Is Apple going to break all the Steve Jobs rules?
Jobs was against a 7in iPad, Easter Eggs, and a larger iPhone but Apple did it anyway – what else has it got planned?
The good ship Apple may have once been steered by Steve Jobs, with strict rules about where it can and can’t sail. But a new captain sits at the helm and those rules have been thrown overboard as a 7in iPad gets ready to launch, Easter Eggs return, and the iPhone grows in size. But which other rules from the Jobs era can Apple break to steer the computer giant’s future?
Stylus
Jobs was adamant that a little pokey stick would never enhance Apple’s products. Just look at the Newton MessagePad 100. But now that Samsung’s Note, with S Pen stylus, has become a surprise hit it may cause Apple to change its tune. There are already a host of third-party iPad pens – it wouldn’t take much for Apple to scoop up all that profit for itself. And a look at this iStylus patent suggests the cash-catching development is already underway.
Off Switch
Steve Jobs, according to his biographer, didn’t want simple on/off switches on Apple devices because he hoped there was an afterlife. Apple has stuck to that wish, and with longer standby times and better power-saving options, it’s likely to stay that way. Save for one thing – Apple iTV. If the fabled screen ever appears we expect to see a power button on its remote at least.
Flash
We all know how Steve Jobs felt about Flash. And with HTML 5 spreading fast it doesn’t look good for Flash. But user complaints are still rife and Apple may still bend to the will of the masses – it’s already allowed Skyfire.
Open source
Apple’s App Store is a tightly run ship with requests being rejected daily, unlike Google Play on Android which allows everyone to create and share anything they can think of. As a result Android handsets are far more customisible and growing ever more popular. Could Apple sacrifice control to allow users to enjoy their handsets more? Not likely, but the possibility grows with Android’s popularity.
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