Who's running the show at Apple?

[satchmo]

I realize there's a substantial team behind every product at Apple.
But certainly there must be a leader who determines the feature set of say this new MBP.

Tim Cook is the CEO, but I highly doubt he's deciding between GPU's and what ports to include.
I can't see Johnny Ive designing anything before engineers have finalized all the components.
Would Dan Riccio, Senior VP of Hardware Engineering be the guy?

 

[idunn]

I do not know, but suspect Johnny Ive bears a good deal of the responsibility for this.

Apple seems to have forsaken function for fashion, and he is their fashion/design guy. So likely with a great influence on the direction of new and existing products. The engineers just do what they are told.

Their trend in hardware and software is beyond simplicity to simpleton. The elimination of many useful functions.

As CEO, Tim Cook bears full responsibility for this. It has been mentioned by others that Steve Jobs—were he here—would surely have reigned in many of these excesses, which he valued but knew how to control; without him they've gone wild.

 

[Oliverhay]

Jonny isn't that impractical though - I'm sure after this length of time he's realised that the computers need to be functional first. I think they are just choosing to neglect the "pro" market in favour of the larger consumer computer market. It probably makes financial sense but I feel its a short term strategy.

Its a huge shame and I'm sure its going to backfire on them in several years. The reason mac's are so good is because the pro people demand high quality programs, and without that demand, the ecosystem will loose its appeal to consumers as well.
Looking at the Surface releases, Microsoft it going hard for the pro design market and they are going to win it if apple keeps this up.

They need someone to steer them back to the pro market. Maybe sales figures of the surface desktop Microsoft thing will freak them out enough to realise what they are about to loose.

 

[Floris]

Even if the intern makes all the decisions and develops everything, the ceo is responsible for the company and it falls on him eventually. Not the intern.

One of the powers of steve jobs was to make sure people know that he was the one in charge and they report to him, and through him it goes to the outside world, and he took that a little personal at times.

Tim cook is more corporate america ceo, and that's showing as well.

Either have their pros and cons.

But whatever they individually or as a team make, it lands on the ceo.