Why Apple Seems Confused

Summary

The video argues that Apple’s recent burst of unconventional products may look like confusion, but could instead be an attempt to find its next major hardware platform after the iPhone.

Three products that signal a shift

The video highlights three very different products: a smart-home display, a foldable phone reportedly priced from $2,000, and a touchscreen MacBook Pro.

• The presenter says the smart display looks attractive but questions who it is for, given that many people already have phones and Bluetooth speakers. After using it for most of a day, he still could not identify its ideal audience.
• The foldable phone is described as having early durability problems, including easily damaged screens and a wave of returns.
• The touchscreen MacBook runs against Apple’s longstanding position that touchscreens are more comfortable on horizontal devices than on upright laptop displays.

Apple’s product rules have changed before

Steve Jobs argued against vertical touchscreens and small tablets, and resisted large phones. Apple later released products in each of those categories. The video’s point is that Apple’s latest moves are notable not just because they break Jobs-era principles, but because they happened in quick succession.

The Jobs-era strategy: simplification

When Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, he reduced a confusing product lineup to four broad categories: consumer and professional, each split into desktop and portable. His approach emphasized saying no, making fewer products, and refining them before release.

Why Apple may be experimenting now

The iPhone remains a hugely successful business, but the video argues that Apple has not introduced another product with comparable industry-wide impact. The Apple Watch and AirPods are characterized as successful accessories, while the Apple car project, Vision Pro, and Apple’s home products are cited as less successful attempts to find a new growth area. The iPad, once promoted as the future of computing, has also not replaced the Mac.

AI and Apple’s strategy

The video says Apple stayed relatively cautious while competitors rapidly developed AI models. It suggests Apple may be waiting to see whether the economics of AI investment hold up, while betting that future devices will incorporate AI quietly in the background rather than making AI itself the product.

A change in leadership emphasis

The video describes John Ternus as a hardware engineer and contrasts his expertise with Tim Cook’s supply-chain background. It also reports that Ternus has cut or paused some Vision Pro plans and redirected resources toward smart glasses.

The presenter’s interpretation is that Apple is now expanding into categories to search for its next “big thing,” rather than trimming an already overgrown product line.

Risks and uncertainty

Trying more categories could lead to a breakthrough, but a string of misses could harm Apple’s brand. The presenter also questions whether a large company can discover a breakthrough by testing many ideas, as opposed to Jobs’s approach of committing strongly to a particular vision.

He concludes that this uncertainty reflects a wider challenge: rapid changes in technology and AI make the future harder for industry leaders to predict.

The video closes by recalling Steve Jobs’s advice, as relayed by Tim Cook:

“Never ask yourself the question: ‘What would Steve Jobs do?’”

Reviews, guides, and demonstrations mentioned

• Smart-home display review: The presenter comments on its appearance and reports using it for most of a day, but questions its practical purpose and target audience.
• Foldable-phone durability: The video cites reports of screen damage and returns, rather than offering a detailed repair or testing guide.
• Touchscreen ergonomics: A clip of Jobs’s 2010 explanation illustrates the concern that prolonged arm-raising can be tiring.
• Brilliant sponsor segment: The presenter briefly describes trying a Python-thinking course and using the service’s hints to work through a problem. This is an educational-product demonstration, not a technical tutorial.
• The presenter also refers viewers to earlier ColdFusion coverage of Apple’s car project and other topics.

Main speakers and sources

• Dagogo Altraide, the video’s narrator and presenter.
• Steve Jobs, heard in archival remarks about touchscreen laptops and cited for his product-strategy principles.
• John Ternus, quoted from a 2021 interview with The Wall Street Journal about the Mac and touch input.
• Tim Cook, cited for recounting Jobs’s final advice to him.
• Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman, referenced as sources for claims about Apple’s Vision product plans and Ternus’s views.