The iPhone 5c has been touted as the biggest flop in Tim Cook’s short reign as CEO, this is assuming that one believes that the iPhone 5c was all Tim Cook’s idea. However, an email from Steve Jobs, revealed by Samsung’s legal team, highlights that Apple former CEO Steve Jobs was very much in favour of this idea.
The email from 2010 shows that Steve Jobs wanted his company to build a “low cost” iPhone based on the iPod Touch.
Steve Jobs: “create low cost iPhone model based on iPod touch to replace 3GS.”
Despite Steve Jobs’ request in 2010, Apple fan had to wait until 2013 to see an iPhone based on the iPod Touch design with one blatant omission – it wasn’t “low cost.” As a result, the so call “low cost” iPhone did nothing to hinder Android dominance of the mid and low tier smartphone market. The iPhone 5c sales had been so dire, Tim Cook was forced to admit that their colourful “unapologetic plastic” smartphone did not meet sales expectation:
“I think the 5s, people are really intrigued with Touch ID. It’s a major feature that has excited people. And I think that associated with the other things that are unique to the 5s, got the 5s to have a significant amount more attention and a higher mix of sales.”
In addition to his demand for a “low cost” iPhone, Steve Jobs also wanted the current Apple TV box to have a browser and come with a “magic wand”, according to the email.
Steve Jobs on Apple TV:
Apple TV 2 – David Moody, Jeff Robbin
– Strategy: stay in the living room game and make a great “must have” accessory for iOS
devices
– sales so far, projections for this holiday season
– add content:
– NBC, CBS, Viacom, HBO, …
– TV subscription?
– where do we go from here?
– apps, browser, magic wand?
DEFENDANT’S EXHIBIT NO. 489.245. Steve Jobs email.
Image Credit: Apple