Wall Street rewards New Product Lines “There’s tremendous pressure on companies, particularly publicly traded companies, to grow and grow. You see, for the most part shareholders don’t profit from steadily profitable business, but unexpected growth. Microsoft grew profit by 30% year over year, and the stock market said meh. For a company as successful as [...]
Tag Archives | Apple
Silence Hurts
This essay originally appeared in the collection End Malaria, proceeds from which go to Malaria No More. End Malaria is full of short yet meaningful posts by 61 amazing writers/thinkers. For more information or to buy the book (or 10), go to EndMalariaDay.com. [Really, do it.] HBR was also kind enough to break their rules [...]
And, Who Are You?
The quiet and art-filled office space overlooking majestic oak trees, the joy of working with Mike Mace, the significant source of income for our family. These were things I thought of when I thought of what I was losing when shutting down Rubicon. What I didn’t think of until it happened was this: when you [...]
Apple’s Startup Culture
At the recent All Things D conference, Steve Jobs described Apple’s (AAPL) culture as “that of a startup.” Why? Is it because he is nostalgic, yearning to rebuild the company he founded nearly 35 years ago? Is he reflecting a passion for the innovation and entrepreneurship so often inherent in startups? Or is he saying [...]
Competing With Adobe, Apple
When a company like Apple launches a sexy new product (iPad), one can react (Amazon) or get caught flat-footed (Adobe). It’s easy to look at today’s market situation and say who’s winning or losing. The more interesting conversation is to determine what someone can do to compete or take advantage of this changed topography. That’s [...]
Smartphones as Appliances
The growth of the mobile data marketplace is one of the bright spots for business in the current recession. Mobile carriers report increasing demand for data services, and Apple and Research in Motion both reported strong earnings aided by sales of their smartphone products.
Difficulty is a Great Teacher
What I thought was torture when I worked at Apple – working with 23 different managers in seven years – I now see as an experience that refined by ability to work with many different kinds of leaders. It was a training ground that has paid big dividends – though I couldn’t see it that [...]
What Apple Knows That Facebook Doesn’t
Too often, we don’t recognize the power of platforms – even in Silicon Valley. The piece below by Umair Haque, draws an interesting difference between the way Apple and Facebook are both conducting their businesses. Some would argue against viewing Apple as ‘open,’ given the proprietary nature of the iPod and iTunes. Either way, it’s [...]
Apple iPhone: Successes/Challenges
The Apple iPhone is easily the most publicized new mobile device in recent memory. But despite all the discussion about the product, there’s relatively little hard information available to the public on its impact. How is it being used? What effect is it having on customers and on the technology industry?
To help answer those questions, Rubicon Consulting conducted a detailed survey of 460 randomly-selected iPhone users in the US. This report summarizes the findings from the survey, and what they mean for users and other companies.
iPhone software roadmap: You’ve got (Exchange) mail?
Fortune’s Philip Elmer de Witt on the genesis of iPhone. Enterprise use coming our way? “Some exciting enterprise features.” Those were the magic words in the e-mail that Apple (AAPL) analysts and journalists received Wednesday from the company”s media events department.