If the Apple Board elected you CEO, what would you do?

[wellander1]

Go back to computers focused.

 

[Mac47]

Merit, yes, (and there is nothing to suggest that merit is the sole criteria at present), but different people have different needs.

A design that works well for affluent adult males works less well for others.

Personally, - and I'm a middle aged-woman - I find all of the current iPhones far too large, too unwieldy and far too uncomfortable in my hand; I will never buy one, and shall hold onto my (almost antique) - yet very portable - iPhone SE until it dies and can no longer be repaired.

Likewise, I'd kill for an excellent 12" computer; now, I cannot abide iPads, (I need to write, a lot, for my work), but most of the current range of Apple Mac computers are - again too large, heavy, and unwieldy.

An extra pound or two in weight makes an enormous difference to someone such as me, and, while I value power, I also value reliability and portability.

I guess your fellow women didn't buy enough of the 12-inch Macbook and the 11.9 inch Macbook Air while Apple was making them. They killed them off for a reason, you know.

The idea that Apple is designing its products primarily for affluent adult males is the sort of hilarious conspiracy theory that only the hermeneutic of suspicion could generate.

 

[aj_niner]

I guess your fellow women didn't buy enough of the 12-inch Macbook and the 11.9 inch Macbook Air while Apple was making them. They killed them off for a reason, you know.

Apple is a for profit organization.

Tim Cook is an Industrial Engineer. Engineers base their decisions on empirical evidence as to what to expand further or cut back on.

People llike him helped Steve Jobs get out from near bankruptcy to what it is today.

Many MR users dislike Apple's evolution from its original core business: the Mac.

Vocal MR users do not consider that Tim Cook's leadership allowed the Mac to have better chips than Intel, AMD and perhaps even NVidia for typical Mac user present & future use cases.

Many here do not understand that ~1/4th billion laptops & desktops of both Mac & PCs are shipped annually with chips from Intel & AMD.

This is the quantity of all iOS, iPadOS & macOS devices shipped by Apple with Apple Silicon chip tech.

Hence, Apple's buying power to get leading-ege die shrinks like 5nm, 4nm and 3nm before anyone else.

The Macbook 12" and MBA 11" likely were phased out because it did not sell as well as MBA 13". The margins of the MBA 13" was likely better.

When doing any activity, businesses need to consider whether Product A or Product B is better use of time, money and effort. If Product C sells the most then more resources are poured into them. If Product D is bought by the least number of users then they end production. This is where the vocal minority comes out claiming they love their iPhone mini ad nauseam.

In our company I recommended a iPhone 12 mini to iPhone SE (1st gen) user. After 2 years use with the mini she wanted a bigger phone because she wanted a longer lasting battery and better camera.

If MR user reads all MR articles of the last 10 years you will see an article covering the units sold of the iPhone mini 12 & 13. It did not sell well enough for Apple to spend their resources on.

So they redirected their production lines to the Pro & Pro Max that appears to be the most popular models bought.

Always remember Apple and other big tech brands sell their products worldwide.

Apple would not be a $3 trillion company if they only sold their products to affluent while males.

Instead they're focusing on the top 20% worldwide market of smartphones & not just the richest continent.

 

[engbren]

Apple is in an interesting space, with the Apple Silicon transition for Mac really leading the industry for performance per watt, which has enabled them to develop form factors that suit mass market applications along with some entry level specialist workloads. In order to continue growing, they need to:

• grow in their existing markets - essentially this means growth of market share across the smart phone, laptop and desktop markets in which they compete;
• enter / create new markets - as they have done in the past with the iPhone and iPad and are currently doing with the Vision Pro.

With Apple Silicon, there has for the past few years, been no competitor that could compete with MBA on overall user experience, including battery life, quality of screen / audio, and speed. There have been competitors on price, competitors with better screen tech etc as always but they suffer in other areas such as poor battery life, significant fan noise, slower CPUs etc. Newer generations of Intel and AMD CPU/GPUs are becoming much more competitive and Qualcomm is gearing up for an arm based solution competitive to Apple Silicon. This competition will ramp up over the next few years, enabling similar mass market devices and form factors for traditional computing competitors (ie Windows laptops / desktops) and may reinvigorate the Android or Windows tablet market. Apple and their competitors have significant risk in their supply chain over a similar timeframe, with much of their manufacturing capacity concentrated geographically.

The other disruptive force affecting Apple is the AI revolution. Apple have built in to their overall experience a lot of AI smarts that "just work" but these smarts feel invisible until you start to use their products. However, the most obvious example of AI in Apple's ecosystem, Siri, doesn't perform feel particularly intelligent. Apple haven't articulated their AI story well, nor have they articulated a vision / strategy on AI.

I think Apple would do well to focus on:

• diversifying their manufacturing geographically;
• maintaining smartphone market share - smartphone is a maturing market and will be driven by incremental gains;
• defending and growing market share in laptop / portable market by driving continuous improvements in Apple Silicon this will trickle down into tablets;
• growing tablet market share by enabling more use cases and unblocking productivity blockers for iPad;
• investing in ethical and usable AI capability; and
• Reviewing the services business (iCloud, Apple Fitness, Music, TV, News etc). I feel iCloud / iCloud Drive and Apple Music are core services but in a world with increasing regulatory intervention due to anticompetitive practices, other services might be better to be divested or opened up for competition.

 

[Rafterman]

When VR is like a slightly thicker pair of regular looking glasses (think Meta Smart Glasses sized), with battery built in (no pack hangin off the side) and pass through, where you could walk around all day with them on, with overlaying information (sort of like Tony Stark's Ironman helmet), that would be my top priority as CEO.

Right now though, VR glasses look like monstrosities.

 

[MacDaddyPanda]

I feel like I'd need a full State of the Business before a New CEO could make a good decision for direction. Also you have to think CEO of such a business is privy to things normal people are not able to know that would inform any decision making. Because of geopolitical landscape that will certainly impact business pivots that affect global operations.

 

[Jamie0003]

5) stop adding old ports to MacBook Pro and go back to just usb c. This seems like a shareholder demand…. I would know when to tell them NO.

You’re fired.

 

[G5isAlive]

Buy MacRumors and make membership contingent on actually owning a modern Apple Device. That should take care of the haters. Then I would poll the remaining and do the opposite. Joking on that last point. Maybe.

 

[mrfunnypenguin]

Release new macOS & iOS updates every other year, which would hopefully make software less buggy. Also make the base 14" MBP come with at least 16GB of RAM.

 

[0339327]

Apple is a for profit organization.

Tim Cook is an Industrial Engineer. Engineers base their decisions on empirical evidence as to what to expand further or cut back on.

People llike him helped Steve Jobs get out from near bankruptcy to what it is today.

Many MR users dislike Apple's evolution from its original core business: the Mac.

Vocal MR users do not consider that Tim Cook's leadership allowed the Mac to have better chips than Intel, AMD and perhaps even NVidia for typical Mac user present & future use cases.

Many here do not understand that ~1/4th billion laptops & desktops of both Mac & PCs are shipped annually with chips from Intel & AMD.

This is the quantity of all iOS, iPadOS & macOS devices shipped by Apple with Apple Silicon chip tech.

Hence, Apple's buying power to get leading-ege die shrinks like 5nm, 4nm and 3nm before anyone else.

The Macbook 12" and MBA 11" likely were phased out because it did not sell as well as MBA 13". The margins of the MBA 13" was likely better.

When doing any activity, businesses need to consider whether Product A or Product B is better use of time, money and effort. If Product C sells the most then more resources are poured into them. If Product D is bought by the least number of users then they end production. This is where the vocal minority comes out claiming they love their iPhone mini ad nauseam.

In our company I recommended a iPhone 12 mini to iPhone SE (1st gen) user. After 2 years use with the mini she wanted a bigger phone because she wanted a longer lasting battery and better camera.

If MR user reads all MR articles of the last 10 years you will see an article covering the units sold of the iPhone mini 12 & 13. It did not sell well enough for Apple to spend their resources on.

So they redirected their production lines to the Pro & Pro Max that appears to be the most popular models bought.

Always remember Apple and other big tech brands sell their products worldwide.

Apple would not be a $3 trillion company if they only sold their products to affluent while males.

Instead they're focusing on the top 20% worldwide market of smartphones & not just the richest continent.

Except that Apple is losing market share and Mac sales are dropping by double digits.

Combine that with Apple stock, which is basically where it was two years ago ($171.14 in December 2021), and unhappy Apple fans and you have a problem.

If you focus solely on profits, you lose your reason for being. If you focus on products and meaningful customer loyalty by continuously supporting those products, instead of pushing to over upgrade, then you have a reason for being and the profits will follow.

Jim Colins 101: a business can only be great if there is a reason for being beyond just making money.

 

[betazero]

Foldables from Apple are coming, its just a matter of when.

Na I don’t see it. Foldable phones are just a trendy thing. I really don’t like the small bump between the two screens. Unless Apple can solve that, they will never make one.

 

[Rafterman]

Buy MacRumors and make membership contingent on actually owning a modern Apple Device. That should take care of the haters. Then I would poll the remaining and do the opposite. Joking on that last point. Maybe.

Oh God no, this place is already bad enough with true believers.

 

[aj_niner]

Except that Apple is losing market share and Mac sales are dropping by double digits.

Is that long term or short term?

Since 2010 Apple claims a 4 year replacement cycle while Intel claims a 5-6 year replacement cycle. These are lengthened from the previous 3 years or lesser.

Largest bump of laptop & desktop purchases was after COVID lock down from 2020 to 2021. Assuming replacement cycle holds then the next big upgrade among those buyers would be between March 2024 to 2027.

Combine that with Apple stock, which is basically where it was two years ago ($171.14 in December 2021), and unhappy Apple fans and you have a problem.

Could you provide citations to support said claims?

If you focus solely on profits, you lose your reason for being. If you focus on products and meaningful customer loyalty by continuously supporting those products, instead of pushing to over upgrade, then you have a reason for being and the profits will follow.

Jim Colins 101: a business can only be great if there is a reason for being beyond just making money.

IIRC there was a claim by Apple that for every 1 of 2 Macs bought it was from a new customer.

Many of the Mac faithful are dying out. Specifically the Baby Boomers who are entering their late 70s.

 

[tonywalker23]

If I was the new CEO I would…

Personally: pay off my credit cards and house and replace my 2000 truck and 2004 minivan. Set aside money for my children. Buy a maxed out Mac Studio with 32” Apple display, a maxed out 13” MacBook Air, and a Waterfield bag to put it in. I’d upgrade my Logos Bible Software to have every library package they offer and pick out some commentaries that I’ve had on my wishlist forever. Then I’d buy my wife whatever she wanted, take my kids to a theme park, and go buy a fancy steak.

Then when I got to work I would…

1. Make all Apple retail employees show me how to navigate through some basic computer scenarios without repeating talking points. Actually act like you know your way around macOS. (Used to work at a store in 2010–2011, makes me sad when I go back).

2. Apple Geniuses and Creatives would no longer get trained in the store. I would go back to flying everyone of them out to Cupertino for training. (I wasn’t a genius but I realized that was special for them and made them feel valuable).

3. Make every full-time Apple employee read Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography then his book, The Innovators. Then make them write a book report on what they learned and how that increased their love for technology. If they didnt learn anything and they don’t love technology then I’d ask why are you working at Apple?

4. I would set up project RetroOS. Make the Mac OS have some aesthetic beauty—some soul and some Aqua.

5. My instinct would be to cancel every single service other than iCloud. Get rid of it all. But I know that isn’t right so I would hire a good advisor to convince me why someone would want to pay $12 a month for Apple News that still shows ads. Whoever makes iCloud stay at 5GB for free would get fired.

6. Ask why the Mac isn’t important. When they say it is, then ask why mobile got Apple Music Classical and macOS didnt.

7. Ask if iPad and iPad Pro are important. When they say it is reply, “Then why is it running a crippled iPadOS then?!?!”

8. Try to go back to Job’s quadrant lineup. Simplify things. Why is there still a last gen iPad. Why is there an iPad Air. And a regular iPad. Why is there an air and a pro, etc. iPhone and iPhone pro. iPad and iPad Pro. MacBook and MacBook Pro. Mac (currently called Mac mini) and Mac Pro (currently called Mac Studio). iMac and iMac Pro… get rid of the Air name altogether.

9. All pro products in silver. Thats it. All consumer products in shades of the original six colors. No more starlight or 15 gazillions shades of light black, mid black, and dark black.

10. Make the Mac the digital hub again. Yes, that would mean single purposes devices make a comeback. They wouldnt be removed from the iPhone, but there would at least be an iPod music play and introduce an e-ink Apple Book (e-reader).

11. Stop giving famous YouTubers free products unless they intentionally point out where Apple could do better. No more middle age adults acting like a middle schooler shrieking while opening something for a camera that they have already been using before making the video. On the flip side (though I think they have done this already some) find some unknown nobodys with no followers and give them something free, not for feedback but simply to enjoy.

12. Finally, get the people who make stuff sync together. Ask them what is a reasonable time for something to sync between devices. Ask them why Apple Music knows the split second I hit play on my iPhone and it pauses on my Mac, yet Podcast has no idea how to stay in sync and Safari reading list and bookmarks might work like a charm and might other days take a miracle to sync. If Apple Music can know the second one device does something and pause the other why can’t all cloud services be that instantaneous?

13. One more thing… if I was the CEO I would get out of my office and go spend some time in the R&D secret labs like Jobs and Ive did, spend hours a day tinkering around, and marvel at the technology that as great as it is today, still lacks something I can’t put into words in those years around 2005–2010.

 

[jchap]

There’s only a few things I can think of that wouldn’t immediately be considered terrible decisions.

My first order of business would be to restore the airport lineup and integrate the HomePods as Wi-Fi extenders. Those who buy Time Capsules will get the option of backing up their devices to their home network as an alternative to iCloud.

Yes, you made me recall the time when we actually backed up our devices locally to home NAS-like servers (Time Capsule) rather than using Internet bandwidth to upload to the cloud...

Maybe some people still do back up to NAS, but Apple doesn't have an approved solution for that anymore, do they?

 

[Jacquesass]

That's kind of what the iPhone is now, except without the scroll wheel, maybe not as much storage, and, ah... no more headphone jack... 😅

It seems unlikely that Apple will ever come out with another iPod-type dedicated music player again. If they do, it would have to excel at being that, a music player.

Now that people have music streaming apps on their smartphones and tablets and computers, there really isn't much of a need for a dedicated hardware music player anymore, it would seem, except for the die-hard audio hi-fi enthusiasts, who probably would rather listen to music at home anyway on a much better audio system than a pair of headphones.

Yeah, I don’t see Apple making a new iPod - but it would be a lot cooler if they did. The audio guys would go nuts for it.

Imagine something the size of an iPhone 15 Pro Max, but not as tall, all screen, no cameras or speakers (but a microphone for Siri). Comes with Apple Music installed, but would support other services (Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon) as downloads. All music in high-res - and lets you download encrypted songs for offline listening and wireless syncing with your home music library. Virtual scroll wheel. Uses your phone as a hotspot. Sends music over AirPlay to your home hifi. High-end DAC and headphone jack - but also lets you plug in your own DAC to its USB-C port. Works as a Roon controller. Waterproof.

 

[ninecows]

1. Buy shares in Trumpf. Not controlling or the EU/DOJ would definitely come knocking!

2. Invest a few $$$ in onshore 3nm silicon processing. Create local jobs and not have my entire product line dependent on TSMC.

3. Diversify manufacture and assembly across all 50 states. Pay a living wage and turn Apple into a model employer by giving back to the USA in a way the government would be on side with.

4. Create a scholarship program route for future employees from high school onwards. Grant schools free access to Apple hardware at the whole of K-12 and run a software development competition nationwide. Todays users are tomorrows customers.

5. Look at creating solutions to problems again. Put the onus back on software because customers buy shells for iOS at the end of the day.

6. Streamline the product lineup. Every device should have a good/better/best choice with strong value at all price ranges. It’s ok being an aspirational brand but still selling better low-end computers.

7. Diversify revenue streams by making the Apple Watch compatible with Android and the iPad. Let users log into Windows using the Watch. Increased competition in those spaces for us would breed innovation. Keep customers by just being better.

8. Refocus the mobile division on the Watch. Here you have a future comms paradigm with all the benefits of staying in touch but none of the addictive drawbacks. The dream would be everyone owning an Apple Watch regardless of their phone choice.

9. Focus marketing on how the Watch is then the perfect phone for kids and the elderly, sorely forgotten markets.

10. Put the M3 in an Apple TV and directly compete with Sony and Nintendo. 100% backwards compatible with all iOS controller titles on day one. Maybe invest in a brand with gaming pedigree to build exclusive titles like Sega.

11. Licence the A-series chipset for TV manufacturers. Android TVs are slow devices with terrible menu systems. There is a lot of room to disrupt that market. Sony day one partner.

12. Resurrect the iPod as a high end lossless media player. Classic design, 2Tb storage, killer audio quality. $1000 price. 1m in sales day one.

13. Resurrect the Time Capsule but build it in to a HomePod. Huge marketing campaign about how ownership of data should be yours. Features iCloud mirroring and faster local backups. “Your data in your place.”

So in other words: No profit to shareholders.
(Point 2-4, 6 and 7)

 

[ninecows]

11. Drop the completely ridiculous pricing for memory and storage BTO upgrades. Premium hardware can command a premium price, but industry-common components need to have industry-common pricing (which we'll still make money on).

12. "Pro" product needs to be genuinely designed and built for professional use. Not just a branding we stick on things.

Also here: less profit for shareholders.

I get your point and I would be the first to complain as a consumer about (11), but this is a business and they need their profit to grow. As most other companies they do that by robbing customers and underpaying their employees. That’s how it works.

I really sympathize with the whole “build in the US” thinking. Honestly. But you can’t make the profit Apple is doing by giving people decent wages and working conditions.

 

[ninecows]

Yes, you made me recall the time when we actually backed up our devices locally to home NAS-like servers (Time Capsule) rather than using Internet bandwidth to upload to the cloud...

Maybe some people still do back up to NAS, but Apple doesn't have an approved solution for that anymore, do they?

I do back up to a Qnap NAS with Time Machine. It’s not a super solution or well supported. Sometimes it breaks.

I would love a full fledged dual backup. 10 TB in both the cloud and local of everything: Movie collection, photos, music, documents, phones etc

 

[jchap]

I do back up to a Qnap NAS with Time Machine. It’s not a super solution or well supported. Sometimes it breaks.

Indeed, there was a time many years ago when I tried Time Machine backups to a NAS. It always seemed like there were some hiccups or issues. I simply switched to local backups plus double-encrypted cloud backups of certain files I wanted to share between devices (using the basic encryption of the cloud storage provider plus a separate file encryption service). That has worked pretty well for years. I've used ChronoSync to help maintain file and sync integrity.

In the end, when something goes wrong and I have to reinstall macOS, I usually do a clean install anyway, and then just import the necessary files from encrypted local storage (a flat as-is file storage system with disk encryption). So Time Machine is more of a safety net for me than anything else...

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Except it wasn't. It was over-priced at launch, wasn't well supported within Apple, had too long of a development cycle compared to Lightroom which was actively working with professional photographers and creatives (myself among them) to evolve the product on a rapid cadence, was locked to the Mac as a platform, and sold poorly. Aperture was an also-ran in every possible way and a poor choice for a professional audience.

But sure, it was "beloved," which is why ten years later we can't stop moaning about it. Better to not love things that will never love you back.

I used Aperture from day one and disagree with your analysis. IMomit was a very solid product that Apple had no business killing after thousands of photogs like me built pro workflows around it.

 

[AlixSPQR]

I'd try to seem busy long enough to earn a lot of money, then resign, and enjoy my fortune. O, nearly forgot, I'd reinstate the iPhone mini.

 

[chfilm]

FCP was a leader until they moved to current trash of FCPx. Aperture was great for professionals too.

Final Cut is over, just use davinci, it’s really the better Final Cut

 

[0339327]

Is that long term or short term?

Since 2010 Apple claims a 4 year replacement cycle while Intel claims a 5-6 year replacement cycle. These are lengthened from the previous 3 years or lesser.

Largest bump of laptop & desktop purchases was after COVID lock down from 2020 to 2021. Assuming replacement cycle holds then the next big upgrade among those buyers would be between March 2024 to 2027.

Could you provide citations to support said claims?

IIRC there was a claim by Apple that for every 1 of 2 Macs bought it was from a new customer.

Many of the Mac faithful are dying out. Specifically the Baby Boomers who are entering their late 70s.

1. Apple stock has, in recent years, been increasingly volatile. Just look it up.

2. When Mac sales drop 30% YOY, you’ve got a problem.

3. When your most loyal customers are increasingly unhappy, it’s time to look in the mirror.

 

[Ta_whirimatea]

Ditch the dull silver apple sticker & return to the Rainbow Apple!

Seriously tho start the bug fixing. Apple ecosystem is a mess, so many bugs on the devices / apps I use. Listen to customers, you have an amazing health fitness watch, just make it useable in the real world i.e. battery life doubled, create a garmin like site for viewing all your stats / workouts. Simplify your iPad models, too many that overlap & iPad OS is just dumbed down to the max.
Fix iTunes, it’s an absolute mess now & syncing to iPhone is a lottery as to what actually syncs. Bring back aperture!
Get rid of subscription model for apps.
Become less focused on feeding greedy stakeholders.
In-house wwdc again.

Oh fix your predictive txt on iPhones it’s utter ship.

Apple you’ve lost your way. No way in hell I’d ever want that kinda job…