Ty Fujimura wrote an article on the Huffington Post stating “Why Apple is Doomed”
This is it’s rebuttal, line by line.
While they do make superior hardware, their secret sauce is interface design. Apple consistently develops interfaces so intuitive that instructions would seem silly. Even toddlers can navigate the iPhone effectively. Their products simply make sense, in a way their competitors seem unable to match. Because of this unique advantage, Apple has achieved their greatest success creating mobile devices, where the interface is psychologically closer to the user.
This is 100% agreed, and for the record, it’s 100% the reason Apple will succeed for years to come.
His management, even his vision, is replaceable. But that brilliant sense of taste, to which Apple owes their success, will not be matched by the next regime. His death would leave Apple closer to the pack than ever.
Steve Jobs leaving Apple of course would be a huge loss, however the company has succeeded due to a simple business model that has 4 main parts.
Often, More, Faster, Genial or better said OMFG
* Often release new versions of the product
* More 3ed party apps that Apple can control
* Faster the better
* Genial Interface
This isn’t rocket science. Steve Jobs already laid out the groundwork in terms of what the interface needs to be. Apple doesn’t need to be innovative in terms of programs or apps, an Army of 3ed party developers has that covered. All Apple has to do is just make sure the interface works with the hardware in a dumbed down simple mode. Put it in a white case and release a new version every 15 months and bingo it’s going to sell and fanboys and girls are going to give Apple whatever it wants.
That’s it. Apple is in a good position now. As long as they follow this snippet that you provided in your article:
Longtime Apple engineer Mike Evangelist was once tasked with heading the design of a DVD burning program for the Mac. His team developed dozens of sophisticated mock-ups and gathered to present them to Jobs. “He picks up a marker and goes over to the whiteboard,” remembers Evangelist, “He draws a rectangle. ‘Here’s the new application,’ he says. ‘It’s got one window. You drag your video into the window. Then you click the button that says BURN. That’s it. That’s what were going to make.’”
Apple needs to innovate on the hardware and interface side. Everyone else will do the rest of the innovation for them. When we mean innovate, we mean a VERY limited amount of big virtual buttons and maybe some decent voice recognition in the future.
This honestly has been their strategy under Steve Jobs for decades, and it will continue to be their mission for decades to come. No one buys Apple products for their cutting edge technology, but everyone buys Apple for their simple to use interface.
Also worth mentioning, it’s always a good idea to give away computers to schools… it’s been an Apple strategy since the 1980′s… and every generation a new group of kids know what an Apple is.
