Business Week - Apple is #1 Most Innovative Company

[Geffy]

Invidiot

 

[SPeedY_B]

of course, this was printed before Apple released the mouse. :laugh:

they've fallen since then, just for that

And what's wrong with the new mouse ? (Name aside...)

 

[falconguard]

it works.
but didn't their old one?:suprised:

 

[NetRyder]

Invidiot

Haha, you mean the innovidiot? That's what I thought about when I saw this thread too.
http://neopoleon.com/blog/posts/15229.aspx

 

[Son Goku]

I'm somewhat surprised that Microsoft is listed third. A bit of a historical look, I'm not so sure I would have rated them quite so high myself. AKA:

- MS DOS: Actually it developed out of Q-DOS. MS acquired it, put their name to it, and for a time I've read OEMs were complaining that MS DOS wasn't advancing to make use of newer developments in hardware. From the versions I have used, some other DOSes like DR DOS seemed to have several nice features which MS DOS lacked.

- Windows, and the GUI: As many here no doubt know, Apple had a GUI before MS Windows, and as I remember Apple themselves got the idea from Xerox Park. OS/2 Warp also had a GUI. Then there was also X-Windows which presented the user with a GUI.

- win95 and where to begin:

* 32-bit pre-emptive multi-tasking (per their little "manual"/advertisement) and also claims.

However UNIX had been a 32-bit OS for sometime before 1995, as was OS/2. Besides, win95 pre-emptive multitasking? Some would argue given no support for more then 1 CPU, it isn't exactly multi-tasking. It's more giving time slices on the CPU so each program can get it's turn in cycles... Perhaps a claim to innovation could be made there; but not exactly what they claimed, and ditto on being the first to a 32-bit OS.

- IE: Well Netscape of course developed the browser. Microsoft acquired their browser code from another company, and in it's first incarnation, it was on the win95 Plus! pack. Well I messed with it, and neither I nor anyone I know was able to get that to even work. Perhaps some other people had better success.

IE 2.0 (came with winNT 4.0) did work, but functionally it was sort of a joke. Netscape was definitely better then. Arguably IE 3.0 is where Microsoft began to become competitive, and began to introduce some things that could entice people to switch from Netscape. Making it free was a plus for them with consumers; though Netscape of course didn't like having to provide free browsers.

It wouldn't be fair (IMO) to say Microsoft has never innovated anything of their own. But at the same time, some of their claimed innovations were in fact other people's ideas, or acquired through rather agressive business tactics, etc. Not sure I'd call them the third most innovate company out there. Actually I'm not sure what these people were looking at when making this determination.

 

[SPeedY_B]

it works.
but didn't their old one?:suprised:

And it's not like Microsoft, Logitech, and many other manufacturers release new mouse models all the time ?

 

[Sazar]

And it's not like Microsoft, Logitech, and many other manufacturers release new mouse models all the time ?

Usually they innovate a little more often than once every 20 years

 

[gonaads]

I do agree that Apple has always tried to design eye catching products and their marketing has always been very appealing. But to only poll 940 "Senior" executives is very limited. Now why didn't they include junior execs and more execs from more companies? You can't say that there are only a few hundred companies out there that are inovative. And you know that these "Senior" execs are going to be a tad bit biased. I take that list with a grain of salt, it's too iffy. I do agree that Apple would/should be near the top, as to first I don't know. I can't say yes. I can't say no.



[/end rant]

 

[Xie]

I'm not really shocked to see Apple in #1, was a bit shocked to see Google in #8 though, but oh well. I also found 3M coming in #2 interesting as I would never have thought of them to begin with, but they do have a hand in almost everything.

Also how was this poll given? Where the Execs given a list of companys and told to rank them, or just asked to put a list of 20 companys in order off the top of their head?

 

[muzikool]

Not sure how the poll was conducted. Google at #8 surprised me as well.

 

[n0d3]

The results are based on a poll conducted on a pool of 940 senior executives, so I imagine many of them are well aware of Microsoft's contributions to the enterprise space as well. Have you ever seen the capabilities of their corporate and enterprise technologies and software...things like Active Directory, Exchange Server, OWA, Live Communications Server, Office Communicator, Sharepoint Portal etc?

Second to none.

Touche... good point, I obviously didn't consider the 'big business' perspective of things.

 

[SPeedY_B]

Usually they innovate a little more often than once every 20 years

that's not the point I was making.

 

[Sazar]

that's not the point I was making.

I know, I just found it amusing

www.anandtech.com has a very indepth look at the mouse and compares it to the microsoft intellimouse ver 4 and the mx1000 (my current baby)

 

[muzikool]

I know, I just found it amusing

www.anandtech.com has a very indepth look at the mouse and compares it to the microsoft intellimouse ver 4 and the mx1000 (my current baby)

After reading that I might have to wait and see if a Mighty Mouse v2 is released later on. Maybe the BT version will have the side button issues taken care of.

 

[X-Istence]

Stop pissing on each other.

Every company is innovative in some way. Some were based around the concept, others have shown it later in their development. Most of the inovative stuff that people come up with is not something that we normally see, but rather something that is so simple and easy to use that we look over it as being normal. That is innovation. This is where Microsoft does get a prize, they innovate in the server market with new products that easily integrate. Dell gets their prize for the way they sell PC's and whatnot. It all comes down to how they do it. I personally think the poll is a bit shortsighted if they only asked 940 top level execs, but that's just me. I would have done a poll of over 5,000 people before i would call the numbers and publish them in a magazine as big as Business Week. It would make the numbers even out a bit more.

 

[Sazar]

We should have a poll of how many people we woulda polled

Seriously though, its not the end all/be all of the world to see this ranking and the information gleaned. It is but one indicator.

 

[muzikool]

Since seeing this poll I've paid a bit more attention to what some of the companies listed are doing.

For example, I think Toyota's ranking is warranted on account of its progress with the hybrid models and also through features in its other vehicles that no other competitor has. I saw a commercial for a Toyota minivan where the middle seat of the middle bench seat would slide forward, enabling the driver (mom or dad) to easily reach the baby in its carseat. That's innovative.