I'd write it up this way: Tim Cook is a remarkable individual, but he's not exactly the fountain of creative ideas that Jobs was (how original those ideas were is an ongoing debate, but nevertheless). I think it's a remarkably introspective move, recognizing weakness and moving to rectify it.
Put another way it's much better than the "strategy" of suing everybody who uses fruit or 4 sided shapes in their products as a hedge against the lack of creative direction from the top.
I just hope they do the sensible thing and are selective about which ideas they actually turn into products. Gil Amelio and Steve Jobs, between the two of them, had to kill off dozens if not hundreds of fringe products that didn't amount for much and destroyed focus.
Strongly agree with you here. Ideas are a dime a dozen, but the ability to pick the right one at the right time is kind of like having a strong sense of style. It comes more easily to some.
Dude, that was Apple the company and not Steve jobs doing.
What's wrong with everyone? Steve jobs didn't come up with every darn idea and implemente every darn thing.
You know what John Chambers is awesome. He invented routers, switches, hubs, IP phones, Conferencing systems, Telco switches, things that power practically 50% of the internet all by himself.
You know what, you're right. The newton was Gassée, and jobs probably did nothing with the laser printer.
However, i think stuff like this: http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... indicates Jobs pushed good people to do their best work. The mac wouldn't be the mac without jobs. Neither would the Next cube. Maybe John Chambers is just as involved with every product Cisco makes, but a terrible self promoter.
How so? Sounds to me they're just doing something about their "retention of talent" problem, which is surely one of the biggest issues facing Apple today. Giving their developers a little freedom and flexibility is just what they need.
Not necessarily. After the iPad micro, the iPad nano, and the iPad pico, we will finally get to the patented glasses, with tiny Arment and Gruber avatars guiding us in our daily lives.
What pipeline of ideas? An iPod? An iPod that became a phone? A phone that grew a few inches into a tablet? Apple has always been an extremely focused company with very few ideas. That was their secret.
Having a tight product line does not beget that Apple has "few ideas". We're talking about an organization known for its public and even internal secrecy in development process. We never see most of the ideas, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
Comments
This sounds suspiciously like the pipeline of new ideas is running dry.
I'd write it up this way: Tim Cook is a remarkable individual, but he's not exactly the fountain of creative ideas that Jobs was (how original those ideas were is an ongoing debate, but nevertheless). I think it's a remarkably introspective move, recognizing weakness and moving to rectify it.
Put another way it's much better than the "strategy" of suing everybody who uses fruit or 4 sided shapes in their products as a hedge against the lack of creative direction from the top.
I just hope they do the sensible thing and are selective about which ideas they actually turn into products. Gil Amelio and Steve Jobs, between the two of them, had to kill off dozens if not hundreds of fringe products that didn't amount for much and destroyed focus.
That's a great point, editing is often just as important as ideas.
Strongly agree with you here. Ideas are a dime a dozen, but the ability to pick the right one at the right time is kind of like having a strong sense of style. It comes more easily to some.
Forgive me if this is pointless cynicism but fountain of creative ideas?
* A music player
* A phone
* A portable computer
Not exactly the most innovative product categories?
Apple 2? Macintosh? Powerbook? Newton?
Didn't that laser printer and the Apple software that became Adobe pretty much create "desktop publishing"?
I've heard a few people talk about hypercard being neat at the time.
Yeah, they did some stuff lately, whatever. But you really have no appreciation for how cool woz's disk drive was? That was pretty amazing.
Dude, that was Apple the company and not Steve jobs doing.
What's wrong with everyone? Steve jobs didn't come up with every darn idea and implemente every darn thing.
You know what John Chambers is awesome. He invented routers, switches, hubs, IP phones, Conferencing systems, Telco switches, things that power practically 50% of the internet all by himself.
You know what, you're right. The newton was Gassée, and jobs probably did nothing with the laser printer.
However, i think stuff like this: http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py?project=Macintosh&s... indicates Jobs pushed good people to do their best work. The mac wouldn't be the mac without jobs. Neither would the Next cube. Maybe John Chambers is just as involved with every product Cisco makes, but a terrible self promoter.
A horse [and buggy] and a car are in the same product category as well.
Point: Everything can be generalized to the point of it seeming mundane.
Do you remember what phones were like six years ago?
Yes; just like they are now, just with bigger batteries and smaller screens.
Execution and presentation matters, a lot, if Jobs left a lesson to the world that was it.
wow.
How so? Sounds to me they're just doing something about their "retention of talent" problem, which is surely one of the biggest issues facing Apple today. Giving their developers a little freedom and flexibility is just what they need.
> Giving their developers a little freedom and flexibility is just what they need.
Developers submitting stuff to the App Store could probably benefit from this too...
Yes but you have fewer opportunities to leave for another app store than apple employees have to leave for another company.
But it only really makes much sense if Apple really thinks any of these two-week projects will turn into actual products.
Not necessarily. After the iPad micro, the iPad nano, and the iPad pico, we will finally get to the patented glasses, with tiny Arment and Gruber avatars guiding us in our daily lives.
What pipeline of ideas? An iPod? An iPod that became a phone? A phone that grew a few inches into a tablet? Apple has always been an extremely focused company with very few ideas. That was their secret.
Having a tight product line does not beget that Apple has "few ideas". We're talking about an organization known for its public and even internal secrecy in development process. We never see most of the ideas, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.