So, ever since 2011, when Tim Cook became Apple’s CEO, every decision he’s made has been challenged by the inevitable question of, “What would Steve Jobs do?” And the answer to that by many people online is usually “not what Tim Cook just did.” Which sparks an entire thread about how Steve Job’s legacy is dead, how Tim Cook cares more about profit than products, or how, quote,“Steve Jobs would probably be spinning in his grave because of what Tim Cook did to the company.” Comments like these have become so common, and I take issue with every last one of them. Now I want to start by addressing the idea that Tim Cook has raised the price of Apple products higher than ever before, whereas Steve Jobs was always trying to release the most affordable products possible. And people online frequently cite the $200 iPhone 3G or $100 5c as proof that Steve Jobs really cared about making a low cost iPhone accessible to as many people as possible. Then, they’ll contrast those devices with the
Back in May 2014 Apple announced they would be buying a company called Beats Electronics for three billion dollars. Making it the most expensive acquisition Apple has ever made. Let's consider three reasons why Apple bought Beats, and whether or not the three billion dollar purchase has paid off. So why did Apple acquired Beats? Well, the answer is something we don’t even need to speculate about, since Eddy Cue, an Apple executive, provided three reasons himself. The first being talent. Beats Electronics was founded by two of the most powerful and influential figures in the music industry: Jimmy Iovine who co-founded Interscope records back in the nineties, which has since become one of the most successful labels in the world. And Dr. Dre, one of the most iconic rappers in history that’s also achieved success as a record producer and audio engineer. So when these two forces joined together to create Beats Electronics in 2006, it wasn’t too surprising that the company quickly b