"Apple, You're Doing It Wrong", Says Jobs' Guru

And then I'll grab Rubin by the nose and pull it through here...

Harvard Business School's Clayton Christensen is best known as the author of The Innovator's Dilemma ...cited by Steve Jobs as a work which 'deeply influenced' him.

In his book, Christensen describes what he considers a fundamental lesson from the long history of commerce: even the most powerful and profitable companies can suffer a rapid and catastrophic fall, losing much of their market share to more nimble, upstart firms that promote radically new ideas, products or technologies.

Now, in the post-Jobs era Christensen has a warning for Apple:

'If you stop being a disruptor, you will be disrupted.'

He says tight control over products and ecosystems -- the 'walled garden' approach -- always loses to a more open architecture. And he ominously invokes the specter of once-great Sony, reminding us how that giant Japanese firm stubbornly clung to high current margins rather than investing for long-term competitiveness.

It's a compelling argument, tho' perhaps coming well in advance of any such mis-steps by Apple. For balance, Asymco's Horace Dediu, once a student of Christensen, takes the opposing chair. Whichever viewpoint suits you (and nobody's saying you can't play the smart politician, arguing both sides at once), it's a good listen.


via: Critical Path (podcast)