Many innovators could tell you about the challenges Apple faced some time ago and how they overcame them to be one of the best-known computer manufacturers. Just as important as the strength of a company, are their weaknesses that people tend to forget.
What they do right:
- Apple is customer focused. A majority of their products, services, technologies, have all been in favor of the end-user — both new and their existing customer base. While I may personally dislike iTunes, I can definitely see the value it provides for people, as well as making amends with the media industry. People love their iPods, MacBooks, Mighty mouse, Mac Mini, and other popular Mac products.
- Apple makes their products available to the market effectively. These days, if you don’t make your product out to market in an aggressive time frame, you fail. I am very impressed with Apple’s innovations and the short time they took to make them available to their consumers.
- Apple is quality-focused. Not many Mac users ever complain about conflicting software. Why? Apple makes reliable, tested, durable products that can withstand the demands of their users. I imagine they probably lab-test with a combination of professional users as well as inexperienced ones to see what’s up.
- “Innovate or Die” is Apple’s other motto. Years ago, the tech giant was facing bankruptcy among other challenges, faced gaining poor reputation among users, industry insiders and investors. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak challenged the industry by improving the basic functions that consumers wanted — and did a damn good job of it.
What they do wrong:
- Not transparent enough. Apple has gained a reputation by means of fan-boys being egregiously gullible to company rumors, especially among bloggers. Whether they are legitimate or not, the company doesn’t do good enouigh job communicating to users and the industry. I suggest they could do a blog with a team of folks who handle user, industry, and press questions and respond accordingly.
- Inching closer to the dark side. I strongly believe Apple does have their customer’s interests at heart, but I think their success is becoming like a snowball — if they can’t achieve phenomenal numbers from the previous quarter, they are viewed as slowing down and imploding on innovation. Because of this (coupled with the obvious — they want to stay on top), they cooperate with the industry too much. For instance, the iPhone, they restricted it to just AT&T and continued to pursue DMCA notifications against the authors of the unlocking software. This isn’t cool, and is proof they are edging closer to the dark side.
That’s pretty much it on what I believe Apple does well and what obstacles they face as they go forward. I presume that as an elitist technology company, a bit of mystery is good which is why they probably keep their mouth shut about their products as it drive bloggers and columnists wild when they release innovative technologies.
Surely that can’t be all the things Apple does right and wrong … share your thoughts in the comments. 
I like yellow apples. The skin is too tough on red apples, and it ends up turning into apple gum — which is not in the least enticing.
Oh! You mean the other Apple… I’ve never owned one, or even used one!!!
(I do admit I’ve looked in their direction occasionally.)
Lorelei
October 20th, 2007
Lorelei,
I like Macintosh apples, no joke. I agree with you about red apples.
Maybe it is a good time to revisit the other kind of Macintosh, and see what it’s like on the other side.
~ J
Joe
October 20th, 2007
The author apparently does not know Apple’s history otherwise he would not make these errors.
1. Apple learned from Microsoft not to be transparent. The Microsoft engineers used to joke that Apple in Cupertino was R&D south. The way that programming works is that it takes twenty percent of your time to write eighty percent of the code for a product. And fifty percent to write and debug ninety percent. Then 100% to polish and refine it for sale. Microsoft would hear that Apple was working on an idea. It would produce a knock-off just to be first in half the time of Apple. It would be awful and buggy, so no one would use it. But, Microsoft got to spike Apple’s guns.
2. Apple has always been a control freak; it wants to control the user experience. The thing about the iPhone was that the software was not finished enough to be a hand held computer the way the hackers wanted. The second point was that the iPhone is a Leopard OSX 10.5 devise and had to wait for the Leopard release. Also, Apple had its programmers refining Leopard . So, they had no time to fix the iPhone’s problem until now.
Neither of these are likely to change.
Louis Wheeler
October 21st, 2007
Louis,
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I haven’t followed Apple as long as maybe you have, but I have used them for quite a while and this is just from my experience.
Transparency doesn’t just mean leaking out R&D information; it’s openly accepting feedback and criticism, as well as answering questions. In other words, participating with your consumers.
I will credit you, that Microsoft will compete at any chance it can get to get something — working or not — out to market just to say they did it first. Zune, anyone?
The iPhone, is an interesting device. It is the only device that really put Apple genuinely into the Mobile market, and can threaten Palm/RIM with their phones. It should be interoperable with any computer, independent of its operating system.
Their actions that Apple exhibited in chasing after firmware hackers is a reflection of the traditional media industry in the the way that the MPAA or RIAA wants to stop file sharing all together. If I headed their division on Open Development, I would embrace these power users and allow such firmware to exist, but with a warning that it’s unsupported.
Alas, these aren’t likely to change, mainly due to the fact money is involved and most consumers aren’t fully empowered to hack firmware, yet.
Thanks again for the comments.
~ J
Joe
October 21st, 2007
Apple is a business and as such it does things in ITS best interest. Taking care of its customers is in Apple’s best interest and Apple is one of the better companies out there taking care of its customers, IMHO.
As to iPhone hacking, you have to remember that this is a first product in a new category for Apple and it is something that it needs others to produce. AT&T provides the cellular telephone network, something that Apple does not do and is incapable of doing, due to the time, money and technical requirements of setting up the cellular infrastructure. Nor should it set up a cellular infrastructure, for it would die trying to do so.
Either way, Apple ties into AT&T to give Apple leverage with AT&T and the other telephone companies around the world to better market its product. It is a GSM phone so it will not work with Verizon, Sprint or any of the other CDMA networks. The only options in the USA are AT&T or TMobile as I understand it. Thats it. Game over for anyone else. Apple does not have the resources to do both GSM and CDMA.
By going with a single vendor in each country, Apple is able to create buzz, to give the cell company a reason to promote the iPhone and to give Apple the ability to have some control over the iPhone. This is a new model for cellular and it appears to be working for Apple, AT&T and the consumer so far.
For the iPhone to continue to succeed, Apple has to take care of its partner as well as the consumer. That includes keeping the iPhone tied into the partner cellular company and protecting the cellular network that the iPhone uses. It also means protecting the user experience as much as possible.
YOU and all the other you’s out there want something that you can do anything with, a platform. You think the iPhone is a computer that you can do anything you want to and to heck with anyone else. It is a computer but it is a networked computer and it has to play nice with others and the infrastructure it plays on. Programs that play havoc with the cellular network will kill the iPhone. Programs that drag/slow it down or cause it to crash will be blamed on the iPhone, not on the garbage program that caused it to slow down or crash.
As a first generation product of a new product, the iPhone has to succeed. Apple can ill afford to create another Newton, a fantastic product that was ridiculed at its introduction and was never able to recover, even if later versions were much better than the first. I do own a Newton, BTW.
So while you and others bitch about how Apple is treating everyone over a product you bought, Apple is looking out for you by preventing you from destroying your purchase, and looking out for itself so that it can continue making the product.
Just remember that every one of the holes that the iPhone hackers uncover to allow software to be installed is also a vector for viruses, worms and trojans to enter your iPhone. Apple does NOT want the iPhone to be the leaky sieve that Windows is in this regard, no matter what kind of cool functions you want to add to your iPhone.
Everyone wants everything not now but RF NOW! It does take time to do it right and Apple under Steve Jobs **IS** doing it right and people will just have to wait. As I do since the iPhone is not available in Canada yet.
My experience with Apple? First computer was an Apple ][+ with a four digit serial number in 1979. I’ve used most of their products since and worked in three Apple dealers, three schools/school boards and did on-site service work in the 80’s and 90’s. I got out of computer service work except for my own and a few friends and family members. I’ve worked with multiple operating systems but continue to use Mac’s and miss the simplicity of my old Apple II system.
Apple produces QUALITY products. Very seldom do you see junk coming out of Apple, like you see regularly from other companies. Yes, lemons exist and do happen, but on the whole, Apple does VERY GOOD stuff. It might cost a little bit more than Windows but often is cheaper than a comparably equipped computer. The issue with computers is that Apple doesn’t offer stripped down machines or DIY or build-your-own equipment.
Apple adds VALUE to its products to differentiate Apple products from its competitors, which are usually me-too products copied from one another.
Reginald W
October 22nd, 2007
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