Is Apple Falling Back to Earth?

Has the post-Steve Jobs era finally arrived at Apple?

      It has been a full year since he removed himself from company leadership at Apple, a short time after which he succumbed to his long battle with pancreatic cancer.

      In his stead, the former COO, Tim Cook, was appointed as the company’s new CEO. Cook has had one year to remake the company in his own mold and, if that’s the case, Apple fans are not giving him high marks.

      Witness the lead story in today’s Wall Street Journal. Headline: “Apple Makes a Wrong Turn as Users Blast Map Switch.” That pretty well sums up the gist of the story. The rollout this week of the latest operating system update for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, iOS6, brought with it a new Apple mapping app, replacing the Google mapping app that had been a mainstay since the 2007 introduction of iPhone.

      Even casual followers of Silicon Valley news know that the once loving relationship between the two companies is ancient history. With this latest move, Apple has made a clean break from its erstwhile informal partner.

      But the complaints about the new mapping app are numerous, quick to arise, and, apparently, well founded. The app is deeply flawed. Its maps are inaccurate, identifying place names incorrectly, and often spotting locations in the wrong place. Also, the maps are not as detailed and current as Google’s.

Not ready for prime time

Simply stated, the app was not ready for prime time. But is this a fluke? After all, though he had numerous blockbuster successes, Steve Jobs was not without his mistakes. The initial Apple TV, for instance, was a dud. But still, it makes you wonder.

      On the other hand, is everyone just sitting back waiting for Tim Cook and his team to foul up Steve Jobs’ creation?

      Those of you who read this blog with any regularity will know that I am an inveterate Apple and Macintosh fan. So it may come as a surprise that I, too, had a less-than-satisfactory experience with the company recently.

      Last Saturday, I acquired a new MacBook Air laptop, a beautiful machine that’s remarkable for the computing power and speed it packs in such a thin, lightweight package. Being so thin, however, it lacks a DVD drive like most other laptops. So, how was I to load the Microsoft Office software I already own in a DVD format?

      And therein began the problem. Failing at my attempted amateur work-arounds, I finally called Apple Tech Support and, in short order, was speaking to a pleasant woman who immediately understood my problem. Her recommendation was that I call Microsoft’s Mac Help Desk, which, she said, would offer me an online URL from which to download a digital version of the software I had previously bought.

      Long story short, after sitting on Microsoft’s hold for 35 minutes, listening to static-filled elevator music, a young lady kindly and patiently explained to me that Apple’s own tech support web pages include a full explanation of how to address my (apparently very common) problem. She added that she and her Microsoft cohorts had gotten numerous such referred calls and were annoyed at Apple for palming off the problem on them.

      She was kind enough to stay on the phone with me and walk me through the process. Problem solved, no thanks to Apple – which from my perspective is shocking. The Apple Tech Support team has always been top-notch, a model for any other company aspiring to Apple’s greatness. Not this time.

One plus one equals…

Could this anecdote and Apple’s widely panned mapping app indicate that Apple is coming back to earth to join the other mortals among the world’s corporations? Is Apple a victim of its own success? Has the company over-extended itself in its ability to support the millions of new customers buying its iPhone, iPad, and computers?

      Steve Jobs was famous for his ability to say “no.” He said no to numerous good ideas because they didn’t fit the Apple model, or they over-reached the company’s ability to deliver greatness: great ideas, great products, great design, and great service.

      In fact, do any of the senior people at Apple have Jobs’ sense of what works and what doesn’t? Tim Cook is a superb operations guy, which is why he was Jobs’ chief operating officer. He got things done, usually in a very smart, efficient way.

      Jonathan Ive is one of the greatest, most creative industrial designers of our age. He is the genius behind “the look” and feel associated with the Apple products we all know so well.

      Scott Forstal is the driving brains behind Mac OS X, and the iPhone operating system, as well as their many iterations.

      Phil Schiller is the company’s chief marketer. But while Jobs was alive, he could never hold a candle to Jobs’ genius for marketing. I always got the sense that Schiller was Steve Ballmer to Jobs’ Bill Gates.

      Collectively, these guys and their support teams are top-notch. Virtually any company would be better if they hired any or all of them. But they lack the innovative insight and blockbuster genius of Steve Jobs.

      I sure hope I’m wrong because I’ve been an Apple fan since 1984 when I bought my first computer, an Apple IIc, followed five years later by my first Macintosh, an SE.

      But it’s hard to believe that four smart guys can equal and replace Steve Jobs. I think we can only conclude that, like Sir Isaac Newton’s falling apple that inspired his law of gravity, Apple is coming back to earth.