When I watch live sports I keep seeing these iPhone 16 ads where they feature some new Apple Intelligence features. For example this one showing email summaries: https://youtu.be/_eJy6QyHaFM?si=x0D8W6yDcC2p9XcN
Of course you aren’t able to use any of these features yet and it seems very un-Apple like to advertise features you cannot use.
I think Apple is stumbling badly under Tim Cook. We had the very weird launch of the Vision Pro back in February which we never even discuss anymore in this forum. He cancelled the car project where they sunk billions of dollars with nothing to show for it and now this AI launch is also botched where they are advertising features that don’t exist yet.
I would not say it is “stumbling badly” but it’s a different company, that’s for sure, looking more like Nadella’s Microsoft with the push to nice, tasty recurring services. The dream of any consumer electronics manufacturer, the dreaded bore for us Apple fans.
While hardware-wise the last miracle were the AirPods, I think there is still some magic to Apple. This weekend I got my first Apple Watch and the pairing process and setup of the device is a thing of awe. My cards were migrated to the wallet, the AirPods were automatically recognised, my photos and health data were already there. My previous Garmin Forerunner feels like an ancient device (modulo battery duration --the Garmin keeps triggering its morning alarm even after three days without charging)
It’s been a long ride in the Apple ecosystem for me after 20 years but the experience of a new device always feel like this, I feel like I cannot go back… and that’s exactly what Tim is achieving. I don’t think Steve would have released the Vision Pro, but the rest of it? He would be glad.
Apple wasn’t late to the AI party, they still haven’t made an appearance. What else can they say in their advertisements? “Buy an iPhone 16 because it has a new camera button”?
I’ll need to replace my iPhone 11 next year. I’ll be happy if Apple AI is ready by the time they release the iPhone 17.
Thirteen years prior to Tim Cook becoming CEO, Apple was days away from being unable to pay their employees. If Microsoft had not invested $150 million dollars in Apple, and promised to continue making MS Office for Mac, Apple would have gone out of business.
Seven years after Tim Cook became CEO Apple became the world’s first $1 Trillion dollar company.
I’m still a fan of Apple hardware, but not the company. I’m all for the EU, and hopefully the US, reigning them in. IMO, they no longer “think different”, they “think profits” like any other big corporation.
I didn’t know Steve Jobs but I think it’s possible Apple may have surpassed his wildest dreams.
Agree. I’m sure the Board and shareholders are pretty happy with Tim Cook. I believe it won’t be too many more years before Tim announces his retirement and they search for a replacement. Be careful what you wish for, there’s no guarantee that his replacement will move the company forward.
Overall I think Apple’s executing very well. They’ve been able to avoid negative news with large layoffs.
I’m a bit perplexed by what I perceive is a sullying of the brand with the encroachment of ads into Apple’s UI. That’s not your clientele Apple. The CSAM debacle was another huge blunder and poor choice to burn money on a vanity car project which is simply beyond Apple’s core competency.
Cook is fine but the pressure will be huge on his successor to make shrewd decisions and not try to impart too much new direction too soon.
I would say the whole tech sucks: they criticise Apple but end up copying Apple. May be able to do one thing well but end up ruining their whole system.
Apple is just not bad and they have much room for improvement, but at least their experience overall is not bad, and as a big company they don’t always do what others are doing. Features that copy others can convince users to get used to.
I recommend reading this well considered piece by John Gruber regarding Apple under Jobs vs. Cook.
One bit that really stands out for me is this:
“Jobs was driven to improve the way computers work. Cook is driven to improve the way humans live. Accessibility and the environment are much higher priorities under Cook than they were under Jobs. Apple’s entire foray into Health has occurred under Cook’s leadership — and Health-related features were tentpole features in last week’s keynote. I wouldn’t be surprised if it cost far more money to get AirPods Pro certified as medical-grade hearing aids than Apple will make back in profits from an increase in sales. The Apple 2030 initiative to bring the company’s entire carbon footprint to net zero emissions is fundamentally about doing the right thing, not just selling more products.”
I don’t know. I think the Vision Pro may be to some future cheaper and better AR/VR product line as the Lisa was to the Mac. And he approved the Lisa. But he probably would have demanded that the physical design of the Vision Pro be lighter and more elegant first, though, even if it meant a delay in the release date.
I doubt he would have approved the notch, though, especially on MacBooks. It’s a clumsy design compromise that lacks the elegance he prized. But aside from that, he would have loved the Mx MacBook Airs. He always hated fans.
Shareholders probably wouldn’t agree. According to the Fool, $10,000 invested in AAPL when Tim Cook took control would be worth $163,000 today. Didn’t happen because no one wants the products or the marketing.
The Apple which makes hardware products is unsurpassed, no-one does it as well as Apple. The only thing I’ll say is that I don’t think that Jobs would have been as keen on selling old versions of products as Tim Cook is, but if that was the case, Apple wouldn’t be nearly as financially successful under Jobs as it has been under Cook.
Those gateway products, a cheaper iPhone SE, or 2 year old iPhone get people used to buying Apple.
It’s the nickle and diming that frustrates me, but given that Steve Jobs introduced iAds and hated others making money related to Apple products without literally paying their dues, I have no confidence that he would have been much different to Cook.
Tim Cook’s real legacy at Apple is his drive to use Apple products to make their actual lives better. Screentime, health tracking, Environmental targets… All Cook, Jobs would have had little to no interest I suspect.
I think it’s important to point out, the Orion glasses are not even close to being for sale yet. It’s speculated or may have been stated that they are at least 2-3 years away. What was shown last week was a prototype that costs $10,000 and has a battery life of 2-3 hours.
I don’t think the original poster and most follow-up posters considered profitability as the primary criteria for success vs. “stumbling.” There are clearly other factors that are important when considering Apple besides how much money is made.
I think with all the studies and evidence that smartphones are a root cause of our mental health issues. You would think that Apple wouldn’t invest in socially isolating tech like the Vision Pro or diversify the ecosystem away from iPhone reliance.
With the Apple Watch Apple definitely wants tech to actually benefit lives. But that message is mired in the dopamine addled mess our phones have left us in.
Yes, I was comparing the designs. The Orion glasses at least look like something that could eventually become the smart glasses that people keep dreaming about.
Thanks for linking out to that and providing the excerpt. I think John is right on with his take of the good things that Apple is doing under Cook. Am I remembering right that Apple didn’t really play in the charity/donation matching game under Jobs?
I’ll admit I’m growing a little tired of the “Steve wouldn’t have done this” complaint. No personal judgements to those who believe this, but at some point it’s time to move on. Under Tim Cook Apple has grown to immense profits, impacting so many lives (as Gruber points out). They try new products, some work/some don’t (but of course people complain about the ones that don’t). People complain that there hasn’t been a new iPhone-like device but look past the Watch, AirPods, etc.
What magic device do people want Apple to invent that will revolutionize the world? Or is Apple more about the systems of devices that will revolutionize my daily life? Seems ok to me.
Tim Cook executing poorly? Strong disagree with this. You’ve provided a few examples that don’t prove your point. But even worse, such a statement ignores the reality of the past 14 years.
To your points:
Yes, the ads should have included text specifying “Apple Intelligence: Coming in October” or similar.
No doubt Vision Pro was a unique launch for a new and unproven product category.
The car is non issue. Never announced as a public product. We can’t know anything other than what has been rumored. We don’t know how much was invested nor what Apple may have learned or developed from the project that may still have use in the future. Your take is lacking information.
Now, let’s look at how Apple has faired under his leadership.
In terms of financials, I don’t need to say anything. The answer in that regard is clear.
New products
Hardware
Airpods - a success.
Apple Watch had a slowish first 2-3 years. But has become a huge success not just in terms of profit but also it is Apple’s entry into the health market. And not just a strong offering but an industry leading offering that has set the bar.
HomePods - not a huge success but still in the lineup. I have a stereo pair of the originals and use them everyday.
The Vision Pro may not be a success, too soon to say. But I would guess that whatever happens with the AVP they have learned and have new technology as a result. Whether the tech makes it’s way into future generations of vision AR or into other products, I would guess that there is a treasure of innovation that has come from the development of the AVP.
The M series devices have changed the industry. We’ve just witnessed a monumental shift and other manufacturers are still trying to catch up. And along with the hardware was the release of macOS for ARM.
Continued, steady innovation of the iPhone, Mac and iPad line-ups. The only big flop/mistep that comes to mind would be the butterfly keyboard.
Services
iCloud - Announced by Steve, launched after Steve passed. Remember MobileMe? Yeah, that was Steve’s and it was a bit of a mess. iCloud took a couple of years but iCloud is now the foundation of the cloud experience for most of Apple’s customer base. Over time it’s been built into a phenomenal service and experience.
Apple Music - Another success launched under Cook
Apple Pay - Made mobile payments easy, accessible, and mainstream.
Apple TV+ Launched under a cloud of skepticism it’s grown into a pretty fantastic service.
MLS - So far so good.
Apple News+ Slow and steady. Still going, still growing
Apple Fitness+ As a companion to Apple Watch and Apple’s health initiatives seems to be doing well.
Software
Too much to say here but a couple highlights that came under Cook that people forget:
The transition to AFS. Yep, that lil’ ol’ thing happened in 2017. Apple moved millions of customers to an entirely new file system with narry a hiccup.
Swift, SwiftUI, Catalyst, various other technologies for the transition
macOS on ARM
Apple Park
Started by Jobs, finished by Ive and Cook
Covid Pandemic
A pretty big deal to navigate through. They sorted out a remote WWDC which resulted in an entirely new format for both WWDC as well as product launches.
Stayed on track with transition to M series Macs during this time
Social and Environmental commitments
A lot of changes and innovations in these areas under Cook.
There’s so much more that could be said about Cook’s time at Apple. It’s far from perfect. Apple’s been getting a lot of negative attention and no doubt they deserve some of it. But the general pile-on I see is undeserved and over-blown. The original post here being a good example.
