State of Mobile part III: Apple

Apple of past.

 To understand Apple's current position in the market we must first take a trip into the past. Join me as we turn the clock back to 1996. We will begin our trip at the point in history when Steve Jobs returned to Apple. Steve returned through the purchase of NeXT a company he start after being fired from Apple and it was clear Apple was failing and in need of direction. Steve provided that vision, also hiring key personnel to realize his vision for the company. He believed in having razor focus on a small number of great products. As a result of this idea Apple grew back to profitability and the hits kept coming. The rest is history, Apple now stands as one of the largest pillars of modern technology. 

 Apple of structure.

 Something went wrong along the way, it was not immediate but it was a gradual build up of what is now a huge hurdle Apple must cross to succeed. Steve in all his insecurities made the company more about himself than about the company itself. This in my opinion was to guard his position at the head. Mr. Jobs once said in an address; 

"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." 

Well Steve Jobs died and he has left his company with a void he himself created. People are now questioning and doubting every move, there is a sense of uncertainty surrounding a company known for innovation. A CEO who excels more in the number crunching is now in-charge and its no secret he lacks the vision Steve possessed. The structure problem also continues; Apple is company top heavy by design with secrets weaved in the very fabric of the campus walls at infinite loop. Unlike Google who's approach is an open approach to creativity where pockets of people are allowed to be creative while Apple seems to be the opposite. Few elite brilliant men hand picked by Jobs himself run Apple. 

 Apple's current product position. 

 If you take a look at Apple's product portfolio you will see innovation but that innovation seems to be only manifested in the hardware side of their products. The iPhone 5, a physical triumph, the iPad mini's a beauty to behold, the retina display of the iPad 3 & 4, magnificent, the new iMac's slim and 'sexy' frame and then there is the new macbook retina display that screams magic. Then we take a step over to the software side and everything goes downhill. Maps, limited iCloud, limited and gimmicky Siri, stale iOS, its clear Apple has a software problem.

 Why iOS sucks.

 Lets take a moment to describe today's generation through my eyes. Today we have young people who's emotions control them instead of the opposite direction. We have youths who switch personalities every two days based on how high the sun is in the sky, that is todays generation where every waking feeling, moment and thought is either twitted or Facebooked. The young generation seeks to impose what ever they are feeling on everything that is around them. The smartphone included. When I listen to why people like Android I can see why iOS sucks but iOS at its core mirrors a desktop OS where you pick it up to do work and not the distractions that seem so important to today's youth. 

 "For the techies however the story differs but we are only but a small fraction of the market." 

 iOS lacks the "pretty" of android but at its core its just as powerful since its basically a scaled down version of OSX. iOS however has some clear omissions (major one: updates at a glance) for a OS thats suppose to replace the traditional PC. Apple needs to close the gap between what someone can do on a laptop and on a phone or tablet before it can continue harping on the post PC mantra. Plus lets face it iOS needs a face lift! 

 Hope of Apple.

 Firstly Apple needs to show the world that they can survive even thou Steve Jobs has passed on. It must have a strong hand in the face of adversity. Secondly the company needs to ensure ideas are not only just trickled down from on high by those few great men but come from all angles of the company! Thirdly Apple needs to figure out how to do great, fresh, 'working' software again! Based on Apple's update cycle its huge update on the hardware side then the next year is a focus on the software. Iphone 3GS to iphone 4 was hardware focused. Iphone 4 to 4S was software focus which points to this year being the year Apple tries to "wow" us on the software front, iphone 5 to 5S. Having seen Apple stumble software wise I'm uncertain Apple can deliver but I will hold judgement until the late June/July. 2013 is the year Apple must step up and show the world that it has what it takes to deliver a strong software product but if they pass on this chance this year I'm afraid it will be to late for Apple to regain its innovator crown.