Mr. Tim Cook
CEO
Apple, Inc.
Cupertino, CA
Dear Mr. Cook:
Congratulations on being appointed the new CEO of Apple. It is no small task to take the reins of one of the most valuable and revered companies in the world. That task is compounded by having to step into the shoes of your predecessor, Steve Jobs. I would remind you that young Lou Gehrig was probably daunted by the task of stepping into Wally Pipp’s shoes. He made out all right. You will, too.
In today’s dynamic and connected world, the need to constantly innovate is a priority of the first order. Apple has never shied away from that, nor does anyone expect that it will as you assume your new role. There are simply too many good, smart people in the hallways to stand still. If nothing else, the culture will never permit complacency. However, perhaps there is one thing you can do that will send a message to your legion of loyal fans in the technology world:
LICENSE iOS AS AN EMBEDDED, PLATFORM-INDEPENDENT OPERATING SYSTEM.
Apple has spent untold millions developing a tremendously powerful operating system that would almost instantly extend its dominance of the appliance device market beyond Apple’s own products. As solution providers in the digital signage industry, we would embrace iOS almost immediately. Heck, if you would just let us embed our firmware on AppleTV devices, it would become the hottest media player in the space!
Think about this, Tim. Extending the reach of iOS beyond iPhones and iPads is a real opportunity to dominate the ecosystem of appliance devices. It would unleash the creative force of thousands of developers who meet secretly all over the world and perform monthly druid rituals hoping to influence the Spirits to open up iOS. The fire wardens are getting testy, Tim. Let’s just get this done! Make iOS even more pervasive, and make your mark! I can see the presentation deck for the announcement now: eight slides, seven words, cool pics.
Good luck in your new position. Let me know if you want some help with that presentation!
Ken Goldberg
CEO
Real Digital Media
[…] let Ken Goldberg speak for himself before I beat him with a shovel refute his […]
Ken, let’s just say you’re never going to be offered a job at Apple, Inc. You have no clue as to how Apple does business, nor do you understand why they are currently the most valuable company in the United States and probably the world, nor how they got there.
Wheat:
Thanks for taking the time to read the post. I appreciate your insight into what I know and do not know. It is always helpful to be judged by total strangers. By the way, feel free to read this 2010 post on Apple: https://www.realdigitalmedia.com/digital-signage-blog/what-can-we-learn-from-apple/ .
I wasn’t applying for a job, I was making a suggestion that I thought would benefit my industry, my company and perhaps Apple. I thought I was having fun with a blog post, but apparently I underestimated the passion and emotional connection of Apple followers. Wow.
I had another two paragraphs written here, but I deleted them in the interest of moving on. Suffice it to say that your insults were the only hate mail fit for publication, so thanks for demonstrating some writing skills and a modicum of emotional maturity.
Its easy to cast this idea aside, but how about I suggest a slight alternative? A very limited, heavily controlled OEM agreement could actually do really well for apple. There are plenty of spaces (automotive for example) apple has no business building a complete product.
Android is going to play heavily in the embedded space, even more so than it already is.
Casey:
I would agree with your thought, and would expect that if Apple DID license iOS, that they would control its usage, either in the manner you describe, or perhaps by getting into the appliance market itself with a commercial version of AppleTV, again limiting its usage to approved purposes/vendors. I don’t see the heresy in expanding the size of the walled garden that so many others do. Thanks for the comment.
K
Apple TV will open up a TV App Store in 2012 sometime – it’s the logical next step. and that will undoubtedly have a significant effect on the DS business. If you are not learning about iOS you really should be – the effect is certain to be ‘disruptive’.
However, you need to realise that Apple doesn’t give a flying f**k for a market as small as DS – or indeed any embedded appliance. It’s not even on their radar. If its not going to make a $billion or vertically support a division that makes a $billion, or vertically support a new $billion product segment that is yet to be revealed, then it is of no interest.
At the very heart of the Apple DNA is focus and control. Licensing of operating systems outside of their own products will never, ever happen (again).
I suspect you will have had some vehement blowback from Apple cognoscenti simply because those who understand anything about Apple will find the idea preposterous – even in jest.
Vincent:
Thanks for the comment and insights…. I’d be thrilled if they allowed apps to be built for AppleTV, which would allow DS companies to offer media player software on that platform. My guess is that once the use case for AppleTV expands beyond a platform for buying movies via iTunes, the price will no longer be held artificially low by Apple, but they can still sell a ton of units at a substantially higher price. Agree that perhaps DS is too small a market for them to get excited about, but opening it to apps would create markets. Maybe I am wrong.
BTW, “vehement blowback from Apple cognoscenti”… I would say that was an understatement, but very well put! It is always great to have a spirited conversation or debate, that is the hope of any blogger. I was roasted over an open fire by Apple fans of all stripes. Few were able to articulate themselves without making personal and emotional attacks. I equate many of them to sports fans who think they are part of the team (“we won last night!”…. oh, really, what position did you play?). Others are more analytical and rational like yourself, which elevates the discussion and for which I am grateful.
The marketplace has a way of making strategies morph. Any success from Android, for example, in the B2B space might drive Apple to swerve with its superior product. Never say never. What if Apple had said they’d never develop another tablet after the Newton debacle?
I can see you are going to need some “re-educating” vis-a-vis Apple Ken! The app store for ATV will come, but they may be selling a whole 40″ screen by then – they have certainly been prototyping them (though 90% of Apple proto’s never see the light of day). The ATV box isn’t artificially priced – Apple doesn’t do that – every project must pay it’s way. With the iPhone and iPad numbers the same components in the simple ATV will be costing pennies.
Android will become a de-facto standard for embedded with the tech crowd, though one wonders how long Google can sustain Android – it seems to be costing them a sh*tload of money with only pennies in return. (Are they really going to make handsets? That’ll be a fun ride!)
Apple really doesn’t care. If they dominate the consumer space then they will have the parts of the enterprise that they want. As one VP of IT Services called it “the tyranny of consumer tech” – I don’t think he quite understands what is his job is.
If and when ATV opens up Designer/Programmer types like myself will be happy just to have a cheap standard networked box of known performance to program for. I suspect it will be pretty popular in the super-fragmented world of DS.
re: The Newton. Anything created during the Steve Jobs wilderness years doesn’t count. This is the Law.
[…] out this post by one of my favourite writers on DS, Ken Goldberg. I had to vehemently but respectfully disagree […]
[…] the player OS level. Besides, if the media player market was so attractive, it would attract Apple (if only it would), and iOS is a pretty competitive environment for app development and media […]
After reading this Blog I feel if you all got together and banged your heads you might impress the people that count the buyer. The humble buyer who wants all new devices and software to create and develop their worlds.
As one of these people I would like to see collaboration will all sorts (not that it will ever happen) including Microsoft with Apple, further more it would be nice to buy a chip with the operating systems on it and then buy a new one when needed instead of having to upgrade complete machines. Apple should embrace new ways of operating like we embrace Apple MicrosoftAdobe and more. Collaborate make the world a better place for us all instead of living for a balance sheet. I am sure buy making millions of profit you don’t need to hike prices to make billions millions are cool billions is GREED.