3 Reasons Why Apple will Never be the same again

by Abner Amador, December 1, 2018

On August 2018, Apple became the first American public company to reach $1 trillion in value. Two months later, Apple's stock reached it's highest price ever, but since then it has been dropping significantly. Although Wall street analysts argue both sides of the Apple stock future (buy or sell), I personally believe that Apple, as a brand and as a company, has entered a new era that has nothing to do with Wall Street. So, here are my thoughts on why Apple will never be the same again.

1.    APPLE was never meant to be the largest company on earth

2.    Without Steve Jobs, Apple will only be "just another" good tech company

3.    The True Apple Legacy: To Think Different & Empower Individuals destined to "Change the World"

1. APPLE turned into the GIANT they were trying to challenge in the first place

One of the most epic TV Commercials of all times, aired only once during Super bowl in 1984, was Apple's preview of the Macintosh. The commercial never showed the Mac but the story line was what captivated the world…a girl running breaks into a big hall of zombie like people staring at a giant screen. With an Olympic like hammer throw she aims at the giant screen controlling everyone's mind followed by a big explosion.

As explained by Lee Clow, Apple's campaign was to introduce the Mac as a revolutionary personal computer that will end the monopoly represented on the TV ad as the all controlling "Big Brother", which many associated with IBM given the times and its dominance on the computing industry for decades. 

Fast Forward 26 years later, APPLE, now a trillion dollar company, has long fulfilled it's 1982 vision of disrupting the Computer Industry, which raises the question…is it ironic that Apple might have just turned into the giant they once decided to challenge?

2. The GENIUS IS DEAD…long live Steve Jobs

Until the summer of 2018 when Apple became the first Trillion dollar company, Wall Street has ignored 2 facts about Apple: The reality that Steve Jobs was not just "another CEO", and that Apple reaching the Trillion dollar mark was just the ripple effect from Steve Jobs leadership which caused the introduction of the iPhone back in 2007 to become Apple's last "big drop of Innovation" causing a tsunami effect that lasted 11 years.

History tends to repeat itself and just the way Apple went astray when Jobs was fired in 1995, and almost went bankrupt, the vision and direction of the company is now in the hand of capable business people and destined to be "managed as well as possible" but never to be an industry or innovation leader again. Although most people would think this is sad news, if you keep reading you will find out why this is not so bad after all.

Often described as a Genius and compared so some of the world's greatest minds like Leonardo DaVinci and Einstein, Steve Jobs was not just another Tech Leader from some startup becoming an overnight success. Watch all the biopics on Apple's history and Steve Job's life and it will be clear that Apple and Steve Jobs journey was not a strike of luck or a walk in park but one full of sweat and tears, driven by his passion to change the world and providing us with “moments of joy” beyond the tech industry like Pixar's Toy Story. The iPhone, Steve Job’s Mona Lisa, will forever be remembered as ultimate Personal Computer (PC), and the fulfillment of the 1984 TV ad’s promise.

3. Apple’s True Legacy: Empowering the “Think Different” individuals destined to Change the World

Ask anyone around you what Steve Jobs greatest legacy was and mostly likely they will mention their favorite Apple product, but the truth is that Steve Jobs vision was greater that the products or services Apple delivered during his life time. It is the message preached to several generations: To Think Differently.

This might be a hard reality for many Apple lovers, fans & cult followers to accept but watch any video footage of Jobs addressing his team and audiences at public presentations and it will become clear. Apple product and services were created to be placed in the hands of kids, students, business professionals, etc. to empower each person and allow them to express and bring out the genius Steve Jobs believed everyone possesses (1). If you agree with this last statement then it is evident that from Steve Jobs’ perspective, the True legacy is not the company he created but what each of the "Think Different" individuals empowered by Apple products & services have contributed to change and shape the world we live in.

One of life biggest lessons we should all learn is how Apple and Microsoft (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates) depended on each other, as rivals and later as partners, to pave the world for the digital era by providing us with personal computers since the 1970's. Now that Steve Jobs is gone and Bill Gates is retired as Microsoft CEO, it's time to accept the reality that Apple's and Microsoft’s heritage is greater that each of the two companies. Enter all the digital savvy leaders, old and young entrepreneurs, breeding new companies day after day, empowered by common everyday digital tools like “Excel” (which by the way was the first Microsoft product created for the Macintosh and most likely the tool still used by most entrepreneurs that need to create a business plan).

CONCLUSION:

Apple as a company was Steve Jobs "garage" to bring his ideas to life. In its most deep foundation, Apple has been the means to the greater end of empowering "Think Different" individuals so they can change the world as expressed in its 1997 advertising slogan.

What is Apple's future as company? The answer is very simple. Apple future is now the same as that of any company that never had Steve Jobs as a founder & visionary disguised as a CEO: To be managed as best as possible and most likely go back to its early stages of being a niche company for selected industries and specific target demographics.