Ive: Apple isn't in it for money, but for great products

Ive: Apple isn't in it for money, but for great products


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"We're really pleased with our revenues," he said, "but our goal isn't to make money. It sounds a little flippant, but it's the truth."

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Sure and the sky is purple and I cough up gold on a regular basis. That must be why Apple's profit margins are 4-5 times higher than the rest of the industry.

I really like Apple products, but, I have to agree.

You will notice that people who make these kinds of statements are seldom loathe to accept the extravagant salaries and bonuses they have earned.

I'm with you. I love my Apple products and I don't have anything against their quest for profits. At the same time though, I wish they'd recognize what any high schooler with an intro to business course under their belt would see.

Ok, I'm grumpy - I'll stop.

For a person representing a company that is trading at $610.76, has a market cap close to 600 Billion and has over 60 Billion in cash, this is quite an asinine thing to say..

Money's not important when you have plenty of it

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I have no idea who said it, but it rings true here.

Money is always important. It's only less important when you already know it's practically guaranteed to come in.

iggibar said:

Money is always important. It's only less important when you already know it's practically guaranteed to come in.

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Combined with a nice reserve.

It's easy to be arrogant when everything goes your way. Wait until the stock price tumbles and shareholders start exerting some pressure. That arrogance won't help protect the company from that one.

Well, I'm sure Ive is in it for the great products. He may be overestimating how representative he is of Apple as a whole though, to say the least.

Discerptor said:

Well, I'm sure Ive is in it for the great products.

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As of 2007, he was making 2 million a year (source). I'm sure the decision to stay with Apple was, at a minimum, partially supported by a paycheque that is likely greater than 99% of Apple's staff. Like Raz0rEdge mentioned above, it's easy to be noble and humble when you've got the finances to act that way.

Discerptor said:

He may be overestimating how representative he is of Apple as a whole though, to say the least.

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Unfortunately, people in his position tend to speak for the company as a whole.

Struth as a shareholder since retirement in 1999 I sure hope we are in it for the money!

US$2.65 dividend per share only this week so we must be in it for the money.

A replacement power cord costs $80 for a Macbook.

They're in it for the money.

Discerptor said:

Well, I'm sure Ive is in it for the great products. He may be overestimating how representative he is of Apple as a whole though, to say the least.

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I've is the creative heir to Jobs. He was groomed for the job and has been involved in it for years. From his POV, as from Jobs, he is in it to "change the world" not to be rich. If doing the former includes the later, that's just how things work.

Doesn't mean the rest of the company isn't out to make a buck though.

vansmith said:

Sure and the sky is purple and I cough up gold on a regular basis. That must be why Apple's profit margins are 4-5 times higher than the rest of the industry.

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Try coughing my way once in a while.

Slydude said:

Try coughing my way once in a while.

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I never thought someone would ever say that to me...

vansmith said:

i never thought someone would every say that to me...

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lol

Well, this just got awkward.

I'm having one of those I coulda said that better days. If he can find another way to get the gold to me great.

I actually believe him.

I recall years ago a drummer who was doing very well tell me, 'don't do it for the money'.

It's a rather long story, and trust me, scoffed at him for even suggesting such nonsense (especially since he was rolling in green), but after a number of years, it turns out he was right.

But to clarify, that statement doesn't mean you don't want money, it's just a sense of priorities in the creation of art/products/etc.

If it truly was for the craft, Apple wouldn't have such a high profit margin. I'm sure those at Apple truly do appreciate the aesthetics and design that go into their production but they are a company first.

A drummer goes into music for the purposes of making music while people start a business to make money. I genuinely believe that artists can put the art before the business but businesses can't put design before business unless the former leads to the latter. Even in that case, the whole purpose of design is to augment the success of the business. Ive, and quite wrongly so, suggested that, and I quote, "Making great products [..] is Apple's single-minded purpose." I can say, with absolute confidence, that no, it's not Apple's "single minded purpose." If it was, they'd give all their products away and do everything they could to break even.