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Tim Cook in Memo to Employees: 'There Has Never Been a Moment of Such Great Potential As This One'
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Disease to use wallets? yes, there is a vaccine against being broke that requires wallets.
The above post is the silliest post (since it's easy to be dismissive without any cogent argument) I've seen here.
Totally ignoring the new markets Tim Cook went into, with each one being a risk and launching the company into the stratosphere, and not seeing that Steve Jobs took one risk that gave the company a boost. Due to circumstances beyond Steves' control he was unable to continue his work at Apple and picked someone who could deliver. And deliver he did.
The mentality that only Steve did anything for the company, while you are entitled to your opinion, it changes nothing about Apples overall growth and success today.
Yes comparing an Apple Pencil or the Homepod (which flopped) to the paradigm shifting effect the initial launch of the iPhone had on personal computing. Entirely reasonable
And ignoring the new trajectory the iphone 6 set apple on, is of course an entirely reasonable thought process as well.
There is no "I" in "TEAM", which is what is missing from the above.
Actually I think your argument of the iPhone being the only risk Steve had to endure is naive.
The fact of the matter is Steve took plenty of risks to get Apple to a place where Tim Cook can continue forward. The key difference here is Tim wasn't given leadership of a company that was failing. However, I understand those aren't really fair comparisons. We will never know how Tim would've done if he didn't have the foundation he already had, or how Steve would've done if he had near limitless cash. In my opinion, I think Steve would've done fine, but I think Tim would've struggled.
They must demonstrate their fervent commitment to everything Apple by boldly offering all of their money to them.
True that - this guy spells out how Apple has tools that will tell exactly what an issue is (which any service center could fix) but doesn’t make that tool available to anyone outside Apple. And then how Apple ignores that very same tool and the easy repairs it makes possible and tells customers their devices are simply not repairable and they should buy new.
What risks did Steve take that succeeded? What risks did Steve take that failed? Would we agree on what the definition of a risk is, so it can be applied equally to Tim Cook and Steve Jobs?
And while it's true that Tim Cook was given control of a company that was on an upward trajectory, he took that and brought it to the next level. I don't even want to imply that Tim Cook could have done Steve's job or be as successful as Steve. No, no and no.
But Tim Cook took a successful company, formulated his game plan, executed the game plan and here we are today.
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I agree, and I don't see anything wrong with that. It feels seems hypocritical to criticise Apple for being "safe" when we look at a company like Google which flits from one pet project to another like a butterfly with ADHD and think that is somehow indicative of being innovative.
Tim Cook is not a product visionary (that title unofficially belonged to Jony Ive while he was still around at Apple), and it's clear that Steve Jobs appointed him as CEO knowing very well that Tim wasn't a product person. Nor is Tim Cook anything like Steve Ballmer, who knew how to push Microsoft services into every nook and cranny of the enterprise market.
There's more than one way to skin a cat, and there's more than one way to run a company, and I don't think Tim Cook's tenure at Apple has been any less impactful just because he is nothing like Steve Jobs. If anything, it's increasingly clear that Apple is the financial juggernaut it is today precisely because Tim Cook has been nothing like Steve Jobs.
For example, I think that Tim Cook absolutely made the right call in building a formidable ecosystem around the iPhone. In hindsight, it made perfect sense to focus on the iPhone even when it came at the expense of other products like the Mac, because that was what was more important then. The majority of Apple's customers own an iPhone and nothing else. Focus on accessories and services that add value to the iPhone, while also increasing its stickiness.
Impressively, Apple has managed to grow the iPhone user base to well over a billion active users today without needing anywhere near as many models as a company like Samsung. It takes foresight and discipline to implement and sustain a multi-year strategy of gradually lowering iPhone pricing in order to reach more smartphone users.
This is what allows Apple to release a product like the iPhone SE2 at $399 while still commanding impressive margins (probably higher than the AirPods max at any rate). Even the annual upgrade programme is pretty clever in its own right, because this allows Apple to procure a steady stream of 2nd-hand iPhones which they can then refurbish and resell in the gray market for more money. So even though iPhone sales has slowed noticeably, Apple's iPhone user base continues to grow thanks to the 2nd-hand market. Something many analysts seem to have completely overlooked as they rushed to sound the death knell over apparently declining iPhone sales.
And this works because Apple is able and willing to commit to supporting their devices for a 5-6 year period. 2nd hand iPhones continue to sell for a decent amount of money, and Apple is still able to earn via app sales, services, accessories and peripherals. Even their very own credit card. Something none of the competition has been able to replicate because because they don't control every aspect of their ecosystem the way Apple does.
Milk the iPhone today, which buys you time to figure out what comes next. And from what I can see, Apple is betting on wearables and transportation, which again, makes sense, because the car would certainly make for the ultimately iPhone accessory, while wearables would also benefit off a strong iPhone user base.
If Tim Cook is to be criticised for his perceived failings at Apple, then I feel it is only fair that he too be recognised for what he has done well at Apple. Having a clear product strategy (building up the iPhone ecosystem), building up Apple as a public facing company, all while securing Apple's supply chain and enabling them to ship hundreds of millions of products every year, and growing revenue and returning this extra earnings to shareholders in the form of share buybacks and higher dividends.
It certainly sounds no less daunting than coming up with the next iPhone, if you ask me.
Those that are abject critics of Apple won't understand this response. I'm guessing many feel a connection to Apple, because of the connection through Steve Jobs and the reveals and the seeming approachability of management. These people like the company, management and products and feel fairly secure knowing the next set of products, will in their opinion, knock it out of the park.
Same reason some companies products don't even get to make it to the showroom and they are already sold out.
Ummm… ok.
But this is NOT an article asking what people think of some lame product (a la iBaby Blender 9000); it’s an article about a celebration of 45 years in business.
Sooooooo….. airing rando grievances here makes one sound super petty, lame, and unable to let their brain multitask.
Lol, ok pal.
You are NOT the arbiter of other people’s level of caring!
As a point of fact: on this article that barely even has a discussion (only 6 pages of comments); the point I made is the most heavily upvoted comment.
With 45… that means that roughly 1 in every 3 people that posted, also agreed with me enough to show me that with a like.
So, while I would never deign to tell you “nobody cares” (how rude!) about your seething opinion, seemingly steeped in self- hatred… it’s factually accurate to let you know that, of the people here- FAR more agree with me that it’s a weird place to make lists of grievances.
iphone 1 at $599/$699 in 2007. Obscenely expensive as well. When did Apple ever offer cut-rate prices?
Apple has always been a company that make products for the rich. Their excuse for making good products is lame. Their logo is a symbol of status and fortune. Steve Jobs's kids did not even used iPad: Asking whether his children liked the new device, Jobs replied: "They haven't used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home." They basically brainwash costumers to buy an inferior device on the market, like the HomePod.
Another person who believes Apple is able to brainwash hundreds of millions of consumers, of all walks of life and demographics?
I bought Apple products when Gill Amelio was the CEO; Apple almost crashed and burned. But, after Jobs returned creativity was in the air. I started with Apple IIc, and went to the Apple IIGS before entering the realm of the Mac. Then I was driven by the Performa ensemble. Today, I play with a 2014 iMac that's "juiced" to the gills. Thus, Apple continues to create and invent. For the most part, that has NOTHING to do with Tim Cook; he just minds the store. However, the sharp employees continue and will continue. Otherwise, Apple will fail. The problem with Apple products is cost. I wonder why the iMac Pro didn't cut the mustard? It would take a mere $5000 to get what I wanted at the "starter" level. In 1974 I bought crappy NEW Fiat for $3,000 and it was a lemon. I did see a remark about Apple's chance of success in the automotive world. It looked awful but what is the fate of any company when chances are not taken? And this is particularly true of technological entities. But, if Apple determines to establish a ridiculous price, then Apple will fail. Note the correlation between the price of Apple hardware and the probability of Apple marketing a very expensive car. What say you?
Where I live, per capital income is less than USD 15K, and I see that iPhones are quite ubiquitous.
If a business makes compelling products that consumers thinks it’s of value to them, the product will sell.
Lol, okay buddy, I didn't know Macrumors was a microcosm of society. I agree, neither of us are the arbiter of people's opinions, but sure, lets go ahead and nitpick over figures of speech, its a clear sign of intelligence and knowledge.
As if people on a pro-apple site are in any way unbiased enough for someone to be able extrapolate a broader understanding of public opinion. What a crock of nonsense, but whatever pal, if being the most biased of the biased makes you feel important, more power to you, feed off of those likes! Let the joy they bring you flow through your veins. As for me, striking a nerve in those that are myopic in their view of Apple is plenty satisfying, and with any luck, maybe it will get them thinking critically 😉. Au Revoir (oh no, I used another figure of speech, and this time in another language! I do hope you are able to cope🤣)
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swan, swan, swan,
Bent neck song towards sky.
White fur floats on green water,
red palm stir clear wave!
What?
Absolutely one of the most hypocritical two-faced companies on the face of the planet. Liars with zero shame. Disgusting what they've become, I'm really disappointed with Apple, and I say this as an Apple customer since 1987 who still owns his Mac Plus and IIGS. They can kick rocks at this point.