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I always thought Steve Jobs had no control anymore of many things, but perhaps I was wrong. Since he's gone, lots of weird stuff was released if you ask me. It all started with the new Podcast app in iOS 5 (?) which was a complete mess and totally un-Apple like. They quickly removed it however, which is very un-Apple like as well.

Then came the iPhone 5 and iOS7. Until then, the iPhone size had always been the same and iOS had continuous changes too. But iOS7 was abruptly different … I don't believe it's what Steve wanted, he seemed to aim for something more continuous. I also believe that this is what's more successful than suddenly having flashy teen virgin colours and a different iPhone size, it sort if "interrupted" the "Legend" (iPhone) if you ask me. Now when we look back, there's a whole somewhere, where the iPhone and iOS have completely changed.

Now the same on OSX. I am sorry but I'm pretty sure Steve wouldn't have wanted that, if you look at previous forms of Mac OS, it was always just small changes. After 10 years, you suddenly do notice a big difference then.

It's a bit like the Porsche 911. It has progressively changed over the years, but only a little, but after 40 years, it looks like a different car all by staying the same old car. And what is it? It's a legend, often described as the best sports car ever built.
Someone at Apple, I don't know if it was Tim Cook or someone else, ruined this. Now it's not possible to reverse it …

And Steve's idea in OSX was to make things as simple as possible:
http://tabtimes.com/analysis/ittech...apple-has-tossed-30-years-progress-out-window

Steve Jobs had a deep and rich vision in 1981 for how user interfaces could work. If nontechnical users were going to do highly complex tasks on a computer with no training, he felt that Apple would need to make the technology disappear and the operations be utterly intuitive to nontechnical people.

The iPhone was the highest realization of Steve's vision. Unlike PC applications, iPhone apps were not merely software programs; they transformed the phone into familiar physical objects. The notepad looked like a notepad; the calendar was like holding a calendar; the clock looked like a clock.

In iOS 7, all of that is gone. Apps are now controlled with cryptic little florescent symbols that are interspersed across the screen. Everything looks the same. No more notepad; no more dials for making selections. It's all just dull software; black letters on white.

This paragraph couldn't be more true!

I'm still staying with Apple obviously because I've never had something else, but maybe it just needs time to change, perhaps Tim Cook must adapt yet. I'm sure this isn't an easy process. ;) So let's see what Apple has to offer in the next 5-10 years.
 
'Apple spreading itself too thin'? Are they kidding? They've expanded to two phones and two iPad models and what happened at WWDC?

Huge releases for BOTH iOS and OS X.

I know that's software, and not hardware, but Tim Cook seems to be running the company very efficiently, and has been quoted as saying he knows Apple can "only do a few things really well".

Edit: Also - Tim Cook might not be as hands on with product development, but isn't that what we were worrying about originally? That he was great at running things but not good at being a visionary? Tim Cook seems to know what his strengths are, and has given Jony Ive more power. Jony Ive being, of course, Steve Job's 'spiritual partner' at Apple.

They put all this in an article and manage to hint at doom for the company.
 
The WS sharks want Cook out. They want a more pliable CEO that is more "WS friendly" (think cash hoard sucked away via dividends). Usually they attack more directly. In this case, they just insinuate (using convenient unnamed sources) that he is not the right man for the job (while giving him his due on issues that are considered chump change). SJ handpicked Cook for the job. I would rather go with that than some WS brown-noser.

Apple will be fine under Cook.

WS is a joke anyway...glorified (and rigged) casino.

TJReilly (WS defender) response in 3,2.1....;)


The WSJ has become just another Murdoch tabloid. It's basically worthless for anything factually accurate.
 
When Tim Cook has his own break out, society changing product and pushes out a schlock accessory he'll get a pass too. Until then his tenure-to-date is filled with doubt and question marks.

Every good release since September 2011: 'It's too soon since Steve Jobs was CEO to give Tim Cook credit for it.'
 
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-Elan Musk of Tesla for one

-Larry Ellison of Oracle for two

-Sir Richard Bronson of Virgin Atlantic for three

Three best candidates for the Apple Board of Directors- May be all three should be added

-Add Marissa Meyer of Yahoo to the list
 
Silly hypothetical. Cook didn't so it's a moot point. Cook should try releasing some novel products of his own and then we can see how people react for real, not as a hypothetical.

Fair enough, but look at the new Mac Pro. Announced in 2012, and a huge update, so clearly Steve Jobs had a lot of influence on it. Yet without Steve Jobs to sell it to us, people are still saying "Apple can't innovate!"
 
Yet another contradiction here...

He is not comfortable saying no? Tim, you are the CEO now. It is up to you to settle stalemates and give products that are ultimately a reflection of your company the final sniff test. You are the decider and you are no longer the COO.

Man up already.

Yet isn't everyone upset because Apple hasn't yet launched any new products since SJ died? How can Apple be spread too thin if it's essentially the same lineup as under SJ:

Macbook Pro (Now Retina)
Macbook Air
Mac Pro
iPad Air
iPad Mini (SJ agreed to this)
iPhone (new and repackaged last year's)
(No more plain Macbook)
(No more Apple Displays)
(Less commercial software than before)

So where's the big change in products under Tim Cook that's spreading Apple too thin?
 
I'm still waiting for the promised Exciting things coming this year.
We are over half way thru and nothing yet.

Lower powered iMac?
New mobile (well that's a given, nothing surprising there)
Put a new Intel chip in a few current products?
New screen size for a laptop?
iPad a bit faster with last years iphone touch sensor?

Not seeing this wave of new exciting products yet. Are you?

No, but then, we haven't seen any new hardware. At least, nothing that Apple has deemed important enough to hold a media event for.
 
Gotta wait for 2016...

Every good release since September 2011: 'It's too soon since Steve Jobs was CEO to give Tim Cook credit for it.'

Products take a lot more than one year to make, and as Apple openly discussed after SJ's death, SJ had already worked on the product line up out to 2015, including products like AppleTV that still haven't made it yet...

That's not to say there haven't been diversions - I find it hard to believe SJ would have allowed Ive's assault on icons, given SJ's attention to every pixel. But then again, SJ was continually simplifying the OS-X icons and robbing them of color, so who knows?

But changing the OS-X font after 30 years... ?
Anyway, as much as I hate the new look, I've come to realize it doesn't have a huge effect on day to day use - I found lack of color far worse, because I can't easily tell the icons apart...
 
Since Tim took over after Steve's death Apple's revenue has increased $106B. That's more than the annual revenue of Microsoft or Google. At the same time in the most recent quarter Apple reported that on average they carry less than a week of inventory, far less than the nearly 8 weeks for Samsung. When the iPhone 4 was released Apple reported 1.7M sales in the first weekend on sale. Only three years later they reported 9M for the 5S (and 5C). IMO these are the things Cook doesn't get enough credit for.

Wall Street nervous nellies got all scared when Samsung flooded the market with devices and spent a crap load on marketing. But the one thing Samsung couldn't buy is brand loyalty. They have missed analyst expectations three quarters in a row now and yesterday they announced that this quarter earnings will be down 24% and sales down 8-11% compared to the year ago quarter due to pressure in the mobile phone space. And Apple hasn't even announced the larger screen iPhone yet!
 
To remind EVERYONE: STEVE JOBS IS DEAD. Things change. Apple is and will be different under new leadership. Its called evolution. Sometimes is good...and sometimes is a small step and not a massive one. I think the jury is still out on Tim Cook.

Let us all pause and address this in 8 months AFTER the new iPhones and pads are out and AFTER the new iWatch and even ATV is out. I bet EVERYONE will be singing a different tune than WHAT WOULD STEVE DO? The new tune will be
ITS ALL BECAUSE OF STEVE AND NOT TIM.

Was just sarcasm. :confused:
 
Steve Jobs wasn't perfect either.

Whoa, whoa, watch it there. :there is no smiley for this:

I realize that they're not really equivalent, but as a thought exercise, picture Steve Ballmer and everything that's gone on at MS since Bill left, then picture Tim Cook and everything that's gone on at Apple since Steve died.

Very different pictures. And I hate the ms vs apple thing, but they're two men in very similar positions. Remove any emotions that you may have about either company from the equation, and it's kinda eerie.

Next week some Fox pundit is probably going to accidentally out Ballmer.
 
Are we done comparing Tim to Steve yet? Tim is a different person than Setev, and a different management style. Steve believed in Tim enough to pick Tim as his successor. My point is this, Either Tim is Doing great or he is not, but a differnet way of doing things doesn't mean he is doing worse or less. We have seen some pretty great things coming out of Applse since Tim has been at the helm, I'm sure there is room for improvement but as a shareholder, and and Apple fan I don't feel dissapointed in his performance yet.
 
Every good release since September 2011: 'It's too soon since Steve Jobs was CEO to give Tim Cook credit for it.'

Fair enough, but look at the new Mac Pro. Announced in 2012, and a huge update, so clearly Steve Jobs had a lot of influence on it. Yet without Steve Jobs to sell it to us, people are still saying "Apple can't innovate!"

Yes, but you are making my EXACT point for me. This all demonstrates that Tim Cook is a competent enough manager not to bungle Apple goodwill. He hasn't alienated customers by putting out junk products the way Amelio and Spindler did. But to be sure all of the products released to-date are Jobs-era legacy updates. There is yet a single Tim Cook signature product; one which Jobs had no hand in. That is a fact, and my central point. I don't know why people get so upset with this truth.

The whole "Apple can't innovate" is a bit premature based on the time periods between the iPod and iPod video and iPhone and iPad. People have short memories. Cook certainly deserved and needed time to develop new products as those do not materialize in months or even a year. We now how long it took the iPhone to go from concept to product. But that time lapse is due and Tim Cook needs to show he has the chops with 100% fresh product to take Apple growth higher. And Cook has been so bold as to announce such product this fall. The world waits to see if he is for real or bluffing to keep the wolves at bay. But he will have hell to pay if he is just teasing.

Apple can survive for a very long time with just recycling iPhone sales but it can't grow much longer w/ mostly iPhone sales because soon there will be near complete saturation; i.e., everyone in the world will have taken a side on which smartphone OS they will adopt.

----------

Dump Al Gore. Wtf is he doing on the board to begin with?

Senior Lobbyist. ;)
 
Yes, but you are making my EXACT point for me. This all demonstrates that Tim Cook is a competent enough manager not to bungle Apple goodwill. He hasn't alienated customers by putting out junk products the way Amelio and Spindler did. But to be sure all of the products released to-date are Jobs-era legacy updates. There is yet a single Tim Cook signature product; one which Jobs had no hand in. That is a fact, and my central point. I don't know why people get so upset with this truth.

The whole "Apple can't innovate" is a bit premature based on the time periods between the iPod and iPod video and iPhone and iPad. People have short memories. Cook certainly deserved and needed time to develop new products as those do not materialize in months or even a year. We now how long it took the iPhone to go from concept to product. But that time lapse is due and Tim Cook needs to show he has the chops with 100% fresh product to take Apple growth higher. And Cook has been so bold as to announce such product this fall. The world waits to see if he is for real or bluffing to keep the wolves at bay. But he will have hell to pay if he is just teasing.

Apple can survive for a very long time with just recycling iPhone sales but it can't grow much longer w/ mostly iPhone sales because soon there will be near complete saturation; i.e., everyone in the world will have taken a side on which smartphone OS they will adopt.



I agree with you: It's far to soon to tell if Tim Cook's Apple is doomed.

However, I'm very hopeful that it's not, as a lot of the same people are there, and given that Cook was acting CEO previously.
 
I agree with you: It's far to soon to tell if Tim Cook's Apple is doomed.

However, I'm very hopeful that it's not, as a lot of the same people are there, and given that Cook was acting CEO previously.

As 30+ year Apple fan and decade+ shareholder I'm optimistic too. Apple is certainly not "doomed" because as I said, it can survive on just the iPhone for a long time. But, I'm also realistic, and it can't sustain positive momentum w/o an all-new product. I'm taking Cook at his word regarding this fall, BUT if we just get more of the same w/o even a hint of new product then I think the Board will be considering its options.
 
As 30+ year Apple fan and decade+ shareholder I'm optimistic too. Apple is certainly not "doomed" because as I said, it can survive on just the iPhone for a long time. But, I'm also realistic, and it can't sustain positive momentum w/o an all-new product. I'm taking Cook at his word regarding this fall, BUT if we just get more of the same w/o even a hint of new product then I think the Board will be considering its options.

That's a good point: Apple needs to stay relevant. I think it was risky for Tim Cook to say there was a new category coming, unless what they have is really, really exceptional.

For all we know, it might be. But I'm remembering the iPad naysayers and that was after a stunning presentation from Steve Jobs.
 
LOL omfg. I mean these armchair execs think these so-called reports/ rumors are true and get up-in-arms about Tim Cook. Are you for real? :rolleyes:
 
Yes, But it was Steve Jobs-not Tim Cook !- I think

Hah - it certainly sounds like Jobs' management style, but no it was about Cook. It's this article.

For instance, the excerpt explains an incident where someone was unable to answer one of Cook's questions so Cook didn't say a word and let the silence fester, causing everyone in the room to stare at the table. The atmosphere of the room would grow to intense levels as Cook kept his eyes on the person who wasn't able to answer
 
General rule of thumb: If the board or Wall St. don't like it, you must be doing something right.

Seriously, screw them. Wall St. contributes nothing good to society any way.

Sounds to me like Tim wants to root out the same old people that have been on the board for ages and bring some youth into the company. No complaints there.

As Queen Elsa would say, "Let 'em goooooooooooooo"
 
Poor Tim Cook. The guy has kept Apple rolling along and just as successful as before Steve Jobs' death, and yet everyone seems incredibly eager to invalidate his presence there. People seem to forget that he was one of the integral players in Apple's revival. It's not like he was just hired the day Steve Jobs left the company.

The man has his own style of leadership and it seems to have worked out just fine for the last few years (god forbid he's not a clone of Steve!) And that's not to mention his work at Apple for the decade plus prior to that. I'm not sure why people think he has to keep proving himself.

Because people are stupid, irrational, immature, self-entitled, and self-centered. You are spot-on and the guy is doing a remarkable job following in the footsteps of a legend. Let's see some other schmuck even attempt to do that. Their own hubris would get the best of them and they'd be trying to make a name for them every chance they could get. Tim on the other hand has remained calm, collected, and very thoughtful. Steve Jobs obviously chose the guy for a reason.
 
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