Parvati Magazine October 2014- Equilibrium | Page 31
BUSINESS
relevant, giving people
just want they want and
need. With a few wobbles here and there, both
have stayed true to their
ethos and built upon their
core values of excellence in craft, education,
inspiration and making
the world a better place.
This strategy has worked
for them.
Ten years ago, when U2
and Apple cashed in on
their brands to create a
strategic alliance with
the Projet Red campaign,
it helped Apple sell iPods and U2 sell digital
music while at the same
time raising awareness
and money for charity. It
seemed like a win-win.
Since Steve Jobs has
gone, I can’t help but
feel that the ethos of
Apple has changed.
Apple’s competition has
become much more
sophisticated and for the
first time Apple struggles
to stay ahead of the innovation curve.
Perhaps this is why this
Apple event left a sour
taste in my mouth and
uneasiness in my gut.
Some of the strategic alliances over the past year
or so leave me to question the intention of the
company. I can’t help
but feel that Apple has
changed its focus and its
primary vision seems to
be on growth and profit.
Moves like purchasing
Beats left the world talking about Apple getting
into the headphone
market, but this move
really had nothing to do
with headphones. Dr Dre
and Interscope’s Jimmy
Iovine are leaders in
today’s music industry,
responsible for such huge
acts like Eminem, Snoop,
and Lady Gaga. Owning
Beats positions Apple to
become the world’s largest record label.
With the introduction of
Apple Pay, which gives
Apple control over how
money is moved from
account to account,
they now make money
on all vertical platforms from the artistic creation,
through the distribution,
to the delivery device
and now the payment. It
controls the whole arena
in some of the most socially influential industries
on the planet: technology, banking, entertainment and communication sectors.
When a company becomes so powerful we
end up with a monopolistic entity that has the potential to shake and even
control our likes, dislikes
and purchasing habits.
I can’t help but wonder
if the man who started it
all, the man who gave
copies of Autobiography
of a Yogi to all of his staff,
would have wanted a
world where all the power, all the decision making, all the income rests
in the hands of a few. I
can’t help but wonder,
with Jobs gone from Apple, if snakes have infiltrated the garden and
the fruit is starting to rot.
Since 1994, Rishi Deva, founder and CEO of RishiVision and entrepreneurial
coach, has empowered thousands of businesses.
Rishi has an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurial studies and a BBA
in accounting. He has spent nearly twenty years coaching, consulting,
managing and supporting thousands of businesses from new startups
to active global leaders.
For more information on Rishi, please visit www.rishivision.com.