“Then, in 1998, I had the chance to talk with Steve Jobs after he’d come back and turned Apple around. I was there to help Telecom Italia try to do a deal with Apple, but after that business was completed I couldn’t help asking a question. “Steve,” I said, “this turnaround at Apple has been impressive. But everything we know about the personal-computer business says that Apple will always have a small niche position. The network externalities are just too strong to upset the de facto “Wintel” standard. So what are you trying to do? What’s the longer-term strategy?”
He didn’t agree or disagree with my assessment of the market. He just smiled and said, “I am going to wait for the next big thing.””

— Richard Rumelt

About strategy starts with identifying changes, and companies taking position (2)
"McKinsey Quarterly interview," 2007

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American economist 1942

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“Given that background, I was interested in what Steve Jobs might say about the future of Apple. His survival strategy for Apple, for all its skill and drama, was not going to propel Apple into the future. At that moment in time, Apple had less than 4 percent of the personal computer market. The de facto standard was Windows-Intel and there seemed to be no way for Apple to do more than just hang on to a tiny niche.
In the summer of 1998, I got an opportunity to talk with Jobs again. I said, "Steve, this turnaround at Apple has been impressive. But everything we know about the PC business says that Apple cannot really push beyond a small niche position. The network effects are just too strong to upset the Wintel standard. So what are you trying to do in the longer term? What is the strategy?"”

Richard Rumelt (1942) American economist

He did not attack my argument. He didn’t agree with it, either. He just smiled and said, "I am going to wait for the next big thing."
Source: Good Strategy Bad Strategy, 2011, p. 14; Similar story in Rumelt (2007)

“[Tim Cook's] position at Apple was to do the things Steve didn't want to do and to never be a threat to Steve, which means he likely is everything Steve isn't — yet he is trying to fit into a spot custom designed for Steve. Talk about your round peg in a square hole.”

Rob Enderle (1954) American financial analyst

Meg Whitman vs. Tim Cook by the Numbers http://technewsworld.com/story/74694.html in Tech News World (26 March 2012)

“Steve Jobs is the Ronald McDonald of Apple, he is the face.”

Rob Enderle (1954) American financial analyst

Can anyone replace Steve Jobs at Apple? http://telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/4249095/Can-anyone-replace-Steve-Jobs-at-Apple.html in The Telegraph (15 January 2009)

“With the tragic death of Steve Jobs, Apple has lost its ability to innovate.”

Peter Cohan American businessman

6 Reasons Apple Is Still More Doomed Than You Think http://forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2015/01/28/6-reasons-apple-is-still-more-doomed-than-you-think in Forbes (28 January 2015)

“Creative things have to sell to get acknowledged as such. Steve Jobs didn't really set the direction of my Apple I and Apple II designs but he did the more important part of turning them into a product that would change the world. I don't deny that.”

Steve Wozniak (1950) American inventor, computer engineer and programmer

"Letters-General Questions Answered" p. 96 http://www.woz.org/letters/general/96.html
Woz.org files

“[W]hen Apple wanted the name "iPhone" and it was owned by Cisco, Steve Jobs just took it, and his legal team executed so he could keep it. It turned out that doing this was surprisingly inexpensive. And, as the Apple Watch showcased, the Apple Phone likely would not have sold anywhere near as well as the iPhone.”

Rob Enderle (1954) American financial analyst

Yahoo and How You Know You Have a Bad Legal Team http://itbusinessedge.com/blogs/unfiltered-opinion/yahoo-and-how-you-know-you-have-a-bad-legal-team.html in IT Business Edge (5 October 2016)

“The transition from proprietary architecture to open modular architecture just happens over and over again. It happened in the personal computer. Although it didn’t kill Apple’s computer business, it relegated Apple to the status of a minor player. … You also see modularity organized around the Android operating system that is growing much faster than the iPhone. So I worry that modularity will do its work on Apple.”

Clayton M. Christensen (1952–2020) Mormon academic

"Why Clayton Christensen Worries About Apple" in Forbes (7 May 2012) http://forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2012/05/07/why-clayton-christensen-worries-about-apple
2010s

“We are lucky that Steve Jobs has such a bad temper and doesn't care about China. If Apple were to spend the same effort on the Chinese consumer as we do, we would be in trouble.”

Liu Chuanzhi (1944) Chinese businessman

Lenovo: Apple is losing out in China http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/604d1d54-87b9-11df-9f37-00144feabdc0.html in Financial Times Tech Hub (4 July 2010)

“I want to see the two CEOs of RIM and [Apple CEO Steve] Jobs working together. The thought of this ménage à trois is absolutely hilarious.”

Jean-Louis Gassée (1944) French businessman

globalandmail.com http://web.archive.org/web/20080706162404/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060602.wappleberry0603/BNStory/Business/home, Simon Avery, June 2006
Attributed

“Steve was a genius and a visionary, and I've never viewed that my role was to replace him," said Cook. "Steve was an original. I've never really felt the weight of trying to be Steve. It's not my goal in life. I am who I am. I am focused on that. On being a great CEO of Apple.”

Tim Cook (1960) American business executive

cnet.com http://www.cnet.com/news/tim-cook-ive-never-really-felt-the-weight-of-trying-to-be-steve/

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