Things Apple Needs To Do - And We Know
Better!
By Wayne Lefevre
I watched with interest this past Macworld. I say I watched,
because living back East, and with these “economic times,” I was unable to
attend this year. That however, is nothing new, as I’ve never been able to
attend a Macworld! But that’s neither here nor there. One thing it does allow
is the ability to sit back and take in all the announcements and reports that
are reported, sometimes to much amazement and amusement.
Often, and really much too often, there are blog posts that
explain what a company is doing wrong. One can usually take these with a grin
and a grain, because usually it boils down to one bloggers conflict of
something a company usually hasn’t done for the writer. Often it becomes
personal. Joe Blogger got mad because Company X didn’t come out with a new
spring line of Speedo™ Swim Suits.
What happens, though, when Joe Blogger turns into someone “real”?
A real-life journalist with actual qualifications working for a national print
magazine. Does that make a difference? It’s become a very fine line.
Bloggers
are clambering to be recognized as a legitimate sources of information as print
journalists are struggling to maintain integrity with the openness and demands
of the more-information-now atmosphere of the Internet.
InformationWeek IT Magazine
It was under this very fine line that I read an article from
InformationWeek and realized that the line was being blurred even more to the
point of filing it with downmarket tabloids. The National Enquirer and its ilk.
I’m going to pick on this one particular article, since it’s the one that drove
me to comment in this column. However, it’s not the only one, and unfortunately
we are seeing it more and more lately. This one really surprised me, though. I
used to read it every week when working as a MIS Analyst at Mrs. Fields Cookies
almost 20 years ago, and to see it putting out tripe like this really astounds
me.
The article in question is named Apple: 10 Things It Needs To Do In 2009. I’d like to offer a bit of a
rebuttal against this article in particular. Why? Because I can. I don’t get
paid for this. I am not a professional writer, but I do know that sometimes you
have to just say time out, step back and try to get a new prospective on
things.
It starts out at Number One with comparing Steve Jobs with Willy
Wonka, locking himself up in Apple’s headquarters so he doesn’t have to talk
with people anymore.
Journalist Mitch Wagner, who wrote the article, even
brings in great sources. Fellow InformationWeek contributor John Welch, who
bestows his own journalistic aptitude by saying Apple “HATES unmanaged random
customer contact. Apple doesn’t want to talk to you. Apple has never wanted to
talk to you.” Wagner furthers that anti-customer stance by writing Apple “wants
to eliminate that contact entirely – except involving customers handing
over their credit cards.” and “Indeed, Steve Jobs doesn’t want contact with
anyone – not even Apple employees. And that’s the real reason Steve Jobs
didn’t attend Macworld this year.”
Wow. Really? First in regards to Steve Jobs not wanting contact
with anyone. I say, Who cares? So what? Did these guys even give any
consideration to his illness? Not even that, but when did someone being an
introvert have a direct correlation to how successful you are in running a
business? How many CEOs of Fortune 500 companies do you know personally?
Really? They haven’t called you lately? Come to your kid's birthday parties?
Think about it. Maybe a certain CEO didn’t call you back when you wanted to
score the “big interview” for InformationWeek…
Also, if Apple as a company has some sort of secret,
anti-customer, no contact directives, it seems pretty strange that they are
continuing to build more and more retail stores. You know, the non-online,
face–to–face shops.
“Users don’t just want performance out of an OS upgrade
– they want features. New, bright shiny things to play with.”
Now I know that a lot of us has read the “Dummies” books, but the
publisher Wiley doesn't really believe that their customers are dummies. I’m not so sure
about this guy. Now, not only is he telling us how Apple should run their
business, but he’s letting us know what we want.
As far as having an OS that is new bright and shiny without the
performance. Well, I think we all know who would fall under that category. I
think we also know how well that turned out. Under the same heading he quipped,
“And if Apple can’t deliver new features, at least it can cut down on the
bugs.” That’s probably one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard
considering that’s exactly one of the things Apple is trying to accomplish, and
has said as much!
And it goes on and on...
I really could go on and on, and it only gets worse. I’m hoping
that you are starting to get the point I’m trying to make. If you are
interested, though, here is a quick run-down on some of the others.
“Add Basic Features To The iPhone.” – “The iPhone does so
many difficult things so well, why does it fall down on these apparently easy
things?” (cut/paste, multitasking, real-time spoken-out-loud turn-by-turn
directions, more.) Well, maybe because these things aren’t as “apparently
easy”? Security? Liability? Ease of use? Wants it to run the best it can with
limited resources?
“Come Out With A Netbook.” - I can’t
really argue with this one, as I wouldn’t mind one myself. But I certainly
don’t know why they haven't come out with one. I don’t have the incredible
resources that Apple, and apparently to certain members of the press, has
available to it. You know, things like marketing research, the cost of making
such a product versus the return, little stuff like that. Apparently, they
don't take things like "because I just want one" into consideration!
“Establish A Clear Path of Succession.” - “Apple needs to publicize
a plan for what the company will do when – not if – Jobs is unable,
or unwilling, to lead.” Right. Because every company knows who the next CEO
will be. Wait; in every company's prospectus there is a line of succession,
right? Nothing having to do with a vote or a board of directives or anything,
right?
“Develop Low-Power, High-performance Processors For Portable
Devices.” - Um, aren’t they doing exactly that?
“Clarify Policies In The App Store.” - I’ve got to agree there, too.
But see, here’s another one that I am split on. I had absolutely no problem in
not being able to purchase “Fart Apps.” Obviously, there are some that are
buying, but I personally don’t want to see a picture of an actual anus when I’m
flipping through the apps. It’s a cartoon, true, but there’s one app that shows
this guy bending over and shows his anus. What a true piece of art, and fun for
all ages! But again, I am not a developer. I have not read the rules and regs
for developing and then selling those apps on their store. Therefore, I have no
right or business in even commenting on it, unlike some.
“Improve Enterprise Support.” - Again, I suppose if they wanted to,
they would!
“Continue To Fight Against DRM.” I think they are. “Apple needs to
take a stand and eliminate DRM from its products.” Again, they are! “Apple is
doing whatever it can to kill DRM. They need to keep it up.” OK, now I give up.
You tell ‘em!
“Stay Classy Apple” - “So the final bit of advice for Apple is to
continue to trust its own judgment, and prosper by selling great products.” OK,
so if I understand this correctly, now we go against everything that we were
just explaining to Apple that it needs to do. Hmm…
To Wrap Up
I think Apple needs to create a Home Media Server. They didn’t
announce it at this last Macworld, so I’m a little bummed. However, at the cost
of perhaps making a couple of enemies, I don’t presume that because I put a
little PRESS card in the band of my hat that it somehow gives me the know-how
to run a multi-billion dollar company!
Giving one a press pass or any kind of journalism credentials and
suddenly they know how to better run a company then those doing it is just
plain ridiculous. It's so easy to sit back and write about how everything
should be. Now how about just writing about what things are. Really, things are
done for a reason. If you personally don't think they "get it",
create your own company.
They get it, they really do. It’s just not on my timetable or what
I think they should get. Perhaps if we focused more on what we needed to do and less on
what others should do, then perhaps this whole world would be better off. I’m
not trying to downplay “credible” journalists, it’s just that this is how news
is made, and that’s the last thing that news organizations need to be doing.
