i’ve thought about this a long time…it’s time to quit you…while your company still makes a wonderful product…i’ve come to the conclusion that i no longer have faith in your ability…or desire…to bring remarkable technology to the marketplace…
i am what might be called a tentpole customer…i have been a believer since i first laid my hands on the Apple II and Apple Classic in college…during the late 80’s…and actually used the NeXT computer after you left Apple…since I couldn’t afford a NeXT machine, the first computer i owned was the Quadra 840AV…and I even picked up the Newton 110…just for fun…
these were rocky days for Apple…yet, owning these products convinced me that Apple was the future of personal computing…so i bought the stock…at $15…
While the company was not faring well, that computer was a stalwart part of my toolkit…it introduced me to email and the internet…
when you returned to Apple, i figured it was time to re-up…so I purchased the Powerbook G3…another sturdy and reliable machine…
by 2002 it was time to replace the laptop with the iBook G3…within months i did a complete upgrade and added an iMac G4…and the first generation iPod…
all that time i was…evangelical about Apple products…some of my friends might go so far as to call me a fanboy…and yet, they converted…
so now, i’m into my second iMac, fourth iPod…and i’ve retired the ibook…in hopes that you would soon be announcing a device that would change portable computing the way the ipod changed portable music…
some would say that’s the iPhone…well, it’s not…and here’s why…
1. not enough real estate…sure, it’s the real internet…but who wants to read it on a three and half inch screen…much less watch a movie…
2. not robust enough…this is the real deal breaker…it’s not about the hardware…it’s the software that makes Apple products superior…and the compromised version of OS X on the iPhone doesn’t do enough…which brings me to…
3. the walled garden…your tightly controlled applications for the iPhone are problematic…in the opening months of the App Store, every problem you’ve encountered has been about control…it’s bad for the customer, it’s bad for the developer…stop it…
not that you asked, or would bother to even listen…trust me it’s nothing new…your customers have been asking for it for months…no, years…Apple needs to make a portable computer with these specs…ten inch screen…no less than 80 gig storage…a single two Ghz chip…a minimum of four hours battery life…the full array of connectivity…WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, Ethernet, Audio In/Out…and hey, how about that new Mini DisplayPort…
what makes this different from any other netbook out there…?…well, you got your fancy touch screen interface…integrate that any way you want…oh, there’s always the world famous Apple design magic…sprinkle some of that pixie dust on it…but don’t forget your bread and butter…OS X and iLife…
bring all of this in at three lbs or less…and priced somewhere between $500 and $800…and you sir will restore your rightful title as revolutionary innovator…
actually, this bar is set fairly low…i’m sure you could top this paltry suggestion…but you have clearly demonstrated a lack of will…at this point, i don’t care about the reasons why…
there were two signs that i took as good news…first, you presented your MacBook refresh with Tim Cook and Jony Ive…signaling that Apple will be in good hands after you move on…however that turns out…second, your “wait and see” comment about the “nascent” netbook movement…tells me you are planning on moving into that space…which is fine…Apple’s best moves are not when you’re first, but when you’re reinventing other people’s stale ideas…
so, what am i supposed to do in the interval…i could go out and buy a cheap netbook and shoehorn OS X into it…better yet, i’ll buy a used MacBook from some sucker who just bought his and now wants to upgrade to one of your shiny new metal versions…and i’ll wait for you to leave Apple…that now seems to be the only way Apple will move beyond making digital fashion accessories…
