Blake Dowling
How many of us use Apple products in our day to day business, political and personal lives?
When I switched from a Treo to an iPhone 3GS in 2009, it was a game changer for workplace mobility; a truly wonderful device (which I still have as a paperweight).
I read Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs last year; it was tremendous.
The chapter describing the creation of the 1984 Apple Super Bowl ad and the launch of the iPhone years later were certainly highlights.
Jobs and Steve Wozniak, lighting the world on fire with innovation. The us-against-the-world mentality of the Super Bowl ad, the Apple Board said in ‘84 “do not run this ad.” They did it anyway. It is now considered one of the best commercials of all time.
Ten years ago, the launch of the iPhone was even more epic. Combining functionality in a single device that I use (and could not live without, methinks) every day.
Is Apple still capable of the kind of innovation that took them from irrelevance to dominance? The stock price sure says so, and they are doing some volume at $155.00 a share.
But is there innovation along with volume?
I purchased a new iPad to replace my iPad 2 from six years ago. Years later, it’s still called iPad. Granted it was cool when Led Zepplin, in the middle of their heyday, had a self-titled album. But I was expecting some sort of awesome name from Apple, like maybe “iPad4?”
The features seem the same overall. Granted, I uncover slivers of brilliance as I dive in; while watching the WatchESPN app, I can switch over to email and have a small screen of the app still running in the corner. That’s cool.
On to the annual Apple event; they hosted the Apple World Wide Developers Conference this week. It’s time to compare Apples to Apples, or Apple to Apple actually, and see what those brainiacs are up to for 2017. T
he HomePod is one of the new offerings getting the closing spot, to compete against the Amazon Echo. So, to go along with the earlier theme, it appears Apple is playing catch-up. It’s Siri versus Alexa for real.
Also out is the biggest, baddest iMac Pro – which can be yours starting at $5K. Don’t you love how car salespeople say, “starting at a certain price,” instead of how much it is the way I would want it?
In that case, it would be $7K. Ouch.
Does that come with a toaster? How about a timeshare in Branson? Because nothing says “seven large” for hardware like Elvis impersonators in Missouri. (Although this fella looks more like Andrew Dice Clay than Elvis.)
So, in other news from the Apple event, Amazon Prime is coming to Apple TV.
This does nothing for me until College Football (as a whole) gets in line with a unified streaming service. Until then, I will continue to drink from the Comcast fountain.
Also, a red iPhone is coming out, yay. Just kidding. I don’t care about that either.
New Apple Watch OS? Nope; not interested.
It all comes down to the HomePod. Will this rocket Apple even further into the world of innovation, or will it sit second (or third) behind the products already dominating the market share?
I’m an Apple fan (as mentioned earlier). I love my iPad and iPhone, just not without all the fluff. I simply want to see them being the best-in-class innovators as they once were.
As Mr. Jobs once said: “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.”
___
Blake Dowling is CEO of Aegis Business Technologies; he can be reached at [email protected].
