On Innovation

I believe it boils down to this:

• Bold new innovations that disrupt the industry - usually come from the lone inventor, a firm’s innovation incubator labs, or a large research facility like CERN. Either way, the ideas generally don’t come from “the people”.


• Incremental improvements - this is where “the people” make all the difference. We are very good at spotting errors, problems, niggles that the inventors/creators missed. 

iPad Air is the 5th reincarnation of the “breakthrough” touchscreen device we were so in awe of when it launched back in April 2010. The first generation was a breakthrough innovation in the way it brought together all the components in a highly functional, easy to use and stylish package. Apple’s own vision and engineering team brought about this breakthrough. However, since then, I would argue the people have helped bring about significant improvements through their critique and wants.
What’s next for Apple? One thing that history teaches us is that when firms get too big, bureaucracy hinders innovation. Think IBM. It had to “reinvent” itself as a service-oriented firm or risk becoming irrelevant. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple realizes its main concern is not reinventing its products, but reinventing itself.