ADAPT OR DIE : THE DARWINISM OF APPLE
by Richard Papanicolaou
Love , hate , envy , accept . Coming to terms with Apple ’ s dominance is not easy for everyone . There are mixed feelings , and allegiances that run deep in the tech world . However , there is no denying the impact Apple has had on innovation culture , not just in the realm of technology , but across all industries . Competitors and admirers alike are all rushing to emulate the creative model at the core of Apple ’ s success . So what ’ s the secret ? How has Apple , a once endangered species , crawled back from the brink of extinction to become an example of a flourishing organism ?
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It isn ’ t a lack of imagination holding any of us back , it ’ s a lack of adaptation .
Let ’ s avoid the well-covered design innovations , marketing aptitude , and attention to detail that Apple is known for and focus instead on adaptation . Apple was once ‘ Apple Computers ’, a computer maker . Today Apple inc . is a device maker . The very same people who brought personal computing to the masses have now turned their backs on their creation to make room for something new , mobile devices . And they aren ’ t looking back . Steve Jobs was famous for saying , “ If you want to live your life in a creative way , as an artist , you have to not look back too much . You have to be willing to take whatever you ’ ve done and whoever you were and throw them away .” 1 This seems simple enough , right ?
Try this simple exercise : imagine yourself convincing a board of directors that everything they know is now outdated , every process they ’ ve mastered is now obsolete , and the main product / service the organization offers needs to take a back seat to something new and unproven . It isn ’ t a lack of imagination holding any of us back , it ’ s a lack of adaptation . Apple came to this realization early on , which is how it managed to evolve . And it ’ s doing it again . The computer maker turned device maker is now also a content distributor .
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The Appstore is where the gaming world , the business world , and the ‘ waiting at the dentist ’ world get their apps .
In order for any organism to sustain life and flourish , it needs an ecosystem . Borrowing again from nature , Apple has gone to great lengths to create that ecosystem . Every i-device is supported by an ecosystem consisting of a content delivery system - a sort of feed for our devices . iTunes is where the new generation gets its music to play on their iPod , iPhones , iPads and Macs . The Appstore is where the gaming world , the business world , and the ‘ waiting at the dentist ’ world get their apps . The iCloud is where i-device owners sync their settings , photos , and back up their data .
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