By Troy Wolverton
The enthusiasm of its executives aside, the question of whether Apple Inc is “losing” its ability to innovate remains an open one, even after the company unveiled a slew of new software and hardware last week.
As expected, Apple at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference unveiled a new version of iOS, a streaming radio service, an update to Mac OS dubbed “Mavericks” and some new Mac laptops.
It also revealed a new version of its Mac Pro, a desktop computer targeted at professional users. The redesigned machine is the “future” of desktop computing and should set aside any questions about Apple’s creativity, enthused Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide marketing.
“Can’t innovate anymore, my a**!” Schiller declared to the delight of many in the audience.
Any other company — or even the Apple of the past — would have satisfied its critics with such a show.
But the Apple of today faces a much higher bar. Investors and consumers eagerly awaiting another breakthrough product like the iPhone and iPad aren’t going to be completely satisfied with a redesigned Mac Pro or even a revamp of Apple’s iOS software, no matter how dramatic (and it is, by the way).
Indeed, you can get an indication of what investors in particular thought of Apple’s announcements by looking at the company’s stock price: It fell after the announcements.
You can call investors and other Apple critics jaded or even shortsighted, but with Apple’s profits falling and its once-vaunted sales growth slowing markedly, there’s a growing sense that Apple needs a revolutionary new product, the sooner the better.
If you were holding out for an iWatch or an Apple Television, you’re going to have to keep on waiting.
Instead, Apple’s announcements consisted largely of incremental changes or features that were obviously influenced by other companies.
Take the update to iOS 7, the software that powers the iPhone and iPad. Its design looks a lot like the interface that Microsoft introduced seven years ago for its Zune music players and later adapted for smartphones and the Xbox. The new “Control Center” in iOS, which allows users to quickly adjust certain settings, has been a standard feature of Android devices for years.
And the new way that iOS will represent and allow users to switch between recently used applications is a lot like the application “card” interface that Palm debuted with its Pre smartphone in 2009.
And it’s not just in iOS where Apple is borrowing from others and calling it “revolutionary.” The new iTunes Radio service it unveiled appears to be very similar to Pandora. Similarly, while the ability to edit Apple iWork documents in a Web browser is a new feature for Apple’s office applications, it’s been an integral part of the rival Google Docs suite for years.
It may have been too much to expect that Apple would announce anything truly groundbreaking at last week’s event. While Apple has used the developers conference to announce big products in the past, it’s gradually moved such announcements to autumn, closer to the all-important holiday selling season.
If Apple is ever going to debut the rumoured Apple Television or iWatch, it’s likely to do that at one of those events. Similarly, you’ll probably have to wait until autumn, when Apple debuts the new iPhone and iPad, to see the newest and most compelling features in iOS.
And don’t get me wrong: As a longtime iPhone user, I’m excited about many of the changes Apple announced last week. I’ve been clamouring for a quick settings feature in iOS for years.
Using “cards” to multitask was one of the things I loved most about Palm’s webOS. And the new AirDrop feature, which will allow users to quickly share photos and documents with other nearby iOS users, looks really cool.
But none of these things is likely to jump-start Apple’s sales — or reassure investors and fans who are anxiously awaiting Apple’s Next Big Thing. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT
