It’s clear today why Steve Jobs dropped the word "Computer" from Apple’s company name in 2007.
The
CEO had greater ambitions for Apple. And with the phenomenal success of the iPhone, iPod, iTunes Store and App Store in 2008, Apple shook up the music, phone and software industries, ultimately proving the company is far more than a PC
manufacturer. Meanwhile, sales of its Mac desktops and notebooks continued to build momentum, getting the company’s share of the PC market to flirt with double digits for the first time in over a decade.
Now, with Apple preparing to make its final appearance at the Macworld trade show in San Francisco this week, everyone is watching to see what the company’s next move will be.
"One thing that’s become clear over the last seven or eight years is
Apple is much more than a personal computer company," said Yair Reiner,
an Oppenheimer analyst. "It’s a company that is able to revolutionize
the way that consumers interact with digital media of every kind."
Apple’s growth in the past decade is indeed remarkable. The
company had a series of hits and misses in its early years, with flops
such as the clunky Macintosh Portable in 1989 and successes like the
first PowerBook laptop in 1991. And in the background, Jobs even
resigned from Apple after a power struggle in 1985 — which led to a
dismal period for the corporation until he retook the helm in 1997. It
wasn’t until 1998 that Apple gained some serious momentum with the
introduction of its all-in-one desktop, the iMac, which boosted the
company into profitability.
The iMac hit a grand slam for Apple, driving the company to the success evident today. Since 2001, the
corporation has expanded from just two stores to 240 retail
locations worldwide to date. And you know Apple’s doing well when
practically every computer you
see in a Hollywood movie is a Mac. Heck, Macs and Steve Jobs even recently appeared in an episode of The Simpsons. As for the phone industry, Jobs in October proclaimed Apple to be the third largest handset supplier in the world thanks to the insanely popular iPhone, only two years old.
Not bad for a company that remains a miniature player in the
worldwide PC market. Apple still only possesses 3.3 percent of the
global market share and 8 percent in the United States, according
to research firm IDC.
"Apple is everywhere now, and everyone knows Apple," said Bruce
Evans, better known as "Snaggy," who co-writes the geeky comic strip Joy of Tech.
"Ten years ago the thought of Apple stores in malls would have seemed
as far off and dreamy as rocket cars in the parking lots!"
Apple and its cult following have much to celebrate, but its future
is uncertain. The majority of speculators believe that Jobs’ era — and
the entire Apple era — is coming to an end.
The corporation recently delivered some shocking news:
Jobs won’t be delivering his famous keynote speech to launch new Apple
products at Macworld Expo 2009. And on top of that, Apple won’t be
appearing for another Macworld show after this year.
Of course, these announcements rebooted a dialog about Jobs’ health. Some are insisting that the pancreatic cancer survivor is without a doubt extremely ill. Others are making a more conservative guess — that Apple is transitioning Jobs out of the CEO role. Either way, none of the guesses about Apple’s future bear positive implications.
"Whatever
the condition of Steve’s health, his cancer has caused a certain amount
of soul searching by the company," said Roger Kay, an analyst with
Endpoint Technologies. "How do you replace the maestro? The paradox of
the dictatorial personality is that it can’t replicate itself. Genghis
Khan’s empire was gone 130 years after it was created…. So, a big
question mark relates to how the product development process will work
once he’s out of the picture."
The future of Macworld Expo is in question as well. Before Apple
announced it was pulling out of the show after 2009, Macworld already saw a 20 percent drop in registrations. Most surprising — and alarming — is that Adobe will not be exhibiting at the show.
International Data Group, who hosts Macworld Expo, said it plans to
return for another Macworld in 2010. Still, things are looking grim for
Macworld. When Apple pulled out of the east coast Macworld show in
2003, the event survived for a few years before it died out.
"I’m hopeful that Macworld will survive and evolve into even more
of a cultural event and less a marketing one," Evans said. "That’s the
core strength behind Apple, the geeks and nerds who love to use the
products to create new things, and share information with each other.
The Spirit of the Homebrew Club lives on."
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
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