If Steve Jobs Was Alive, He Would....
...probably be freaking out about a lot of things right about now. This entire week while I was laid up and on antibiotics, I was reading up on all the Apple hooplah with IOS maps, scratch problems with the new iPhone 5, some interesting quotes from Google on the patent wars, ect,... and it made me think about how things might have played out if the late Steve Jobs were still with us. I don’t know about you guys, but I think that if Steve Jobs were alive, he would....
Have never allowed for IOS Maps to be released in its current alpha/beta state
Sure, there were times where the iPhone/IOS had issues (antenna issue comes to mind) after being released, but Apple has never dealt with a disaster that even comes close to the current IOS Maps debacle. iPhone users are so upset about this, that many of them are calling for IOS software VP Scott Forstall to be fired. The entire incident is easily one of (if not THE), most damaging things to happen to the Apple brand in its entire history, and Steve Jobs would have never allowed its release in this state. If it would have got to a release with the same bugs it has now, he would be eating heads for breakfast lunch and dinner in Cupertino. Steve Jobs posting an "I'm sorry this happened" letter on the Apple website due to the incompetence of his engineers? I simply can't imagine it.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he would have never...
Treated a video game demo as a unique feature at the iPhone 5 live event
I mean how lame was that? I personally loved watching Steve Jobs do what he did best: Taking an existing concept with solid hardware/software, and pitch/sell it in a way that made consumers truly feel that Apple invented the entire concept. He was great at it, and I really miss watching him pull it off so elegantly. At the last iPhone event however, my jaw dropped when Rob Murray from Firemonkeys came on stage to demo Real Racing 3 on the iPhone 5.
I mean sure, the game looked great...but it’s not an iPhone feature that makes it stand out in any way shape or form. Anyone who plays mobile games knows that there are tons of great games that look amazing for both IOS and Android, and I just can’t imagine Steve Jobs on stage playing a freakin race car game in an attempt to impress tech journalists and consumers.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he would have...
Presented the extra row of icons “feature” alot better
This to me(and to many others) was the absolute low point of the event. While Android users are beaming data left and right to each other, paying with apps via NFC, using LTE and quad core processors with 5.5 inch screens, Apple is busy talking about how that having an extra row of icons is a “feature”. Steve Jobs wasn’t stupid, and would have found a way to make that sound a lot more of a big deal than it actually is.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he would have...
Most likely never agreed to an iPad mini in 2012
Steve Jobs was never a fan of 7 inch tablets, and with Android posing a very small threat (as of now) to the iPad, I doubt he would have signed off on an iPad mini. If he were to ever do it, he would have waited until next year to see if Android 7 inch tablets like the Nexus 7 posed any real threat of eating into the iPads dominant tablet market share.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he would have....
Requested to hit Samsung harder after the 1 billion dollar ruling in US courts
The day that jurors announced that Samsung was guilty of multiple patent infringements, Steve Jobs would have already started going to work on HTC as well. He would have wasted no time whatsoever in using that victory as leverage to take down any other Android OEM he could get his hands on. I don’t know if it would have worked, as the “evidence” that Apple used against Samsung was quite...unique. But he damn sure would have tried. The Samsung battle would have been a big win in his eyes, but it certainly wouldn’t have been “thermonuclear” enough for him to stop there.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he would not...
Have allowed one piece of LTE technology in the iPhone 5 that had the smallest chance of getting it banned
This may currently be the case, but as of yet, nobody really knows if Samsung and HTC can use LTE against the iPhone 5. Had Steve Jobs been around, he simply wouldn’t have taken the chance, and would have invested even more in LTE patents that were created by Apple directly. The iPhone is too important to Apple’s bottom line, and anything that had even the smallest chance of getting it banned by an Android OEM would have probably been ripped out and flushed down the toilet.
If Steve Jobs were alive...
He would have went after the Galaxy S3 HARDER
The success of the Galaxy S3 might have actually triggered that thermonuclear spark in Steve Jobs that he used to talk about. He HATED Android, and I can only imagine how he would react to see an Android phone getting so much attention (and sales) from consumers and within the tech industry. The GS3 would have been the drop of water that made the glass spill over. He would have went absolutely mental on it, and would have done even more than Apple is doing now to stop it dead in its tracks.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he might have...
Pushed Google to the point of aggressive action?
With so many Galaxy S3 devices getting shipped, and with Google buying Motorola, Steve's thermonuclear actions might have pushed Google to the point to where they might say: "Ok Steve..we've had enough of this". We are yet to see an aggressive Google when it comes to patents, and had Steve decided to go even harder on Samsung, and on top of that go after Google directly, the patent wars as we know them could have gotten even nastier with Google throwing its full might behind Android.
If Steve Jobs were alive, he might have...
Done exactly the same as Tim Cook?
Steve Jobs recommended Tim for the CEO position before his passing, and I’m sure he had his reasons. But Apple and the iPhone 5, despite strong sales, are in a bit of a pickle here, and Steve Jobs would have realized that more. But, maybe he also would have taken Apple down the exact same path? Unfortunately, we will never know. But one thing is certain: With the lower than normal hype surrounding the iPhone 5, the IOS maps issue, a Galaxy S3 breaking records, and with worldwide lawsuits going on against Android OEMs all over the world, I’m sure that Apple, their investors, consumers, and other industry leaders are certainly missing his guidance right about now.
What do you guys think? What might be different now in the mobile world if Steve Jobs were still alive?
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Picture credits: crave.cnet.co.uk
@Patrick - Glad to see you back bud! And thanks, I'm feeling better now :)
And yeah, I agree with your points here. Apple is badly missing his guidance, and I'm sure that quite a few things that have happened wouldn't have had he been around.
Hi guys, been on the insane side of being swamped this past few days. Sorry to hear you were sick Eric, glad to hear you are now better. Interesting article. I think Apple is feeling the loss of Steve Jobs now more than ever. Tim Cook essentially released the iPhone and iOS 6 before it was ready. I don't think there was an iteration of the iPhone that was this buggy. From core apps to the camera to the scratched casing out of the box. Steve would not have allowed it to be released in that state or if he did I think he would have handled it with his unique brand of self righteous arrogance and panache that appleheads applaud while at the se time makes the blood of fandroids boil.
Thanks man! I'm feeling a lot better. Had some major dental work done. Recovering nicely.
Glad you liked the article! And you're right...Apple does have PLENTY to criticize, but I'll always give credit where it's due.
That being said, I love watching them "lose" :-D
Should have mentioned I enjoyed the piece Eric. Pretty safe to guess that with Jobs healthy and in charge, iPhone 5 wouldn't be what it is but would probably still lack many features that Android users take for granted.
I'm a natural born critic and Apple has plenty to criticize but in the fanboy atmosphere of mobile computing, reality and perspective are often the first casualties.
*edit* Missed the part where you were sick. Hope you're better soon bro. Sick sucks.
@Dvpraal - You just blew my mind bro! Perfectly stated! Not really much I can add to what you just said, as you hit the nail directly on the head.
To say that Jobs was simply a salesman is seriously understating his contribution to Apple and electronics. Nobody paid attention to details, design and the overall user experience the way Apple did under his leadership.
People like to act like the only reason people jumped on the iPhone bandwagon was because it was Apple...... News flash - Apple wasn't a cult sensation until the iPhone! Jobs led Apple to kick the mobile industry in the teeth and provide a product that was demonstrably better than anything that had come before. You could nitpick who had what features prior to iPhone but the consumers had already spoken. iPhone offered an experience like no other and they wanted it. That was Jobs. When Samsung described iPhones as the difference between "heaven and earth".... that was Jobs. When HP looks at their own products and describes them as "bricks".... that's Jobs contribution. Apple is most likely on it's way down but they should be mourned, not ridiculed. They looked at electronics differently and forced others to do the same. We've all benefited from that.
@Nick - Whoa buddy! Take it easy!
Steve Jobs, dead or alive, had/would have had an impact on Android. All I wanted to do here was to present how him being alive would/could/might impact Android today. Sure, some might be "obsessed" with him, but I can assure you I'm not.
As Christopher said, its pretty standard to think about things like this, especially when its about a guy that so greatly influenced Android. Love him or hate him, the fact remains that without Jobs, our Android phones would look like Blackberrys.
@Christopher Silva - Obsession, analysis, call it what you will, but I'm sick and tired of the sheer number of Apple articles that appear on Android tech blogs, this one included. Anyone would think the world revolves around Apple, and that Steve Jobs is the messiah. Gimme a break. By all accounts, Jobs was an A-grade asshole. That he commands such media attention, even when he's *dead*, is intensely annoying, to say the least, because the attention is grossly undeserved.
Jobs marketed Apple, its products and himself as "celebrities" and huge numbers of people bought it, just like they buy into the celebrity of pop stars and movie stars. But, finally, now that Jobs the master showman is gone, people are starting to see behind the facade and the smoke and mirrors. Apple may have been at the forefront for a period of time, but IMO, they're now a third rate company delivering third rate products to a public too dumb to know that they're being had. As far as I'm concerned, Apple deserves the amount of attention befitting a third rate company of hucksters, which is to say, fuck all.
The only thing that interests me about Apple is its demise, and frankly, the quicker that happens, the better.
Nick, not an obsession, just an analysis. Of course we wonder what SJ would have done, we're human. We speculate.
The man ran the company for years with and iron fist. It makes sense to speculate what and how he would have done things. Yes, he is dead, but he left a legacy of perfectionism and it is interesting to see and review these recent blunders.
It is human nature to compare him to TIm Cook,
@Anna - True! But I firmly believe its coming very soon :-)
@Christopher - Good points man. He was very thorough, but even when Apple made mistakes, his arrogance often kept him from actually admitting that a mistake was made!
@Nick - Nothing to do with obsession..its purely speculation. Many have wondered what Steve might have done differently over the past year, and how his actions would have effected Apple AND Android. As you said, be was a glorified salesman, and yeah...I also believe that his a sense has led Apple to get a bit sloppy lately.
@CJ - Thank you CJ! I'm doing much better :-) Should be 100% again very soon.
Great news in the UK about the ban being lifted! Wonder if the US courts will take into consideration?
And yeah..I also think the iPhone 5 might be a bit more impressive had Steve Jobs been alive. That being said, I heard that he was actively involved in creating it, so maybe nothing would have changed!
1st I- hope Eric gets well asap
2nd - this just in from UK Yahoo News "Samsung allowed to sell Galaxy Tab in U.S. as court lifts ban!"
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/samsung-allowed-sell-galaxy-tab-u-court-lifts-022252420--finance.html
"We are pleased with the court's action today, which vindicates our position that there was no infringement of Apple's design patent and that an injunction was not called for," Samsung said in a statement.
3rd - Steve Jobs probably would've been disappointed by the Courts decision, but I think it would have driven him to develop a better iPhone for Consumers
C J
Why the obsession with Steve Jobs? He was a glorified salesman. I don't care what Steve Jobs might or might not have done if he were still alive, and frankly, it's quite ridiculous to speculate about something that can never be known because...the man is dead!
Clearly his absence has resulted in Apple making a series of highly entertaining blunders. This pleases me enormously - but that's the extent of my interest in Apple and Steve Jobs.
I am not sure what SJ would have done. I do agree, he would have been more thorough with the approach to releasing maps. I believe he would have left Googles' version in place untill Apple's Maps was properly tested.
Then again, he was arogant enough to let it release and then sell the reason to be an early adopter and take part in the fun of tuning the current apple map version.. :-)
Hey, we still don't know is the iPad mini is anything more than a rumor.