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

[dannyyankou]

I would quit because the board of directors had made a horrible mistake and I'd beg them to bring back Tim.

 

[dannyyankou]

Relaunch a modernized iWork. Build concurrent screen and webcam recording right into Apple Arcade (for game streaming. Get a GPU deal done with NVIDIA. Build some colourful rugged laptops aimed at kids. build an executive macbook air that has an eSIM for the serious road warriors.

Well, at least they're updating the functionality of iWork. I'm surprised they even added XLOOKUP to Numbers honestly.

 

[aj_niner]

Seriously? It’s a simply Google search!

🔎 apple stock december 2021 - Google Search

www.google.com

Could you describe again what you are trying to say with this data point?

At the time of this reply the market cap was $2.64T while per share is $170.85. 52W high was $199.62 that would result in a market cap exceeding $3T.

You dislike Apple's success because the products you have enjoyed in the 1st 1-2 decades of your business relationship with the company does not comply with your requirements. Have you considered that your workflow is obsolete or not worth the Mac division's resources? If your specific use case only pushes <10% of all Macs then Apple's better off doing something else like a $650 MBA 13" M1 that will likely increase volume of Macs shipped worldwide.

Your use case may be as popular as the iPhone mini that a very vocal minority on MR and Reddit bewail about. It may sell a lot but in insufficient quantities for Apple to bother with considering they are a >$2.64T company.

🔎 apple mac sales decline 30% - Google Search

www.google.com

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023, down from 284 million units in 2022.

As I pointed out the PC 5-6 year & Mac 4 year replacement cycle are the likely culprit.

Laptop & desktop shipments hitting a wall of ~quarter billion units annually may be an indicator of how important Macs & PCs have been for the past 16 years and counting.

 

[newceoofapple]

I agree with some of this, but we have to be clear that Microsoft aren't arrogant, they're the people who created the biggest software market on the planet. I have a computer on my desk that dates from 1983 and it has a Microsoft operating system in it. They created and profit hugely from the biggest and most commonly used operating system in history, and they also produce the most popular business productivity software there ever was. It isn't arrogance, it's pride in what they do.

And yes, I am not a fan, but I respect great work.

Did they miss out on Windows Mobile or a new phone? Not at all. As the Zune proved, there were places even then that Microsoft couldn't compete, and when they get something wrong, they at least have the sense to know about it and pull back before sinking a fortune in it. By the time they regrouped, the market was lost not just to Apple but to Android and really, there was no room to compete.

As for Google, they trade in peoples' personal data because we give it to them. And because they can monetize it efficiently as they do, they know full well that nobody else can beat them. Because we let them. It is entirely down to us.

The comments about Apple are both right in places and far off the mark in others, but are all pretty much well rehearsed. All I can say is that for a business lacking drive, momentum, creativity and the spirit exciting product... well, I wish I had that amount in my bank account.

I don't like many of their policies and I don't like some of their business models, but damn, they totally understand their market, and they know where they belong in it. And I will say that like you, I wasn't excited much by anything in the new Apple world of stuff. Yes, the M-series chips are a breakthrough (they really are) but it's just new models of the same stuff. Except not. These are fast, capable, and astonishing things to hold and look at. And to do this in the adversity of collapsing markets, supply chain constraints, political and even judicial pressures... really, having matured with the market, Apple are still consummate operators in it.

As for divesting from China... I wish. The most populous market in the world, pretty much the universal production hub which exiting would do more damage to Apple than China? I'd rather see them organize an industry-wide divestment which would matter much more.

I appreciate your comments. I don't necessarily agree with them but it is interesting to read your perspective.

I respectfully disagree that they should have continued with their Windows Mobile devices and a better mobile operating system. Microsoft just had/has way too many cooks in the kitchen and no one could even decide how to move forward.

Microsoft tried to reboot Windows Mobile (twice🤦‍♂️) and they couldn't choose the best way out to code the OS and then--there weren't a lot of popular useful apps. They pissed off developers twice and then charged money for the Mobile OS. (Oh yea and bought Nokia only to have a write down and sell it!)

Now that is arrogant. Google comes along and says "Android is free."

Microsoft just isn't agile in a consumer market for hardware devices. Apple definitely has it down. I agree with you there.

As far as Zune goes that is some of the same as Windows Mobile. It was definitely too late...Not even worth discussing.

The point related to Microsoft- is that Steve Ballmer would constantly refer to everything as an "Apple Tax" and had no belief that Apple would ever make a dent. They would constantly overlook it and focus on Office and SharePoint etc. They were absolutely arrogant.

Microsoft's Operating Systems work in the Enterprise and they have a foothold as it relates to the Enterprise with Active Directory and OS Management for the most part and yes they have made a lot of money- although I would be lying if I said it hasn't become a complete nightmare with the Operating System.

Windows is extremely buggy and it also lacks vision.

Windows Me anyone? Windows Vista? Windows 8? Blue Screen of Death Anyone? Windows 10 has a Start Menu again back in it's somewhat original place after Steven Sinofsky said let's make the whole screen a Start Menu...

And Windows 11... Wow....could a company rip off the look of Apple GUI anymore obvious? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? 😃

Apple has a more stable Operating System hands down. I applaud them for that. Rock Solid. I do wish they would slow down the versions.

A new name every year Apple? Really? Add features but for the love of humanity stop with the names. It's ridiculous. Software vendors are sick of it too.

Google is popular now- absolutely. I agree with you here...If you don't want in then leave - or enjoy getting your data sold. That goes for Facebook or any company surely.

The point is the presumption in it all. Microsoft added ChatGPT to its OS as Copilot quickly for a reason. Satya is a smart CEO.

Btw- Intel is an excellent example of a company with arrogance. Apple made the proper move. I applaud them for it. My Intel Mac book was so hot I couldn't even put my laptop on my lap!

Now as far their models and products with Apple Silicon- I agree they are outstanding if they stop with the tricks in their "new" products like 8GB Ram and slowing down the SSD drives and reducing performance cores. Apple is taking advantage of people. I also really wish Apple would slow the cadence down.

They have way too many of the same devices in just about every category and they barely make a change to the next version. IPad and Ipad Air? Stop Apple. They are actually taking something simple and making it confusing.

And now they are caught between a rock and a hard place because they get closer and closer to making the Ipad more like a MacBook but they just won't do it.

I feel bad for the people that have to be afraid for their jobs by rocking the boat at Apple or other companies. Many tow the line because of fear or performance reviews.

Apple- you need to get your crap together. They are way too deep in Apple Park to see the forest from the trees.

The Vision Pro is an excellent example. That is one waaaaaay over priced paper weight that they have the gall to charge ~$3500 and then more for an extra strap let alone the lenses and battery? That is arrogance!

Tim Cook- wanted "more data" for the Apple Car when he was told the margins weren't good for cars. Who doesn't know that? It took them 1-2-3 4-5...10 Billion Dollars to figure that out? And on top of that- he wouldn't take a meeting with Elon Musk to purchase Tesla. Wow. You wouldn't even take the meeting??

Tim Cook- that is arrogant. And what about all the people that lost their jobs Tim?

Tim is riding his wave and good for him- but as far as Apple...They have lost their vision.

Not that this is going to happen- But to answer the original thread- What would you do if you were CEO of Apple?

Tim- Great Job! Enjoy your retirement and enjoy life! I appreciate you. Leave on a high note like Seinfeld.

I would build on the solid Apple Silicon. Slow down the cadence!
License Apple Silicon and Build AI Chips
Remove the unnecessary fluff of products like Iphone SE/Ipad Air/Apple Watch SE
I would build on the Health benefits from Apple Watch and even Add a Telehealth Service like Amazon etc
What about Health Hardware that integrates with a Telehealth Service?
I would radically change Siri. Make it the best of the best with AI.
Apple TV is making great progress. Continue with the shows and build on this.
I would focus my time and look at all the ideas they have for innovation.

If I had Apple's money you would see some amazing tech I can promise you that. I would go Steve Jobs on their behinds. Simple and Sophisticated. Stable and made with Quality.

 

[CMoore515]

Take the quadrant approach to almost every product. Therefore, reducing the amount of SKU's there are.

Make Macs upgradeable.
Bring in someone that can help Craig clean up the sloppy UI in iOS/iPadOS/macOS.
This goes with ^ but fix the god awful TV app on TV.
Buy ecobee, Eero, and a few other smart home companies and make them part of an all-encompassing Home Division.

That's off the top of my head. I'd have to think about other things I'd do.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

As a professional videographer I run into, and occasional hire, photographers all the time. I was hugely surprised to find that many, if not most, used Aperture for cataloging. This was years ago, before Apple killed it, but I decent key a guy in Montréal who still uses it.

It really surprises me that anyone is using Aperture still. I can't imagine it works with RAW files from cameras that have been made since 2015, and the database for images and metadata is buried in a library. Everything is so controlled and it isn't as friendly for using simple finder searches as other methods.

That said, I know a lot of people really liked their Aperture, and remain fiercely loyal to it. It's really a shame Apple pulled the plug on it.

For cataloging (applying and making batch changes to metadata, sorting, editing, batch renaming, etc.) I use Photo Mechanic, which is the standard in my industry. It's a much more powerful and intuitive tool than Aperture ever was in this regard, and it moved so quickly, it's like the sports care of image handling. It can even apply soft crops and has a built in FTP so you can edit, caption, crop and send without ever leaving the app. If you don't need to do color correction or other post processing, it's unbeatable. Sadly they are going to a subscription model soon, and a lot of people are angry about that.

I hope the people who are still using Aperture are able to export their files and keep the metadata when they eventually migrate to another app.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

I guess the same thing if I were elected president of the USA—show me all the secrets, ha, ha.

And you thought the new campus only looked like a flying saucer. 🛸 🤣

 

[mxrider88]

Fire every single software developer and rebuild the team. Beg Bertrand Serlet and Scott Forstall to come back and ask them to fix what's left of MacOS and iOS.

 

[allenvanhellen]

Relaunch a modernized iWork. Build concurrent screen and webcam recording right into Apple Arcade (for game streaming. Get a GPU deal done with NVIDIA. Build some colourful rugged laptops aimed at kids. build an executive macbook air that has an eSIM for the serious road warriors.

I’m so confused as to why the Pages app, for example, won’t let you collaborate without being on the absolute latest version, but logging on to iCloud.com with an old browser has no issues. It’s for this reason that my employer switched to Google Docs

 

[AlmightyKang]

Things I would do:

1. Bring back carefully animated but horrible skeuomorphic apps for macOS and iOS.

2. Release a wooden apple pencil and charge $399 for it.

3. Add RGB lights and smoke generator to the Mac Pro and market it at gamers.

4. Make a mouse that actually works and doesn't hurt you.

5. Buy Tim Sweeney and keep him in a dungeon under Apple Campus 2

6. Add MagSafe to the apple watch

7. Make a Windows version of Numbers to take on Excel

8. Enter a deal with Microsoft and replace the Bong sound at startup with Bing.

9. Replace all the ports on the MacBook Pro with lightning.

10. Make the Mac run iOS but only on Thursdays.

11. Replace the underlying Darwin OS with Linux, thus making Linux on the desktop actually feasible but making closing your MacBook lid a game of roulette.

12. Introducing a new LaserWriter to free everyone from the chains of HP.

13. Make all cables 80% thinner and more likely to catch fire.

 

[AppZ.Zero]

macOS on iPad Pro, Make Storage Upgrade lots cheaper, Upgrade iMovie to 4k60FPS, Cancel the Vision Pro and rebuild it with proper possibilities regarding Windows Management with Mac and full Support of Mac OS Apps. Better coating for iPhone cameras.

Focus on a new LLM for Siri, Focus on a good and stable Mac, iPad and iPhone LineUp.

 

[MacProFCP]

It really surprises me that anyone is using Aperture still. I can't imagine it works with RAW files from cameras that have been made since 2015, and the database for images and metadata is buried in a library. Everything is so controlled and it isn't as friendly for using simple finder searches as other methods.

That said, I know a lot of people really liked their Aperture, and remain fiercely loyal to it. It's really a shame Apple pulled the plug on it.

For cataloging (applying and making batch changes to metadata, sorting, editing, batch renaming, etc.) I use Photo Mechanic, which is the standard in my industry. It's a much more powerful and intuitive tool than Aperture ever was in this regard, and it moved so quickly, it's like the sports care of image handling. It can even apply soft crops and has a built in FTP so you can edit, caption, crop and send without ever leaving the app. If you don't need to do color correction or other post processing, it's unbeatable. Sadly they are going to a subscription model soon, and a lot of people are angry about that.

I hope the people who are still using Aperture are able to export their files and keep the metadata when they eventually migrate to another app.

Adobe can import the entire library. That’s what I did a few years back.

 

[MacProFCP]

Could you describe again what you are trying to say with this data point?

At the time of this reply the market cap was $2.64T while per share is $170.85. 52W high was $199.62 that would result in a market cap exceeding $3T.

You dislike Apple's success because the products you have enjoyed in the 1st 1-2 decades of your business relationship with the company does not comply with your requirements. Have you considered that your workflow is obsolete or not worth the Mac division's resources? If your specific use case only pushes <10% of all Macs then Apple's better off doing something else like a $650 MBA 13" M1 that will likely increase volume of Macs shipped worldwide.

Your use case may be as popular as the iPhone mini that a very vocal minority on MR and Reddit bewail about. It may sell a lot but in insufficient quantities for Apple to bother with considering they are a >$2.64T company.



Worldwide PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023, down from 284 million units in 2022.

As I pointed out the PC 5-6 year & Mac 4 year replacement cycle are the likely culprit.

Laptop & desktop shipments hitting a wall of ~quarter billion units annually may be an indicator of how important Macs & PCs have been for the past 16 years and counting.

1. I’m saying that Apple stock has been volatile and has lost the consistent upward trajectory it used to.

2. I’m dissatisfied that nearly every Apple product has real, daily bugs and problems, and that Apple leadership show no evidence that they care or intend to fix it.

This problem, of focusing on profit over product excellence, I’ve been screaming at for years and the volatility of the stock price is evidence that the market lost faith in Apple to be the best. Volatility is often caused by mixed signals where the market is unsure as to the true value.

 

[Red_Bran_Porridge]

I probably just do my best to complete Tim Cook’s previous duties before realising how difficult it is. I’m not sure how long I’d be able to convince the Board of Directors to keep me hired.

 

[gpat]

I'd give all my powers to the Woz and then watch walled garden fanboys scream in despair.

 

[HouseLannister]

Create a succession plan where Mr Fusspot takes over when I die.

 

[Scott Baret]

First and foremost, I'd change the shape of the computers. We've had the same basic laptop design since 2001, the same basic iMac design since 2004, and the same basic Mac mini design since 2005. Remember when we got new shapes every year? It was like when cars were interesting and you never knew what the redesign would bring.

I'd bring more colors to the laptops. I like what happened to the iMacs a few years ago. I miss having an orange computer as my daily driver. (Technically I still could if I was content with running Office 2001, and I sort of am since I do like the toolbar better than the ribbon).

There needs to be a smaller iMac. Believe me when I say there would be a market for a 17" model. Not everyone has a huge desk and not everyone wants a laptop.

I'd also make matte screens a deal again. Glossy screens are straining and nobody seems to get the memo.

I'd make Pages and Numbers more competitive and bring back a MacDraw type program in the process.

For the phones, I'd streamline the nomenclature a bit. There are too many "Pro" and "Plus" models. The same goes for really any of Apple's lines. Is the iPad Air really relevant when an iPad model called just iPad is out there?

Likely an unpopular opinion, but I'd get rid of the Vision Pro. I just don't see it as having a future. VR is a trend and after a while people will toss it aside like they did Peloton bikes, Google Glass, and PIP mode on a TV.

I'd shy away from AI and VR in general. For everyone who thinks they are good ideas, there are just as many, if not more, people who refuse to subscribe to either. Even if those products are developed, they shouldn't be pushed on everyone. I just read an article on ArsTechnica earlier today about Google trying to roll out an AI chatbot to everyone. Guess which search engine I'll be refusing to use?

I'd also revamp marketing. Apple commercials used to be really unique. Now they just blend in with the health insurance, cell phone carrier, and soda ads. There's not much special about them. I've been around long enough to remember campaigns like Think Different and "Hello, I'm a Mac". What we have right now is about as boring as "Performa: The Family Macintosh" (and frankly the computers are about as exciting as the old Performa line anymore).

Oh and one more thing (in the words of a former Apple guy): more customization for the Mac OS. There's still too much gray for my liking.

 

[skottichan]

Probably laugh and call them all idiots. I mean they just elected an artist with little corporate business knowledge, as their CEO.

Honestly, I'd probably even support their shareholders to sue the BoD for gross neglect of fiduciary duty.

Tho, I should probably bring back some cassette futurist style before I bounce.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

The replies to this thought experiment are fascinating. So many are backwards-looking, just nostalgic "Apple should go back to doing what it did years ago" ideas in one way or another. Not a lot of forward-looking, revolutionary or new ideas in this thread. I guess that's a good reason why none of us would ever be recruited to do anything like being CEO of Apple 🤣

Ironic that so many who seem to wish for the good ol' days of "Think Different" don't seem to bring that philosophy here.

 

[za9ra22]

The replies to this thought experiment are fascinating. So many are backwards-looking, just nostalgic "Apple should go back to doing what it did years ago" ideas in one way or another. Not a lot of forward-looking, revolutionary or new ideas in this thread. I guess that's a good reason why none of us would ever be recruited to do anything like being CEO of Apple 🤣

Ironic that so many who seem to wish for the good ol' days of "Think Different" don't seem to bring that philosophy here.

Ah yes, this!

And that's even though for many, 'the good old days' were really not that good when we were experiencing them.

It's like the (great) idea of divesting from China. How do you even do that?! It's the biggest single market in the world, and pulling manufacturing out of it would cripple production of product and hand the market to the competition who haven't divested.

Better for a new CEO of Apple to recruit as many of the competition into a divestment of many companies all at once. But of course prices to world consumers would rise sharply, possibly to the point that Apple would simply not be economically viable in hardware production any longer.

Are we not able to come up with something actually creative as an idea?!

 

[cogzero]

I miss Apple Mac SE‘s vomit sound on diskette ejection. First order of business: bring that back when disconnecting a thumb drive… and publishing a post on any social media. Everything else is secondary at best.

 

[Canyda]

I'd fire the board for putting someone like me in charge.

 

[RSB96]

What I would do would be to make all product ranges follow based on Steve Jobs' quadrant:

Portable Mac range.

Consumer:
MacBook 13/15. Mx processors, 120hz LCD screen, thin and light, 18/20 hours battery life. Bold colors (blue/yellow/green/pink/silver/silver/black). 999/1199 dollars.

Professional:
MacBook Pro 14/16. Mx Pro/Max processors, 144hz OLED screen, with many ports and autonomy of 20/22 hours. Sober colors (black/silver/gold). 1499/1899 dollars.

Mac desktop range.

Consumer:
iMac 25/30. Mx and Mx Pro processors. LCD 120hz. $1299/1599. Same colors as MacBook.
Mac (Mac mini). Mx and Mx Pro processors. 599/899 dollars.

Professional.
Mac Pro (Mac Studio). Mx Max and Ultra. 1699 dollars.

Apple Display range.

Consumer:
Apple Display. 30" LCD 120hz, six speakers, six microphones, 1080p camera. 1099 dollars.

Professional:
Apple Display Pro. 34" OLED 144hz, eight speakers, six microphones, 4K camera. 1599 dollars.

iPhone range.

Consumer:
iPhone 6,1/6,7. 120hz OLED screen, dual 48MP cameras, Ax processor. Aluminum, MacBook-like colors. Similar to current 15 range. $699/799.

Professional:
iPhone Pro 6.4/6.9. XDR 120hz OLED display, 48MP triple cameras, Ax Pro processor. Titanium, colors similar to MacBook Pro. Similar to 15 Pro range. 999/1199 dollars.

iPad range.

Consumer:
iPad 11/12.9. 120hz LCD screen, FaceID, single camera. Previous generation Mx processors. Colors like MacBook. 699/799 dollars.

Professional:
iPad Pro 12/13,9. 120hz OLED display, FaceID, dual camera, Mx processors. Colors like MacBook Pro. 999/1199 dollars.

Apple Watch range.

Consumer:
Apple Watch. 41/45mm. Aluminum, MacBook colors. 399/499 dollars.

Professional:
Apple Watch Pro. 46/49mm. Titanium, MacBook Pro colors. 699/799 dollars.

AirPods range.

Consumer:
AirPods. Two versions, non-canceling and noise-canceling. 149/229 dollars.

Professional:
AirPods Pro. Equivalent to AirPods Max. 399 dollars.

HomePod range.

Consumer:
HomePod (HomePod mini). 99 dollars.

Professional:
HomePod Pro. Larger, with screen. 399 dollars.

Apple TV range.

Consumer:
Apple TV. 179 dollars.

Professional:
Apple TV Pro. Stereo speakers, Apple TV system. A kind of sound bar with an integrated Apple TV. 499 dollars.

I would empower Apple Arcade to make it a kind of store for games, like Steam, PlayStation Store or the Xbox Game Store with triple AAA games. However, it would open up the possibility of using third party game stores, but it would power Apple's platform a lot.

Maybe I'd bring back out an AirPort range, with iCloud linking and tuck in some sort of NAS with Internet connectivity alongside the Apple Relay.

I'd bet on a closed iOS, leaving the openness that Apple has allowed in browser. I would not let third parties in on things like NFC, except for the uses that are allowed now (use as keys, Apple Pay).

On the iPad I would bet on a more empowered iPadOS, without reaching macOS, with pop-ups. It would allow multi-user. I would reduce the price of accessories (keyboards for 200/250 dollars and the Pencil between 50/120 dollars), so that it would be like an intermediate step between the iPhone and the Mac, both for functionality and price.

The Mac would power the AI. It would turn iWork on its head, betting on AI.

 

[jkev57]

I'd immediately fire any board that was stupid enough to hire me! (Sorta' like Groucho Marx saying, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”)

 

[jkev57]

I'd fire the board for putting someone like me in charge.

Saw your post within seconds of me posting almost the exact same thing... LOL!