Tim Cook Vs Steve Jobs: Apple Device Delays Have Doubled Under Current CEO

Product delays under Apple CEO Tim Cook’s tenure have more than doubled compared to his predecessor Steve Jobs, according to analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

The report comes as customers wait for the new HomePod, which was revealed in September. The speaker’s release date was initially in December but was pushed back.

Delays have led to longer wait times between Apple product announcements and the shipping stage. Over the past six years, Apple has had an average of 23 days for new and updated items, longer waits than six years prior when the company saw an 11-day average.

Cook, who became CEO in 2011, has seen three major products miss their projected shipping dates. The Apple Watch was promised for early 2015, but instead the company released the device in late April. The Apple Watch also saw long wait times for delivery.

The Airpods, which were announced in September 2016 alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, were supposed to launch in late October. However, Apple then announced it needed more time. Apple was reportedly having trouble syncing audio between the two separate wireless earphones. The AirPods were finally released on Dec. 13, 2016, right before the holidays. After the delay, customers struggled to get their hands on the product, since they sold out quickly.

This year, Apple is dealing with another delayed product: the HomePod. Apple announced in November it was pusing back the speaker’s release date to this year.

“We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple's breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers,” Apple said in a statement to International Business Times in November. “We’ll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018.”

Due to the delay, the HomePod missed out on holiday season sales. In comparison, Amazon, which has numerous Alexa-powered speakers, saw a successful holiday. The company said the Echo Dot was the top-selling device across all categories on the shopping platform during the recent holiday season. Amazon said it sold tens of millions of Alexa-enabled gadgets worldwide.

Besides the Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod, Apple also delayed supplies in the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard for its iPad Pro. However, the delay that was most-watched was the iPhone X. Apple usually reveals its iPhones in September and releases them shortly afterwards. In the latest iPhone lineup, Apple was forced to push back the release date of the iPhone X to November, while it launched its iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in September. The iPhone X was reportedly delayed because of production issues with the device’s TrueDepth camera system, which supports the Face ID and Animoji features.

"Of the 70-plus new and updated products launched during Mr. Cook’s tenure, five had a delay between announcement and shipping of three months or more, and nine had delays of between one and three months," the Journal said. "Roughly the same number of products were launched during Mr. Jobs’ reign, but only one product was delayed by more than three months."

The report said one reason for the delays could be traced to the differences in approach between Cook and Jobs.

“Mr. Cook announces products and shipment dates earlier than did Mr. Jobs, who former employees said preferred waiting until a product was ready for shipment before publicizing it, except for unique devices like the iPhone and Apple TV,” the Journal said.

The report also noted that Cook’s tenue has been positive in other aspects. Under Cook’s command, Apple’s revenue has more than doubled. The company’s share prices have more than tripled in the past six years, with some analysts claiming Apple could become the first $1 trillion dollar firm. Cook said in November it expects the fiscal 2018 first quarter to be its biggest quarter yet.