Hacker News Reader

Hacker News

Comment by jakozaur | Hacker News Reader

Full thread

jakozaur

Steve Jobs Apple era is gone for good:

- leaks

- more options, more complicated lineup (iPhone 5C/5S, 6, 6+, iPad too)

- competing with Android instead of differentiating (larger phones, customization)

- hiccups during keynote

Not necessary a bad thing, but something is gone and it's unlikely to return soon. Probably Apple will benefit in short term, but long term doesn't look so clear.

View on HN

Let's stop pretending that there were never any leaks on Steve's watch because it dovetails with our conclusions. Think Secret and Macrumors didn't just open up shop under Tim Cook.

edit: And let's stop pretending a lot of options in a key product is a revolution. Steve shipped the iPod Classic, Nano, Shuffle and Touch at the same time.

edit2: and let's stop pretending there were never any keynote hiccups under Steve "can everyone turn off their wifi?" Jobs

> hiccups during keynote

Pretty sure Jobs had a few hiccups of his own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzDDO3Xb_QU

Steve Jobs didn't pass away until the iPhone 4S' release. The iPhone 4 was leaked by being left in a bar the previous year. I wouldn't say leaks are any more or less an issue now than they were with him still at the helm.

> leaks

I always had a love/hate relationship with the "one more thing" approach. When Apple has a real blockbuster product to reveal, it was a lot of fun. But sometimes it was a big letdown. I remember when they introduced the v1 Apple TV. It felt half-baked.

I think Apple has done a better job managing expectations going into new product releases. I haven't feel the same "let down" feeling in a while.

(Not saying this particular leak was intentional, just an observation)

Let us reclaim the timeline from Apple and stop caring about their leaks. The cloak and dagger routine seems laughably archaic to me, and they've only been doing it for a few years now.

Go study up on the Osborne effect for an understanding of why Apple goes for secrecy on new products.

What are the hiccups during the keynote? Do you just mean the technical issues with the live stream?

The complicated lineup is probably more related to a maturing market

laptop is a matured market and the lineup under Jobs was very straight forward (Macbook, macbook pro, macbook air).

EDIT: Since all the reply to my comment seem to complety miss my point, here it is:

Apple's laptop lineup is very straight forward compared to their competitor in regards to LAPTOP. Have a look at HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo's[1] offering. They have like 30 different laptops.

[1] http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops

Laptops are more modular than the newer phones. So most laptop manufacturers give you options to 'customize' the specs. It is probably not profitable to have fully customizable phones, yet. So you have 'more models'. In my opinion, people make this a bigger deal than it actually is. The equivalent of 15" Macbook Pro is perhaps the iPhone Plus, which people criticize as 'more models', etc.

A straightforward laptop line that had more size options than are available for either iPhones or iPads. I think they had six sizes at once going for a while? Two airs, three MBPs, one MB?

How about you compare the laptop lineup with its own industry?

So it's still very straightforward under Cook, too: MBA, MBPR, and MBP which probably hasn't much time left.

It signals to me that revenue has more perceived value than profit. I agree with this philosophy if the company uses the forgone profits to pursue risky but potentially rewarding ideas similar to the way Amazon has. I don't agree with it when the "idea" is a device with features they withheld from a previous release in an overcrowded category that they already dominate. That is not to say I don't like the idea of a cheaper iphone -- cheaper iphones can be a great gateway drug to the apple ecosystem. Its the 6+ or 5s that Im talking about. I expect a lot more from a company with $160 billion on hand and with the reputation of Apple's.

True. When Steve Jobs died the Steve Jobs era ended. Your pointless comments cause my eyes to bleed. Maybe someday you'll get to run a company worth several hundred billion dollars. But until then, let's try not run someone else's from Hacker News.

It is gone for good, because Jobs passed away and won't be reincarnated. So can we please give these "Steve is gone" comments on every Apple post on HN?

> more options, more complicated lineup (iPhone 5C/5S, 6, 6+, iPad too)

You forgot the watch. :p

I was more worried about Apple's long term future under Jobs. It seemed like he bet the farm on everything Apple released, and noone is good enough to win every time.

It seems like too big of a coincidence that this purported "leak" happened on the same day as the new Nexus line announcements.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com