Who thinks Mr Cook is doing a good job.

[adamdr3420]

I think he is doing pretty good. its still kinda early to make any hasty judgments about how well he has taken the helm so far. i think the "iPad Mini" is a good idea. definately gonna be pre-ordering one as soon as i get the chance.

 

[xofruitcake]

Tim cook is not doing well. He has at least 3 major problems on his plate now and some of them are self induced:

1) the massive rollout of Iphone 5 and IOS 6 induce a lot of problem. A big part of scuff gate is a problem of QA for Iphone5 coming out from the factory. Foxconn bring a lot of new people in to build the massive number of Iphone. Given his credential as the supplier guru, he should know better than relying on Foxconn to do their own QA. The wifi and map problem are another two major issues that get a lot of user attention.. He should know better and has contingent plan to handle these kind of problems...

2) IOS 6 map rollout. Apple may have 10,000 good reasons to kick Google map out now instead of later, but there is no question that Scott Forstell set up a very high level of expectation in the Iphone 5 launch event that the Apple map cannot meet now.

3) Tim cook has to bring back Bob Mansfield as a consultant because the senior engineering team reject his choice of Dan Ricco for Senior VP of Engineering. Why didn't he know it before the situation become so critical??? That is management 101, know your own people.... And it looks like Dan Ricco may have to leave at some point also now that Bob Mansfield is coming back and undermine his credibility.. That is a major management screw up...

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...-tim-cook-offered-him-exorbitant-2m-per-month

So instead of talking about how great Iphone 5 is, we have the map problem, the scuffgate and wifi problems to talk about. And the scuff -gate really hurt the supply of Iphone 5 and may affect the total number of unit sold in this cycle. The could have done a lot better.

 

[urkel]

I disagree. Google wasn't going to give iOS turn-by-turn directions, so the only way Apple was going to ever bring that feature to iOS was to implement their own maps solution. The mistake was in not admitting upfront the limitations of the new maps app. Would Jobs have made the same mistake? I really don't know. But I'm sure he would have been for moving away from Google maps -- in fact, that decision was probably made while he was still alive.

Thats debatable because we're pitting Turn-by-turn vs Map Accuracy (not to mention no true confirmation that Google really was holding Maps for ransom).

Im not against moving away from Google Maps and based solely as an app then I'd say Maps is pretty good. Like a few others here I have no major issues with Maps in my area BUT, the problem that many people are missing is the impact on a global scale. When you are doing worldwide rollouts (and we are sure to hear Cook brag about the 28+ countries getting the iPhone 5) then you can't remove a reliable Maps app and replace it with one that offers only a fraction of the data. Apple had months of warnings from the dev community (even on MR) so Apple giving a Maps that was inadequate is Apple pretty much flipping off the consumer and saying "We know you'll buy it anyway so F-U". I'd expect that from Jobs but I'm disappointed that it happened under Cook.

 

[Night Spring]

so Apple giving a Maps that was inadequate is Apple pretty much flipping off the consumer and saying "We know you'll buy it anyway so F-U". I'd expect that from Jobs but I'm disappointed that it happened under Cook.

Huh? So you were expecting Cook to do *better* than Jobs?

So instead of talking about how great Iphone 5 is, we have the map problem, the scuffgate and wifi problems to talk about. And the scuff -gate really hurt the supply of Iphone 5 and may affect the total number of unit sold in this cycle. The could have done a lot better.

I don't think scuff-gate is any more serious than any other hardware problems that pester every product launch. The only problems I'm concerned about are the problems with senior management, like the Mansfield retiring then unretiring thing you point out, and also the new guy who was hired to run the Apple stores, who has been criticized for putting cost saving above customer service. But then, there's been hiring mishaps under Jobs too, like that whole Papermaster thing. So, while I don't intend to blindly give Cook a pass for everything, I also don't see any evidence that he's committed any unrecoverable blunders yet. I think he's doing as well as anyone can be expected to. I do wonder if Jobs would have managed to handle the maps transition better -- it's a situation that calls for his famed reality distortion field! But unfortunately, we'll never know, will we.

 

[maccompatible]

Huh? So you were expecting Cook to do *better* than Jobs?

People like that are nothing but hairy trolls. They come out at night and eat small children.

 

[faroZ06]

I think that Tim Cook is, in some ways, better than Steve Jobs as a CEO. Steve Jobs may have been a visionary, but Apple doesn't need to and shouldn't introduce any radical new products for the time being.

 

[Bokes]

let's see what he delivers with the mini.
If the specs are not embarrassing - then IMO- he's doing just fine.

If he gives us a placeholder device until gen2- well it's business as usual.

 

[urkel]

Huh? So you were expecting Cook to do *better* than Jobs?

Sure,, why not? It's not like Cook was acquired. He's been there for the entire rebound of Apple and worked WITH (not necessarily UNDER) Steve so what's wrong with rooting for Apple to continue to be awesome? Apparently I'm in the minority here, but I don't think gigantic corporations benefit from carrying such large chips on their shoulders but that's exactly what Apple is still doing. Purging Samsung and Google parts/products does not make an Apple product better.

 

[xofruitcake]

Huh? So you were expecting Cook to do *better* than Jobs?



I don't think scuff-gate is any more serious than any other hardware problems that pester every product launch. The only problems I'm concerned about are the problems with senior management, like the Mansfield retiring then unretiring thing you point out, and also the new guy who was hired to run the Apple stores, who has been criticized for putting cost saving above customer service. But then, there's been hiring mishaps under Jobs too, like that whole Papermaster thing. So, while I don't intend to blindly give Cook a pass for everything, I also don't see any evidence that he's committed any unrecoverable blunders yet. I think he's doing as well as anyone can be expected to. I do wonder if Jobs would have managed to handle the maps transition better -- it's a situation that calls for his famed reality distortion field! But unfortunately, we'll never know, will we.

No, I am not comparing Cook to Job. For all I know, Job could have done the same thing and I would have said that he had some major problems on his plate. I am just looking at a CEO and how he choose to launch his company's most important products with a very ambitious plan that he cannot deliver.

If you don't think scuff gate is important, you have not spent enough time in forum... In China forum, it is the most talk about topic. In McRumor, it is also one of the most talk about topics. For most causal buyers who think that Apple product mean quality product, scuff and dents from the factory is something that can understand that it is lousy quality. And if nothing else, fixing the problem cause a lot of delay that make potential buyer angry. Think about all the customers who spent every night trying to find iphone inventory in their local store. How much time did they waste on Iphone purchase that Apple could have fix if they have their own QA team onsite and know the problem earlier during the manufacturing process.

Scott Forstall problem is a time bomb. Someone misled the entire executive team on the state of the Apple map. It can be Forestall or it can be someone below him. But either way, the buck stop in his office. They could have chosen to launch Apple map as a beta with Google map around for another year. Or they can choose to launch Apple map by itself but make sure everyone know that it is a beta. But Scott Forestall spent his time on stage in the launch event setting everyone up for a great map app that he cannot delivers.. So if you are Tim Cook, what are you going to do with Scott Forestall? Looks like nothing at this point.. And it bother me greatly. Apple map does not factor in buying decision for a lot of folks (there is a survey in the map disaster thread) but it give Apple a corporate black eye and force the CEO to apologize. If the CEO (Tim Cook here) does not make someone accountable for that mistake, how is he going to manage the next major product launch. People can just screw up and has no consequence..

So Cook has problem in his Software team, Hardware team and QA problem in his contractor (and let's talk about the image problem created by Foxconn hiring underage worker... Foxconn does not seems to know that what they did in China reflect on Apple and Apple corporate image is mighty important to sell their gears). And we think he does a good job now???? I would wait until he recover from these problems before calling him a good CEO.

http://bbs.weiphone.com/thread-htm-fid-466.html

 

[Night Spring]

If you don't think scuff gate is important, you have not spent enough time in forum... In China forum, it is the most talk about topic. In McRumor, it is also one of the most talk about topics.

Can't say about the Chinese forum, but the level of complaints about scuff-gate on MacRumors seem no worse than what happened with other hardware problems, such as antenna gate, iMac / MacBook screen problems, wifi problems, etc.

Scott Forstall problem is a time bomb. Someone misled the entire executive team on the state of the Apple map. It can be Forestall or it can be someone below him. But either way, the buck stop in his office. They could have chosen to launch Apple map as a beta with Google map around for another year. Or they can choose to launch Apple map by itself but make sure everyone know that it is a beta. But Scott Forestall spent his time on stage in the launch event setting everyone up for a great map app that he cannot delivers.. So if you are Tim Cook, what are you going to do with Scott Forestall? Looks like nothing at this point.. And it bother me greatly. Apple map does not factor in buying decision for a lot of folks (there is a survey in the map disaster thread) but it give Apple a corporate black eye and force the CEO to apologize. If the CEO (Tim Cook here) does not make someone accountable for that mistake, how is he going to manage the next major product launch. People can just screw up and has no consequence..

I agree the presentation of the maps app was a misstep, and unlike with MobileMe launch, nobody has been publicly fired or reprimanded. But then again, I think MovileMe was a much more serious mishap. Or it's just not Tim Cook's style to publicly reprimand people. It's too early to tell if Cook's handling of this is better or worse than Jobs' response in similar situations. I'll be watching to see if there are any signs of how Cook is handling the maps situation, but I don't see any need to be alarmed YET. The upcoming iPad mini announcement is going to be an interesting test to see if any difference is made in the product presentation style because of this.

And we think he does a good job now???? I would wait until he recover from these problems before calling him a good CEO.

I'm not saying those things you point out are not problems, but those are the type of problems where, you solve one, and another keeps cropping up. If a company needs to be problem-free before a person can be called a good CEO, then there will be no good CEOs, ever.

 

[E.Lizardo]

The "gate" signifies people making a huge scandal out of a small problem. There have been like 100 gates about the iPhone so far, and people love to make new ones up. This particular one means that anodized aluminum isn't resistant to scratches. Shocker. The glass was. However, the glass shattered. Would you prefer shattering or scratching?

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There's one word I like to say to people like you: MobileMe. Yes. There was crappy software even when Steve was in control. I see no decline. Simple consistency. Even with apple, not everything is perfect.

Don't forget the awesome PING!And the crappy iphone Bluetooth headset that was quickly dropped.And getting screwed on the original iPhone price drop(that one still hurts).
Steve was great,but not perfect,Now he's dead.time to move on.
We WOULD like the hear your "insider"informed opinion on the two mystery people who would do better though,oh great one....

 

[jumpmandds]

I really can't comment until we see the next phone that Steve had no overseeing then we can say how he's doing

 

[Aspasia]

You just can't compare the buzz that Steve Jobs created when running HIS company to the mediocre performance and route Apple has taken since Cook stood in.
I just wonder how much Jobs had to do with his appointment.
If its a lot I would certainly be surprised.

Quoting Steve Jobs from his biography written by Walter Isaacson:

"Tim Cook came out of procurement, which is just the right background for what we needed. I realized that he and I saw things exactly the same way. I had visited a lot of just-in-time factories in Japan, and I'd built one for the Mac and at NeXT. I knew what I wanted and I met Tim, and he wanted the same thing. So we started to work together, and before long I trusted him to know exactly what to do. He had the same vision I did, and we could interact at a high strategic level, and I could just forget about a lot of things unless he came and pinged me."

Steve also chose Tim to run the company during Steve's medical leaves.

 

[scaredpoet]

let's see what he delivers with the mini.
If the specs are not embarrassing - then IMO- he's doing just fine.

If he gives us a placeholder device until gen2- well it's business as usual.

What would constitute non-embarrassing specs? Do you want the iPad mini to have BETTER specs than the full sized iPad?

The whole point of a mini is to compete head to head the the likes of Nook color and Kindle Fore, which pretty much means competitive price points and specs to fit the price point.

----------

You just can't compare the buzz that Steve Jobs created when running HIS company

Steve is dead. He cannot run a company from the grave. Guess what that means? It's no longer his company.

Stop using Steve as a yardstick, and an unrealistic one at that. Why some people who would gladly have criticized his decisions in life seek to elevate him to sainthood in death is something I will never understand.

Yes, Steve did great things in life. He also made quite a few bad decisions here and there. In any case, he is no longer here to continue doing what he did, good or bad. Accept it. Get over it.

Or, if you insist on continuing to call it "HIS company," then by extension, Apple died with him. Stop buying their products. Move on.

 

[racer1441]

Dumbest post of the day.

Cook was hand picked by Jobs. The stock is through the roof, the iPhone 5 was the biggest launch in history for any iPhone, Mac share if the market is growing, cash in hand is increasing.

Anyone who can't see this is blinded by the Jobs distortion field or just nuts.

 

[gursis11]

I actually like Tim Cooks personality and the way he moves around and talks on stage. He has a different compassion and steadiness in his voice, he adds regular pauses and talks relatively slowly.
If you're talking about products then the answer can be given by the end of 2013. When the next generations of products hit that market under Cooks rein.

 

[BaldiMac]

Just my opinion. For instance, the recent issues like iPhone 5 scuffgate (http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/24/3381462/iphone-5-scuff-damage-aluminum), iOS 6 Maps (http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3363914/wrong-turn-apple-ios-6-maps-phone-5-buggy-complaints) show decline in quality after Tim became CEO.

In order to "show decline" you need a before and after, unless you are implying that Apple's quality control was perfect under Jobs.

iOS4 - Multitasking and Folders
iOS5 - Siri and iCloud
iOS6 - Maps and Siri again

Thats 3 years in a product thats only 5 years old. There can be arguments for how iOS4 and iOS5 are solid and I'll agree, BUT in a market where Apple started out literally YEARS ahead of the competition then their development has been so slow that others have caught up. You may make excuses for them but the bottom line is that Apple is MUCH better than this and in no way would anyone say a prime example of Apple's greatness is iOS4, 5 or 6.

Regardless of the fact that I disagree with you on the quality of iOS, you said that you would blame Cook for keeping Forstall in charge of iOS for too long. Cook has only been CEO for one year. Jobs was the one that kept Forstall around for iOS 4 and iOS 5.

 

[augustya]

All this Steve worship is getting crazy. He was no doubt a great man but one man cannot run a company. All ideas weren't Steve's.

mmmm....well said !

But comparing Steve to Tim as CEO, Steve was much better at quality control.

Are you saying this because iPad-2 didn't have so much of Screen Quality issues ? Even if was Steve was alive how could he have entirely controlled quality standards ?

 

[BigTroll]

You just can't compare the buzz that Steve Jobs created when running HIS company to the mediocre performance and route Apple has taken since Cook stood in.
I just wonder how much Jobs had to do with his appointment.
If its a lot I would certainly be surprised.
I just don't like him so maybe I'm not seeing it clearly.
Issues arose while Steve Jobs ran HIS company but IMO things are not the same.
Who needs a mini iPad? Get the Os's correct before putting them out.
He showed zero respect by not mentioning SJ one time in the keynote for new iPad which has a foolish name, is thicker and does not work.
People , keep your second gen ipads , they are the last thing Steve Jobs crafted and a solid device indeed.
I have little good to say about T. Cook so ill stop here.
Flame me but I know I'm correct in thinking there are two much better choices to run this company. Much better.

I agree with u I went out and bought my iPad 2 the day I heard jobs was stepping down I had a hunch it would be the last product he would introduce and sadly this was true, while I like my iPhone 5 I think it's poor in some respects compared to my 3GS it has poorer reception drops calls in places my 3GS never did more people have trouble hearing me and the touchscreen is much less responsive in games iPad 2 forever!!!'

 

[Ariii]

Personally, I would prefer Spindler or Sculley over Cook .