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If Steve Jobs walked into Apple Computer now, which products would he nix?

adam9c1

adam9c1

macrumors 68000
May 2, 2012
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He would get rid of the long lines at the Genius Bar.
Made appointment on Friday for next Tuesday mid day.
This is a trend as I've used the Bar few times last year and each time I had several day delay.
Epic Fail.
 
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an-other

macrumors 6502
Aug 12, 2011
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Not a fan of these what would Steve Jobs do articles. His legacy, both successes and failures stands on its own accord. No need for others to artificially push their agenda by saying "Steve Jobs would do this."

My viewpoint only:

1. Clean up the lower end/entry level laptop. There's just too many Products for an average person to make a distinction. Adding colours to laptops seems like you're running out of ideas.

2. Keep the MBP 15" fresh.

3. Fix or blow-up iTunes to multiple programs. Anyone with a media collection above 100 songs or movies probably swears about the program every time they use it. How hard should it be to find/play "In the City?"

4. Mac Mini is a missed opportunity. Flat screen tvs = monitors. A cheap entry point or "add on point."

5. Figure out a pro model. Could that be a mini on steroids? A reinvigorated mac pro?

6. Thin the iPad line. It's getting bloated.

7. Continue to invest in the watch. It's the future. There will be a day people won't want to carry around a phone.

8. Love music. No one wants cords. No one wants low quality music. We have a generation of people that don't know high quality sound. How about a new boring old ipod classic when bluetooth hi res is figured out?

9. Keep the Apple Stores humming. People have some mixed experiences for sure. I've only had very positive ones. It's a good thing when your biggest complaint is they're busy.

10. Quadruple down on leaks. Most people don't realise that in the early days, Apple's secrecy is what kept it viable. Other companies could build things quicker and faster. You release the specs in advance, you would've been crushed before your product was released. (That noted I love reading about leaks.)

11. Stay the course with security and privacy. I'm scared to know what the next 20 years will bring if people don't make it a priority. Anyone who works in a corporation knows how things get pushed to Phase 2 when cost overruns occur. This should never happen with Security/privacy.

12. Think 5 steps ahead of what's in my head. Super hard for sure.
 
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maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
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an-other said:
10. Quadruple down on leaks. Most people don't realise that in the early days, Apple's secrecy is what kept it viable. Other companies could build things quicker and faster. You release the specs in advance, you would've been crushed before your product was released. (That noted I love reading about leaks.)
Click to expand...
That was much easier in the earlier days because Apple was able to either manufacture their products themselves or they were not THE company to follow and so few people really cared.

Now that their products are made globally and everyone is so interested in know the latest rumors or designs, its all but impossible.

As comparison point, just consider how quiet the iMac/Mac Pr rumors have been these past 5 years.
We had no idea of the redesign of the MP, or the 5k iMac. I think the secrecy was a result of less desire compared to the iPhone
 
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the8thark

the8thark

macrumors 601
Apr 18, 2011
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Apple Watch bands (most of them and only keep a few distinctly Apple ones)
Apple Watch Edition
Apple Watch series 1
iPad Mini
iPhone plus size (the larger standard size stays so you have the phone size SE and the mini tablet size 7, the 7+ is gone)
The entire Beats line up
Dr Dre
All of the product/part leakers

Sure Jobs was CEO when Ive created some of them but Jobs did just not add more and more products. When one product is no longer needed it has to go. The iPad mini is no longer needed because the new iPhones are really tablets that can also make a phone call.
 
T

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
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I don't think any person walking into Apple today would axe their own creations, if it didn't play out. why did he do it in the first place ?

Sure, u gotta try before it fails, but i give more credit to Steve, rather than Tim, for focus on what works, and what doesn't. This isn't about how many products have designed by whom, its more about the right way.
 
Michael Goff

Michael Goff

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Jul 5, 2012
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The more I think about it, the more I come to suspect he'd get rid of things like 3D Touch and the Force Touch Trackpad.
 
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Phil A.

Phil A.

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Apr 2, 2006
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the8thark said:
The iPad mini is no longer needed because the new iPhones are really tablets that can also make a phone call.
Click to expand...

I couldn't disagree more! Even the iPhone+ sizes have a much smaller screen than a mini and present a phone rather than a tablet interface. The iPad mini is the perfect size for reading books and, personally, I'm much happier having a small phone (SE) and iPad Mini than when I tried to do everything with a 6S+
 
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theluggage

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2011
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maflynn said:
All of those (except the watch and news) are his creation, I'm not sure he would kill them off.
Click to expand...

However, I think he'd be quite ruthless when it came to making the "either bring it up-to-date it or kill it" decisions which need to be made with some of those products. Also, sorting out what labels like "Air" and "Pro" actually mean across product lines. When he introduced the MacBook Air, for example, it was an ultra-light product for people who were prepared to eschew wired connections for most things - that's now a dead distinction.
 
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maflynn

maflynn

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May 3, 2009
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theluggage said:
However, I think he'd be quite ruthless when it came to making the "either bring it up-to-date it or kill it" decisions which need to be made with some of those products.
Click to expand...
Yup, there's quite a bit of product overlap at the moment and Apple needs to streamline their product line.

They're currently selling a 11", 12", 13" (three 13" laptop models), and a 15" laptop. Seems like too much imo
 
the8thark

the8thark

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Apr 18, 2011
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Phil A. said:
I couldn't disagree more! Even the iPhone+ sizes have a much smaller screen than a mini and present a phone rather than a tablet interface. The iPad mini is the perfect size for reading books and, personally, I'm much happier having a small phone (SE) and iPad Mini than when I tried to do everything with a 6S+
Click to expand...
You're in the minority, just like I am. The statistics are saying iPad sales are shrinking. Being cannabalised by iPhone X and X plus sized devices. Lots of people are not buying an iPad and using their 6/7 or 6/7 plus instead. I know quite a few people doing juat that. One of them even sold their iPad to get a 6S plus.

I gought an SE cause I wanted a phone sized device. Sure the SE is popular but it's a lot less popular then the 7 and 7 plus.
 
C

CreatorCode

macrumors regular
Apr 15, 2015
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US
Apple Computer ceased to exist in 2007 (under Steve Jobs, no less.) So you're asking what a deceased person would do if he walked into a defunct corporation. The company today is Apple, Inc., a fashion retailer of watches, phones, and music accessories.
 
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C DM

macrumors Sandy Bridge
Oct 17, 2011
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CreatorCode said:
Apple Computer ceased to exist in 2007 (under Steve Jobs, no less.) So you're asking what a deceased person would do if he walked into a defunct corporation. The company today is Apple, Inc., a fashion retailer of watches, phones, and music accessories.
Click to expand...
They don't make or cell computers at all?
 
lowendlinux

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,459
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Germany
I think he'd kill the:

Both MBA's
every iPad but the two pro's
Series one watch
'12 MBP

I also don't think he'd have upped the storage on the 6S he'd just have let it be the cheaper phone
 
vkd

vkd

macrumors 6502a
Sep 10, 2012
981
377
I think he'd kill off the watch. But then again, unknown hidden super-powers that ultimately dictate to Apple wouldn't let him. :p Did I tell you that I spend too long looking at conspiracy websites? ;)
 
Grade

Grade

macrumors regular
Apr 13, 2007
188
69
He simply would streamline some product lines. Like:
The Ipads - The Ipad (New One released in March), then release 3 models Ipad Pro (Mini, Ipad and Big One).
Macbook (pro) - Drop the air and have 4 different models (Macbook 2 Models, the current one and a thicker version) and MacBook Pro 13" and 15".

The rest we would probably remove some older models.

But also we are saying this, but we don't know how the process of decision and development is inside of Apple. We know now that they hit roadblock with the Mac Pro, they perhaps tested with different GPUs and CPUs and came the conclusion inside the case things would become too hot. Development of Macbook pro was delayed, because they were testing that a touchscreen is viable. These things take time.

I for one anxiously waiting for the new iMac and finally owned an iMac. :)
 
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