The iPhone 6 and Apple Watch double launch may have put some minds at rest, but Apple is undeniably still struggling to shake off lingering pessimism regarding its future—countless column inches having been dedicated to assessments of the company's mojo and conclusions on whether it can be regained in a post-Jobs era. Time, of course, will be the judge, but the recent iOS8 update withdrawal, 'Celebgate' iCloud scandal and even the astronomical Beats buy-out, are all reminders (painful for the most fanatic) that things have not quite been the same since the untimely departure of Steve.
Recorded in 1995 and released in 2012, 'Steve Job: The Lost Interview' (full video), shows the then-ousted visionary offering a striking summation of how technology giants like IBM and Xerox lost their foothold at the height of their success. This clip from the interview is now, of course, making rounds with the suggestion that Jobs's analysis bears striking relevance regarding the current state of his former company.
In this part of the interview, Job's offers a stark warning to technology giants—or perhaps indeed any other manufacturer, service provider or brand— who could be accused of resting on their laurels putting too much faith in the powers of Sales and Marketing. The story may sound all too familiar to in-house designers struggling to make an impact:Companies forget what it takes to make great products. The product sensibility, the product genius that brought them to this monopolistic position is rotted out... The people running these companies [then] have no conception of a good product versus a bad product. They've got no conception of the craftsmanship that's required to take a good idea and turn it into a good product. They really have no feeling in their heart about wanting to really help the customers.
The writing may not be on the wall but rather the retina display. Whether Apple can reassert their strength is yet to be seen, but any revival is sure to dovetail with the reinstatement of "product people" at the heart of Apple Campus.
And for any of you "product people" out there fighting a similar battle—this clip might just come in handy at the next meeting with management.
Hat tip to Bug London
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Right - because when Steve Jobs was around nothing ever went wrong - not "antennagate", the ill-fated MobileMe launch, the stock backdating scandal, the cracking cube. Oh and lets not forget that the iPod is JUST an big iPod Touch.
Things are exactly the same but people idealized the past.
1. They are not product companies any longer (nor do they wish to be). They are ecosystem companies. They release products that may not be apparent wins or may address a niche market but are part of an ecosystem strategy (see Apple TV, Google Glass, Amazon Fire tablets).
2. They have a long term view of the ecosystem battle. Much like NetFlix and Amazon spending like crazy to grow marketshare, Google giving away Android and free Gmail, Apple creating their own Maps program, purchasing Beats, they are doing this for the long haul. Focusing on glitches along the way, means you are ignoring their overarching strategy where a few glitches are consider an acceptable loss.
Lastly, Steve Jobs wasn't perfect. He made frequent decisions that didn't pan out or initially looked bad. However, for better or for worse, he had an essential belief in his own taste that allowed him to keep pushing forward despite apparent failures. He often was able to take a great idea with mediocre execution and eventually turn it into a great idea with great execution. He was stubborn.
The evidence that I've seen is the short term thinkers like Steve Forstall have been forced out and only the collaborative long-term thinkers are being groomed. And they are all very quiet about their plans because they would rather the competition doesn't see them coming.