Will Apple Put Brakes on Itself?

As the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has developed a system to deliver video directly to TVs, and is considering whether to launch a subscription service, there's an inkling of how things really will be different at Apple, all protestations to the contrary.

"Even if Mr. Cook (new Apple CEO Tim Cook) is willing to take the kind of risks that Mr. Jobs did, the company's board will likely scrutinize his moves more carefully, said Forrester Research Chief Executive George Colony," the newspaper reports.

"It will be very reasoned and logical, but Apple will not take the leaps that it took when you had Steve in that chair," said Colony.

Some would argue it was precisely such leaps that lead Apple to its dominance of several markets. If the board, or Apple's management, now starts to behave more like other boards and managements, Apple will not be able to make the bold leaps it has in the past, some of us would argue.

It is true that Apple's corporate culture now has been shaped in the image of Steve Jobs. That will be helpful in many ways. What cannot really be replicated, by most accounts, is the force of personality and singular ability to "get his way" that allowed Apple to make bold, risky moves few, if any, other companies would take.

Management skill isn't really the issue. Apple under Tim Cook will be well managed. And, for the moment, the design and marketing teams remain intact. But Apple didn't reach its current position because it was well managed. It creates and dominates new markets precisely because of a creative vision Steve Jobs uniquely seems to exercise among top CEOs.

Successor Faces Tough Job at Apple (subscription required)