This is pretty key. Nobody sets out to achieve mediocrity. Nobody actually strives to put a half-assed product into the market. Mediocrity is a byproduct, not

This is pretty key. Nobody sets out to achieve mediocrity. Nobody actually strives to put a half-assed product into the market. Mediocrity is a byproduct, not a goal, of designing to the downside: making every single decision about cutting corners, reducing costs, and mitigating risks. Most companies try their damndest to manage downside. They don't swing for the fences; they're simply trying not to strike out. Thing is, it's pretty hard to hit homeruns when you're not putting your weight into your stance and swinging hard for them. I can't carry the baseball metaphor much further without bordering on the ridiculous, but my point is that Apple defies the conventional operating procedure in consumer product development. Conventional wisdom says your primary concern is managing risk and aiming for incremental gains in market share and operating profit. Apple's strategy, by contrast, is about making fewer, bigger bets. There's bigger downside risk in such an approach, but there's also much bigger upside potential.