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Steve Jobs' Reaction to MobileMe Launch, Life at Apple After Jobs and Other Anecdotes

This sounds appropraite, MobileMe is an abysmal failure. I was very surprised when the final product arrived.

I've been a paying customer since 2001 and MobileMe (formerly .Mac) is the single worst thing Apple has done in this period.
 
MrNomNoms said:
A CEO isn't there to micromanage - they're there to delegate and it is logical to assume that those put in charge of the said division should know what the hell they're doing.



No, the point he was trying to make is when the chief Mac apologist and fanboy starts to criticise Apple then you've got to wake up and take notice - then again why anyone would read Mossberg's opinion piece os beyond me. Mossberg is merely an enamoured fanboy in much the same way there are Ford and Holden fans, or people who swear by a particular brand of soap which they've used for over 40 years.
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When you've built just one company as successful as Apple or Pixar is you can tell CEOs what their jobs are.
 
Rustus Maximus said:
One need only look at the past to find a possible future regarding what will happen at Apple without Jobs. Unless they find another leader with the same driven attitude, the same micro-managing zealotry, the same beautiful insanity that Jobs appears to sometimes suffer from, then I fear the future might look a lot like what happened before. A company slowly slipping into mediocrity on its way to oblivion.
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Damn right. I've grown so accustomed to seeing good ideas and people in my line of work being driven out and replaced by the most mediocre of mentalities, that I can easily see a Microsoft - type future for Apple.

I suppose it all depends on who has the most influence on the Apple's Board of Directors.

Hopefully, SJ has been as good at corporate intrigue as he has been at berating - and inspiring - employees.

BTW, I love MobileMe; no problems for my uses.
 
ChrisTX said:
Quoted for stupidity...Apples growth has been so out of control lately with each new release, I'm not sure where you are getting this from.
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Quoted for inability to read and comprehend:

I said "stunted" meaning the growth is not what it could be with their superior products. It's true. The user base on the MAC platform is no where near where it could be.
 
bedifferent said:
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM IV Criteria)

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

(3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

(4) requires excessive admiration

(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
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That neatly describes every fanboy on every forum about every product ever.
 
bedifferent said:
Really? From the article:







Since Jobs makes it a point in being directly involved in every project, he is micromanaging. If the .Mac relaunch to MobileMe was such an important project, where is Jobs' accountability?

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM IV Criteria)

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

(3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

(4) requires excessive admiration

(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

EDIT: This is not a slam on Jobs or Apple, just an observation from an ex-I/O Psych pro.​
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Seems to be working wonders at Apple.
 
bedifferent said:
Since Jobs makes it a point in being directly involved in every project, he is micromanaging. If the .Mac relaunch to MobileMe was such an important project, where is Jobs' accountability?
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First, what makes you think that he wasn't accountable? Second, he's not an engineer. He relied on the MobileMe team's expertise and testing to ensure the scalability of the service. They made mistakes.

It's not like an iPod, where Jobs can just play with it himself to make sure it works to his standards.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM IV Criteria)

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

(1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

(2) is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

(3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)

(4) requires excessive admiration

(5) has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

(6) is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

(7) lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

(8) is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her

(9) shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

EDIT: This is not a slam on Jobs or Apple, just an observation from an ex-I/O Psych pro.​
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As a pro, you should probably know better than to try and diagnose someone with the limited information that you have available.
 
Macboy Pro said:
Jobs has always been so arrogant that in my opinion he has stunted the growth in Apples user base. The are so many people who won't touch Apple products for that reason. Showing that he mistreats his employees this way doesn't help Apples reputation. I'll be glad when he is gone from Apple.
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Clearly you didn't get the memo: in the past 10 years Apple as been kicking azz introducing game changing products like the iPod, iPhone and the iPad, while increasing their user base at the same time.

To illustrate this point, Apple stock on May 8th, 2001 was worth $12.28, fast forward ten years later and it's now worth $346.66 as of 5/8/2011. You don't appreciate a company's net worth & value like that by "stunting growth" as you're irrationally claiming SJ of doing.

(FYI, here's a link to see all of AAPL's historical stock prices since 1984.)
 
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Been told at many a SigGraph party that Walt Disney knew his days were numbered and had a long set of policies, letters and supposedly films done on his way of doing business. These have been confidential inside Disney to this day and anyone getting an executive position is bonded before they see these briefings. How much they are followed, that is another answer. This sounds very similar.
 
bedifferent said:
If Jobs is a supposed practicing Buddhist, this is NOT how one should talk to anyone, it doesn't matter whether it's work or otherwise related.
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Do not confuse kind words with kindness.

Sometimes 'a good shouting at' is needed to toughen the sinews and bring forth deeper reserves.

I believe the monks at shaolin - the very home of Bodhidharma's zen - are trained rather fiercely in order to achieve a higher state of attainment.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
And no other tech company is being copied so heavily for reaching as far with such high standards.

If you have to work harder to earn praise - it has more value.
 
pmz said:
I love MobileMe and it works just fine. People are idiots.
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I agree here. People either expect too much or don't understand what it's supposed to do, and it does that great.
 
bedifferent said:
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (DSM IV Criteria)
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Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. (See recent news reports for examples.)

Certain people deserve their personality traits, even if they vary greatly from the median... same with some successful sports figures as well as business executives.
 
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