Tim Cook Honors Steve Jobs' 59th Birthday: 'Details Matter, It's Worth Waiting to Get It Right'

[Dave532]

Well, the waiting part has been working okay for Apple so far:
MP3 player -> iPod
Smartphone -> iPhone
Tablet PCs -> iPad
Ultraportables -> Macbook Air

It depends on the product and how you deliver it.

And yes, I don't think there's such a thing called an iWatch. The iWatch is just a rumor conjured up by the tech bloggers and repeated so often in their own echochambers that they themselves now believe it's real.

Actually I think the Macbook Air was the first device in that category, that Intel called Ultrabooks. Netbooks were around, but they tended to be limited hardware with poor performance.

But generally I agree, Apple are rarely first, they care more about getting it right rather than spec sheets or shouting 'first' (they're not perfect e.g. there's much better options for a UK viewer than the current Apple TV).

 

[alphaod]

Happy birthday MacRumors!

 

[macs4nw]

Remembering Steve on his birthday: "Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right."

Really Tim? So why the f did you rush iOS7? And Mavericks? And iTunes11?

I believe Tim is more talking about hardware with that statement. That's not meant to be an apology, nor an excuse, to disappoint people who appreciate (and have come to expect) flawless software from the perfectionists that are Apple.

But I think software, and the merger of it across multiple facets of our total computing experience --think OSX, iOS, cloud computing, and the entire gamut of multimedia, gaming, and entertainment software-- has become, thru deep integration, so mindbogglingly complex, that it is virtually impossible to get a product to market with zero hiccups and maintain that level of perfection thru minor updates, additions, etc., even with months of beta testing. Long gone are the days of simple, one dimensional programs that could be flawless out of the gate.

As a great fan of well thought out, and meticulously designed products, I hate to have to accept that it is a price we unfortunately have to pay for the level of sophistication we enjoy with today's software. However by comparison to other products in general, I believe Apple still does very well in total user experience. If that wasn't the case, why would any of us be willing to pay more for our 'Cupertino' products?

PS, Thanks Arn, and all the staff, for 14 years (of which I've enjoyed the last eight) of keeping us up to date with all the latest and greatest!!

 

[attila]

Remembering Steve on his birthday: "Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right."

Really Tim? So why the f did you rush iOS7? And Mavericks? And iTunes11?

Not to mention some of their hardware. Right now I can only think of their expensive smart cases for iPad Air which covers don't lay flat on the surface, and the iPhone 5C covers that only partly cover the iPhone name.

Remember 'hon'

 

[JetBlack7]

Your feelings aren't a good barometer of anything but your feelings.

That's exactly why I said "my experience". It's worth what it's worth.

I don't measure anything based on what you or others feel or think.

 

[iPadPublisher]

I don't mean to be rude, Tim, but if its worth waiting to get it right... then how did iOS7 happen and why does my brand new iPad still crash all the time, when every other iteration of the product has never done this to me?

All these "worse off since Steve died" guys used to irritate the hell out of me, but lately I'm beginning to wonder, if on some level, they are right. Couple all these iOS7 problems with the deplorable New Mac Pro rollout and you get a taste of a slightly different Apple.

 

[Janichsan]

"Details matter, it's worth waiting to get it right."

Oh, the irony…

 

[IJ Reilly]

That's exactly why I said "my experience". It's worth what it's worth.

I don't measure anything based on what you or others feel or think.

Feelings are emotions. They are not thoughts backed up by facts. This is the key distinction you are apparently missing. Your "experience" of feeling jaded or bored doesn't translate into anything changing outside of your feelings. The bottom line is, it's seriously strange for someone to claim that a thing that is entirely external to them has changed, simply because their feelings towards that thing have changed.

 

[JetBlack7]

Feelings are emotions. They are not thoughts backed up by facts. This is the key distinction you are apparently missing. Your "experience" of feeling jaded or bored doesn't translate into anything changing outside of your feelings. The bottom line is, it's seriously strange for someone to claim that a thing that is entirely external to them has changed, simply because their feelings towards that thing have changed.

Have you seen a difference for example regarding software release with the newest being IOS 7? It has been released with more complications than previous versions.

Granted it supposed to be "new" when it's actually just a makeover, but I have never seen nor experienced a more difficult use of my phone running an OS than I have with IOS 7.

In the past, IOS felt more fluid when It came out and the 3GS to 4 upgrade had a major impact in the smartphone world. Nowadays, generally speaking, everyone is expecting more of the same and may be due to the fact that technology has come a long way that innovation could be in a "tight spot" right now.

I miss the days where we would see a phone that brought those "OMG!" features and new stuff to the table.

Oh and the 7.0.6 update could be avoided should they have waited a bit before releasing 7.0.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Have you seen a difference for example regarding software release with the newest being IOS 7? It has been released with more complications than previous versions.

Granted it supposed to be "new" when it's actually just a makeover, but I have never seen nor experienced a more difficult use of my phone running an OS than I have with IOS 7.

In the past, IOS felt more fluid when It came out and the 3GS to 4 upgrade had a major impact in the smartphone world. Nowadays, generally speaking, everyone is expecting more of the same and may be due to the fact that technology has come a long way that innovation could be in a "tight spot" right now.

I miss the days where we would see a phone that brought those "OMG!" features and new stuff to the table.

Oh and the 7.0.6 update could be avoided should they have waited a bit before releasing 7.0.

No, I haven't, actually. Remember the botched MobileMe rollout? The painful MobileMe to iCloud transition? The Apple Maps debacle? The iPhone 4 antenna controversy? Though some of these incidents were blown out of proportion, it's clear to me at least that Apple's record has never been faultless. For me, iOS 7 hasn't been a real issue. I'm not crazy about all the changes, but it doesn't give me any particular grief either.

The environment is far more competitive than it was just a few years ago, so I would not be surprised if Apple tripped over its own feet more often, but I'm not sure I'm seeing that. Mavericks has some significant issues that should have been caught before it was released, but again, I don't know that this is far outside of the norm.

For the moment it seems smartphone tech is at a plateau, but it has come an awfully long way in a very short time, thanks to Apple. The "next big thing" will come along, and I think Apple is likely to be the one who makes that happen too.

 

[JetBlack7]

No, I haven't, actually. Remember the botched MobileMe rollout? The painful MobileMe to iCloud transition? The Apple Maps debacle? The iPhone 4 antenna controversy? Though some of these incidents were blown out of proportion, it's clear to me at least that Apple's record has never been faultless. For me, iOS 7 hasn't been a real issue. I'm not crazy about all the changes, but it doesn't give me any particular grief either.

The environment is far more competitive than it was just a few years ago, so I would not be surprised if Apple tripped over its own feet more often, but I'm not sure I'm seeing that. Mavericks has some significant issues that should have been caught before it was released, but again, I don't know that this is far outside of the norm.

For the moment it seems smartphone tech is at a plateau, but it has come an awfully long way in a very short time, thanks to Apple. The "next big thing" will come along, and I think Apple is likely to be the one who makes that happen too.

Yes, many things were blown out of proportion. I never had the infamous "antennagate" problem for instance.

Regarding your last statement, I want to believe Apple will be the lead company in innovation when it comes, it's just that I'm having a bit of difficulty in believing that right now. I never bought the whole "oh my god Samsung is the lead innovator, Apple sucks at innovation, Samsung did it first!" and I don't really care about that. I just want to feel the way I felt when I heard "Apple is announcing new stuff in September" which made me jump with excitement, just that.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Yes, many things were blown out of proportion. I never had the infamous "antennagate" problem for instance.

Regarding your last statement, I want to believe Apple will be the lead company in innovation when it comes, it's just that I'm having a bit of difficulty in believing that right now. I never bought the whole "oh my god Samsung is the lead innovator, Apple sucks at innovation, Samsung did it first!" and I don't really care about that. I just want to feel the way I felt when I heard "Apple is announcing new stuff in September" which made me jump with excitement, just that.

The big difference between Apple and their competitors is Apple's absolute secrecy about what they are doing. They don't release "projects" or "concepts" to the public, and they hint at nothing until their work becomes an actual product. I get your impatience, trust me -- as an Apple fan and AAPL investor, I'm impatient too. I just don't sense any difference between Apple today and Apple three years ago. The pace and the secrecy look the same to me. Probably there ought to be a difference. Apple really has to move faster now than they did in the past, and I also wouldn't mind if they were more open about their direction. These long silent periods leave huge voids that others will try to fill, sometimes with vaporware and sucky products, but even so they takes Apple out of the conversation for too long.

 

[JetBlack7]

The big difference between Apple and their competitors is Apple's absolute secrecy about what they are doing. They don't release "projects" or "concepts" to the public, and they hint at nothing until their work becomes an actual product. I get your impatience, trust me -- as an Apple fan and AAPL investor, I'm impatient too. I just don't sense any difference between Apple today and Apple three years ago. The pace and the secrecy look the same to me. Probably there ought to be a difference. Apple really has to move faster now than they did in the past, and I also wouldn't mind if they were more open about their direction. These long silent periods leave huge voids that others will try to fill, sometimes with vaporware and sucky products, but even so they takes Apple out of the conversation for too long.

The only period of impatience for me is to wait for the product and/or IOS to be released the secrecy doesn't bother me though, I don't know If it was the same with you, but like I said, every year around the time they announced a product would be released, I jumped with excitement, wanting to know what was what, but nowadays not so much...don't know why, I just don't.

 

[MacsAre1]

"Life punishes those who delay."
-- Mikhail Gorbachev

Sure, listen to the Communist. Because Mikhail Gorbachev's legacy was so much better than Steve Jobs'.

 

[Dented]

I'm so sick of hearing about what would supposedly happen or not happen under Steve Jobs watch. Obviously he was a great - if undoubtedly flawed - man, but he's dead. There's no way to sugarcoat it, and nobody else to blame, he just isn't here anymore.

More to the point, this idea that everything was perfect under him and every product was flawless is absolute nonsense. The first mac I bought came with snow leopard which had a small bug which could WIPE ALL OF YOUR DATA if you disabled the guest account. Details right? My first iPhone crashed pretty regularly, they fixed it with software. There have always been fixes and patches in the works. They weren't invented by Tim Cook and they aren't the exclusive preserve of IOS 7, they've always been there. As others have pointed out, MobileMe was a disaster, antennagate was an embarrassment (and a clear design flaw that can be almost directly ascribed to jobs), there are a number of other products which weren't right or just fell flat under his leadership, we simply choose to remember the hits because they were great of course.

But he's dead. And the technology world has already moved on very quickly as it always has done, and anyone who claims to know how he - an extremely changeable and contradictory man himself - would be reacting to that right now is just wrong and doing him a grave disservice IMHO.