During the past few weeks Apple had a story with twists and turns, and, as a mobile app developer, it was impossible for us to avoid the topic.
With the erroneous rumors concerning the release of an iPhone 5, the disappointment that followed the announcement of the iPhone 4S and Steve Jobs death, Apple did hit the headlines!
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs
Apple is a brand that knows how to buzz. It is true that some of its products are considered to be innovative, like the first Mac, which revolutionized the IT world and favored the “personal computer” success. More recently, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad brought Apple back on the center stage and changed our way to buy and to listen to music, or even to use a phone.
This summer, Steve Jobs’ resignation as CEO was subject to extensive press coverage and threw Apple’s fanboys in complete confusion. But that was before the death of this visionary whose products made everybody dream, at least one day.
Everybody wanted to pay tribute to Steve Jobs and most did with post-it, tweets, street arts, blog articles or videos. But despite the grief, the question of the succession was soon asked.
More than a visionary; he also embodied Apple and was the instigator of the company’s biggest success. So how will the firm from Cupertino do without its mentor?
We can already say that the transition will not be painless. Such a charismatic person cannot be easily forgotten. His successors will have to live in his shadow, and what a shadow! Steve Jobs has so much an influence on Apple that it will be hard for the firm to free itself from its creator.
In the front line, Tim Cook will have to bear the inevitable comparison between his way of running Apple and Steve Jobs one; like people did during the keynote of the 4th of October 2011, where the new CEO announced the release of the iPhone 4S.
The disappointment
The iPhone 4S announcement was a bombshell. Most of the field experts were wrong in predicting the release of an iPhone 5, a revolutionary smartphone, thinner, bigger, with new functionality such as a better camera or backlight.
In the weeks before the launching of this new device, there wasn’t a day without a photo of a new component or a new iPhone case. The tiniest modification of carriers’ websites was also minutely studied in order to back up rumors.
The crowd, who was waiting for a whole new device, felt shafted when discovering nothing more than an improved iPhone 4. But, as you should not judge a book by its cover, the 4S is full of surprise.
Impossible is not Siri
In spite of the general disappointment after the iPhone 4S announcement, the smartphone meets with success with more than 4 million devices sold in the first three days. It represents twice as much sale as the iPhone 4 for the same period.
The iPhone 4S success is more than a commercial one, it won another unexpected battle. One of the innovations presented during the last keynote was Siri, a vocal assistant. Except for its recognized utility, the assistant makes the buzz thanks to Easter Eggs – hidden functionality or developers’ jokes – that you can find in it by asking questions.
Some answers of Siri are quite surprising as you can read on the website Shit that Siri says. A must see! But its success also relies on the hackers who try to stretch Apple rules to avoid paying for it… And they succeeded in making it available for every device.
One more thing…
Even if the iPhone 4S is a proven success, rumors about the release of an iPhone 5 are starting to spread again.
It is currently said that Steve Jobs, knowing he was about to die soon, let his colleagues work on the 4S so that he could focus on the iPhone 5. This last device he would have completely conceived could be considered as his posthumous work.
It is highly possible that the future device will meet a huge success. As the last project managed by this master of innovation, the success may be as big as for the last work of art of a famous artist.
Now, we only have to wait and see how Apple will use Steve Jobs legacy and free itself from it; or, to use a bit of poetry, if, now that the apple has fell from the tree, the pips will be strong enough to, in their turn, become apple trees…
