In case you haven't been paying attention, Tim Cook is the CEO of the biggest tech company in the world. You don't get to that position by being "weak and soft". None of us know him, but I'd imagine he can be as tough as any industry leader if the situation demands it.
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Tim Cook Putting His Stamp on Apple
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In case you haven't been paying attention, Tim Cook is the CEO of the biggest tech company in the world. You don't get to that position by being "weak and soft". None of us know him, but I'd imagine he can be as tough as any industry leader if the situation demands it.
On another (german) website i read about an anecdote, where an employee showed a new feature to Cook and his prompt reaction was the question, how Apple could sell more cellphones with that.
If that anecdote is true, i'm very worried that Cook is just another nitpicking type of manager who lacks the understanding for the bigger picture - something where Steve Jobs excelled (and most probably the key reason for Apple's success in recent years)!
If that anecdote is true, i'm very worried that Cook is just another nitpicking type of manager who lacks the understanding for the bigger picture - something where Steve Jobs excelled (and most probably the key reason for Apple's success in recent years)!
That's probably exactly what Jobs would have done. Not putting in features is as important as the ones you put into the product.
I guess it depends what the feature was. If it was something that would be costly to implement or confusing to use, but added little to the user experience, then Cook probably made a good call.
Really? I thought he was an operations guy from what i heard... and its jobs that was always called the marketing guy... not that thats necessarily true...
It is nice to see Tim putting his employees first. Everyone thinks Apple is a magical perfect place. However, when an organization is as big as Apple it is easy to forget the employees. The employees who carry out the tasks to make Apple as successful as it is. Tim is giving back to the employess and letting them know Tim values them. It creates a better atmosphere and makes employess feel comfortable bringing forward their ideas. Ideas which could propel apple forward for the next 20+ years.
Jobs was always called the CEO. Phil Schiller is the "marketing guy", since he's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing.
IMO Jobs' question would have been more towards how that feature would improve on the usability and general product experience! Asking for sales figures first (as Cook did) gives me the impression that he is looking at the numbers first and therefore is more afraid of taking a risk (and thus may not have introduced things like iPod (=> mobile music player market established and low-margin), iPhone (=> cellphone market established and price-driven), iPad (=> tablet market unsuccessful for about a decade) in the first place).
Maybe he _meant_ usability and product experience, but even then i feel there's a certain notion to the way he asked... (though as a non-native speaker i'm not all that familiar with those nuances in english language and way of thinking).
Haha. Hold on to that thought.
If you haven't read the Fortune magazine profile of Cook from, I think, 2009, now would be a good time to catch up. Even back then, sources were telling the reporter how Tim was running the company to a much greater extent than anyone outside realized. Wall Steet analysts noted something similar when Steve went on his final medical leave earlier this year.
There are also a couple of revealing anecdotes about how Tim runs meetings. I won't spoil the, but the term "soft" doesn't come into play.
In another article, a colleague recounts an overnight flight to Japan to meet with partners there. Tim spent the flight going over spreadsheets and other documents, spent about two hours chilling at the hotel, then charged into 12 hours of nonstop meetings, at the end of which the Japanese execs, who had come in fresh, were glassy-eyed in exhaustion. "The guy is relentless, and he's unstoppable," the colleague concluded.
Growing up gay in Alabama, all by itself, requires a certain grit and toughness. That quiet, easygoing manner is like Southern mithril.
I just watched part of the remembering Steve video on Apple.com- Ive should do the keynotes now, he's a great speaker.
??? Apart from the fact that giving Jony Ive free rein to design products as he sees fit is an excellent idea and changing it would be stupid, Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple, and Steve Jobs is unfortunately dead in his grave. So if there is any difference of opinions, Tim Cook wins.
Excuse me, but that is exactly the kind of question that Steve Jobs would have asked. The bigger picture isn't counting features, the bigger picture is adding features or removing features or simplifying or improving features, _if_ that is improving the product, and better products = more sales.
Did he do that to anyone who deserved more than one word? Don't think so.
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I know that when I got emails entitled "team", it made me feel
very special, like I was a member of, uh, a team.
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Chain of Command, what a concept.
Tim 2 - Steve 0.
very special, like I was a member of, uh, a team.
----------
Chain of Command, what a concept.
Tim 2 - Steve 0.
From what I have read he seems to be on his game, Steve told the board to make him CEO so that says something, also we have to give him a chance, I am sure he is not going to let himself fail at running Apple, but Rome wasn't built in a day either or was it? 
Steve Jobs already built Rome by getting Apple to where it is now. Tim Cook just needs to make sure it doesn't fall apart and crumble with corruption.From what I have read he seems to be on his game, Steve told the board to make him CEO so that says something, also we have to give him a chance, I am sure he is not going to let himself fail at running Apple, but Rome wasn't built in a day either or was it?
I'm sure Jobs has already filled in those cracks before leaving the company as CEO.
It's always difficult to step up after a legend but he deserves a chance.he seems nice
Don't forget that Steve wasn't always a visionary since he wasn't first all for the iPod with video, as well not a big fan of games neither... which is a real huge deal for iPod Touch, iPhones and iPads.
A vision is not only on 1, 2 or even 4 years... it's having a long view for the company goals in future. And I have no doubt Steve did pass his vision to all of the C-seat people such Tim, Jony, Scott, Phil, etc...
What makes a great CEO, is the ability to have great people around you to come with solutions, and your ability to recognize and choose the best solutions that will help your company to be on the right direction to reach its goal.
So far, Tim Cook is doing great job (no pun intended) and I'm more than confident about Apple's future.
Spid
A vision is not only on 1, 2 or even 4 years... it's having a long view for the company goals in future. And I have no doubt Steve did pass his vision to all of the C-seat people such Tim, Jony, Scott, Phil, etc...
What makes a great CEO, is the ability to have great people around you to come with solutions, and your ability to recognize and choose the best solutions that will help your company to be on the right direction to reach its goal.
So far, Tim Cook is doing great job (no pun intended) and I'm more than confident about Apple's future.
Spid
Cook hopefully is the adult needed right now.
Employees came up with the ideas, Jobs took credit for them and promoted them. Cook can probably do that.
It will be interesting to see how Cook looks at some things we discuss here, things that have the Jobs touch:
Headless Macs, and Pros. That whole subject. I'll bet Jobs didn't want to play here.
Removal of disk drives. Never was sure Jobs understood how horrible broadband is for most of us.
BluRay. If Cook thinks that will help sales, he will go with it. Jobs didn't care, he just hated it.
Walled Garden. Will Cook be more likely to open up a bit? Much of this was Job's personality.
Investor relations. Wall Street always thought Jobs was a flake and that Apple was going to topple at any moment. I see more stability now. And dividends!
General calmness and productivity. Better for everyone. There is a balance between keeping people moving and beating them up.
US manufacturing. Everyone except morons and the Chinese want more here. Start by making one stinking device and see.
Mature software development. Jobs was known for his obsession for design details, the aesthetics, but software very often seemed to be rushed out and then half-abandoned if Jobs lost interest.
Form over function. Antenna-gate is not meaningless and was Job's fault. Jobs hated fans, so some devices overheat. That sort of thing.
Ivie is talented, obviously, but he needs to not make the final decisions on things. The Real World needs to be taken into consideration.
None of us know if Cook is the right person or not, but it is clear that at this time in the company's development it is a good thing for some adult, rational leadership.
Employees came up with the ideas, Jobs took credit for them and promoted them. Cook can probably do that.
It will be interesting to see how Cook looks at some things we discuss here, things that have the Jobs touch:
Headless Macs, and Pros. That whole subject. I'll bet Jobs didn't want to play here.
Removal of disk drives. Never was sure Jobs understood how horrible broadband is for most of us.
BluRay. If Cook thinks that will help sales, he will go with it. Jobs didn't care, he just hated it.
Walled Garden. Will Cook be more likely to open up a bit? Much of this was Job's personality.
Investor relations. Wall Street always thought Jobs was a flake and that Apple was going to topple at any moment. I see more stability now. And dividends!
General calmness and productivity. Better for everyone. There is a balance between keeping people moving and beating them up.
US manufacturing. Everyone except morons and the Chinese want more here. Start by making one stinking device and see.
Mature software development. Jobs was known for his obsession for design details, the aesthetics, but software very often seemed to be rushed out and then half-abandoned if Jobs lost interest.
Form over function. Antenna-gate is not meaningless and was Job's fault. Jobs hated fans, so some devices overheat. That sort of thing.
Ivie is talented, obviously, but he needs to not make the final decisions on things. The Real World needs to be taken into consideration.
None of us know if Cook is the right person or not, but it is clear that at this time in the company's development it is a good thing for some adult, rational leadership.
Good. This is the evolution of Apple. While the company will have it's challenges, it's good to have some changes. Tim appears to have more flexibility than Jobs, which should translate to less inconvenience for consumers. I mean no disrespect to Jobs, he was a genius, but like all men, he had is flaws and idiosyncracies.
If anything, I think the company will only get stronger.
The products won't fall, since Tim and Steve worked so well together (and Tim was picked as a successor by Jobs, himself) and the culture will improve even further.
It seems like win-win for all involved. I'm glad Tim Cook is at the helm - he seems that he will make the Apple culture (products and environment) even better.
The products won't fall, since Tim and Steve worked so well together (and Tim was picked as a successor by Jobs, himself) and the culture will improve even further.
It seems like win-win for all involved. I'm glad Tim Cook is at the helm - he seems that he will make the Apple culture (products and environment) even better.
Hmmm...with all of this talk about Tim 'putting his stamp on Apple', I'm getting a bit nervous.
I'd have thought that, especially with Steve being ill for the last few months, and with him and Tim working closely together, that at this point there shouldn't be much for Tim to change - it should be business as usual - along the lines that him and Steve agreed was the way forward.
It seems that too many companies are derailed by CEO's with ego, who want to stamp their personality on the business for good or bad. Hoping Tim doesn't feel he needs to make it 'his' Apple.
Time will tell - but please, don't drop the Mac Pro. Dropping the ACD30 has reluctantly driven me away from Apple for the first time in 15 years. Dropping the Pro would be a (personal) disaster.
I'd have thought that, especially with Steve being ill for the last few months, and with him and Tim working closely together, that at this point there shouldn't be much for Tim to change - it should be business as usual - along the lines that him and Steve agreed was the way forward.
It seems that too many companies are derailed by CEO's with ego, who want to stamp their personality on the business for good or bad. Hoping Tim doesn't feel he needs to make it 'his' Apple.
Time will tell - but please, don't drop the Mac Pro. Dropping the ACD30 has reluctantly driven me away from Apple for the first time in 15 years. Dropping the Pro would be a (personal) disaster.
Well, that's just talk from forums and websites... not Apple.
Never forget than Tim was running Apple for almost 2 years now... So I don't think there's any reason to be worry... probably even not for the next 3 or 4 years of products.
After that, I'm sure even Steve wouldn't know exactly what the future would look like... It's a company based on technology, so you can't predict the next 20 years. A lot can change by then...
Spid