If
you feel the earth slowing down a little this weekend, that's because Apple is
getting ready to stop time and make its next big iPhone announcement. Do
yourself a favor and don't try to talk to any Apple geeks (me included) from 1pm-2pm EST
Monday.
With
the iPhone, the MacBook
Air, and a few other products, Apple is in a curious position: It has
raised the bar so high on itself by turning out such extraordinary stuff, it is
now under exceptional
pressure to keep improving -- or else.
If
it doesn't, two things happen:
1.
Others start to catch up, and these competitors will charge less for a similar product.
2.
Apple loses its luster, which threatens customer loyalty (zeal) and its ability to recruit and motivate
the best talent.
In
the past, I have
railed against the "upgrade mania" of Silicon Valley, and I still
despise it when companies cynically manipulate the customer by using PR and lousy improvements to make their yesterday's whiz bang tool seem like today's embarrassing fossil.
But now I have to acknowledge that there is a positive version of this same
phenomenon: when companies find
themselves under great pressure to continually improve their products or fall
behind, quality wins.
How did Apple first develop its culture of greatness? That's another matter which I will address in future posts . . .
Good points. But shouldn't that be pole-vault?
Posted by: Sam Pratt | June 05, 2009 at 08:15 PM