True, market-changing, life-changing innovation comesfrom three key elements: passion, patience and pressure.
Apple is the poster child for this view of innovation.Especially now. Especially when Apple is simply selling millions ofprofitable iPhones and MacBooks and iPads, quarter after quarter(after quarter) with few truly “new” products to show off.
To create something groundbreaking and new — like a touchscreen-onlysmartphone — you need passion. Not just creativity, but passion –because passion brings heartfelt focus, and focus is critical forturning a creation into a product.
No one doubted Steve Jobs’ passion. You could see itin his eyes, in his posture, in his word choice and cadence. Nevermind the behind-closed-doors raging tyrant of passion, Jobs had anintensity most anyone could recognize. And his dirty little secret?Jobs could take other people’s creativity, their creations, theirpassion, and add it to his own.
He seemed to be a super-human sciencefiction blob who grew more powerful by squeezing, shaping, andultimately molding the narrative of a product into something he fully,seamlessly seemed to own. Effective? Heck yeah. Repeatable by anintensely ethical man of conscience? Probably not.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is a little tougher to read than Steve Jobs, but Ibelieve there are many passionate creators working for TimCook at Apple. As near as I can tell, though, his personality is such thatit might be impossible for him to take credit for someone else’spassionate creation. If the CEO is such a different animal, how canApple innovate?
That’s the question, really.
Patience, of course, is needed to help you get the product right — totake your creation, which might be pretty or useful but notnecessarily both, and turn it into a product that people not only want,but also are willing to buy. Innovation takes time. Sure, you can release”beta” products for years as a design strategy, but is that inspiringinnovation? Not really. Palm-to-forehead innovation requires a heartydose of patience.
The original iPhone took more than two years of effort inside Apple beforeit was revealed to the world. If you’re going to change the world bygetting rid of tactile keyboards by turning smartphones into slabs oftouchscreen glass, you need patience to get that right.
So what’s going on right now at Apple? Is the company exhibitingpatience in its new product design and creation process? Or not? Ibelieve it is. First, consider the Apple TV. If Apple were not patientwith this product, it easily could have built its ownfull-size HDTV with a pretty frame, slapped an Apple TV puck inside toact as its brain, and called it “new and innovative.”
Then Apple could have painted it each year with a new kind oftranslucent plastic or coating… or made the glass curved for nogood reason… and Jony Ive could have created sexy, lusciouscurves to make it feel like a sculpture for your living room.
Consider an “iWatch.” Same story. Apple could create a prettywristband that does little more than count steps and show off textmessages. It would sell.
However, Apple hasn’t done either of those things. Why? I believe thatApple hasn’t released a crappy new TV or smartwatch product becauseCook has patience. It’s built into the company’s culture, because it’svery important to Apple that it get it right the first time –not get it out first. In fact, Tim Cook has beenpatiently saying this to analysts at every quarterly financial report for years.
Apple seems to know that unimportant new product iterations aren’treally needed in the world — that they don’t serve any new specialpurpose, even though Apple has enough loyal customers to buy anythingthe company produces. To not build and release a so-called “new”product requires a powerful sense of patience.
More recently, in the era of Tim Cook, two key lessons mayhave been learned. First, Apple’s Maps app was a product thatApple released before it was ready. A lack of patience? It seems so.
Without knowing the exact nature of the agreement with Google toprovide Google Maps on Apple’s iPhone, the release of an important –and broken — feature had to remind Cook something about getting theproduct right the first time.
That’s just a special app, though — a service, a component.
The iPhone 5c, on the other hand, was a new product, born out ofanalyst and Wall Street pressure to create some sort of lower-pricediPhone. So Apple did that. It messed around with aninnovative new plastic build process that created a solid iPhone, but itdid not create a groundbreaking new addition to its lineup.
In fact, I believe that Apple did not need the iPhone 5c at all. Thecompany could have continued to sell its iPhone 5 at a lower pricepoint about as easily as it could have created the iPhone 5c. Heck,the iPhone 4s is still selling in surprising numbers and it’s arelatively old, slow and small smartphone.
So, a lack of patience produced a lackluster product — a good productbut hardly impressive compared to the previous iPhone 5.
Worse, did the 5c divert attention from moreworthy products? I’ve got to wonder. I’m betting that Apple has learned something fromMaps and the 5c.
Meanwhile, passion is cool and patience is good, but neither canproduce innovative products again and again. Creative people needpressure to get things done — pressure to pry their hands from theircreation and let it loose in the world. When? When it’s perfectenough.
Almost no creative person feels they ever got their book,movie, sculpture, app or iPhone perfect. They can get it right, butrarely perfect. Again, Steve Jobs had the ability to leverage intensepressure. Does Cook?
That’s the question right now, immediately followingthe aftermath of another brilliantly executed financial quarter fromApple.
Is Cook pushing his teams to innovate with the right balance ofpassion, patience and pressure?Plenty of laptop jockeys seem willing to second guess him.
However there’s more to pressure, too — outside market pressure. Waittoo long to deliver a new product, and the market need will evaporateor evolve. Lightning might strike somewhere else, and Apple’s loyalconsumers might turn to the new light. It happens. Is it happening? Not yet. Not in any meaningful numbers –but it will. Until Apple delivers — which it will, this year.
Why am I so certain? First, I have faith in the innovation machinethat Steve Jobs created. Second, Apple’s history of excellent productsgives me patience. Third, competitors are starting to produceinteresting products, too. That provides the pressure.
This is why — as I pound the keys on my own MacBook — I seeinnovative products on Apple’s horizon: It’s the lousy products thatApple hasn’t created that give me hope.
TechNewsWorld columnist Chris Maxcer has been writing about the tech industry since the birth of the email newsletter, and he still remembers the clacking Mac keyboards from high school -- Apple's seed-planting strategy at work. While he enjoys elegant gear and sublime tech, there's something to be said for turning it all off -- or most of it -- to go outside. To catch him, take a "firstnamelastname" guess at WickedCoolBite.com. You can also connect with him on Google+.
Everyone spoke of how adeptly he ran Apple while Steve Jobs was away on medical leave. And that may well be the case. But even while Jobs was away, JOBS was steering the company’s creativity and driving its creatives to excel. Apple needs someone who has the strength to run a highly creative company. He may be a great logistics guy with incredible work ethic, but Apple needs someone to put on their big BOY pants. It’s become all too obvious that Cook just isn’t the man to run Apple.
Correction: "unequivalently" should read "unequivocally".
Thanks for extending the conversation. Excellent points. I sure didn’t mean for this column to come off as a lamentation on the loss of Steve Jobs — in case that is what is coming off most strongly. The key to me is more about this:
Sometimes it’s the voids in production that are most telling: Sometimes what you CAN produce — but choose NOT to — shows real willpower that leads to fantastic products.
But to do that successfully, a company has to have passion, patience, and pressure. All of which will come to a head to bring us a great set of products from Apple in 2014 — despite the so-called lack of mind-blowing new products lately.
You are quite wrong about Apple not needing the 5c. This is a meme repeated by the financial press until everyone believed it. Apple didn’t want to explain why they couldn’t just sell the 5 and 5s like before when they introduced the 5 and left the 4s around as a backstop. Apple simply did not have enough of the expensive aluminum cutting machines that they used to make the iPhone 5 and 5s to make half again as many phones when the 5s went on sale. The 5c was a 5 with color added and a much less expensive and easier to produce plastic frame. The lower cost was necessary because the iPhone 5 introduction coincided with Apple’s dropping margins on their marque product. The 5s launch could not happen without freeing up the machines used to make the 5 by making the 5c on different machines.
So many articles lamenting the loss of Steve Jobs and it’s (supposed) affect on Apple.
The reality is that Apple has been doing well both financially and in producing innovative products (a few examples: new Mac Pro, CarPlay, the 64-bit A7, etc.) since Steve Jobs’ death.
Can anyone at Apple be the "new Steve Jobs"? Of course not. He, like everyone else on the planet was unique.
But the reality (again) is that Steve Jobs was not the entire company. He was a great presenter, and a tough manager, but he DID NOT design, engineer, market, or optimize production of Apple’s products. ALL of those things were done by other people in the company, and those people have continued doing great things in Mr. Jobs’ absence.
Is Tim Cook another Steve Jobs? Of course not! But the reverse is also true!
Tim Cook, like other top managers at Apple, have their areas of expertise. What makes Tim Cook an excellent CEO is that he knows, and has eloquently stated on many occasions, what Apple’s directives have been and continue to be. He also fully trusts his managers (like Jon Ive) to do the best work possible with minimal interference.
It is foolish for people to ask, as some have been doing, if Apple can survive without Steve Jobs when the facts of the company’s financial and innovative successes unequivalently show that not only has Apple been surviving, but also flourishing.
Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.
When a new operating system is released for your smartphone, how soon do you install it? ASAP - I want the latest software and security features as soon as they become available. 1 to 3 Weeks - I wait a little while in case problems are discovered by first users of the new OS. A Month or Longer - I like to be as sure as possible that bugs and vulnerabilities have been fixed. Loading ...
ASAP - I want the latest software and security features as soon as they become available.
1 to 3 Weeks - I wait a little while in case problems are discovered by first users of the new OS.
A Month or Longer - I like to be as sure as possible that bugs and vulnerabilities have been fixed.
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/cyberwarfare-3-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/attacks-on-cloud-service-providers-down-25-during-first-4-months-of-2022-176678.html
Attacks on Cloud Service Providers Down 25% During First 4 Months of 2022
Canonical Lets Loose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS ‘Jammy Jellyfish’
Low-Code Platforms Help Ease the Shadow IT Adversity Pain
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/Apple-Watch-Ultra-lifestyle-adventure-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/apple-refreshes-product-lines-introduces-new-ultra-watch-177074.html
Apple Refreshes Product Lines, Introduces New Ultra Watch
Study Finds Sports Is King Among Livestreamers
New Cisco Conferencing Devices Designed To Heal Meeting Fatigue
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/amd-and-intel-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/amd-vs-intel-suddenly-the-desktop-pc-is-in-play-177042.html
AMD vs. Intel: Suddenly the Desktop PC Is in Play
Electronics Will Cost More in 2023
Apple Shows Off Vast Upgrades to Software, Hardware, User Experiences at WWDC22
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/Windows-11-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/how-to-configure-windows-to-auto-restart-after-a-power-failure-177101.html
How To Configure Windows To Auto Restart After a Power Failure
Linux Mint 21 Release Brings Reviewer a Welcome Reunion
Intehill 15.6″ Portable Monitor Is Masterful at Work and Play
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/2FA-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/evilproxy-phishing-service-threatens-mfa-protection-of-accounts-177061.html
EvilProxy Phishing Service Threatens MFA Protection of Accounts
Coding Vulnerabilities, Linux Growth, FOSS Friction Cap Summer Highlights
Forrester Report Cautions About Web3 Security
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/server-room-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/security-demands-shifting-business-backups-away-from-on-prem-boxes-176873.html
Security Demands Shifting Business Backups Away From On-Prem Boxes
Data Observability’s Big Challenge: Build Trust at Scale
The Business Case for Clean Data and Governance Planning
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/devops-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/leapwork-ceo-no-code-platforms-democratize-testing-automation-176913.html
Leapwork CEO: No-Code Platforms Democratize Testing Automation
Cognitive Skills for Engineering Success
Apple and Microsoft Developers Conferences Exhibit Companies’ Strengths, Weaknesses
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/search-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/upstart-search-engine-andi-delivers-answers-not-lists-177106.html
Upstart Search Engine Andi Delivers Answers, Not Lists
High-Tech Trends in Law Enforcement and Emergency Response
The Future of Satellite Phone Communications
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/accountant-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/b2b-funding-firms-banking-on-embedded-finance-176805.html
B2B Funding Firms Banking on Embedded Finance
Unresolved Conflicts Slow eSIM Upgrade Path to Better IoT Security
Cryptocurrency Custody Concerns: Who Holds the Digital Storage Keys?
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/gaming-rig-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/cloud-gaming-poised-for-takeoff-177028.html
Cloud Gaming Poised for Takeoff
Qualcomm and the Mobile Video Game Revolution
Stat Firm Reports Less Than 1% of Subscribers Playing Netflix Games
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/cyberwarfare-2-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/chinese-hackers-deploy-fake-news-site-to-infect-government-energy-targets-177036.html
Chinese Hackers Deploy Fake News Site To Infect Government, Energy Targets
5 Cyber Safety Tips To Survive the Internet, Hackers and Scammers
Top Universities Exposing Students, Faculty and Staff to Email Crime
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/customer-experience-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/how-not-to-do-cx-lenovo-style-177024.html
How Not To Do CX, Lenovo Style
KYY 15.6″ Portable Monitor Packs Value With a Healthy Feature Set
New Linux Laptop Line Advances HP, System76 Open-Source Collaboration
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/covid-news-smartphone-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/meta-moves-to-back-off-removing-covid-misinformation-from-platforms-176937.html
Meta Moves To Back Off Removing Covid Misinformation From Platforms
Hack Your Metabolism To Improve Health With the Lumen Smart Device
Amazon Rolls Out Alexa for Senior Living and Healthcare Providers
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/solar-panel-home-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/the-coming-wave-of-next-generation-home-solar-companies-177031.html
The Coming Wave of Next-Generation Home Solar Companies
Home Security Market Thriving Despite Dread of False Alarms
Digital Devices of Corporate Brass Ripe for Hacker Attacks
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/smartphone-user-puzzled-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/6-signs-cybercriminals-infected-your-phone-and-how-to-fix-it-176911.html
6 Signs Cybercriminals Infected Your Phone and How To Fix It
Start Here When Things Go Wrong on Your Linux System
Computers Use Processes, So Should You
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/06/canonical-ubuntu-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/ubuntu-core-22-release-addresses-challenges-of-iot-edge-computing-176583.html
Ubuntu Core 22 Release Addresses Challenges of IoT, Edge Computing
Foundries and Arduino Team To Patch IoT Devices
Remote Work Heightens Privacy and Security Anxiety Among Employees
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/press-conference-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/tech-whistleblowers-prefer-loud-exit-to-quiet-quitting-177039.html
Tech Whistleblowers Prefer Loud Exit To Quiet Quitting
IT Security Pros Push for Consolidated Standards, Vendor Products
Denmark Tops in Digital Quality of Life, US in Fifth Place
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/microsoft-word-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/new-software-vulnerability-zeroes-in-on-microsoft-programs-176806.html
New Software Vulnerability Zeroes In on Microsoft Programs
Hackers Cast LinkedIn as Most-Popular Phishing Spot
Forrester Pegs B2B Fraud, Cyber Insurance Complacency as Top Threats in 2022
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/boy-screen-time-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/kids-screen-use-sees-fastest-rise-in-4-years-176735.html
Kids’ Screen Use Sees Fastest Rise in 4 Years
Sports Betting Platforms Gambling With Substandard CX
Appdome CEO on Mobile App Security: No Developer, No Code, No Problem
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/Titan-Linux-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/titan-linux-beta-brings-simplicity-finesse-to-kde-remake-176554.html
Titan Linux Beta Brings Simplicity, Finesse to KDE Remake
Linux Security Study Reveals When, How You Patch Matters
New Breeze Theme Gives KDE Neon Release Lots of Sparkle
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/04/personal-file-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/pii-of-many-fortune-1000-execs-exposed-at-data-broker-sites-176668.html
PII of Many Fortune 1000 Execs Exposed at Data Broker Sites
US-Led Seizure of RaidForums May Defy Lasting Effect on Security
Atlas VPN Debuts MultiHop+ for Added Layer of Internet Privacy and Security
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/innoview-pm004-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/innoviews-15-6-4k-portable-panel-could-be-the-ultimate-touchscreen-accessory-176726.html
InnoView’s 15.6″ 4K Portable Panel Could Be the Ultimate Touchscreen Accessory
Rebuilding Ukraine: 3D Printing and the Metaverse Could Help Create the Cities of Tomorrow
InnoView 15.8″ Portable Display: More Screen Space for Small Devices
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/Space-BACN-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/darpa-moves-forward-with-project-to-revolutionize-satellite-communication-177003.html
DARPA Moves Forward With Project To Revolutionize Satellite Communication
Science, Art Inspire Women in Tech Entrepreneurship
Why Commercial Space Travel Is Unlikely To Scale Up
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/microsoft-bing-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/microsoft-bing-yandex-create-new-search-protocol-87311.html
Microsoft Bing, Yandex Create New Search Protocol
Botify SEO Platform Helps Brands Navigate Organic Search Rankings
Google Cloud Seeks To Cure Retailers’ Search Woes, Help Compete With Amazon
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/server-admins-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/cyber-asset-management-overwhelming-it-security-teams-87457.html
Cyber Asset Management Overwhelming IT Security Teams
30 Years of Linux History Told via Distros
Stale Open Source Code Rampant in Commercial Software: Report
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/03/digital-wallet-qr-code-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/whats-in-store-for-next-gen-digital-wallets-87451.html
What’s in Store for Next-Gen Digital Wallets
Apple Refreshes iPhone SE, iPad Air, Debuts Studio Desktop
Tesla Smartphone Could Be a Game Changer
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/social-media-apps-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/a-third-of-us-social-media-users-creating-fake-accounts-176987.html
A Third of US Social Media Users Creating Fake Accounts
Amazon Lawsuit Fingers Facebook Groups Recruiting Fake Reviewers
Big Tech Firms Move To Squash Deceptive Info on Ukraine Crisis
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/global-disaster-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/nvidia-launches-earth-2-and-goes-to-war-against-climate-change-87336.html
Nvidia Launches Earth 2 and Goes to War Against Climate Change
Kuo Predicts ‘iPhone 13’ Will Support Satellite Calls and Texting
30 Years Later, the Trajectory of Linux Is Star Bound
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/09/virtual-try-on-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/vr-platforms-deliver-metaverse-style-experiences-to-online-shopping-176865.html
VR Platforms Deliver Metaverse-Style Experiences to Online Shopping
Robotic Letter Writing Lends a Hand to Personalized Marketing, CRM
Don’t Become a Fool in the IT Gold Rush
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/surface-duo-2-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/microsoft-finally-has-truly-competitive-alternatives-to-apple-products-87282.html
Microsoft Finally Has Truly Competitive Alternatives to Apple Products
New iPad Mini Stars at Apple Refresh Event
Chromebook Shipments Jump 75% YoY in Q2
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/tug-of-war-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/musk-twitter-qualcomm-apple-netflix-microsoft-deciphering-the-insanity-176915.html
Musk-Twitter, Qualcomm-Apple, Netflix-Microsoft: Deciphering the Insanity
The World Is Not Yet Ready for Electric Cars
The Importance of the Metaverse Standards Forum
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/05/call-center-team-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/marketers-beware-floridas-mini-tcpa-176642.html
Marketers: Beware Florida’s Mini-TCPA
New EU Law Will Force Google, Meta, Others To Expose Algorithms
Pandemic, Compliance Driving Increased Privacy Spending
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/07/Lucid-Air-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/lucid-nvidia-and-the-rapidly-changing-future-of-electric-cars-176927.html
Lucid, Nvidia and the Rapidly Changing Future of Electric Cars
Rapid EV Adoption by Low-Income Drivers Needed To Curb Climate Change: Report
BlackBerry and Preparing for the Software-Defined Automobile
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/08/metaverse-future-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/nvidia-and-disney-can-breathe-life-into-the-metaverse-176993.html
Nvidia and Disney Can Breathe Life Into the Metaverse
The Metaverse Future: Are You Ready To Become a God?
New Recipe for Marketing Success: Blend Digital and CX, Mix Well With AI
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/02/vr-metaverse-300x156.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/apple-mr-specs-will-shun-metaverse-report-87385.html
Apple MR Specs Will Shun Metaverse: Report
Apple Wearables Holiday Sales Knock It Out of the Park
5 Terrific Tech Gift Ideas for Your Holiday Shopping List
https://www.technewsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/07/xl-2016-hacker-2-300x184.jpg
https://www.technewsworld.com/story/cybercriminals-employing-specialists-to-maximize-ill-gotten-gains-87200.html
Cybercriminals Employing Specialists To Maximize Ill-Gotten Gains
Encouraging Research Finds Brain Adjusts to ‘Third Thumb’
E-Commerce Tending to Health and Wellness Needs
Copyright 1998-2022 ECT News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Enter your Username and Password to sign in.