Apple’s classroom of Computing Evolution
Monday, June 6, Apple’s presentation at the WWDC responded to a thoughtfully planned course of events. Nothing stratospheric, but they are “cool” again with a long list of “new” concepts: iCloud, iMessenger, iTunes Match, iOS5, Mac OS X Lion…
It sounds like a new step in the direction of a new computational paradigm. But please, do not overreact because the best part is yet to come.
You have to think that this is business and they need a plan to do that, don’t they? So, the future has already been planned. But first, let’s take a look at some foundamental facts.
Firstly I have to say I like some things of Apple’s execution plan (at least in the last ~4 years). I feel that they are, somehow, helping to evolve everyday computing with their steps.
How do they do that? I’m confident to support (and like it) at least two keypoints of Apple’s strategy and here they are:
A) Technical maturity
Apple make available only (except rare exceptions) technically mature innovations. Note that this doesn’t mean that maturity implies its implementation, but that implementations are not advanced to this technical maturity.
This is definetly disapointing the most specialized people because they want/think technical viability to be technical maturity. But in the “real world” of “normal people” that is not true and the previously mentioned strategy is strongly related to a successful technology that “simply works”. Is it not that what your friend/relative/colleague who recommended to buy a Mac told you some years ago?
B) Teaching the client
If you look back in time (I’m a Computer History teacher) many companies have failed trying to force the revolution in many markets/submarkets. And Apple may be identified as one of the flagships of this historic failures in computing. Let’s gather the most recent examples as 1994’s Apple Television, QuickTake 100, Newton MessagePad, Power Macintosh 6100, or even the unknown 1996’s Apple Pippin game console. But it takes even before the 90s. Apple tried to revolutionize the world of computing since its 1977’s Apple II throughout others like 1983’s Apple Lisa. It’s clear that even these were wonderful machines, they were too much expensive in the name of innovation and led Apple to a second, third, fourth, or even a lower place.
All this is like if a young team wanted to change the world but wasn’t aware that the mass market (neither you, even you assure you can take more innovation) is prepared to get used to that expense or change of paradigms.
Whatever the reason of the introduction of each one of the features/gadgets/systems, as a whole, I see it like a worldwide Apple classroom on “Computing Evolution”. They are not trying to convince anybody, they are teaching us how the future may look like with them. Step by step. Guided learning. Nobody ever gets scared of new complex concepts. Everybody is happy. Brilliant.
Round up
After cutting up these two essential principles of Apple’s “execution plan” (or may I say “Apple’s secret syllabus”?) I have realized that my summarized conclusion is pretty similar to the one I have got at my computer history courses.
At this course I am not teaching Computer Science history, so I have mixed up concepts from all sciences, politics, economics, arts… that is to say that I am doing Computer Science history in its socio-cultural context. And the most simple but powerful conclusion of the course has been that this context is more or less everything for the evolution of computers.
It is extremely important to take into account this socio-cultural context trying to live the present but even more to shape the future. Apple understand that (accumulation of mistakes = experience?). They are pushing bit by bit. And what I like the most… that the future has already been planned.
Let’s continue the speculation in the next post/s :)
