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Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

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Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#61
post #45
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>( they aren't bad... we just thought it could be better ) And those points are precisely, numbers. In terms of Products, Three years after the introduction of MacBook Pro Touch Bar, I still think the previous gen MacBook Pro is much better. Four Years after introduction of Homekit, Nearly 7 years since they kicked out Scott forstall because of Apple Maps, and it is still pieces of crap outside US, UK and China. How…

But you still bought one and my guess will continue to buy them retelling stories of glory when the mac was best. You are still part of there marketing machine.

What a completely thoughtless reply. No. MacBooks still offer an excellent value in part because MacOS is less of a tire fire than Windows 10 and the hardware is still near the top. They are premium product that continues to have outsized market share in the development and education segments. The iPhone ecosystem continues to offer distinct advantages over Android in terms of privacy, support and quality. And these facts are evidenced by the market. None of this will change overnight, but it can change and furthermore the thesis here is it will change if Apple doesn’t get its act together.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#62

I remember that back then it was very hard to figure out which Apple computer to buy. Model names had proliferated, thanks to the marketing department, and you needed a spreadsheet to figure out the differences between them. One of the best things Steve ever did was to reduce the offerings to just "four great products." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkVs4ZqWgN8

Ironically it has become too confusing to know which Iphone to buy. The X* naming convention isn't helping one bit either.

How is it hard to discern X vs XS compared to 7 and 7S?

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#63
post #26
post #2

For Tim Cook it would be a good idea to take a closer look at this video...

Or Cook could just listen to the legions of formerly loyal iPhone customers who refuse to buy phones that don't have a 3.5mm plug or require one to use Face ID. Or the Mac users who are eternally pissed off that products are too expensive and under-equipped (Mac mini) or "intentionally broken" (Touch Bar on MacBook Pro) or forgotten (is the Mac Pro ever going to get a hardware update -- or the iPod Touch for that mat…

I don't think you could make legions out of iPhone users not wanting Face ID.

I can't say the same for 3.5mm (although I think both groups are misguided).

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ironically it has become too confusing to know which Iphone to buy. The X* naming convention isn't helping one bit either.

How is it hard to discern X vs XS compared to 7 and 7S?

Is X the newest? I don't really Apple, but I feel like models of the 8 or 9 came after the X.

I assume X means 10 like 'OS X', so I would assume it's the 10th gen iPhone, but I don't know.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is it hard to discern X vs XS compared to 7 and 7S?

Is X the newest? I don't really Apple, but I feel like models of the 8 or 9 came after the X. I assume X means 10 like 'OS X', so I would assume it's the 10th gen iPhone, but I don't know.

the X models are the newest. There is no 9, the 8 is the last "non-X" model.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#66

The Touch Bar is the perfect example of marketing people hijacking the product to push sales without helping customers.

I avoided upgrading to the new MacBooks for as long as possible because of everything I read about the the Touch Bar, how awful it is, etc. I finally upgraded and... it’s fine. Actually, I don’t really mind it at all, and sometimes it’s kind of delightful.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#67
post #2

For Tim Cook it would be a good idea to take a closer look at this video...

People give Tim Cook a hard time, but he’s objectively a brilliant executive. What people have been seeking since Jobs died is a spiritual leader, and, well, those don’t come around as often.

I will say though, the current jumble of iPhone models reminds me a lot of all the various power macs available when Jobs returned to Apple, got rid of them all, and established the 4-quadrant product line of personal/professional, desktop/portable.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#68
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the 90s Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy, was dependent solely on the Mac, contracting rather than growing and had no operating system strategy. Today, Apple earns 70b/year profit, is growing at 10% per year and is incredibly diversified. They could survive on any one of their businesses and in recent years grew two from nothing i.e. Services and Wearables into 1B+ businesses. And they still have their 1B/year…

It's the usual market disease of "growth above all" - apple's growth is slowing, ergo they're in trouble. Doesn't matter that the current revenues/profits are astronomical, only thing that matters is that it keeps getting more, more, more!

Lots of company don't have that expectations, management just have to be clear about it and happy with a PE of 7-10. You can't be a trillion dollar company and don't have growth.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#69
post #52

I do believe this is what's happening at Blizzard at the moment. The company has completely derailed in the last year. [1] And the fan response over several core franchises has been very vocal. Activision is literally ripping the soul out of these guys in order to justify crap like microtransactions; a concept that wasn't very Blizzard-like up until recently. 1: https://kotaku.com/with-activisions-influence-growing-b…

They really haven’t been in that great a state since WoW released, and its just been going downhill from there

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#70
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is X the newest? I don't really Apple, but I feel like models of the 8 or 9 came after the X. I assume X means 10 like 'OS X', so I would assume it's the 10th gen iPhone, but I don't know.

the X models are the newest. There is no 9, the 8 is the last "non-X" model.

So whats the difference between the XR, XS, X max (is that a thing? Feel like I've heard that). Which iPhone has a notch? Which one has a home button still?

These are questions I've heard over the holidays from friends and family, questions that were unthinkable when Jobs ran Apple.

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