Has the
post-Steve Jobs era finally arrived at Apple?
It has been a
full year since he removed himself from company leadership at Apple, a short
time after which he succumbed to his long battle with pancreatic cancer.
In his stead,
the former COO, Tim Cook, was appointed as the company’s new CEO. Cook has had
one year to remake the company in his own mold and, if that’s the case, Apple
fans are not giving him high marks.
Witness the lead story in today’s Wall Street Journal. Headline: “Apple Makes a Wrong Turn as Users Blast Map Switch.” That pretty well sums up the gist of the story. The rollout this week of the latest operating system update for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, iOS6, brought with it a new Apple mapping app, replacing the Google mapping app that had been a mainstay since the 2007 introduction of iPhone.
Even casual followers of Silicon
Valley news know that the once loving relationship between the two companies is
ancient history. With this latest move, Apple has made a clean break from its
erstwhile informal partner.
But the
complaints about the new mapping app are numerous, quick to arise, and,
apparently, well founded. The app is deeply flawed. Its maps are
inaccurate, identifying place names incorrectly, and often spotting
locations in the wrong place. Also, the maps are not as detailed and current as
Google’s.
Not ready for prime time
Simply
stated, the app was not ready for prime time. But is this a fluke? After all,
though he had numerous blockbuster successes, Steve Jobs was not without his
mistakes. The initial Apple TV, for instance, was a dud. But still, it makes
you wonder.
On the other
hand, is everyone just sitting back waiting for Tim Cook and his team to foul
up Steve Jobs’ creation?
Those of you
who read this blog with any regularity will know that I am an inveterate Apple
and Macintosh fan. So it may come as a surprise that I, too, had a
less-than-satisfactory experience with the company recently.
Last Saturday,
I acquired a new MacBook Air laptop, a beautiful machine that’s remarkable for
the computing power and speed it packs in such a thin, lightweight package.
Being so thin, however, it lacks a DVD drive like most other laptops. So, how was
I to load the Microsoft Office software I already own in a DVD format?
And therein
began the problem. Failing at my attempted amateur work-arounds, I finally called
Apple Tech Support and, in short order, was speaking to a pleasant woman who
immediately understood my problem. Her recommendation was that I call
Microsoft’s Mac Help Desk, which, she said, would offer me an online URL from
which to download a digital version of the software I had previously bought.
Long story
short, after sitting on Microsoft’s hold for 35 minutes, listening to
static-filled elevator music, a young lady kindly and patiently explained to me
that Apple’s own tech support web pages include a full explanation of how to
address my (apparently very common) problem. She added that she and her Microsoft
cohorts had gotten numerous such referred calls and were annoyed at Apple for palming
off the problem on them.
She was kind
enough to stay on the phone with me and walk me through the process. Problem
solved, no thanks to Apple – which from my perspective is shocking. The Apple Tech
Support team has always been top-notch, a model for any other company aspiring
to Apple’s greatness. Not this time.
One plus one equals…
Could this
anecdote and Apple’s widely panned mapping app indicate that Apple is coming
back to earth to join the other mortals among the world’s corporations? Is
Apple a victim of its own success? Has the company over-extended itself in its
ability to support the millions of new customers buying its iPhone, iPad, and computers?
Steve Jobs was
famous for his ability to say “no.” He said no to numerous good ideas because
they didn’t fit the Apple model, or they over-reached the company’s ability to
deliver greatness: great ideas, great products, great design, and great service.
In fact, do any
of the senior people at Apple have Jobs’ sense of what works and what doesn’t? Tim
Cook is a superb operations guy, which is why he was Jobs’ chief operating
officer. He got things done, usually in a very smart, efficient way.
Jonathan Ive
is one of the greatest, most creative industrial designers of our age. He is
the genius behind “the look” and feel associated with the Apple products we all
know so well.
Scott Forstal
is the driving brains behind Mac OS X, and the iPhone operating system, as well
as their many iterations.
Phil Schiller is
the company’s chief marketer. But while Jobs was alive, he could never hold a
candle to Jobs’ genius for marketing. I always got the sense that Schiller was
Steve Ballmer to Jobs’ Bill Gates.
Collectively,
these guys and their support teams are top-notch. Virtually any company would
be better if they hired any or all of them. But they lack the innovative
insight and blockbuster genius of Steve Jobs.
I sure hope I’m
wrong because I’ve been an Apple fan since 1984 when I bought my first
computer, an Apple IIc, followed five years later by my first Macintosh, an SE.
But it’s hard
to believe that four smart guys can equal and replace Steve Jobs. I think we
can only conclude that, like Sir Isaac Newton’s falling apple that inspired his
law of gravity, Apple is coming back to earth.
