I don't know the answer to that question, Kim, but Jobs wasn't labeled a visionary for nothing. In this case, I think he really was because he had a long, long-term vision of Apple that included some pretty detailed concepts about the technologies the company would invent. One reason I think Jobs continues to inspire people is that -- like my personal business hero Sir Richard Branson -- he seemed unencumbered by rules, aiming for an ultimate goal, i.e., a device that would stream music, and then working with the right people to make that happen. Others come at it the opposite way: What can we use this technology to do? Now, how can we improve this version into a new version?
When you approach things like Branson or Jobs, you need great ideas, then the passion to find the combo of people/money/energy, etc., to make them real. Can Cook bring that once Apple has delivered on all Jobs' list of concepts?
It's extraordinary how Jobs remains a presence at Apple. I was just reminding myself of the chronology. He was visbly a very sick man by 2006; he handed over the reins to Tim Cook at the beginning of 2009. How much was he involved in running the company over the last six years? Wasn't the Jobs era over a while ago?
(I'm sure someone who has read the biography can correct me on all this.)
And on the subject of hardware vs. software: I have a Nexus 7 running Android, and I've been pretty happy with it, but lately I've been lusting for the iPad mini because the apps are better on that platform. This includes Google's own apps (Google+ and Gmail, for example) even though Android is Google software!
So Apple isn't the only company that has trouble matching hardsare and software quality.
Brian Newby - My betting on Apple has nothing to do with my personal preference. It's a prediction that its new products will be successful. Sure, they've had a couple of duds since 1997 (iPod socks), but their track record has been much the opposite.
At least when it comes to hardware and OSes. The company's apps have a loyal following but even Mac users prefer, for example, Microsoft Office to Apple's competitor. And Apple really struggles with cloud servces.
I stand by "Don't bet against Apple" (rather than betting on Jobs himself) although I admit that Apple is in treacherous times now. Jobs is still a daily presence at Apple, and will be until late next year through late 2016 or so, as the products that he had a hand in innovating come through the pipeline.
Hey, you never know, Stacey. If you want to work for a company like Google, Facebook, or Apple, you definitely have to stand out... and this is certainly one way to do it!
I think that was a very creative idea! I too, wonder if it worked. I would really like to work for Google...maybe I could put together a resume Google+ style and get their attention!
Mitch, I think your thumb rule really was don't bet against Steve Jobs. Or, with all respect, your love for Macintosh blinded you in 1997.
I don't know what the industry for the largest company in the world should be, but it doesn't feel like it should be a consumer small electronics company. At the very least, I think betting that Apple won't be one of the five largest companies in the world, from a market capitalization standpoint, 10 years from now seems reasonable.
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Recently, the Obama administration has been of two minds where privacy rights are concerned. On one hand, you have an administration that vowed to veto CISPA and mandated open data for government websites. On the other hand, you have an increasingly out-of-control Department of Justice on a fishing expedition at AP and demanding legislation to let the FBI wiretap private, encrypted communications and levy fines if a company fails to comply.
The apartment and house sharing service, Airbnb, now requires members to verify their identities by demonstrating a presence on the web, and by either scanning a government ID or entering detailed personal details. Other enterprises should take a close look at Airbnb's verification policies.
Facebook advertising is a lightning rod. It seems neither brands nor consumers are 100 percent happy about the social media site's policies, placement, or procedures. But the real controversy about Facebook ads and promotions is over whether they work.
By now, you've most likely heard about the 3D-printed gun that Texas-based Defense Distributed demonstrated last week. But we haven't heard the last about the censorship war that began soon afterward.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Subsidized handsets, rather than locked handsets, should be the focus of regulators. We're not getting good deals, not fostering innovation, and weakening our power as buyers.
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