There Would Be No Maps

As just about everyone has pointed out already, Apple’s Maps application is one, big mistake. The application lacks key features, delivers incorrect information and has made Apple look bad. Steve Jobs would have never let such a poor-quality app launch under his watch. To him, such a mess would have been absolutely unacceptable.

Although Siri is better this year, there’s no debating that it should be vastly improved. With Tim Cook, that improvement seems to be taking far too long. If Steve Jobs were still in charge, it would have been addressed long ago. Siri needs a nice dose of Steve Jobs’ obsession for great products.

Over the years, Steve Jobs understood that he needed to make power users happy. They were, after all, the best product evangelists he had. However, Tim Cook doesn’t seem to see things the same way. The Mac Pro has been sitting on store shelves without an update for two years. That’s a crying shame and Steve Jobs would have never allowed it.

Having the Retina display available on a single MacBook Pro makes little sense. Either Apple wants users to have its latest and greatest screen or it doesn’t. In the grand world of tech, there is no in-between. Steve Jobs understood that and he would have brought the Retina display to his entire MacBook Pro line. Such a move would not only have vastly improved Apple’s bottom line, but it would have put the company’s entire computer lineup ahead of all others. Steve Jobs loved being ahead of all the other computer makers.

So far, there is no word on the Apple TV. For months, we’ve heard rumors that the set would be unveiled this year, but now, it appears it has at the very least, been put on hold. Judging by his interview with his biographer, Walter Isaacson, Jobs was intent on getting a new and improved television experience out to consumers. Cook, however, seems content with the status quo.

Oddly, Apple has decided not to take its patent fights to Google just yet. Instead, it has focused on vendors, like Samsung and Motorola. It’s unlikely Jobs would have stopped at those companies. Jobs didn’t like Google and he made that very clear. So, the chances of him taking on the search giant in court would have likely been quite high.

Following that, Jobs had more of a killer instinct than Cook. Once he smelled blood, Jobs would have stopped at nothing to put the enemy away. As noted, Apple has gone hard after Samsung and Motorola. But what about the rest of the Android competitors, including Amazon? Jobs was always up for a fight, and he would have welcomed battles with each and every Android vendor out there.

During an earnings call before his death, Steve Jobs said that he didn’t believe a 7-inch tablet would cut it for consumers. The form factor, he said, is simply too small. And yet, there’s talk of Apple launching the so-called iPad Mini later this year. Under Jobs, that would have never happened.

The iPhone 5 is undoubtedly a nice device that comes with a host of great features. However, it’s really a nominal upgrade over its predecessor, offering only a smaller frame, bigger screen, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and a better camera. On design, especially, Apple would have done much better (and grander) things under Jobs.

If Steve Jobs hated anything, it was leaks. He realized that secrecy was central to his company’s success, and he would fire anyone who would leak information. As recent history has shown, however, Apple has become a leak factory, as more and more details on its products come out. Even the iPhone 5 wasn’t a surprise to those who follow the tech world. Under Jobs, such leaks would have been unacceptable.