Steve Jobs Sells Sugar Water
Steve Jobs did another brilliant presentation on Tuesday, showing off new iMacs (thinner than the previous models, but with no real innovations), and the new versions of iLife and iWork. The reality distortion field was powerful, and the faithful were wowed. At the same time, Apple made a few stealth upgrades, to the Mac mini, the AirPort Extreme and the Xserve. (See Rob Griffiths’ analysis on Macworld.com.)
But listening to Steve’s presentation, a few things stood out. First, Jobs used the term “Web 2.0″ several times in his talk, though not with the usual meaning. But he also introduced some truly vacuous ideas and features: iMovie that can publish movies directly to YouTube. (Yawn.) iPhoto that can make web galleries and even send them to an iPhone. (Yawn.) iWeb that lets you easily add Google AdSense ads to web pages. (Huh?)
The YouTube bit bothers me – not only the idea of sending your own boring home movies to YouTube, but also the manner in which Apple has embraced the phenomenon of vacuous videos, adding YouTube features to the AppleTV, the iPhone and Front Row. But the Google AdSense “feature” is almost insulting. Is providing an easy way to put ads on a web site a feature that will change the world? Apple users may recall Jobs’ famous question to John Sculley, then the head of Pepsi, when Jobs wanted to recruit Sculley to take the reins at Apple:
“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?”
Well, Jobs certainly changed the world: with Macs, the iMac, the iPod, and even the iPhone, he has brought us brilliant, innovative products. But now, touting YouTube and prompting people to put ads on their web pages is nothing more than selling sugar water. As Apple’s share price has skyrocketed, Jobs is clearly under pressure to maintain both the company’s growth and its market value. But has he finally sold out, giving up “changing the world” to simply sell sugar water?
I think Jobs needs to prove himself again, with a new product that is revolutionary. (The iPhone is in no way revolutionary; it’s just a phone with a better interface.) If the current trend continues, all we can expect is more features that please the lowest common denominator. Why not add a LOLcats wizard to iPhoto? Or how about selling ringtones at $2 a pop on iTunes? After all, everyone else does.
At the same time, Apple is dragging its feet on several innovations that the rest of the industry is adopting: HD DVDs, for example, or eSATA, which provides better external hard disk performance. And what about selling a wireless keyboard with no number pad? And he didn’t even give us a hint about a Leopard ship date!
Granted, times are tough; there isn’t much new software to invent, and coming up with a hardware device that hasn’t been done before is a gargantuan task. Sure, there’s been talk for years about an Apple tablet, or a sub-notebook, but these aren’t major innovations. Apple would do them better than other companies, I’m sure, but these others have been selling products like them for years. Maybe Steve is getting old, losing his touch; or maybe he has just succumbed to pressure from shareholders. While today’s Apple still shines, it looks like sugar water is here to stay.
Posted: 8/9/2007 by kirk | Filed under: Apple & Mac OS X | 8 Comments »
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Your article seems jaded and mean spirited.
The "reality distortion field" attack is getting old and tired. Your comment, "… idea of sending your own boring home movies to YouTube …" is kind of presumptuous and condescending, isn’t it? And the "… Steve is getting old, losing his touch …" comment is insulting.
You’re entitled to your opinion.
My point, however, is simply that he is selling sugar water, not changing the
world.
I really have to disagree with the comment about the iPhone not being revolutionary, and that only the interface is revolutionary. Couldn’t we say the exact same thing about the Mac. You know, it is only just a computer, but it was the interface that made it stand out in the crowd of other computers when it appeared way back in 1984. If anything, Apple is just doing what they have always done: refining products and making them generally more accessible and consumer friendly through better interfaces.
The iPod is another great example. It was not the first MP3 player. But it was the first one that had a simple yet powerful interface to get at that music.
"I think Jobs needs to prove himself again."
Um … no. Steve Jobs is one of those few people in this world who doesn’t need to ‘prove himself’ ever again. That unfortunate phrasing aside, this year is a particularly poor year to attempt this kind of argument, with the iPhone just released and Leopard right around the corner. Last year would have been much better. Maybe next year we’ll get an article from you about how the iPhone was overhyped?
There is zero conflict between observing that Steve has been the instigator of
major inventions (though never the inventor himself) and that he also shows
product features that are not each some miraculous breakthrough. Even the
most superficial glance at great inventors reveals that plenty of their work is the
most mundane stuff. Ever hear of 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration?
I suggest you skim the histories of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford before you make much of the lack of brilliance
in every breath Steve utters.
—
Jim
While the above comments are all valid, you still are ignoring the issue:
YouTube? Google AdSense? They are not only not innovative, but they go againts
Jobs’ famous comments (which he has made often) about changing the world. If
if this is all Apple can come up with (at least if that’s what they highlight;
because, yes there are other interesting features in these programs) then there’s
a problem.
Kirk
I think what you have to remember is that Apple’s customers don’t really know how to go from iMove to YouTube. They also aren’t webmasters so implementing AdSense is not worth the hassle.
But they’d love to share in Web 2.0
So while *you* think these are boring and not new, the fact that Apple makes them easier and more accessible indeed makes a revolution.
You’re just too hip and geeky to understand how limiting the status quo can be to large segment of the buying public.
I’m sorry, I meant to say "We’re too hip and geeky…" I certainly don’t know what to do to makes a technology more accessible,