14 DAY TRIAL // Ever heard someone say they’ve lost faith in Apple because Steve Jobs is no longer running the show? Of course you have. Not only that, chances are you thought the same when Apple made their first post-Jobs blunder.
Well, you can count me in as well. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not picking on Apple’s current leadership. If anything, I actually like the more relaxed, more open Apple organization under Tim Cook. But as far as the products are concerned, they don’t seem to be as refined as before. And I think I have a pretty good idea why.
The software doesn’t lie
You can say what you will about the hardware design. After all, you can’t not be subjective when it comes to lines and curves that either do it or don’t do it for you. But the software is a different matter altogether. Looks aside, software either works well or it doesn’t. And when it doesn’t, it’s 100% Apple’s fault. Your subjectivity doesn’t even matter anymore.
I’ve come to notice that Apple’s software releases are buggier and buggier each year. Especially the OSes. This isn’t necessarily something that started after Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO and later passed away at the hand of a very vengeful pancreatic cancer. It began around the time Apple shipped OS X Lion, which was before Jobs had announced his resignation.
However, it is worth pointing out that, in 2011, Jobs was already having a hard time staying on top of his agenda and dealing with the cancer eating away at his life. Once seen like a tyrant who wouldn’t let you leave the office until your job was done, Jobs was now dividing his time much more carefully, ignoring the small things that he would usually pick on, like an icon that didn’t go well with the rest of the OS, a counter-intuitive touch gesture that he wouldn’t want users struggling with, etc. And for good reason, too. He was dying.
Cook doesn’t walk around carrying a whip
When Jobs passed away, not only did Apple lose a visionary genius but also someone who relentlessly pushed everyone to their absolute limits, ensuring that the end product was the closest thing to perfection. That was great for Apple’s bottom line, and it was great for the user. It was even great for the Apple staffer who’d worked day and night to get it right and make Jobs proud. The only problem was that no one at Apple had nearly enough resting time following a major product debut. Now, apparently, they do.
Tim Cook likes to run things differently. He prefers not to scream at engineers or throw tantrums when things take a turn for the worse. He prefers to pat everyone on the back when Apple posts a new record-setting quarter. He is diligent and apparently more patient, but not necessarily too indulgent either. However, it does appear that this seemingly relaxed leadership is taking its toll on the end products.
iOS 8 was spotted with bugs when Apple released the software in September. Two software updates later and things still aren’t smooth as silk in the company’s mobile operating system. Yosemite has its fair share of issues. For example, a bug in Notification Center prevents the software from remembering start-up settings. Others are finding it impossible to connect to their Wi-Fi base stations following the upgrade.
I’m glad everyone at Apple is less stressed out under Cook, but it seems you can’t have flawless products and a relaxed team of engineers at the same time.
