Tim Cook's Excuses Uninspiring

I just read David Smith's ReadWrite Article, Why Apple's iPad May Have Peaked.  Many readers know that I have a long history with Apple and did work with Tim Cook when I was director of Apple federal sales team. I have also credited Tim with being one of the three people who helped to save Apple.   Almost exaclty two years ago I said that Tim Cook might be the right person for Apple.

Unfortunately in the two years since I wrote that I have seen little evidence that Tim is the guy who can take Apple to the next level.  I was very disappointed that Tim basically blamed changes in channel inventory for the iPad's disappointing results.  The arguments are weak and typically would have been dismissed not very pleasantly in a Jobs led Apple.

Most people think Apple's success hinges on making great products, but Apple's got where it is by defining new categories and changing the way we interact with devices.  Since Tim Cook has been at the helm, Apple has fallen into the game of trying to beat other devices on specifications. There have been no new categories.

Steve Jobs always said that trying to out spec another manufacturer was a losing battle.  What we have seen under Tim Cook basically proves that Steve was right.  Retina displays and the thinnest and lightest computers provide only a momentary victory because other manufacturers quickly catch up and pass you.

Tim Cook is a numbers guy.  There is nothing wrong with that, but his leadership has yet to to inspire the rest of Apple to find the next great thing which helps redefine computing.  Apple is a money machine and certainly is not going to disappear, but the disappointing iPad results are a clear warning that the mother ship definitely needs some attention.

The reality is that Amazon and others have products out there that cost less and have arguably better specs than the iPad. Others are eating the iPad's lunch and it is not a light channel inventory that is responsible for weak iPad numbers.

Unfortunately Apple's top down culture might need to be turned upside down before the next great thing can come out of Apple.

That is my nickel view on Apple from North Carolina's Crystal Coast.

 

Comments

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One of the great advantages of having you own blog when writing about Apple is that you get to decide which comments to publish.

If your comment shows that you don't understand the post, it is very unlikely your comment will be posted unless you show me something that I have not already seen from the world of Apple champions in the almost ten years I have been writing about Apple.

I think Apple builds very nice products, but I doubt the company has a sustainable culture.

Apple is not the most wonderful company in the world at least when you are working in the sales force there. My long experience working there is the basis of my views. My contacts who are still with Apple substantially agree with me.

Unless you have worked at Apple, you probably do not understand the culture of the company. It is very unlikely that someone who has never worked at Apple is going to change the views of someone who worked there nearly 20 years.

So keep your comments reasonable, intelligent and relevant to the post. Then make sure you can back them up if you expect them to be published. If I don't publish your comment, I have likely already dealt with a similar one in the over 2,000 comments that I have published on Applepeels.