NY Magazine: Jobs at peak

A new article raises the question of whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs has reached the peak of his performance in business, and is about to head downhill. Chronicling Jobs' history, New York Magazine observes that one of Jobs' primary strengths has been maintaining a narrow focus, something which he may be losing with the release of first the Apple TV and then the iPhone. More important, says the magazine, is that Apple has always attempted to do everything in-house, which has allowed Jobs' understanding of consumer desire to flourish. With the iPhone, Jobs is now dependent on another company -- AT&T -- to deliver the signature Apple experience.

Critics also note that the iPhone may not be as innovative as it has to be to compete. The CEO of Ocean-maker Helio, Sky Dayton, points out several problems: "No removable battery. No removable memory. No GPS. It has a bigger screen, so watching a movie on it will be better -- but with no removable battery, you’re not really going to want to do that and make phone calls. So you’ve got the houseboat problem: It’s neither a house nor a boat, it’s both, and it’s not particularly great at either."

The software may also be "five years ahead of anything we’ve seen out there," as Jobs has commented, but New York observes that products like the Ocean may be aesthetically equal and technically superior.

The article further suggests that Jobs may be attempting too much, too fast, and about to suffer in the source of so much of his income, the iPod-iTunes bundle. With the increasing prevalence of DRM-free music, proposed by Jobs himself, customers may no longer be so attached to using either product for fear of being unable to hear their music. The future of Apple (and Jobs' reputation) may dependent on the income brought in by the iPhone.

by MacNN Staff