Apple, Steve, and Burnout

This is pretty much a collection of random thoughts, prompted by Michael Gartenberg’s post on similarities between Windows 95 and the iPhone. I hate to be the “rain on the parade” guy - lord knows, Apple is riding high and shows little sign of slowing down. That being said: reading around I can feel an undercurrent to Apple coverage, that maybe things are getting stretched a little thin over there. The AT&T “deal with the devil,” 2.5g instead of the obvious 3, Leopard delays, a stagnating core-iPod lineup — Are Apple and fearless leader Jobs burning out?

Anyway - Micheal Garetenberg’s posted pointed out that (a) rarely does a tech device elicit such public interest as with the iPhone (w95 being the last such example), and (b) that the iPhone is - like Windows 95 - a better mouse trap, not a paradigm changing device.

Two solid observations, that highlight the core of Apple’s approach: iterative design contextualized within an overall strategy (seeming media dominance in Apple’s case; compare to data-dominance in Google’s), actualized through a consumer-facing design process that eschews compromise and accepts a smaller slice of big markets for the sake of cultivating brand excellence.

Boy, that’s a buzz-word heavy description. “Brand excellence” - please - this is taking me back to my B.Comm. case study days. That being said, Apple is the stuff of case studies:

1. They’ve profitably commoditized the geek-subculture;
2. They’ve broken down the barriers between fashion and technology; and,
3. They’ve created a corporate structure that enables breakneck innovation.

But - can it last?

On points one and two: Technology is no longer distinguishable from the other components of our day-to-day lives; some may have more interest in the tech-details than others, but fundamentally, everyone that carries a cell phone or uses and iPod is a “geek,” based on yesterday’s definitions. My parents understand Bluetooth, WiFi, device pairing, DRM, syncing devices, and so on; so do all the other parents I know.

Geekdom has gone from subculture to mainstream. Apple was ahead of the curve on this trend, recognizing it and bundling it premium design and prices to maximize margins on the early adopter segments. RIM (Blackberry) got on the same curve via the corporate market. Other companies (LG, HP, MOTO, MSFT, ETC.) are still struggling to hit their stride with but I’d contend that Apple’s edge in design excellence is being eroded daily.

On point three: Apple’s corporate structure is a weird blend of benevolent dictatorship and hippy commune. Dictatorship allows for quick execution and long shot plays that steering committees, boards of directors, and so on would other-wise pass up, while the commune underneath allows for a wealth of ideas to land on the dictator’s desk. Problem: the success of the company depends on the dictator and their ability to dictate. (1) Who do you see as Steve Job’s successor? (2) As Apple grows, will there come a time when the board will go activist?

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 24th, 2007 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.