Some Things Apple Has Done Since Steve Jobs Died That He Might Have Disagreed With

steve jobs
Apple CEO Steve Jobs Robert Galbraith/Reuters

Tim Cook, speaking about Steve Jobs earlier this year, said, "He would flip on something so fast that you would forget that he was the one taking the 180 degree polar [opposite] position the day before."

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The idea is that one of Jobs' great strengths was that he could change his mind. By not being stuck on one idea, he could pivot from idea to idea, finding something great that works for Apple. 

However, despite his ability to flip-flop, there are certain things that have happened to Apple since he died that we don't think he'd be thrilled about. 

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Apple killed skeuomorphism in iOS.

mac os x mountain lion reminders notes and game center
No more! Screenshot

Jobs was a big fan of creating illustrations that look like real life objects. He loved the fake Vegas gaming table in iOS's Game Center. Apple just killed all of that. It's going with a flatter look that removes all the life-imitating graphics and animations. 

Apple is phasing out rounded rectangles.

Apple WWDC iOS7 widget bar utilities settings home screen
Apple

This is sort of a silly one, but Jobs loved rounded rectangles. There's a story in his biography about someone questioning his decision for rounded rectangles in the early Apple days. He dragged the guy for on a walk around the block to show how many rounded rectangles there are in the everyday world. Apple's new iPhone software has more circles in it than ever. He wouldn't like that.

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Jobs said he was anti-small tablets, but Apple made the iPad Mini.

Phil Schiller iPad Mini
Getty Images/Kevork Djansezian

Jobs went on a big rant about how tablets that are smaller than 10-inches were going to be dead on arrival because they provide a terrible app experience. He said companies selling tablets ought to include sandpaper because users will need to sand down their fingers to use the tablets. Apple has since released the iPad Mini, and people seem to love it. Oops. 

Apple did a huge dividend and stock buyback.

poker money cash
Steve Marcus/Reuters

Apple's cash pile grew massive while Jobs was alive. Despite the clamoring for a dividend from investors, Jobs never caved and returned money to shareholders. After he died, Tim Cook decided to give investors a huge buyback and dividend. 

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Apple's Maps were a complete disaster.

scott forstall apple
Scott Forstall AP

Jobs famously trashed the MobileMe team after it delivered a terrible product. What would he have done when Apple released Apple Maps? He would have been furious. But, interestingly, he may have approved of how Cook handled Maps. He fired the manager of Maps, and cut Scott Forstall, who was ultimately responsible for Maps. 

Apple has matching charitable contributions for employees.

Tim Cook at WWDC
REUTERS / Stephen Lam

Jobs was not known for his charity. Mostly because he never did any. At least not publicly. As soon as he was gone, Cook decided to make Apple a more charitable company. It does matching contributions with its employees.

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Siri is a joke.

martin Scorsese iPhone 4S Siri
Apple

Siri is a bad product. Jobs would be furious. It doesn't work well, and it's just extra junk. Just like he'd chew someone out over Maps, he'd chew someone out over Siri. 

Apple's advertising has gone south.

Apple genius

Jobs had an amazing ear for advertising. He made a lot of classic, fantastic ads for Apple. Since his death, Apple's marketing has been off. It's tried a bunch of different ad styles, but not of them have really stuck because they're not all that great. 

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Additionally, the public's perception of Apple is not as good as it once was.

rotten apple
Lara604 / Flickr

Normal people still love Apple. But, it's no longer seen as the best brand in the world. Part of this is that Tim Cook just isn't as talented at controlling the message about Apple. That's not really a knock on Cook. Nobody is as talented at understanding the media and controlling the message as Jobs. 

For a look at different tech legend, check out ...

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Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos holds up the new Kindle Fire at a news conference during the launch of Amazon's new tablets in New York, September 28, 2011. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

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