I relented and went to the Apple Store today. I wanted to see the iPad.
I must confess that I'm a bit amazed. The iPad is indeed neat but I'm surprised at how non-innovative it was. My brother-in-law hit the issue squarely: it's a big iPhone.
A few months ago, I brought a Fall 2009 Wall Street Journal story to class. It said that Steve Jobs, since returning to the company from his near-death experience, had spent the vast majority of his time working on the iPad. The class discussion relating to the article was built around the idea that Locusts need innovation to sustain themselves. It was, in this light, logical that Jobs should be preoccupied on the big product launch.
So today, while holding the iPad and wondering why they'd release a product that can play music and browse the web, but not do both concurrently, that I thought of the role Jobs played in the months leading up to the launch.
Might it be that his influence was to hold back the engineers from innovative ideas that would have made the product revolutionary? Could it be that he was the force that drove this device to be a replica of a past success?
If this is Jobs' new role, the future isn't bright for Apple.
I'm speculating, it's true, but I can't help but think that it's likely a middle-aged fellow like Steve Jobs will become increasingly conservative over time. For a Locust, this would be severely problematic.
How ironic that the stock market values Jobs so highly. If I'm right, the market has things backwards and Apple is way over-valued.
Time will tell.
I must confess that I'm a bit amazed. The iPad is indeed neat but I'm surprised at how non-innovative it was. My brother-in-law hit the issue squarely: it's a big iPhone.
A few months ago, I brought a Fall 2009 Wall Street Journal story to class. It said that Steve Jobs, since returning to the company from his near-death experience, had spent the vast majority of his time working on the iPad. The class discussion relating to the article was built around the idea that Locusts need innovation to sustain themselves. It was, in this light, logical that Jobs should be preoccupied on the big product launch.
So today, while holding the iPad and wondering why they'd release a product that can play music and browse the web, but not do both concurrently, that I thought of the role Jobs played in the months leading up to the launch.
Might it be that his influence was to hold back the engineers from innovative ideas that would have made the product revolutionary? Could it be that he was the force that drove this device to be a replica of a past success?
If this is Jobs' new role, the future isn't bright for Apple.
I'm speculating, it's true, but I can't help but think that it's likely a middle-aged fellow like Steve Jobs will become increasingly conservative over time. For a Locust, this would be severely problematic.
How ironic that the stock market values Jobs so highly. If I'm right, the market has things backwards and Apple is way over-valued.
Time will tell.
Comments