Live data from Hacker News

You Can't Innovate Like Apple

pragmaticmarketing.com

1–10 of 71 posts

Re: You Can't Innovate Like Apple

#2
Before starting my company, I worked as a product manager for a good 10 years and few other things after that. Truths like the Henry Ford quote: "If I’d have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me ‘A faster horse.’" are good and true but as this article points out, there is only room for one Apple and one Ford at any one time or any one industry. The rest of us have to be pragmatic and consider product innovation as something that's very central and very interdependent with all other aspects of a company's strategy and tactics (people, technology, customers, capital, competition, etc.).

Re: You Can't Innovate Like Apple

#3
I think there are plenty of companies that innovate like Apple, but none of them make hardware.

You can make a great piece of software with just a few programmers. But making a great gadget requires so many different specialized services and such a large scale operation that it's impossible to get everyone drinking the same kool-aid.

If DIY manufacturing ever takes off, that's when you will see Apple caliber products coming from other people (but you'll have to print them yourself).

Re: You Can't Innovate Like Apple

#6
post #4

If this is true then how did ping and the new iTunes icon make it past the 10-3-1. I am joking but not everything is perfect. Just not sure how those two slipped through.

Exactly. He says, "Quick, identify 10 different pieces of technology that truly meet your needs and that don’t bug you due to a major flaw you either have to live with or compensate for in some fashion. Could you come up with more than five? I didn’t think so," as if Apple's strategy is to land on that list.

I use and enjoy my share of Apple's wares, but even if I could come up with 10 different pieces of technology that never piss me off, none of them would be from Apple. Has this guy ever used iTunes, or dealt with the App Store?

Re: You Can't Innovate Like Apple

#7
post #4

If this is true then how did ping and the new iTunes icon make it past the 10-3-1. I am joking but not everything is perfect. Just not sure how those two slipped through.

Exactly. He says, "Quick, identify 10 different pieces of technology that truly meet your needs and that don’t bug you due to a major flaw you either have to live with or compensate for in some fashion. Could you come up with more than five? I didn’t think so," as if Apple's strategy is to land on that list. I use and enjoy my share of Apple's wares, but even if I could come up with 10 different pieces of technology…

I am not enthusiastic about the App Store as a developer, but as a user I'm pretty happy as it is the best app store I've seen judging by the quality and number of the apps available.

Surely I'm seeing Android taking over just because it will sell more devices, but the Android Marketplace is really shitty ... I can't even sell or buy apps for Christ's sake, as my country is not on their list (I can do both from the App Store).

And you would think Google has experience in building web services.

So the iTunes App Store may be painful with lots of restrictions and cursed with an awful workflow for publishing apps, but at least it works.

Re: You Can't Innovate Like Apple

#10

Lorem Ipsum is Greek huh? How can I read the rest of the article without vexation knowing that the writer can't identify a simple foreign language and a prolific tool of design?

"Greek text" is a bit of industry jargon for placeholder text such as... lorem ipsum.
Post reply on HN