Comments on: Taking a Bite Out Of Apple

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:07:13 +0000

Hi Elaine,
I think Rich was right when he said: “The only immediate(next 10yrs) threat to Apple is Apple itself.” That’s not to say another smart, innovative company could come out of nowhere to steal some of Apple’s thunder at some point. But my feeling is that any company that wants to build an enduring, powerful brand would do well to emulate Apple’s culture. Can it be replicated? It can if founders pull designers, marketers and managers together in an environment that feeds on ideas.
Thanks for weighing in, Elaine. Your insights are always terrific.

By: Elaine Fogel

Elaine Fogel — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:54:12 +0000

Ted, it seems like Apple is such a strong brand that no one else can topple its success. On the other hand, who knows what’s going to come out in the next few years. Technology changes so rapidly that some obscure or nonexistent company today, can develop something so innovative tomorrow that it will have a huge impact on Apple’s market share. Until the next big thing…

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:43:06 +0000

Hi Paul,
You’ve summed it up neatly, and I agree. Especially liked your third point. Even the most innovative companies don’t always hit the ball out of the park, do they? The point: smart companies learn from their failures and continue to innovate. Worrying about the misses usually takes energy from creating the hits. Great point.
Thanks, Paul, for sharing your thoughts with us.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:36:21 +0000

Ted, three phrases in my mind that signify continued success for Apple:
1) “Culture of innovation” (as Rich points out) So critical and so rare
2) “Pulse on customer needs/wants” (hard to be innovative if you don’t have this -or at least financially successful based on innovation)
3) “Steve Jobs”. Yes, sometimes he misses: i.e NeXT, Apple Cube. But when he hits it, it’s a bulls-eye.

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:37:22 +0000

Hi Rich,
Thanks for the enthusiasm! Love it. I personally find it hard to disagree with most of your assessments. This statement is great: “The only immediate(next 10yrs) threat to Apple is Apple itself”. You’ve hit on a very important point about Apple needing to recognize trends and capitalize on them even if they don’t come to the table first on some of these developing technologies.
Remember when IBM, aka “Big Blue” was considered invincible? And then the company made the decision to stick with main frames, avoiding the budding PC market? What a fiasco. It took years for the company to reinvent itself after that.
Thanks back at you, Rich, for adding much more dimension to my post.

By: Rich Lazzara

Rich Lazzara — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:29:35 +0000

Great questions:
1. Given enough time, no doubt, nothing lasts forever. Next 10 years, NO.
2. Apple would be in big trouble if they lost their full Team. However they can succeed without Steve. Culture would be the big thing to keep an eye on if Steve J isnt there.
3. Competition is always there. Apple competes on many fronts. Could a small company beat them in one area? Sure! Out maneuver the entire company, no.
4. Emphatically NO!
5. Sure, being first to market isn’t the end all be all. They weren’t first with MP3 player and they wont be with ebook readers.
6. I dont think they have to be first to market, just innovative.
Apple is the Worlds premiere UI/OS designers. They are also one of the best marketing companies, period. The only immediate(next 10yrs) threat to Apple is Apple itself. Failure to be more “open”, failure to buy into more “cloud based” architecture/apps, failure to evolve/expand products faster (i.e. iphone is essentially same 3 years later and still only 1 model really), failure to understand TV/Internet merge- Apple TV has been tough going.
Those are the types of things that will be the downfall of Apple.
Thanks for the post

By: Ted Mininni

Ted Mininni — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:51:29 +0000

Hi Kevin,
Thanks for weighing in here. Had to laugh at your admonishment: “(You run the risk of having the Apple “fanboys” run over here and tear you up! ” Kevin, I am an Apple “fanboy”. Love all things Apple. I’m the principal of a design consultancy, remember? Love and use the iMac. My iPhone is one of my favorite possessions.
Having said that, I expect Apple to respond to increased competition very well. I know it’s typical for highly innovative brands to eventually lose steam. Many in the marketplace likely think Apple will eventually become a victim of its own success. I don’t agree. The entire culture at Apple is so entrenched with innovative design sensibilities that I think you’d literally have to cut the core out of the company to slow down their momentum. But that’s just me, “fanboy” here!
Your insights are always appreciated, Kevin. Keep on thinking. And thanks for the kind words.

By: Kevin Horne

Kevin Horne — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:31:03 +0000

Some great questions there, Ted, on a very interesting and potentially controversial topic. (You run the risk of having the Apple “fanboys” run over here and tear you up!
Has there ever been a brand that got received such excess mindshare relative to its market share? But that of course is the beauty of what Apple has been able to accomplish with all facets of its marketing – with a big emphasis on the “P” of product.
To your first question – will it stall vis-a-vis innovation? I vote an enthusiastic no (and i’m not even an Apple fanboy). To me the bigger tell will be what markets Apple goes after each time it rolls out a new “thingie.” It’s quite intuitive, but the more it goes mass rather than niche or focus, the more attention it draws from competitors.
If Apple truly ever takes a run at the business/ enterprise sector, this Droid stuff will look like child’s play.
Another great post.