Home Again?

Ron Johnson has been ousted from his position as CEO of JC Penney. Ron had taken aggressive action to transform the struggling retailer since his hiring. The changes were hailed by some, even while they were derided by others.

I don’t know if the changes Ron was pressing for were right for the company or not, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t given enough time to be implemented.

What I’m left with after this dismissal and Apple’s decision to let John Browett go after less than a year as Apple’s retail chief is simple. Culture matters. Ron Johnson was no better matched to JC Penney than John Browett was to Apple. Both failed at a company that didn’t share their philosophy. This doesn’t make either guy bad at what they do.

Apple still has an opening in retail. The question now is two-fold. Would Apple take Ron back, and would Ron be interested in resuming his previous position. I have to think both parties may value what they had even more after the past 18 months.

Is it possible to go home again?

US Phone Platform Growth

Horace Dediu has taken a look at the platform growth of the major smartphone operating systems in the US. The prettiest picture is for Apple.

An observation from yours truly, and it’s not the point of his post by any means, is that Apple’s problem isn’t one of screen size. In the US market, customers must have hundreds of larger options than the iPhone from which to choose, and they’re choosing the iPhone at a more rapid rate than ever. Apple’s problem with Android competition is in the rest of the world where the subsidized market doesn’t play.

Apple’s number one iPhone priority needs to be on a lower cost model for these markets. I’m sure they know that.

Facebook Home

Facebook held their big Facebook Home event yesterday and gave everyone a look at the next step in their plans to expand in the mobile space. The product doesn’t interest me in the least, but it will interest a lot of people who value the role of Facebook in their lives more than I do. Facebook home will also look and feel better than most any user facing interface on Android.

Dan Frommer writes a very smart post about the market and prospects for Facebook Home. I agree with much of what he writes and think the near future is going to be very interesting for Google and Android users.

Hat tip to Daring Fireball

The Price of Perfection

Steve Jobs last public appearance was before the Cupertino City Council in the summer of 2011. It was there that he presented plans for Apple’s new headquarters building. A building the likes of which had never been seen. It would represent everything that makes Apple, Apple. It would be expensive.

Fast forward nearly two years, and there are questions about many aspects of the project if this Bloomberg story are to be believed.

Nobody ever said perfection was easy, or cheap.

A Pragmatic Apple

Apple has been under attack recently by Chinese state controlled media. Given how important China is to Apple’s business, and the potential damage these attacks could be, an Apple response was required. Now we have it. MacRumors has the story today about Tim Cook’s letter to Chinese customers.

It’s a very humble apology and a promise to do better. One wonders what the response of a Steve Jobs led Apple would have been. This is one time I’m very glad it’s Tim at the helm and not Steve. Tim has spent a great deal of time in China and understands the culture very well. With this story laid to rest, hopefully everyone can just move on.