“It’s amazing, this shit, and it’s wasted on the shittiest generation of piece of shit assholes that ever fucking lived.” -Louis CK
I was thinking about the broad criticism and dissatisfaction with Apple (AAPL) that is so pervasive today while I was listening to Tim Cook defend the company’s practices at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference. It immediately reminded me of Louis CK’s stand-up routine from which the quote above was taken.
The smartphone revolution has brought us absolutely amazing advances in the way we communicate, do business and entertain ourselves. It is a truly awesome innovation that has immeasurably improved our lives. And Apple is at the absolute apex of this innovation. They created it. They inspired numerous successful copycats who also build great products. But Apple builds the most elegant and efficient products in what has become one of the most successful industries in the history of mankind.
And we’re still not satisfied.
I agree with those who say that Apple’s success comes from not caring. Of course, they care about making fabulous products. They don’t care, however, about making Wall Street’s earnings estimates or competing on price with low-cost competitors or what a certain hedge fund titan has to say about their cash hoard or whatever anyone else has to say about their business. They are focused on what really matters, the product. Everything else is noise.
I love this. And I hope that the lip service Tim Cook currently pays to all these things is just that. The reason I love this is that companies that do care about all the other stuff lose focus. Enron is a great example. Rich Kinder (KMI) saw the value in focusing on the core business and has made a killing (not Skilling) with Enron’s core assets. Enron, on the other hand, made ancillary projects their primary focus using progressive accounting methods condoned by their accountants, financed by Wall Street and applauded by their shareholders. And it killed them.
I’d rather Apple tell them all to go to hell. They have nothing to prove. Focus on the product and let it speak for itself. People will bitch and moan about anything and everything. It means nothing. If Apple keeps making great products people will keep buying them and that’s all that matters.