Brian O. Anderson/Contributing Writer
There are those few companies—titans of industry, which are proven leaders and innovators in their field: Microsoft, Sony and Google. Such is the case with Apple.
Since the founding of the company in the mid 1970s, Apple has been the leader in industry and in generating new concepts in computer technology but recently the Apple stock has dropped.
In its infancy, it personalized the computer—from being this behemoth of a machine used only by engineers and industry types to a user-friendly small machine that even a child could use—though preferred overwhelmingly by artists and musicians.
Throughout the 1980s and again in the 2000s, one cannot mention the company without mentioning Steve Jobs, the guru behind Apple’s success. The two are inseparable—Apple and Jobs. Ousted from the company for his questionable tyrannical managerial methods, has was called back to Apple in 2001, saving it from bankruptcy with the iMac, the iPod and later iTunes. This was indeed the resurrection of the Apple brand.
But a few months ago there was a dip in Apple’s stock price and some analysts were dismayed. The culprit remains the increasing competition by other competitors—HP, Samsung, Sony—in markets where Apple was a leading innovator.
Despite these negative views, there are some who will remain loyal to the company.
An avid Apple user, Danielle Goveia, a graduate environmental studies student who has been an Apple user for seven years, praises the company’s constant innovation and agrees that it needs to innovate more to keep up with the competition. Though she doesn’t agree with the company releasing a new iPad every six months, she claims she will stay with the company because she believes in its vision.
One thing that remained consistent with Apple is staying true to its motto—“Think different.”
In my opinion, this is something that needs to be done more often in the current market. What is also needed is a strong visionary leader. It is no doubt that no one can replace a company’s founder. No one has the same fervor for the company, as is the case with Jobs. Even in his absence from the company, Jobs kept creating, building a company company called NEXT, obtaining a fledgling company named PIXAR, Inc. and exploring other mediums. Tim Cook is a fine CEO, but more is needed from the creative minds at the headquarters in Cupertino, California to place Apple as chief innovator once more.
It has been over three years since the company wowed the public with the release of the iPad. Since the second departure of Jobs—and with his ultimate untimely death due to cancer, the company is worth more than in previous years. According to Peter Svennson of the Associated Press, Apple’s value was an estimated $624 billion in 2012. However, for Apple to survive and remain relevant it will have to examine its own history and what caused its early success. This one company has changed the way we communicate, learn, listen to music and do business. To continue being a leader, like its founder, it will have to be visionary, take risks and, most importantly, think different.
