Rivals seek a slice of Apple

Tributes continue to flood in for Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder and chairman, who died on October 5, just one day after the launch of Apple’s highly anticipated new phone. “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook wrote in a letter to the company’s employees.

While some fans were looking forward to the launch of the iPhone 5, the company instead released an improved version of the iPhone 4, called 4S. The model includes a new processor, a better camera, much better autonomy and faster download speeds, says the company.

The iPhone 4S will be available in stores in the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan from October 14. In the rest of Europe, it goes on sale on October 28.

“The iPhone clearly sets new standards in the smartphone industry: the dynamics of the mobile phone market since its appearance show us that. I think that, at least for the immediate future, the trend imposed by the iPhone will be kept up, and everything we see from the point of view of products released on the market will only be variations on the same theme,” Stefan Ichim, country manager of Panasonic Romania, told BR.

“From this position, you do not need to adjust to any trend… because you are dictating the trend. Definitely, as long as the company continues to innovate and impose trends on the market, it will not risk losing the position it now has,” he continued.

But the big question is: is there Apple after Steve Jobs? Will Apple be able to keep up the same high standards of innovation in the future as it did under Jobs’ supervision?

Sorina Macarescu, marketing manager at Huawei Romania, said, “The impact will be short-lived and on an emotional level because Apple has had enough time to prepare for this moment. Does anyone think technology will stop now?”
However, others are more skeptical.
“Steve Jobs was the most visionary CEO in the IT&C industry. Without him, Apple products will lose their luster, their appeal, which will inevitably lead to a plunge in sales, while direct competitors have a card up their sleeve: they use open platforms,” Liviu Nistoran, CEO of Evolio, told Business Review.

Many analysts share this doubt, saying that Cook, whom Jobs appointed to succeed him, has a daunting task ahead of him. ”The new Apple CEO is faced with a threefold challenge. First of all, managing Apple’s transition from the Steve Jobs culture to the Tim Cook managerial system.

The second challenge is to manage the shrinkage in the company’s sales which seems inevitable after the failure of the iPhone 4S launch. Thirdly, he has to face the assault of competitors who are getting closer and closer, from a technological point of view, to Apple products, and last but not least, let us not forget about the merger between Google and Motorola,” said Nistoran.
Jobs is known as the visionary behind Apple’s many successful products, such as the iBook, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

“Within just three months, Apple could lose the position of market leader in the smartphone domain. Everyone is anticipating the launch of a revolutionary product and this seems less and less likely to happen,” commented Nistoran.
After the launch of the iPhone 4S, rival technology firms have announced the introduction of new models.

“Over the next few weeks, new smartphones from Samsung, HTC and LG will hit the markets, accompanied by the new and versatile operating system Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich,” he said.

It remains to be seen whether Cook will be able to live by Jobs’ words: “You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

Otilia Haraga

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