14 DAY TRIAL // Interviewed by Bloomberg this week, biographer Walter Isaacson, who wrote the official biography of Steve Jobs, has backpedaled on his remarks regarding innovators in the IT industry today.
In a recent statement he gave to the press, Isaacson called Google a bigger innovator than Apple at the moment, which revolted the latter’s fanbase.
Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Isaacson seized the opportunity to clarify that his words had been misinterpreted.
“I think [Google is] very innovative. I was not trying to contrast it to Apple or something. I know, all the Apple fans got mad,” he said.
Isaacson added that “innovation is great, but it ain’t everything. It’s not the holy grail. Execution is what really matters, and Apple is the best at execution.”
Asked why he thinks Apple doesn’t do very well in the low-end electronics sector, Isaacson immediately quipped: “I don’t think Apple will ever be great at doing low-end. It really makes insanely great products, to use a phrase Steve used 30 years ago when he launched the Mac.”
He argued that Apple was far better at inventing markets than at trying to compete with others in established markets, such as the low-end smartphone scene.
“What I think is going to have to happen is they’re going to have to figure out a whole new set of disruptive products,” Isaacson said.
“You’ve heard Tim Cook hint about that, whether it’s television or a wearable watch. I don’t think Apple’s going to do well trying to be on the commodity low-end race with Samsung and others.”
Isaacson’s thinking is echoed throughout the Apple blogosphere, where the people who follow Apple’s every move know its modus operandi.
Some analysts believe Apple isn’t even lagging behind, but rather that its competitors are rushing out products, smothering the market with low-end solutions, as the Cupertino giant takes its time perfecting its next big thing.