So some analyst thinks Apple should get into the content business. Yawn. For largely historical reasons we have a model that is divided between content producer

So some analyst thinks Apple should get into the content business. Yawn. For largely historical reasons we have a model that is divided between content producers and content distributors. Apple is essentially (at best) a distributor not a producer. It's good to have this separation (which at least in part came about from the Paramount decision). If Apple becomes a producer too then that could hurt their distribution efforts (eg trying to make the Apple TV a distribution platform). The real problem with post-Jobs Apple is that Jobs had a vision and Tim Cook does not. Don't get me wrong: Cook has done wonders on the logistics and provisioning front to turn Apple into the behemoth but is he the leader Apple really needs? I have doubts. When Apple announced the watch, I raised an eyebrow. Personally I think smartwatches are stupid. The tech just isn't there yet (battery life, size, etc). Apple traditionally only got into markets once they were proven. That wasn't (and still isn't) the case with smartwatches. Look at Apple's change in direction. The first Apple Watch was positioned like a luxury brand (another change for Apple). This one is focused on health and fitness. Even there it's a compromise (eg for any serious exercise with a heart rate monitor you need a chest strap and no one has yet invented an HRM without one that's sufficiently accurate without one under stress). But constant health monitoring and potentially warning before you have a major health event (eg stroke, heart attack) is a real potential growth market. But again, the tech just isn't there yet. Steve Jobs famously stuck to having one mouse button. I think he was wrong on this one. The right-click is here to stay but he did have a point about discoverability. So I was once again shocked when Apple introduced Force/3D Touch as it has even more discoverability and consistency problems. It also adds weight and cost. The haptic home button is also (IMHO) a step backwards. And again, ditching the headphone jack seems too soon. In another shock, Apple's Ear Pods have been "delayed". Has Apple ever not had their shit together to delay a product after announcement like this? So phones are becoming if they haven't already a commodity. What I mean is that pretty much any smartphone you buy now is probably going to be good enough, even the prepaid phones you buy for $150 or less. Oh the hardware front, only these things seem to matter now: - Display (although arguably they are or soon will be all good enough) - Battery life only to the point that it's sufficient (ie beyond a certain point it doesn't matter and they'll all get to that point) - The camera One the last one it does seem like the Pixel is better than the iPhone 7 (disclaimer: I work for Google). After that, it's software the matters and is the real differentiator between phones (IMHO). iOS, once clean, simple and elegant, seems to have gotten clunkier, confused and is suffering more from feature bloat. That's natural if product managers and UI/UX people aren't reined in. This is mirrored in OSX, which seems to have gotten worse starting with Yosemite.