I don't know what remedy they gave Apple executives in recent times that they started talking, talking and talking. The fact that today a continuation of the interview of the Fast Company that originally came out on Monday; Eddy Cue (senior vice president of software and internet services) and Craig Federighi (senior vice president of software engineering) continue to talk about their experiences within the company, with emphasis on the polemic Maps of Apple, but this time with a greater emphasis on the part of failures, errors and recoveries from them.
We confirm some highlights below.
The first part of the interview focuses on the Apple Maps and in the application development process. We have some rare glimpses of modus operandi Apple's approach to its Maps service, especially when Cue starts talking about how difficult it is to maintain it especially considering that, in his own words, “no one is developing maps in a meaningful way today, apart from us (the Apple) and Google ”.
Another thing about Maps is that it is never ready. Every day businesses open and close, streets change, roads are built. Short-term things happen, like private lanes closing, traffic, a blocked bridge. The whole thing is extremely dynamic, which creates an interesting problem. () A good example: a golf course. How do we know that a new golf course has opened? We are not exactly driving around looking for golf courses. But if we see that golf apps are being used in a particular location, and it is not shown as a golf course, we have a problem.
In other words, a beautiful statement about how collective collaboration data collected from iPhones is one of the best ways to improve Ma Cue Maps makes it very clear that this data is anonymous and undetectable, good to note. The interviewer then asks if, when detecting one of these cases, it is necessary to go to the golf course.
It depends. Some things you do just by looking on the internet and checking if a golf course exists in that location. You can look at satellite images if there were recent constructions in that area. Ultimately, you head over there.
The conversation then focuses on the fact that Maps is an extremely expensive service for Apple, to which "thousands of employees" are dedicated, according to Cue. The executives conclude that while the app itself does not generate income for Ma, it is part of the foundation of a broad and well-developed ecosystem that attracts consumers to the side of Apple and therefore deserves all the dedication.
Then the subject of Apple's eternal quest to make perfect products and the eventual slip that ends up disappointing millions of users around the world, as well as negatively affecting the market and the company's shares, as was the case with Maps itself, for example. Recognizing that Apple is not perfect and will make mistakes, Cue admits that "there are a number of issues raised by consumers that we still don't address, but would like to address."
When asked if there is a real perception that Apple make more mistakes today than in the past, he claims:
Well, today we have more people, more devices, more means of communication available. In fact, I think our products have fewer errors than in the past, and our data shows that. But what I say to my team all the time: when we are just the Mac company, if we impact 1% of consumers, it was measured in thousands. Now, if we impact 1% of our consumers, that is measured in tens of millions. Our products are better, but the demand is greater, and I like that.
Apple's new quest to create unique experiences for the user, it was also addressed in the interview. On the subject, Federighi stated:
We think in terms of experiences. We use these devices every day, and think about what we would like them to do for us. These aspirational experiences take us on all types of roads technologically, to all kinds of problems that we need to solve. We thought “oh, we’d like Watch to unlock your Mac”, because we need to unlock our Macs every day. It doesn't start with "look, we've been making progress in the wireless area and they want us to use their technology for something".
When asked whether Apple would eventually become the iPhone company, settling in and satisfying himself to sell slightly better iterations of the device year by year as his main source of income, Cue was categorical: “It won't be like that. Look at the Mac. We still put a huge amount of effort into it, and he's 30 years old. Look at OS X, the same thing. ”
About the idea that all the big tech companies (Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon) would be after just one thing in the end o total user domain within their ecosystems, both executives disagreed with the vision. Cue then declared that Apple does not want to be all of this:
I love facebook. We cannot be everything. One of the reasons we are so successful is that we focus. We cannot be excellent at everything; no one excellent at all. () We were lucky. We are very good at some things, not just one. So we don't want to be Amazon or Facebook or Instagram or whatever. Why? Or Uber. Why? I think it's amazing that Travis (Kalanick, CEO of Uber) and his team built Uber on our platform. It would not exist without our platform, being very clear. But it's good that they thought about that problem and solved it. We could never have done that, because we were not concentrated there.
Finally, Cue and Federighi talk a little about the Steve Jobs and Tim Cook front of Apple and its differences. Cue says:
It is not so different in the sense that the two are extremely demanding. () I never wanted to disappoint Steve, and I never want to disappoint Tim. () But the approach is completely different. Steve came to his face screaming, while Tim was quieter, more cerebral in his way of handling things. But the feeling is the same. And when you disappoint Tim, even if he doesn't yell at you, you feel the same way. () One thing I love about Tim, the key to his success, that he never tried to be Steve, but to be himself.
The full interview can be read here. It is well worth it.
(via 9to5Mac)
