Nearing Zenith

A Business Law for Looking Ahead

I’d like to formally state a business axiom which has been blindingly obvious to me for the last few years. I’m naming it Collins’ Law of Disruption. Here it is:

“Businesses that concern themselves with the efficiency of their operations will, in the long run, always be overrun by businesses that concern themselves with the value of their products and services.”

I think this law nicely sums up the totality of my understanding of modern business and lays out a predictable and testable path for the future of commerce. Either it’s true or it’s not, but it should be self evident (either way) within my lifetime.

The corollaries this Law are striking, but instructive. Here are a few that come to mind:

• Money, effort, and attention are better spent on building new and better products and services than on squeezing more out of the current offerings.
• Looking for efficiency is worse than looking for breakthrough.
• Any business that slides into pure profit-seeking behavior has given itself a terminal condition.
• A disruptive market force can wipe out any or all of the entrenched players.

I can think of no more valuable piece of business/entrepreneurial insight than my Law, as stated above, especially when looking ahead to an uncertain future.

Random New iPad Notes

Just list of notes I’m trying to keep track of, regarding the new iPad (3rd gen):

Name: The “iPad 2” was a mistake, and a mistake that Apple intends to correct now rather than later. This new iPad could have been the iPad 2S, iPad 3, iPad 2HD, iPad HD, etc., but why? My iMac, MacBook Air, iPods, and AirportExtreme base station are referred to only by their family names, so why should the iPad be any different? Expect the next iPhone to be “the new iPhone”.

The box: No longer has two shiny Apple logos on it, but rather one shiny Apple logo and one shiny iCloud logo. Apple’s serious about iCloud.

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Apple and $100 Billion

Now that Apple has a secure financial future (!), it would be nice to see them disrupt another industry: manufacturing.

Imagine an Apple with “made in America” on each of their products and a manufacturing plant in nearly each state of the Union. Big, clean warehouses built in rural US counties, employing thousands of US workers in safe, professional environments, staying transparent and focussed on quality and employee wellbeing. Imagine all of Apple’s manufacturing employees being able to afford the very products they make… sounds just like something both Apple and the US could use right about now.

It would take some time to transition manufacturing capacity to the US, but it could be done. US workers aren’t up to the standards of education and training that Apple needs? Start regional training centers or universities. (McDonald’s started Hamburger University, for example.) The main stumbling block for US manufacturing plants, money, isn’t a problem for Apple and can no longer be used as an excuse for outsourcing all but the most specialized hardware components.

It’s my hope that Apple will lead the charge to reverse the near-complete erosion of US manufacturing. Apple has the resources and talent to accomplish an industry reversal like this, without a doubt. They also have a culture of disrupting and redefining industries.

All Contact with Customers is Customer Service

A simple question leads to two different experiences. One confusing and frustrating, the other clear and helpful. Guess which one came from Apple and which came from AT&T…

My question:

I’d like to get an iPhone 4S, but I bought an iPhone 4 a year ago. Do I need to pay full price for the 4S or can I get a discount?

Let’s ask AT&T

Login. *tap* *tap* *tap* iPhone eligibility. *click*

What’s “…upgrade at full retail price” mean? I’m allowed to purchase an iPhone 4S for full retail price, in other words? Is that a special AT&T price or full-full unlocked retail price. And what are those prices, exactly? How helpful.

I guess I “may qualify for an equipment discount on 12/04/2011”, but how much will this help me, exactly? What does the “may” mean? How much is the “equipment” going to cost?

“…to purchase a different device online.” Uh, I think we were talking about iPhones here. What’s “a different device” got to do with this? Are you trying to pawn an Android device off on me? That’s not cool.

“Upgrade this Line” is going to do what, exactly? What’s a “Line”? Is it like an “iPhone” or are you wanting me to add minutes or something. Why is this option checked by default?

So, I don’t actually know anything new from this page except that December 4th is important and may qualify me for a discount of some sort.

What a mess AT&T. This is why people don’t like you very much.

Let’s ask Apple

Check my availability. *click* Fill out some info. *tap* *tap* *tap*

Ah, so December 4th is when I qualify for a $250 discount on the iPhone 4S, 4, and 3GS. Not bad. I think I’ll wait for the iPhone 5, but those discount prices are tempting. Perhaps after the New Year…

So, here I can clearly see the available phone, the discount eligibility date, and even compare the iPhone model prices.

Thanks Apple. This is why people love you.

My Favorite Steve Moment

RIP Steve Jobs, 1955 - 2011

Just a quick memory to help me feel better, despite Steve’s death today:

I’ve enjoyed watching Steve perform at various Apple events over the last few years, but my absolute favorite moment was when, on January 27th 2010, Steve showed us the iPad for the first time.

Watch carefully and you can see Jobs — usually intense, focused, and well-paced in his keynote deliveries — just lose himself to the thing he’s holding. For a few brief moments, the audience and the cameras and the whole event just disappear and we’re left watching a man having a ball with his new toy.

He looked like he was in heaven.

Review: Leviathan Wakes (book)

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was supposed to savor this book, really, but this excellent space opera practically forced me to finish it in two days.

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