BusinessWeek Redeems Itself With New Apple Analysis

December 13th, 2000 at 2:00 PM - News by Bryan Chaffin

BusinessWeek earned the ire of Macheads and knowledgeable technology officianodos this week with the publication of poor editorial on Apple this week. We covered that piece already (with a follow-up piece as well), but the magazine has published another analysis that takes a much more balanced look at the company. The new piece, "Byte Of The Apple," by Charles Haddad looks at Appleis current problems honestly, and suggests that Steve Jobs can likely pull the company through their current problems. According to Mr. Haddad:

Though his Cube hasnit caught on and he has made other missteps, the CEO has a great overall record and can change course quickly.

Oh, those fickle consumers. What kind of computers will they buy next? Figuring that out is a tough assignment. Just ask Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs. After making a couple of great calls, such as the iMac, he has struck out big-time during the past six months in divining what consumers want. His beloved G4 Cube, pegged as Appleis next growth engine, is gathering dust in warehouses. At last count, there was an 11-week supply of this novel desktop that resembles a slick, oversize ice cube (see BW Online, 12/11/00, "Streetwise: Why Apple Is Losing Its Appeal Again").

Does such a misjudgment signal that Jobs has lost his touch? Is it time for media critics such as myself to gang up on him? Hold your venom, fellow scribes, and first tally up Jobsis successes during his current three-year reign. In addition to the iMac, thereis the iBook portable computer, iMovie home-video-editing software, an enhanced Web effort, and an online store. Thatis a pretty good track record. Considering what a crapshoot it is picking winning computers and software, Iid say Jobs has rolled more lucky sevens than snake eyes so far.

Check out Mr. Haddadis piece for more analysis, background, and information; it is a good read.