So It Seems Apple is Doomed. Again.

It seems now that Steve Jobs has been gone for a few years, and Apple hasn’t released any market-defining products in the same timeframe, an atmosphere of doom and gloom has once again settled over the press. Apple has lost its way, they can no longer innovate and are coasting on past glories. Their tasteful and well received look back at the Mac at 30 was viewed by some as a sign of rot at the core. Instead, clearly, they should do ______ (fill in the blank).

Apple is one of the most profitable companies around, yet every time they announce a profitable quarter their stock goes down! Well we’ve been here before, and frankly I’m not too worried. The Apple of today is far different than that of the mid 1990s. Most companies would give anything to have Apple’s revenues and profit margins. But Apple is not most companies, even if Wall Street thinks they should be.

Since last year Apple has been running an ad campaign along the theme Designed by Apple in California. One video has not aired publicly, but rather was only shown at the 2013 World Wide Developers Conference. It’s called Designed by Apple – Intention and is the single clearest statement I’ve seen about understanding who Apple currently is and what drives them. I wish they had aired this spot during the Super Bowl:

Apple is a for-profit company, but that’s not their only driving force. They strive for excellence in design and execution, and generally achieve it. Apple products touch peoples lives in ways few other companies do. Former Wall Street Journal reporters and profit-at-all-costs advocacy groups like the NCPPR may think that Apple is doomed. That’s their right. For my part, I’m not worried.

Image Credit: ZDnet