The Apple Debate : Part 2
by Bill Nolan
Steve Jobs
There’s no arguing that the world of technology wouldn’t be the same without him. Even the ones that dislike his “personality” in the legacy of Apple have to give him a good bit of credit. This wiz basically developed the first personal computer, that’s extremely intuitive and all bundled into a beautiful piece of art. Now, it’s not a surprise what followed. The iMac, which is often imitated but never duplicated, has become an unstoppable beast in the world of computing, and the iPhone really made the term ‘smartphone’ universal. iPod and iTunes, which revolutionized the digital music world, are not going anywhere… we think. And then there’s the iPad, easily transportable, which includes many abbreviated applications to keep you moving forward when away from your computer. But wait, there’s more. We can’t forget iCloud. It’s the magic that helps connect all of your Apple products, keeping them in sync and updated.
Tim Cook
There could not have been a better man for the “Job.” Unfortunately, since the passing of Steve Jobs, we have received the last great advancements from Steve’s mastermind contributions. The immediate future of the company lies now with his successor, a man who shadowed Jobs for many years. Some might say he was Steve’s closest twin. Is Mr. Cook capable of maintaining, progressing or even surpassing what Apple’s founder was able to create, or will he forever live in the shadow of Jobs? Let’s review a few developments since Tim Cook has accepted this change of hands…
- The Apple Watch : Unlike any other watch, ah hem, the Apple Watch connects the physical body with the medical world. Yes, there have been many other digital smart watches previously released, but with Siri, the health apps and its connectivity to your iPhone… it is the best human interface experience on your wrist. We admit, this does raise questions. Where does this collected data go? Sure, it helps that your medical data is readily available, but who all has access to it? On a lesser terrifying note, what else will this thing do? It does keep you EVEN MORE CONNECTED at all times.
- The 4th Generation Apple TV : The Apple TV was the brainchild of Steve Jobs, and the 4th Generation TV is Cook’s perfection. Tim Cook is putting much effort into making this product a success. With over 25 million sold, including 5 million last year, the Apple TV can be considered a product where Cook takes majority credit. We will not dispute that there are similar products, but again, Apple has developed their version with an extreme potential to excel. In Cook’s release Siri and the push for TV apps continues to develop. We’d like to say more, but we can only ask… is the Apple TV the next iPod for couch potatos and television aficionados? Just sayin’.
- The Apple iPad Pro : Is it just a cookie sheet sized version of the iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Mini? We do know the sound system is out there! It’s like having your very own surround sound system and large-screen TV in a size that’s more comfortable for personal use. We are finally starting to get away from the “stylish” mini devices and developing realistically sized hand-held products. Well, maybe that’s being said too soon, because under Cook’s watch you will still have the iPad, iPad Air, iPad Mini and the new iPad Pro sizes. In addition, there is talk of having an iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Mini when the new Apple phone is released next year. We gotta ask, is this McDonalds… Small, medium, large or KING SIZE ME!? Really, what other revolutionized steps are being made here? With the attachable keyboard they are pushing, its sounds like another laptop mutation, at the same cost and slightly less capabilities.
- The Apple Pencil : In what was either a bold move, or a childish pissing contest, Tim Cook made the decision to release the Apple pencil. As everyone knows, Jobs absolutely hated the idea of a ‘stylus’ type pen. From the man himself, “If you see a stylus, they blew it…” Steve Jobs vowed never to make one. Even though, this new Apple Pen is way beyond an ordinary stylus, the jury is still out on whether this move will work out well. As previously mentioned, Apple has been known to revolutionize products previously released by other companies and give them life beyond our wildest dreams. On the other hand… this might be a brash move to keep up with the Joneses.
- Microsoft : “Hell froze over.” Tim Cook has also started to rebuild bridges that were burnt between Microsoft and Apple during the Jobs era. The move to briefly share a stage with Microsoft’s Kirk Koenigsbauer surely had Jobs turning in his grave. But, if these two companies called a truce and began brainstorming together, could you imagine the possibilities?
- Apple Pay : Let’s not go there here.
All of this said, what does Apple really have to Cook up with?
Too many times over the past few years we’ve been subjected to an Apple news conference after an Apple news conference where the ‘big’ news was not much more than a release of a new laptop color, a new iPad size, and their hyped up take on an existing product. Just STOP Apple! We’ve had enough with the ever so slight tweaks that give us a new version of the very same product… it’s like a bad horror movie sequel. We think you are starting to see the picture here. Where is the next, out of this world, can’t live without it product? And we do not mean the headphone sets and drone flyers that adorn your store walls more and more these days. PLEASE!
Well, maybe there’s a hidden gem in that Apple Watch or that Apple TV they have baking, or maybe there’s still some golden technology ticket waiting to be discovered in that Steve Jobs vault we keep hearing about. I hope so, and many other fans of Apple do as well. Rest easy my friends, if we become privy to that information Sourballpython will be the first to call Geraldo…