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Apple has never been disruptive in the "we invented a new product category" sort of way. They've been disrupted in the "we take a raw idea, simplify it, refine
by floppydisk 11y ago
Apple has never been disruptive in the "we invented a new product category" sort of way. They've been disrupted in the "we take a raw idea, simplify it, refine it, make it KISS simple to use and polish the presentation" sort of way. That requires fanatical dedication to detail and getting it right and reading the market tea leaves to understand what's truly revolutionary and how to deliver.
With Jobs' passing, Apple's fanatical devotion to quality and polish looks like it's starting to wear off in some areas. Jobs did a great job staffing with people who could implement his visions superbly but didn't bring in an heir apparent who looks at the world differently and drives the same slavish attention to detail and polish.
- hellofunk 11y agoI agree, though I would argue that the iphone was genuinely a new product category (and perhaps also the iPad). Some re-imaginings of existing tools are so dramatic, they create new categories.
- wvenable 11y agoI had a smartphone that was conceptually similar to the iPhone in almost every way years before it was released. But the iPhone had a capacitive screen, longer batter life, a desktop quality browser, and it was a much better size. It didn't create a new product category but it created the best example of that category.
- floppydisk 11y agoNokia had a clunky version of a smartphone on the market for years before Apple launched the iPhone. Apple iterated on the idea, but they didn't create it. Similarly, Blackberry was already there. Didn't have touch screens but they had most of the major functions of a "smartphone" like email, messaging, etc. The category already existed in many ways, Apple fantastically riffed on it.