【第121回】“Inside Apple”, Adam Lashinsky, BUSINESS PLUS, 2012

Just before new product is launched by Apple, there are many rumors about it, whether they are right or not. In other words, there are few facts from inside Apple. This book revealed what we didn’t know precisely, so it will be excited for most Apple fans to read.

In this book, there are a lot of unique ideas and actions by Apple and former CEO Steve Jobs. I’m going to write about three topics which I was totally interested in as below.

(1) how to work

According to this book, Apple employees come to work only to work. They like to do hard work every minutes for achieving their tough target. They can’t separate their works into their lives. So, even when they have vacation and go to resort with their family, emergency call from the company sometimes make them go back to their office.

And it is very interesting for me that Jobs let people’s talent define their jobs, not the jobs define the people. It is totally different from other US companies, and is similar to the old style Japanese companies. Considering about what Jobs once loved old Sony, he might learn from it about designing work at Apple.

(2) relation to customer

Jobs considered user interface (UI) as the most important factor to be successful of Apple business. So he wanted to control every interfaces to Apple users through the perfect vertical integration. He integrated laptop computer, music player, browsing service, online stores, and real store into one Apple business.

So why they made Apple Store is very interesting. The main purpose of Apple Store is not to sell their products, but to hear the customers’ voice. Hearing their voices, Apple can find out customers’ hidden needs and develop innovative and cool new products.

(3) management and leadership

Jobs did micromanage to high degree and to a low level in the organization. This Jobs’ attitude and action is far beyond the knowledge of today’s management and leadership. For most CEOs, drawing big picture and making big decisions are their jobs, and judging too many micro works are not. But Jobs did. This point made him far different with other CEOs, and gave him broader business knowledge and idea based on real works.

The most amazing thing is that Apple has succession plan. Tim Cook was chosen far before Jobs retired his CEO position. Based on Apple’s succession plan, Cook succeeded Jobs’ postion naturally. And also Jobs prepared many training courses to grow leadership in Apple. Considering about these strategies, Apple is not Jobs’ company.