Friday, October 07, 2011

No rear view mirror, Apple

The graphic really started it all for me. Most love it, I think it is dreadful, and actualizes one of the worst things that could happen to apple.

It shows Steve Jobs - doing what? - looking down at Apple from above - his eternal gaze fixed on the company? His specter will wander the halls of cupertino for some time to come - his DNA is embedded in the company.

That I think the graphic is terrible  - but it is a matter of taste - I know many like it - but what it embodies is an Apple that looks back - not forward. I can't believe that people are clamoring for it to become the new Apple logo. It is exactly the worst possible thing that could happen to Apple. A company that fails to look forward because it is always looking backward - towards the legacy of Steve - constantly asking itself (under the ghost like glare of Steve) "What would Steve do?". This is a classic scenario for decline - one where the company becomes held hostage to a legacy. This happened to Disney. There was a gap where after Walt Disney died, Disney Pictures made a series of lousy movies - but eventually they escaped it.

Steve Jobs worked hard to make Apple what it is today. I sorely miss him - like many. I have witnessed too many great people die in my life.

The logo points to a crippled, wounded company. I would hope that instead - let Apple be Apple - not Steve's Company. This is the only way the legacy can truly be alive. If people want to wear it on a t-shirt - fine - I think (and hope) ultimately it goes the way of the American flags that everyone had on their car/SUV after we invaded to Iraq. But they will need to let go at some point - and be willing to accept that Apple will (and should) move on.

No rear view mirror, Apple

The graphic really started it all for me. Most love it, I think it is dreadful, and actualizes one of the worst things that could happen to apple.

It shows Steve Jobs - doing what? - looking down at Apple from above - his eternal gaze fixed on the company? His specter will wander the halls of cupertino for some time to come - his DNA is embedded in the company.

That I think the graphic is terrible  - but it is a matter of taste - I know many like it - but what it embodies is an Apple that looks back - not forward. I can't believe that people are clamoring for it to become the new Apple logo. It is exactly the worst possible thing that could happen to Apple. A company that fails to look forward because it is always looking backward - towards the legacy of Steve - constantly asking itself (under the ghost like glare of Steve) "What would Steve do?". This is a classic scenario for decline - one where the company becomes held hostage to a legacy. This happened to Disney. There was a gap where after Walt Disney died, Disney Pictures made a series of lousy movies - but eventually they escaped it.

Steve Jobs worked hard to make Apple what it is today. I sorely miss him - like many. I have witnessed too many great people die in my life.

The logo points to a crippled, wounded company. I would hope that instead - let Apple be Apple - not Steve's Company. This is the only way the legacy can truly be alive. If people want to wear it on a t-shirt - fine - I think (and hope) ultimately it goes the way of the American flags that everyone had on their car/SUV after we invaded to Iraq. But they will need to let go at some point - and be willing to accept that Apple will (and should) move on.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Goodbye Zune

Microsoft's Zune is dead. It really has been a zombie undead platform for over a year now, as Microsoft shifted focus on their mobile phone platform.

So, the phrase "(fill in the blank with some technology or product) got zuned" never caught on. The reaction for some is that the device was nice, but was always too late to the party. It is, in a way, tragic of course, but ultimately it was a crippled product that didn't offer enough of a reason not to buy an iPod. Wifi on the device was crippled at a time that Apple didn't have a mobile media player with Wifi. The Windows software was a severely weak link; many didn't really like it, and there was no software for the Mac or other platforms.

The upside is that Microsoft learned a lot from the Zune (or so I hope) - the new mobile platform has a nicer UI, and there is the Xbox 360 - which is the greatest single argument that I can make that Microsoft really is capable of making great consumer products (yes, including their desktop OS and software applications). Pinning their hopes on a mobile phone OS is a good call indeed, and with Nokia as a strategic partner - I actually feel much more optimistic that this might actually be successful. Certainly, another competitor to Android and iOS would be welcome - generating new ideas for UI design, user experience, feature sets. Stay tuned (not zuned) indeed.