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You are not Apple. Adopting some superficial Apple-like guidelines will not make you succeed like Apple.

by jdale27 16y ago

astrange 16y ago
Well, consider what would happen if you did the opposite of each one. "Keep your number of products high" might work in some market, but "have an inconsistent and unpolished user interface"? I don't see what you'd get out of that one.
- access_denied 16y ago
  You could offer an 'Ultimate'-version of your product which would disable "inconsistent and unpolished user interface" and unlock the 'polished' one.
- doron 16y ago
  You get Sony?
InclinedPlane 16y ago
Yup. Some of these items represent sound advice and not just superficiality. To be fair, putting together an excellent company that can compete at the top of one of the biggest industries on Earth is not an easy task, no matter how much good advice you have to work with. However, becoming a better company by taking lessons from the best is something well in the realm of feasibility for many organizations.
api 16y ago
Why is it that Hacker News linked blog posts and comments and such are so full of "you are not X" and "don't try to be as good as X because you are not, take the safe route and be safely mediocre" type stuff? You guys are harshing my mellow. Seriously though... no, adopting some superficial Apple-like guidelines will not make you Apple. But understanding at a conceptual level how Apple does what it does might help. I think the root of these kinds of comments is what I've come to call "success mysticism" in business. It's the idea that the successful have some mystical thing called "what it takes" that is opaque and cannot be understood. You either have it or you don't. This is bullshit. Success comes from experience, intelligence, hard work, dedication, and a little bit of luck. Only the latter item is at all mystical. Business is really different from science, engineering, and hacker culture in that it's really really superstitious. People usually refuse to examine the black boxes of success, and when they try they usually draw superstitious and superficial conclusions.
jasonlbaptiste 16y ago
It's not about copying Apple directly or following this as some blueprint. It's about understanding why they have made a lot of smart decisions and maybe a few of those will factor into your company. Steve Jobs had many influences, but he meshed all of them together with his own thought.

You are not Apple. Adopting some superficial Apple-like guidelines will not make you succeed like Apple.

by jdale27 16y ago

You are not Apple. Adopting some superficial Apple-like guidelines will not make you succeed like Apple.

Well, consider what would happen if you did the opposite of each one. "Keep your number of products high" might work in some market, but "have an inconsistent and unpolished user interface"? I don't see what you'd get out of that one.

access_denied 16y ago
You could offer an 'Ultimate'-version of your product which would disable "inconsistent and unpolished user interface" and unlock the 'polished' one.
doron 16y ago
You get Sony?

InclinedPlane 16y ago

Yup. Some of these items represent sound advice and not just superficiality. To be fair, putting together an excellent company that can compete at the top of one of the biggest industries on Earth is not an easy task, no matter how much good advice you have to work with. However, becoming a better company by taking lessons from the best is something well in the realm of feasibility for many organizations.

api 16y ago

Why is it that Hacker News linked blog posts and comments and such are so full of "you are not X" and "don't try to be as good as X because you are not, take the safe route and be safely mediocre" type stuff? You guys are harshing my mellow. Seriously though... no, adopting some superficial Apple-like guidelines will not make you Apple. But understanding at a conceptual level how Apple does what it does might help. I think the root of these kinds of comments is what I've come to call "success mysticism" in business. It's the idea that the successful have some mystical thing called "what it takes" that is opaque and cannot be understood. You either have it or you don't. This is bullshit. Success comes from experience, intelligence, hard work, dedication, and a little bit of luck. Only the latter item is at all mystical. Business is really different from science, engineering, and hacker culture in that it's really really superstitious. People usually refuse to examine the black boxes of success, and when they try they usually draw superstitious and superficial conclusions.

jasonlbaptiste 16y ago

It's not about copying Apple directly or following this as some blueprint. It's about understanding why they have made a lot of smart decisions and maybe a few of those will factor into your company. Steve Jobs had many influences, but he meshed all of them together with his own thought.