I am actually amazed how a company that has never made a phone before can introduce one and proceed to shake up so much of the industry--from handset makers to content providers, network operators, and regulators--all over the world. Where were these people before the iPhone? At last, the consumer has an advocate.
Robert Koh
Short Hills, New Jersey
What most tech writers and tech-business leaders don't get is that the reasons for Apple's seemingly unstoppable moves forward are its vision and the development engine that translates that vision into products. Give another company a visionary leader, and it still won't be able to keep up with Apple's development tools, which are unique and permit development at a pace that other platforms simply cannot keep up with at the moment. There's also the unified architecture of essentially running Apple's operating system on all of their devices. That reduces costs and development time, and increases stability and interoperability, which augments the brand and product experience of customers.
Paul Gutches
Taos, New Mexico
I worked for Steve at Pixar from 1991 to 1997, and was challenged at that time to run against him for CEO, only to have him ultimately go back to Apple. So it has been fun to watch Apple's evolution. The missing DNA for the company had been Steve Jobs. When other companies come out with some new product or service, and then Apple comes out with something better, you just look and smile and know that what that company is missing out on is Jobs's DNA contribution. If scientists were smart, they would find a way to clone Steve. He is the driving force that gets the teams to gel to make it all happen.
Michael Murdock
Scottsdale, Arizona
If Mr. Jobs read articles like yours before deciding how to run his company, I am not sure we'd have the Apple we have today. When my friends buy a
Ram Tantaloor
New York, New York
You say that Nokia's touch screen does the iPhone "one better" by offering tactile feedback. But this is still trumped by Apple's revolutionary, not to mention patented, multitouch technology.
Wesley Thorp
Longwood, Florida
We are a small shop working in the brutal, rapidly disintegrating economy of Michigan, needing every competitive advantage we can lay our hands on. From 13 years in business, I've concluded that the more our competitors believe that the third-rate, unstable, productivity-leaching piece of bloatware known as Windows is "pretty much the same thing" as the Mac operating system, the better our chances of survival. Yes, we are sweating plenty, but one thing I don't think I have to wring my hands over anymore is computer temper tantrums translating into ridiculous IT expenses.
Brad Kennedy
Kalamazoo, Michigan
If I followed your article's suggestion, I would get a smartphone from Nokia, a PC from the cheapest seller, an MP3 player from somewhere else, and build my Web sites on a Microsoft platform. Yes, that's an alternative, but I think I can do all of that with Apple, know that it will probably work, and, oh yeah, it will all look really cool.
David Barrack
Atlanta, Georgia
My MacBook Pro has a backlit keyboard. I don't have to worry about dragging it off the coffee table when I pull on the AC adapter, because it's designed to detach easily. No big deal you might say, but Apple is the one that comes up with those features. There's value there, especially when the competition doesn't match it until years later. I agree that Apple's record of innovation may be hard to maintain, but with Steve Jobs there, it's possible it's just getting started.
Brendan Walsh
Charlotte, North Carolina
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