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Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

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Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#101

Post by icebraining »

apozem wrote: post #46
Roritharr wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He's a man with principles and for this I appreciate him a lot, maybe more than I ever appreciated Steve Jobs. Is he really? I mean from a strategic point of view he currently only has to gain from giving that outward appearance. Occam's Razor tells me that he is just luckily able to tread the high road because for him its the one without toll booths.

You can interpret public stances of principle as various ways of making money in the long term, but I do buy that Tim Cook cares about doing the right thing in some areas. > (An) NCPPR representative asked Mr. Cook to commit right then and there to doing only those things that were profitable. What ensued was the only time I can recall seeing Tim Cook angry, and he categorically rejected the worldview behind the NCPP…

If I wasn't aware enough about the US political landspace, reading that I'd be convinced that the NCPPR representative could only be a bad plot by Apple for PR. I mean, "commit to doing only those things that were profitable"? It's like asking if he plans to add "Darth" to his name.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#102

Post by the_watcher »

aetherson wrote: post #100
the_watcher wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't know what Amazon does for AI, I haven't seen anything convincing from them Alexa is easily the best voice assistant, at least in terms of actually understanding what is being asked. When it can't help, it's far more often because it can't find a result or because Amazon/the app builder hasn't built Alexa into the product yet (still drives me crazy that asking Alexa to play an HBO show only works with HBO Go…

I don't know if Alexa is the "best" voice assistant, but up until Google Home ships (has it yet?) it's the "only" voice assistant in the place that voice assistants actually matter. It'll be interesting to see if Google overtakes the Echo. I'm not a fan of Google's "no apps" approach.

I agree, I don't know if it's the best. I just know that it recognizes the words I say to it better than any other I have used, oftentimes without needing to speak in the artificially clear voice that most tend to associate with voice control.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#103

Post by JustSomeNobody »

the_watcher wrote: post #85
cm2187 wrote: post #76

My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. My experience with large corporations is that they naturally produce mediocrity. The ownership of the final product or service is too diluted, with too many people involved, pulling in too many conflicting directions. They employ people who individually know what "good" means and what should be done in an id…

> My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. This argument would be a lot stronger had Microsoft not begun making such major improvements as soon as Ballmer was replaced with Nadella.

Have they really, though? I mean, sure, they've got the ole' hype train's pistons pumping and the fanboys woohooing, but they still have produced a version of Windows that is clunky and controversial. They open sourced some stuff, but that's only because they are pushing for the clouds, not some actual change in philosophy. Microsoft's changes are all skin deep.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#104

Post by alanh »

the_watcher wrote: post #90
protomyth wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you take a look back, Steve Ballmer was responsible for a lot of the success of Microsoft. He mostly got hate because people hated Microsoft. I'm don't think Ballmer's list of accomplishments at Microsoft is fully appreciated particularly compared to the good press Tim Cook as enjoyed.

No, Ballmer got hate because Microsoft's consumer products consistently flopped. The stuff that those of us who flipped to Apple while he was in charge used (Zune, Windows Vista, original Surface, Windows Phone) were consistently underwhelming. However, Ballmer was simply inarguably an effective CEO from the perspective of investors. He grew the enterprise business consistently (which has a huge amount of value for l…

For the kids out there: “original Surface” isn’t what you think. It was a “smart table” and its most compelling use case was to present a menu right underneath your place setting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#105

Post by cm2187 »

the_watcher wrote: post #85
cm2187 wrote: post #76

My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. My experience with large corporations is that they naturally produce mediocrity. The ownership of the final product or service is too diluted, with too many people involved, pulling in too many conflicting directions. They employ people who individually know what "good" means and what should be done in an id…

> My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. This argument would be a lot stronger had Microsoft not begun making such major improvements as soon as Ballmer was replaced with Nadella.

I am not sure it has. Surface isn't exactly an ipad killer. And the more I use Windows 10, the more I miss Windows 7.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#106

Post by the_watcher »

alanh wrote: post #104
the_watcher wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Ballmer got hate because Microsoft's consumer products consistently flopped. The stuff that those of us who flipped to Apple while he was in charge used (Zune, Windows Vista, original Surface, Windows Phone) were consistently underwhelming. However, Ballmer was simply inarguably an effective CEO from the perspective of investors. He grew the enterprise business consistently (which has a huge amount of value for l…

For the kids out there: “original Surface” isn’t what you think. It was a “smart table” and its most compelling use case was to present a menu right underneath your place setting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxk_WywMTzc

Heh, thanks for reminding me of that.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#107

Post by erikb »

"got a major release of Windows out without the usual trauma"? Did he already release Windows8? If Steve Blank talks about Windows 10 he must have missed something, or the usual trauma he experiences is way worse than what I would even think possible as an extreme case.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#108

Post by JustSomeNobody »

LaSombra wrote: post #53
samastur wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Magic Mouse happened on Jobs' watch.

Well, it did, but the second iteration happened under Cook. The original one uses AA batteries while the second iteration, pictured above, uses an integrated battery that needs recharge using the Lightning cable. As you can see, there was no redesign to accommodate this new requirement besides slapping the charge port under the mouse, making it impossible to use while charging.

It takes courage to make products that can't be used (fully) while they charge. Magic mouse, Macbook, now iPhone.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#109

Post by the_watcher »

JustSomeNobody wrote: post #103
the_watcher wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. This argument would be a lot stronger had Microsoft not begun making such major improvements as soon as Ballmer was replaced with Nadella.

Have they really, though? I mean, sure, they've got the ole' hype train's pistons pumping and the fanboys woohooing, but they still have produced a version of Windows that is clunky and controversial. They open sourced some stuff, but that's only because they are pushing for the clouds, not some actual change in philosophy. Microsoft's changes are all skin deep.

Yes, they have. I know there is a lot of institutional hatred for Microsoft from the tech sector that will take a while to overcome. But you'll be able to call changes "skin deep" forever if you choose to explain anything positive away as marketing only.

Re: Why Tim Cook Is Steve Ballmer and Why He Still Has His Job at Apple

#110

Post by the_watcher »

cm2187 wrote: post #105
the_watcher wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My opinion is that the failure of Microsoft has less to do with Ballmer than with the absence of a Steve Jobs. This argument would be a lot stronger had Microsoft not begun making such major improvements as soon as Ballmer was replaced with Nadella.

I am not sure it has. Surface isn't exactly an ipad killer. And the more I use Windows 10, the more I miss Windows 7.

2 flawed products does not negate everything else that has improved. I say this as someone who still has not bought a Microsoft product in over 5 years.
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