone at Apple could include the iPhone is this bold claim.

Where the iPhone design is indeed the finest, is in the profit margin it delivers. Only Apple could build such a simple phone, and have so many users proclaim it as highly satisfying.

Oh, the power of Apple and that fruity logo.
 
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