It has been over six years that Steve Jobs, the late co-founder and CEO of Apple passed away, leaving one of the most influential companies in the world, in the hands of his most trusted people.
Since the very beginning in 1976, Steve Jobs built Apple in his own image and the products and services launched under his reign were proof of that fact. To a certain degree, they still are.
He was regarded as a visionary and used to run a tight ship at Apple, to a point where things often got downright ugly. If you’ve read the stories, you’d know that he could get almost inhumanly cruel with the very people he worked with as he demanded nothing short of excellence.
In his absence over the years, things have changed at Apple. It has evolved under the new management of Tim Cook and although they are trying their best, Steve’s absence clearly shows in the way Apple has been operating for all these years. Today, I want to talk about some of them.
1. The iPhone 5c Wouldn’t Have Happened
In 2013, for the first time, Apple broke the trend of releasing only one iPhone a year and announced an iPhone 5s and a plastic iPhone 5c that came in various colors.
The 5c was being positioned as a more affordable version of the iPhone. I was watching the event live and no matter how convincing Jony Ive (the lead designer at Apple) sounded in the introduction videos, I was immediately left disappointed.
I just couldn’t help but keep thinking that, that would never have happened if Steve was still alive. Apple has always been about all things premium and the 5c was anything but premium. I have seen and used one in real life and it just doesn’t feel like an iPhone!
Maybe that’s just me but many tech experts keep referring to the iPhone 5c has a huge failure and a mistake that shouldn’t have been done. Maybe that’s why they never launched a plastic iPhone again.
2. Too Many Products!!!
If you are aware of Apple’s history, you would know that Steve was ousted from his own company in 1985 and it almost went bankrupt by 1997. It was because the company was just doing too much in terms of numbers of products.
That’s why the first thing that Steve did after his iconic return to Apple was that he killed a majority of the products that Apple was offering at the time and focused Apple’s efforts to a very limited number of products. Very limited!
For years, that strategy worked because not only does it not create confusion for the customers but it also goes well with the company’s philosophy of minimalism and simplification.
Today however, it looks like Apple is starting to do the same mistakes by offering too many products. There used to be only one iPhone a year and now there are three! There used to be only one iPad a year and now there are three! Same goes for MacBooks and other product lines.
3. Quality Has Gone Down
Apple has always been known for its world class quality and for its products that “just work”. That was never 100% true even at the time of Steve Jobs, but regardless that’s what the general belief was anyways.
As I said before, Steve Jobs demanded perfection and excellence from all his employees and that showed in their products and services. The insane attention to details resulted in gorgeous hardware and software that worked together to provide the best user experience.
Sadly, this quality has gone down and has been going down each year now. The hardware side of things are still pretty good but the software side of things have surely gone down a notch or two.
Take the Apple Maps disaster for example and iTunes 11 debacle. Recently it seems that a company that only released perfected software is now starting to sell half baked products (especially software, including iOS and macOS).
4. Innovation Has Slowed Down
If you are someone who gets the feeling that Apple has become a company that offers more evolutionary products than revolutionary products these days, then you are not alone. In fact, many tech pundits have said that Apple’s pace of innovation has slowed down.
This is again where Steve’s absence is felt directly. Yes, the guy used to be cruel and menacing for his employees but he got results out of them and got them fast. Also, he was a great visionary and had an ability to connect the dots like no other.
Tim Cook is no visionary. Yes, under his reign, Apple has broken more financial records than ever, but Apple simply doesn’t have that image of being the trend setters and re-inventors anymore. Launching products with better specifications and gimmicky features can be considered as innovation but certainly not revolutionary.
The only new product category that has come out of Apple after Steve’s death is the Apple watch (product wise) and that too, it was late in the game. Also, product lines simply feel too stretched out at this point and almost as if they were supposed to have launched last year!
Apple products are now competing with their own priducts like Iphone 8 is competing with Iphone X and this is the main reason why Samsung is becomming so popular now a days. They do not make products to compete with their own products . They divide their prouducts in different catagories to skip the competition They focus on everyone and on everything.
bdw nicely explained..
Actually, I don’t think Samsung, of all companies, can be used as an example here. They have so many different models that compete with each other. It’s true that the iPhone 8 competes with iPhone X but its the first time thyley have done something like that and it’s probably in preparation to kill off the traditional iPhone line completely.
That's what I have been saying :)
I dont use any apple products anymore, which is kind of radical at this age.
I am the kind of person who value the "why" which is not the case anymore with Apple. ( check the golden circle video below)
Well said sir!
Great post :)
Yeah, they surely need to refocus on the why side of things.
and the 5th thing is --> Satya Nadella wouldnt have got much attention from media :)
haha lol!!
Hey dear @sauravrungta, I hope you're doing great. First off wishing you a very pleasantly MARRY CHRISTMAS.
Second I'm feeling proud that an Indian guy is at higher side in steemit (At No 74 is dream for me).
Anyways I'm 200% agreed with your statement regarding Apple. Ihave learnt too about Steve jobs that he had never compromised in quality.
These words are showing true picture and also your deep concern with Apple products:
Jony Ive (the lead designer at Apple) sounded in the introduction videos, I was immediately left disappointed.
I really enjoyed your blog, no doubt it is a world class blog too and should be come in trending section of steemit. Mind blowing efforts dear, keep it up and stay blessed !
Hey! Merry Christmas to you too and thanks for the kind words. It really means a lot :)
Yes, Steve wouldn't have allowed the compromise in the quality. I really hope that a visionary leader can take over and Apple can get its mojo back.
Apple products would be much better.But moreso, Elon Musk, would certainly not be the name everyone talks about in great excitement, as much as Jobs. Jobs was a real genius. Elon is a great worker, and runner and person - but he’s fake. He’s not really going to have the same genius as Jobs.But there is only one Steve Jobs. but there are many geniuses. It will only be a matter of time, if not several years before the world knows a bigger genius than Jobs. A more talented, supremely genius individual. And talented is he is to an extreme, many other individuals are also very talented.We have many musicians coming to the forefront. The world churns out new talent all the time, and there will, certainly, be more talented folks and even those that beat out Jobs.
Yes, I'm sure there will be another person who would be much better than Steve Jobs one day. The world needs visionaries.
Great moon beauty and beautifull picture i like your post so much thanks for sharing dear
The post was about Apple and not moon. That is not even my photo.
Interesting...but who knows...it's hard to make history-fiction...what about if Spain didn't lose UK's conquer with its armada? Or if Hitler won the war? Or if dinosaurs never extinguished? We all would be reptilians I guess...
Yeah, all interesting questions to ponder upon! :D
Your points are dammn genuine...but in india why people give more priority to apple and people are mostly attracted for apple logo.....i have still seen people buying iphone 5s just because its apple and more likely to click mirror selfie to show off.....
upvoted
People are always attracted to what they perceive high end. It's just human nature. It doesn't happen only in India. Happens everywhere.
Agree with the 5c story. That was such a sad turn of events.
The part about being inhumanly cruel to employees to get the best out of them, surprisingly in my experience works. While I am not in favor of being bad against a person, I have noticed that, no matter how much we hate these kind of cruel taskmaster bosses, they are actually the ones that bring in tremendous progress.
Apple might not be Apple any longer.
Yes, true. At the end of the day, he got things done and that's what matters (as bad as that may sound). I really hope that some cool visionary can take the place of Tim Cook in the future.
The Number of products have sure become too many and confusing. I jsut don't know If i need the current phone or the next one that is going to come out soon. We are forever stuck in that vicious circle and eventually not buying one.
Hahaha, actually, it's not that but that rather being short on finances that's the vicious circle.
Yeah they are in dire need of simplification.
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)
Thanks for reply and comments
iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c are really cool
@sauravrungta
The 5 is, the 5c not so much :P
I agree with most of your conclusions especially number 4. Apple's level of creativity is rocking the bottom these days. They really need to sit up.
Yeah, they need to WOW the customers again. I really hope they do it in the coming years.
Man this is so true. Hit the nail on the head.
Steve Jobs, as mean as a person he may have been, was a visionary and truly pushed his company and employees to the limit. Everything just seems routine now. Same lousy quality, same devices, same rate of release, same exact story over and over again.
It's so bad that now we already know what next years iPhone is going to be because there is just no innovation anymore. I love Apple, and I continue to use their products... But Apple just isn't what it used to be.
Yes, you said it perfectly. Same exact story over and over again. I was surprised when they launched the iPhone 7 which was like a third iPhone 6!!
Can't believe that it's been six years already! Apple was indeed doing way better back then. I'm not sure my next phone is gonna be an iPhone, since they don't really improve and they just become way too expensive...
In terms of money, they are doing much better now. But in terms of the charisma, they were doing much better then.
I switched from apple to Samsung a year ago. The best decision ever <3 Currently using a S8 and its the most amazing device I've ever had.
I have been told by many friends to do the same but I still love the simplicity that they have. But who knows, maybe in the future!
Very good post. I especially agree with point 4. Despite the fact I use Apple products prolifically I don't think Apple has managed to really wow me since the release of the iPhone 4 (and maybe the iPhone 6). That was quite a revolutionary change - Steve Jobs certainly knew how to get excellence from his staff.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on Pixar as well. Considering Steve started this during his time away from Apple, do you think they've maintained the excellence he would have demanded in the beginning?
Exactly! That "wow" factor is simply not there anymore. There is a stark difference in Apple's events as well. Earlier (During Steve's time) there used to be an energy in the audience and they went "wow" so often and now its just fake cheering!!
I don't watch animated movies so I wouldn't be the best person to ask for a Pixar review. But yes, Steve started and built a great company. Hopefully they've managed to maintain it.
I agree to you to a very extent. Yes the quality is down and they are releasing too much products in a single year. Maybe they are more focused on the quantity like Samsung is doing. But still Apple is more creative than any other well known company. If i am not wrong, Apple introduced The face ID, yeah it didn't worked out so well at the live event. I think people now demands some new features in Apple and Yeah they should EVOLVE ..!!!
By the way , Below is my post on the failure of Galaxy Note 8, If you get any free time , Do follow. CHEERS!!!!
https://steemit.com/technology/@khurmi/don-t-let-your-phone-s-battery-die-a-warning-to-galaxy-note-8-owners
Basically, what I think is, Apple has become money hungry, despite being one of the richest companies in the world. Yes, it always was money hungry but now the greed is evidently visible. That is why they are just launching so many products to increase sales and profits.
Well at the end, its all about the money.!!
Really good post.
And ya 5c was a disaster it looks like a kid phone.
Totally agree with your post.
Thanks! Yeah, a complete shocker of a decision on their part.