hans.gerwitz

It is arguable that Apple was more inno­v­ative with tech­nology prior to Steve Jobs’s return to power. He dissolved the ATG, home of the original Cocoa, and Apple Data Detectors, and famously axed the Newton, continued devel­opment of which might have given us the iPhone as a platform years ago.

But the Newton’s brand had been tainted by the poor hand­writing recog­nition of the first models and a clunky form factor.

New (or returning) to Apple’s inno­vation DNA is marketing. And I don’t mean just adver­tising or PR, I mean making strategic business deci­sions to enter sensible markets that capi­talize but don’t dilute brands and have exploitable niches. Any student of game theory and business can appre­ciate that this is the real genius behind the 21^st century’s Apple.

Microsoft, mean­while, has never really inno­vated in tech­nology. They have, though, blazed a trail in business; it could even be said that Bill Gates estab­lished the practice of selling software. How disap­pointing that they’ve taken to trying to copy other business models with varying success; the Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile Smartphones are all me-​​too plays. MS has plenty of bril­liant minds working on software, they need to get a few of them in strategic marketing.