Apple Without Steve Jobs Means Twitter
Forget about whether Apple buying Twitter is a boneheaded move. Here's what it is: It isn't a Steve Jobs move. This is the first sign of the post-Jobs Apple.
The argument at Apple since Jobs got sick has been that the bench is deep, that it's not a one-man show, that his acolytes and lackeys would know what to do when the time came.
Jobs' odd and singular point of view has been always to focus on the machine. It's been the Apple formula almost without deviation: Build a beautiful machine with beautiful software to go with it--each dependent on the other.
In a world where hardware was commoditized, this was highly counter-intuitive. There may not be anyone else in the whole technology business who believes so much in this idea. In a software-driven world, there may not be anyone who believes in this idea at all. Indeed, it was the stubbornness and limited vision of this idea that allowed Microsoft for so long to dominate the PC world--and that, for both better and worse, made Apple what it is.
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What in the world? Is this anything more than unsubstantiated rumor? And yet we get a whole article about "post-Steve Apple"???
Everytime I turn around, Apple is "planning" on buying some company or another - I think the rumor mill can't stand that Apple has all the cash in reserves so some are convinced that they are out there to buy any company that might possibly be sale.
Apple should have picked up SUN. Apple's lack of acquisition strategy is its primary Achilles heel.
I remember when all the FOSSies were whining about how Microsoft offering to buy Yahoo was going to destroy their company, it showed MS was about to go out of business, etc etc wah wah wah.
Kind of funny how they have nothing to say on this. Even more funny is that at least Yahoo had means of generating income. What could possibly make Twitter worth that much (the offer is what, $66 Million? Insanity).
The next thing you know, Apple's going to get Gil Amelio back. The time to short sell is now.
The post is way too early. Just a rumor.
They are not buying Twitter. It's a dumb rumour that has, because of things like Twitter, spiralled out of control. I heard the Vince the Shamwow guy was buying it to because he had 'slapped' together a business model for the startup. But hey it could just be a rumour.
Atttention Haters: I've used both Apple computers and PC's and sorry to tell you, my Apple's never crashed and burned like the PC's I used. Apple products are superior products for users who demand more from their computers.
I've been using Macs since 1984, and as much as I like the machines, they are not without fault. My latest MacBook Pro needed a new motherboard after 7 months. A friend had a similar experience w/ her Mac. I have never had a Windows system fail that quickly, even cheapo $500 boxes.
I use a Dell laptop PC issued to me by the company I work for. I've carried it with me everywhere for the last three years, and while I do occasionally get an odd warning message that I have to close with a mouse click, it's been totally reliable.
My fiancee, on the other hand, has a very slick, very sexy MacBook. I was really jealous when she first got it, cuz it sure is pretty. She's had it for about 9 months now. The "smartboard" or whatever they call it (motherboard) has been replaced twice, the hard drive once (fortunately she had everything backed up on an outboard hard drive). Now, all of this has been fixed for free under warranty. But every time something new crashes, she has to give it up for 1-2 weeks while it's repaired. Which is making her understandably cranky.
I think both PCs and Macs have their positives and their negatives. Hey, different strokes, ya know? My anecodotal experience, though, is that Apple hardware is more fragile than a lot of the PCs available out there.
Apple is not infallible though. I have an iPhone and while it is nice, the battery life is crap. 3G is un-useable on it unless you want to charge the thing every 5 hours. It was a poor design decision to put such a small battery in it. So make it a couple of millimeters thicker, at least it would have been useable with a high speed network.
Whether Apple wants to buy Twitter or not, Mr. Wolfe, you are absolutely correct about that not being a "Steve Jobs" sort of idea.
I don't own a single Apple product, but I recognize the brilliance of Steve Jobs' approach to product development and marketing. To quote the NYT: "Mr. Jobs is a one-man focus group".
Seeking to buy the current hot topic in non-physical product is exactly a Bill Gates sort of idea.
buying twitter will solidify the perception that apple is not to be taken seriously in the "real" business world. the idea man behind it may very well send ashton kutcher a tweet "dude, where's my career?"
I wonder if they would still want to by it if it were called: "Send all" instead of Twitter.
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