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Apple Talk

I consulted for Steve Jobs, and later for Apple, from 1983 through the early 1990s ("Steve Jobs, Apple, and the Limits of Innovation," January). Apple is brilliant at devising seductive and appealing products. They're not so good--with or without Steve Jobs--at the follow-through strategies that make them mainstream products.

Jobs is much wiser now than he (or Apple) was in the early days, but the market is much tougher. Apple needs to decide which business it's in and focus sharply. With its incredible name recognition and well-earned reputation for innovative design, it has a place. It just has to decide which place it is.

Amy Wohl
Industry analyst
Narberth, Pennsylvania

I don't write fan letters, but after reading your Apple story, I had to congratulate you. Apple made up most of my life for about seven years, when the company was my client at BBDO, and I think you've managed to capture both the facts and the feel of the great Apple tragedy better than anything I've read.

If I have one quibble, it's that you didn't make more of the effects of Apple's relationships with corporate customers. In the late 1980s, there was a significant number of large corporate customers who loved the technology and tried very hard to work with Apple, high prices notwithstanding.

However, they were driven away by the company's utter inability to sustain a consistent business strategy or customer relationship. Like a battered spouse, some of these guys took an enormous amount of abuse before they finally gave up and walked out.

I sometimes think that the only reason artists, writers, and groupie consumers stick with their Macs is that their needs are so simple they don't have to deal with the company on an ongoing basis. It's all so very sad.

Bob Spofford
Retired advertising executive
San Rafael, California

You suggest that "Apple's dismissal of such . . . pursuits [i.e., management]" is directly related to Apple's failure to capitalize fully on innovation. That is simply misleading and faulty. Apple's management of innovation has kept Apple viable since its inception. It's that simple.

Apple directly serves technology early adopters, influencers, and thought leaders in the creative and educational markets, and it does so without peer. Its brand and user experience are legendary and fundamental. This is no accident. Apple's expertise has been built brick by brick over many generations of innovation and is paid for with the market fruits of prior generations of Apple innovations.

And the innovation never stops. Look at a very time-compressed example, the iPod. Currently, more than 2 million iPods have been sold, and the current 3G iPod is the third generation iPod, with many more generations in the innovation pipeline. This seems like quite capable management of innovation to me.

William Luciw
Cofounder
Fovea Studios
Los Altos, California

The unspoken assumption in the Apple article is that making loads of money is the ultimate goal of a business venture. Apple is a sustainable, profitable company with loyal customers. Why compare Apple's bottom line with Microsoft's? Microsoft has hordes of customers who are lukewarm about Microsoft products. Apple has far fewer customers, but they fiercely love Apple products. To the engineers at Apple, this is far more rewarding than the bottom line.

Clif Liu
Senior support engineer
PalmSource Inc.
Sunnyvale, California

Cheers for Social Capitalists

Your January issue's spotlight on how "business savvy can change the world" was inspiring ("Social Capitalists"). The articles underline that global corporations have a responsibility to act as good citizens. Beyond just philanthropy, businesses can benefit by engaging in sustainable partnerships that have a positive impact on the social fabric of the communities in which they work. Business has expertise in managing financial capital, tangible capital, and intellectual capital. Why shouldn't corporations also cultivate social capital? I appreciate your recognition of these champions of social capital.

Hashem Bajwa
Account executive
McCann Worldgroup
New York, New York

I loved your piece on social capitalism. It encouraged me to take a look at how my organization can make a few small adjustments to make a larger social contribution. It's very encouraging for business leaders to see what is possible on a social level!