Do you still remember that Steve Jobs used to say that, people don’t know what they really need until you present them what you have, or something into that effect? Indeed, this logic used to make people so crazy about many of Apple’s stunning products, such as the 1000-song-capacity first class iPod which totally reinvented digital music player, the first generation iPhone which successfully restarted the smart phone era, and iPad which absolutely brought a magnitude earthquake into IT industry.
A great company does not simply manufacture products, a great company invents products. But, to Apple, the formula seems to be different. As an extraordinary company, Apple does not follow the general way that every other company goes through. Apple does not only invent something, Apple also reinvents things that already been in existence. Apple did not invent digital music player, but its iPod revolutionized the music sector, Apple did not invent smart phone, but its iPhone revolutionized the whole smart phone industry, Apple did not invent tablet computer, but its iPad revolutionized the entire tablet PC industry.
If you cannot resist saying “Wow…” to something you first see, it means that thing is awesome. Too many times, Apple has wowed us. When is the last time you utter “wow…” to Apple? Was it when OS Mountain Lion was released during WWDC 2012? Maybe it was iOS 6, or Siri? When will be your next “Wow”? Will it be the forthcoming iPhone 5? Will it be the rumored iPad Mini, or even iPhone Mini? From my perspective, I don’t think the iPhone 5, iPad Mini or iPhone Mini would bring so much hustle and bustle, with a very simple logic that no matter iPhone 5, iPad Mini, or iPhone Mini, they are still iPhone, and iPad anyway, just a matter of size, at least from the external look. Until when the devs demo you the internal differences, might you by then be surprised, or there will not be so much spotlight shed on them, especially to iPad Mini and iPhone Mini which are only Apple’s marketing strategy just to fill the vacancy of middle and lower end products, for the simple purpose of increasing revenue, without anything revolutionary! And Apple may have to do that, when being confronted with Android, its biggest rival, a camp which Jobs was strong motivated to destroy, at the cost of Apple’s then $40 billion in the bank, even his last dying breath. But, to release iPhone Mini and iPad Mini does not sit atop of Apple’s to-do list, because to do something not big is not Apple’s style, it’s not in the DNA of Apple in the first place. There must be some secret planning’s running smoothly or toughly deep inside of the Infinite Loop, maybe just at one seemingly not so eye-catching lab which sits in some corner of Cupertino.
If someday, a company like Apple, whose top priority begins to emphasize on making profits, instead of transforming great ideas into great products, then, its doomsday, might be due soon. Apple is not NOKIA, nor Samsung, nor HTC, who does not invent anything, but simply manufactures products. Apple will not do that and will not make that happening, because Job’s original intention was to build a company that lives from generations to generations, not just survives. And I’m quite sure that that mission has been firmly transplanted into Captain Cook’s blood.
That APPLE will not be bitten, again! And no matter what the next revolutionary product is, whether it is iTV, iCamera, or iChair, iDesk, even iBus, iPlane … it does not matter, the only thing that really matters is—
That APPLE is doing and, the whole world, is witnessing.
