Live data from Hacker News

Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

m.youtube.com

41–50 of 87 posts

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#41

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.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#42
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 remeber the same arguments for serial ports, ethernet ports, ADB ports and optical drives. The headphone jack is gone and not coming back to the iPhone.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#43

I try to consume anything Steve says in these types of video. He might have been a terrible person sometimes but he is the greatest business man ever.

I agree. Whatever he might have been in his personal life, his business sense, and marketing acumen really make it a pleasure to watch the keynotes, and video interviews.

Full disclaimer, I was a full-on Apple fanboi from the Nineties to the mid 2010s.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#44

Its kind of funny how Steve Jobs, dismiss all his analysis on the final sentence with “but anyway, it’s all ancient history now, doesn’t matter any more”

I thought so originally. But honestly, I think part of him is genuinely sad that Xerox failed the way it did.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#45
post #22

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…

>( 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.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#47

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

And now we have

* 7 macs

* 4 ipads

* 4 iphones

* 2 tv's

17 products ?

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#48
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don’t, the latest commercial technology consists of disposable sensors that require a probe to penetrate the skin. Whoever brings something non-invasive (and reusable) to market will be raking it in whether they’re apple or not.

PKVitality has a sensor array that is pretty much non-invasive: https://www.pkvitality.com/ktrack-glucose/ There's also an alternative using radiofrequency: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4641327/

> PKVitality

That product doesn't exist yet, the video on the home page is 18 months old so it's probably not feasible / accurate.

Re: Steve Jobs on why Xerox failed

#50

I try to consume anything Steve says in these types of video. He might have been a terrible person sometimes but he is the greatest business man ever.

I think the important question we all need to ask ourselves is whether he was successful because he was an asshole, or whether he was successful despite being an asshole?

A lot of people seem to think that 'asshole' is a stepping stone to success. With no evidence to support it either way, I try to live presuming that it was 'despite'. That Apple could have been ever greater had he managed to be assertive and strong without being abusive.

Post reply on HN