Well said, Mark, well said
People talk endlessly about what makes Apple and its product great. Unfortunately, most of this noise is just that and does little if anything to illuminate the fine work that the Cupertino, California-based Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad maker does.
O’Reilly Radar, in the voice of Mark Sigal, has published a couple gems about the very nature of Apple and greatness. Thereupon, I’m gonna take his thoughts out of order and simplify the meaning — hey, I’m a blogger — down to what I think’s the essence:
Does Apple have a perfect crystal ball on these things? The history of the nano and the degree of iteration of this generation’s shuffle, suggests that no, in fact, they don’t always have a perfect read. But make no mistake: While they may not always be right, they are never confused or haphazard in their approach…
So, for example, while some people will think of the G4 Cube launched back in 2000 as a failure, a longer view shows that it was just a stepping stone — miniaturization, modular design, cooling, energy consumption, industrial design — that lead to future successes, such as the Mac mini and MacBook Air. The approach and strategy were true even though the product itself didn’t hit the mark.
Ditto that for the Luxo Junior iMac.
“Let me net it out for you: Customers buy outcomes, they don’t buy attributes, and they certainly don’t pay a premium for it. Whether you love or hate Apple, recognize that they are an exemplar of this truth.”
Yes, people buy outcomes and Apple products “just work.” The odd misstep aside there’s not a lot to argue about…
What’s your take?
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