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Apple almost has its mojo back

Without the charisma of Steve Jobs fronting things at Apple, the company has been laid back to the point of being boring. That is changing this year, and it's slowly bouncing back.
Written by James Kendrick, Contributor

Apple has been a company moving quietly along since the passing of Steve Jobs. The excitement we took for granted under Jobs has been mssing. It's like Apple has been trying to find its way forward.

Apple iPhone event

This year things are changing, starting with the press event unveiling the next versions of OS X and iOS. The presenters were genuinely excited about what they were doing, and it was evident to those watching the presentation.

It is clear that Apple today is Tim Cook's company, and he no longer has the ghost of Jobs riding his back.

To a lesser degree, the same was seen at the recent event showcasing the newest iPhones from Apple. It was clear that employees believe they are doing good work, and that rubs off on those watching them.

Apple has gotten its mojo back, at least for the most part. It is clear that Apple today is Tim Cook's company, and he no longer has the ghost of Jobs riding his back. He is taking the firm into a new direction, and it looks to be a good one.

Apple Pay takes the company into a whole new business. There are already agreements in place that could turn into a huge source of revenue for Apple. These are only the first, expect Apple to own mobile payments in a very short time.

The Apple Watch is another first for the company, and it can leverage the highly profitable iPhone business. It won't be easy for the company to convince its customers that it's the next big thing, but expect them to give it a strong effort. We may be surprised if Apple succeeds in the wearables field.

The new iPhones laid out at the event are not a lot different from previous models, but they didn't have to be. Apple will sell millions of them, keeping a strong position in both sales and revenue. Tim Cook understands that's what it is all about.

It is noticeable that Apple is getting the magic back that has been missing for a few years. The excitement and frenzy leading up to the press event a few days ago is a good sign that both Apple employees and those who watch the company have put Steve Jobs behind them and are back to following the company with passion.

Breaking down the iPhone event shows where Apple is getting its mojo back and where it is lacking.  

Mojo No Mojo
Tim Cook firmly in charge of Apple's direction. The embarrassing streaming video failure of the iPhone event.
Producing the first totally new product post Jobs, the Apple Watch. Apple Watch doesn’t have a unique feature the competition lacks.
Apple Watch is more stylish than most of the competition, typical for Apple. Long lead time for the watch indicates it's not ready.
Apple Pay may turn out to be the biggest moneymaker in Apple's history. The reaction to pushing the U2 album to customers without permission indicates it wasn't cool.
The new iPhones are solid refreshes of a good product line, and will be a big part of Apple Pay.  
The company seems to be having fun again.  

Overall, Apple did pretty well with the latest product launch, and the excitement of employees is readily apparent. It seems that Apple is fun again, to us on the outside and to workers on the inside. Tim Cook is taking the company in new directions with Apple Pay, while keeping existing product lines on a steady pace.

Apple has its mojo back, sort of, and it will be fun to watch what it does next.

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