Nike Appoints Apple CEO Tim Cook as Lead Independent Director

[Soccertess]

Completely spoiled perception of reality.

Name a single company that wouldn't trade their product line (including OSs, etc) with Apple's.

I think OSX is fantastic. As for their phones, they really have fallen behind. I'm waiting till September but pretty sure I'm getting a new Android. I don't think being critical of subpar products being spoiled, it's being vocal and not being a mindless Apple follower. After 12-14 years of Apple products, Tim takes Apple customers for granted, and even quotes it in earning calls...

I just don't think their premium is worth it anymore, 3 years ago yes...

 

[Denmac1]

Steve Jobs was brilliant at running Pixar at the same time as NeXT/Apple. Tim is just not Steve Jobs in terms of having the vision. I am sure he is a great guy....just not what Apple needs as the visionary leader. He should just stick to politics and the other interests he has and let someone with real product passion run the company.

Steve, even though being temperamental and having some other issues, at least, I feel, kept his 'crew' in line and focused. With him being gone, there is no one to instill the ranks with the need to vision and create 'out of the box'. Ive, Cue and Schiller seem to be losing it. Craig, is barely hanging on, based on the iOS and macOS seem to have continuing issues.

Cook has spread himself too thin (politically and otherwise) and with what appears to be a continuing bloated staff that is having a challenge delivering a strong and stable product, cannot reach the point of having, IMHO, full control. He needs to stay home and righten the ship....

 

[groovyd]

Apple preparing to buy Nike? Wouldn't be the worst move and would be in line with their purchase of Beats

 

[Denmac1]

Apple preparing to buy Nike? Wouldn't be the worst move and would be in line with their purchase of Beats

Naw... Why run when you can drive a car....

 

[xSinghx]

This is very mysterious, it's sort of a chicken and egg dilemma. Is Tim Cook showing Nike how to better exploit Chinese peasant labor or vice versa? Well, if we see suicide prevention nets going up outside of Nike's sweat shop factories we have our answer.

 

[Cineplex]

Steve, even though being temperamental and having some other issues, at least, I feel, kept his 'crew' in line and focused. With him being gone, there is no one to instill the ranks with the need to vision and create 'out of the box'. Ive, Cue and Schiller seem to be losing it. Craig, is barely hanging on, based on the iOS and macOS seem to have continuing issues.

Cook has spread himself too thin (politically and otherwise) and with what appears to be a continuing bloated staff that is having a challenge delivering a strong and stable product, cannot reach the point of having, IMHO, full control. He needs to stay home and righten the ship....

I think Ive, Schiller, & Craig feel the lack of focus from the top....they are probably trapped and helpless to fight it. Having dealt with Schiller once I can say he is a really really good guy. I had a problem with Apple not sending me payments for a type of reseller account they had in 2003. It was like $500 and they were jerking me around for weeks. I emailed him directly. Someone called me back within 30 minutes. He personally made sure I got paid and he followed up to make sure it was done. Very nice guy! Really cares. Basically told the people pay me or explain to him why they won't. Problem solved!

 

[C DM]

This is very mysterious, it's sort of a chicken and egg dilemma. Is Tim Cook showing Nike how to better exploit Chinese peasant labor or vice versa? Well, if we see suicide prevention nets going up outside of Nike's sweat shop factories we have our answer.

He's already been on Nike's board of directors for years now and there's just some reshuffling going on because the chairman has left and positions are moving around in relation to that. The mysterious thing is how people try to read something mysterious in something mundane as that.

 

[xSinghx]

He's already been on Nike's board of directors for years now and there's just some reshuffling going on because the chairman has left and positions are moving around in relation to that. The mysterious thing is how people try to read something mysterious in something mundane as that.

I see humor is lost on you.

 

[Denmac1]

I think Ive, Schiller, & Craig feel the lack of focus from the top....they are probably trapped and helpless to fight it. Having dealt with Schiller once I can say he is a really really good guy. I had a problem with Apple not sending me payments for a type of reseller account they had in 2003. It was like $500 and they were jerking me around for weeks. I emailed him directly. Someone called me back within 30 minutes. He personally made sure I got paid and he followed up to make sure it was done. Very nice guy! Really cares. Basically told the people pay me or explain to him why they won't. Problem solved!

Valid point. However, from your standpoint, it's been 13 years and a lot has changed. Glad you were able to get a resolution.

Apple, at this point reminds me of the book "Flight of the Buffalo". Interesting reading about how corporations lose their way when the lead 'Buffalo' is gone.
Tim may have been a great CFO, but as CEO he is spread too thin to lead and develop. I remember when I first got my G5 tower and being able to look into the guts and realized I had the opportunity to make it every bit of the machine I wanted. I think that's what has led many of us Apple loyalist (not liking the term 'fanboy') to question the direction of Apple with too many soldered this and that and old hardware at today's prices.I bought in 2014, a 2012 Mac Mini, although knowing I was paying a premium price, I also knew down deep that the next iteration was going to be crippled.

All in all, Steve's Apple is gone and we can't bemoan that any longer. Apple has settled into a period of complacency and I don't know what it will take to shake them out of this lethargy.

 

[mpavilion]

How do "captains of industry" like this guy have time to wear so many hats? There are only so many hours in a day. Are some of these "roles" just puffed up? Or does he sacrifice all personal life, work 18/7, etc?

 

[Michael Scrip]

Valid point. However, from your standpoint, it's been 13 years and a lot has changed. Glad you were able to get a resolution.

Apple, at this point reminds me of the book "Flight of the Buffalo". Interesting reading about how corporations lose their way when the lead 'Buffalo' is gone.
Tim may have been a great CFO, but as CEO he is spread too thin to lead and develop. I remember when I first got my G5 tower and being able to look into the guts and realized I had the opportunity to make it every bit of the machine I wanted. I think that's what has led many of us Apple loyalist (not liking the term 'fanboy') to question the direction of Apple with too many soldered this and that and old hardware at today's prices.I bought in 2014, a 2012 Mac Mini, although knowing I was paying a premium price, I also knew down deep that the next iteration was going to be crippled.

All in all, Steve's Apple is gone and we can't bemoan that any longer. Apple has settled into a period of complacency and I don't know what it will take to shake them out of this lethargy.

I have a feeling Steve Jobs would also have made computers with solder and glue. The new Macbook and the trashcan Mac Pro have many characteristics that were well within Steve's wheelhouse.

We can play "what if" all day... but I don't think the cheesegrater Mac Pro would have survived if Jobs was still around... among other things.

Just a gut feeling I have.

 

[C DM]

I see humor is lost on you.

Can't really lose something that wasn't there to begin with.

 

[tw1ll]

What wonderfully selective editing of a chart (or did your life just pause in Aug 12?). Here's the full story for those that care about the facts - typical bad CEO profile - rides the wave and legacy of a better man and can't generate any sustainable success of their own.

 

[ipedro]

What wonderfully selective editing of a chart (or did your life just pause in Aug 12?). Here's the full story for those that care about the facts - typical bad CEO profile - rides the wave and legacy of a better man and can't generate any sustainable success of their own.

View attachment 638403

In case you have a hard time reading charts, APPL is now worth almost double under Cook over what it was under Jobs despite slower growth after a record breaking year. Growth at the pace it was going was never going to continue indefinitely.

Steve was and still is the soul of Apple and the company's success is undeniably his creation but Cook has taken that company to new heights with a more business savvy strategy that has been paying dividends. Steve himself saw Tim as the CEO who he trusted with Apple despite knowing that Cook was a business man, not a tech innovator. To doubt Tim Cook's performance despite solid growth is to doubt Steve Jobs' own judgement.

The chart that I posted demonstrated that while there was some hesitation after Steve Jobs passed away, Cook was able to gain the confidence of the market and guide APPL stock to exponential growth. There have since been ups and downs as there were under Jobs but that is completely expected of a tech company that has to keep producing hits to prove to shareholders that it can continue its growth. Nobody, not even Steve Jobs could have maintained an upwards growth forever.

 

[Soccertess]

Yes, because that was all Tim's doing..

Are you kidding me? Do you really give Tim the credit? And Steve was nothing, the man who created Apple from his garage, saved Apple in it's darkest hour.. but Tim is your man?

The only thing Tim did was continue sailing the ship towards China. Apple's growth has come from growth in new and emerging markets. To be honest, a monkey could have been put in charge of Apple with the product line and pipeline Steve left. He left Tim the greatest ship, of course it wouldn't collapse the day he left.

All I can do is speak with my wallet and look at competitors, and I have lately. And judging by so many angry Apple customers, many people agree with me. What we see is an erosion of product leadership, mediocre products, and strong competitions. Anyways, we will see what happens in September. I have a feeling that many people wallets might go else where.

 

[MH01]

Product line like in "the whole product line". The Pro makes little sense to me.

You mean everything Apple makes?

In which case, it's what makes Apple, and some great products there.

The pro is a fantastic engineered device that misses the point of what people that used to by pros needed and wanted . it is representative of apples product line since jobs went...

 

[thekeyring]

Stick to your day job....you have enough trouble getting the right results for shareholders at Apple.

Shareholders can pipe down.

Apple makes insane profits by an absolute standard and they also make - by and large - great products.

Shareholders just want revenue growth so they can sell their shares later at a higher price. They don't seem to care about a company beyond that.

 

[MH01]

My point was... no one considers how many SKUs a car or phone comes in because it's not presented that way at the dealership or store.

You can narrow it down pretty quickly by moving through the different attributes.

And I believe color IS a big factor for choosing a car. Someone wants a red model... and then they choose among the red models on the lot that have the features they want.

Even in used cars... I know a family who wants a 2014-15 Cadillac Escalade ESV (the long one)

They were very few ESVs ever produced... and even fewer of them were in black.

But they insist on a black one.

I'd say color ranks up near the top in car-buying

Colour is the biggest attribute for most people who know nothing about cars...it's the deciding factor.

Though if your a car guy, SKUS matter big time. Cause those SKUs result in the same model that has different safety features, engine, suspension, interior , shape (skirts etc) and that's even before you are shown the options ...

Same as someone after an "iPhone" who can tell the difference
Between an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 6S and all be models in between .

Many will just walk into the Apple Store an say.... I want that one .... The pink one!! Not even caring what SKU it is amongst the iPhones .

Fundamentally SKU matter to Apple and ford and us the consumer cause it's a way for us to spend more for the same product cause it's that little bit better.....and Apple is a master of exploting it.

 

[yanchaowang]

Does that mean the Nike running App will get an update long overdue??

 

[C DM]

Yes, because that was all Tim's doing..

Are you kidding me? Do you really give Tim the credit? And Steve was nothing, the man who created Apple from his garage, saved Apple in it's darkest hour.. but Tim is your man?

The only thing Tim did was continue sailing the ship towards China. Apple's growth has come from growth in new and emerging markets. To be honest, a monkey could have been put in charge of Apple with the product line and pipeline Steve left. He left Tim the greatest ship, of course it wouldn't collapse the day he left.

All I can do is speak with my wallet and look at competitors, and I have lately. And judging by so many angry Apple customers, many people agree with me. What we see is an erosion of product leadership, mediocre products, and strong competitions. Anyways, we will see what happens in September. I have a feeling that many people wallets might go else where.

While it wasn't all his doing certainly, it also wasn't not all his doing either.

 

[btrach144]

Lol the 11 months since he took over. Apple has lost value when comparing July 1st 2014 to today. Talk about blind followers.

 

[C DM]

Lol the 11 months since he took over. Apple has lost value when comparing July 1st 2014 to today. Talk about blind followers.

And yet: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...pendent-director.1980474/page-3#post-23077269

 

[Michael Scrip]

Colour is the biggest attribute for most people who know nothing about cars...it's the deciding factor.

Though if your a car guy, SKUS matter big time. Cause those SKUs result in the same model that has different safety features, engine, suspension, interior , shape (skirts etc) and that's even before you are shown the options ...

Same as someone after an "iPhone" who can tell the difference
Between an iPhone 4S and an iPhone 6S and all be models in between .

Many will just walk into the Apple Store an say.... I want that one .... The pink one!! Not even caring what SKU it is amongst the iPhones .

Fundamentally SKU matter to Apple and ford and us the consumer cause it's a way for us to spend more for the same product cause it's that little bit better.....and Apple is a master of exploting it.

For the record... I like a lot of SKUs. I think the more the better.

I was replying originally to someone who said "with Ford having so many SKUs... it's a wonder they're still in business"

Also... I was recalling forum comments elsewhere that say Apple has too many SKUs. Bloated product lines and such.

Well geez... if you offer a phone in multiple sizes, multiple colors, multiple capacities and on multiple carriers... yes... you're gonna have alotta SKUs! There's nothing wrong with that.

And that's why I said earlier that I never understood the "too many SKUs" argument.


If you're a car guy... color still matters. If you're in the market for an AMG C63... you're gonna walk past one with their "Dakota Brown Metallic" paint job. Yuck!

Or any car in Forest Green

I can't imagine people buy cars in colors they hate!

 

[MH01]

For the record... I like a lot of SKUs. I think the more the better.

I was replying originally to someone who said "with Ford having so many SKUs... it's a wonder they're still in business"

Also... I was recalling forum comments elsewhere that say Apple has too many SKUs. Bloated product lines and such.

Well geez... if you offer a phone in multiple sizes, multiple colors, multiple capacities and on multiple carriers... yes... you're gonna have alotta SKUs! There's nothing wrong with that.

And that's why I said earlier that I never understood the "too many SKUs" argument.


If you're a car guy... color still matters. If you're in the market for an AMG C63... you're gonna walk past one with their "Dakota Brown Metallic" paint job. Yuck!

Or any car in Forest Green

I can't imagine people buy cars in colors they hate!

I get ya.

You need a balance between choice and bloated product lines .

Most people jsut care about shape, which dictates requirements, transmission type and colour.

 

[tw1ll]

Shareholders can pipe down.

Apple makes insane profits by an absolute standard and they also make - by and large - great products.

Shareholders just want revenue growth so they can sell their shares later at a higher price. They don't seem to care about a company beyond that.

Seriously? Why do you think a company exists? It's to generate positive capital and/or dividend returns for shareholders - period - it isn't a social enterprise making nice toys for those who can afford them. Cook is just the lackey working on behalf of shareholders to enrich us. Why on earth would a shareholder care about anything other than money - go do some volunteer work if you feel concerned about the world but don't lecture those who are legitimately trying to pay the bills.
[doublepost=1467364699][/doublepost]

In case you have a hard time reading charts, APPL is now worth almost double under Cook over what it was under Jobs despite slower growth after a record breaking year. Growth at the pace it was going was never going to continue indefinitely.

Steve was and still is the soul of Apple and the company's success is undeniably his creation but Cook has taken that company to new heights with a more business savvy strategy that has been paying dividends. Steve himself saw Tim as the CEO who he trusted with Apple despite knowing that Cook was a business man, not a tech innovator. To doubt Tim Cook's performance despite solid growth is to doubt Steve Jobs' own judgement.

The chart that I posted demonstrated that while there was some hesitation after Steve Jobs passed away, Cook was able to gain the confidence of the market and guide APPL stock to exponential growth. There have since been ups and downs as there were under Jobs but that is completely expected of a tech company that has to keep producing hits to prove to shareholders that it can continue its growth. Nobody, not even Steve Jobs could have maintained an upwards growth forever.

Actually the market cap has risen by 1.5 times since Jobs died, nowhere near double. The P/E has dropped from 13.6 to 10.6 - arguably a better rating but then again Microsoft (39), Alphabet (29), Intel (14), ARM (45) - all overpriced or all considered to have better growth prospects?

So Cook is a "businessman" but you say tech companies need regular hit products (which I assume means it needs innovators and visionaries) - so isn't Cook the wrong man for the job?

The stock price is as much about confidence in the management team to keep delivering as it is about the numbers - the current team have for years delivered the empty and now cliche'd "oooh it's thinner" mantra which is not confidence inspiring.