John Sculley, omul pe care Steve Jobs il considera ca fiind principalul vinovat pentru plecarea sa din cadrul Apple, a afirmat ca inca din anul 1984 au existat planuri pentru dezvoltarea unui Mac Phone. Atunci in cadrul Apple a fost pusa in discutie posibila dezvoltare a unui telefon care urma sa fie vandut sub brandul companiei, insa in final ideea nu a mai fost pusa in practica. Intrebat despre posibila lansare a unui iPhone Lite, Sculley sustine ca acesta nu ar reprezenta un compromis la viziunea lui Jobs cu privire la iPhone.
I remember we were working on Mac phones back in late 1984. Steve was thinking about those kinds of products back then. …I don’t think it would be a compromise to come out with a broader product line. I don’t think they will get into the $100 range of smartphones. What I would imagine is, and I have no insider information — they would improve their top range of products.
Mergand mai departe, el spune ca Apple are o baza de fani extrem de mare care va fi dispusa sa achizitioneze viitoarele produse, indiferent cum ar fi acestea. Ca si exemplu el a dat datableta iPad Mini, care a fost achizitionata inclusiv de catre cei care detineau deja o tableta iPad, acelasi lucru urmand sa se intample cu versiunea ieftina a viitorului iPhone. Comparand Apple cu BMW, fostul CEO al companiei spune ca Apple, exact precum BMW in domeniul automobilelor, nu va concura cu producatorii de smartphone-uri ieftine, preferand sa isi imbunatateasca linia de produse high-end.
One thing about Apple is they have these fanboys – as I always say sell to the people who love us. For example when they came up with iPad mini, everyone who had an iPad went out and bought a mini as well. If Apple comes up with a higher end phone with a bigger screen etc, you will see a lot of install base go and buy a further higher end phone…Apple is like BMW, and BMW doesn’t compete with the lowest price brands. I think Apple will do just fine. [Apple CEO] Tim Cook has done a terrific job of setting up the stage for some exciting products next year. I don’t think there would be a creative leap in the smartphone industry, and the industry is maturing and is stabilizing right now. But I am sure we will see a creative leap from Apple, maybe a TV or a wearable.
In final, Sculley a fost intrebat daca el considera ca exista vreo persoana care sa se apropie cat mai mult de Steve Jobs in ceea ce priveste viziunea sau stilul de conducere, iar raspunsul sau a fost Jeff Bezos, CEO al Amazon. Sculley crede ca Amazon ar putea fi la fel de populara si importanta precum Apple, iar Bezos este cheia.