Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Apple overtly acknowledged what we all know. Apple is perhaps the most image-conscious company in the technology industry. So when they announced this morning that they were dropping the “Computer” from their name to become simply “Apple Inc.”, well, I can’t say that I was shocked. Surprised, yes, but not shocked. After all, what has Apple been trying to do for the last thirty years if not convince us that computers were not to be objects of fear or trepidation, but just part of our everyday lives?
This, more than anything else, is what Apple meant by the first thirty years being just the beginning. The iPhone exemplifies this theory: it’s a computer; it runs OS X, and yet it’s also a cell phone and an iPod: it’s the entire Apple product line in one device. Apple’s reminding us that the computers are everywhere today: from our cars, to our TVs, to our toasters. Jobs is full of it when he insists that of Macs, iPods, iPhone, and Apple TV, only one is a computer. They’re all computers. They just reflect the assimilation of computers into our life. Does anyone doubt that what we think of today as “a computer” will still be around, unchanged, thirty years from now?
And the marketing folks at Apple aren’t dumb. They know that the most valuable asset Apple has is its brand. This is merely a way of reinforcing that. From a nostaliga factor, it’s sad to see Apple Computer go: in some ways, I feel that the last shreds of Steve Wozniak’s influence have been removed, but at the same time, I’m excited to see what the next 30 years of Apple Inc. look like.
Amid all the "gloom and doomers" who are harping about the direction of Apple sans "computer"; I most say this is a very eloquent and rational summary of the name change!
Kudos!
Steve Job's vision and drive never cease to amaze me. I am quite comfortable with the direction that Apple, Inc is taking and would only hope that more companies would follow Apple's lead.