In 1997, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs returned to the company that he was so unceremoniously ejected from a decade earlier, beginning a second innings that the Wall Street Journal later christened the ‘Second Coming of Apple and Steve Jobs’.

It may be rather bold to state that last week’s announcements — packed as they were with new iPhones, a Watch and U2’s Bono — represented a ‘Third Coming’ or Apple finally moving beyond the shadow of Steve Jobs. Yet, it is difficult to see it any other way.

Ever since the death of Jobs, it has seemed as if the company were stuck in a period of stasis. During public events there was a palpable sense of hesitancy and uncertainty and a resolutely muted silence on the part of CEO Tim Cook when asked as to what a post-Jobs Apple should look like.

However, two events of this year — the Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) in June and the iPhone announcement last week — have proved that the post-Jobs years were a period of recovery and rediscovery.

How is Apple different today? For one, it’s more open, playful and receptive — as evidenced by its new stance on third-party apps, open access to Touch ID, and general friendliness towards its developers. The new iPhone 6 plus, with its bigger screen, shows us that the company has moved above and beyond its Jobsian ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Internal transition

Last Tuesday, Mr Cook showed us the result of Apple’s three-year-long internal transition, proving that he is indeed the holder of keys to the company’s roadmap.

The new iPhones were, therefore, the most predictable part of the whole event. The only important lesson to be grasped from the iPhone 6 (and 5S as well) is that the battle for building the ‘best smartphone’, in terms of pure technical specifications, is over. The iPhone 5S and 6 are about adding utility to the smartphone as a platform, paving the way for solving painful problems, making them more useful to society. More specifically, in Mr. Cook’s words, these phones are about changing the antiquated way we pay for physical and online goods, using Apple Pay.

Sure, the race to create better displays and cameras is not to be forgotten. (Nor will it be by Samsung, Lenovo, HTC et al). But it is no longer the driving force behind smartphone development.

The Apple Watch, on the other hand, is far more fascinating, if only for the reason that it will be the device that defines Tim Cook’s legacy.

Constant struggle

At the heart of the Watch is a constant struggle: between function and form; between purpose and aesthetics. To be specific, a battle between what the Watch is supposed to do and what it’s supposed to represent.

In the run-up to the announcement, there was a popular notion that Apple would have to reinvent the wheel in order for the ‘smartwatch/wearable’ to succeed. Yet, in terms of appearance and aesthetic, Apple has turned to the past and not the future. For all its technological innovation with the digital crown, the Apple Watch looks like (and is positioned as) a watch first and foremost. Not a wearable, the way Samsung Galaxy Gear and Android Wear are.

This departs from Apple’s history as a company that redefines the present — after all, the iPod and the iPhone looked and functioned nothing like the music players and smartphones of the time.

The Apple Watch pushes the company deeply into the intersection of fashion and technology. The fashion media and community have approached the watch warily, complimenting its customization options while criticizing its bulkiness.

And yet even here, there are more struggles. If the Apple Watch is to be a watch and not a gadget, how does it solve the longevity problem? A $10,000 Philip Patek watch is a heirloom that is meant to be passed down to future generations; the Apple Watch is a device that will likely require replacement once in five years, if not earlier.

On the other end of the spectrum, in terms of functionality, there is another tug-and-pull. Is the Apple Watch a companion device to the smartphone or is it a technical platform in its own right? Does it join the main cast of Apple devices (the iMac, the iPhone, and the iPad) or does it prop up the company ecosystem à la iTunes? When the iPhone was first launched, Mr. Jobs positioned it as a larger iPod, an Internet communicator, and a phone. Back in 2007, he could not have spoken about, or even predicted, the gigantic app economy that was yet to come. And yet, it was the App Store that thrust greatness on the iPhone and not the fact that it was a better phone or an integrated iPod.

Main uses

In last week’s presentation, Mr. Cook pointed out that the main uses of the Apple Watch would be as a timepiece, as a health/fitness monitor, and as a way of personal communication (and for American consumers, a payment mechanism).

The eventual success or failure of the Apple Watch will depend on two factors. One is how well consumers under the age of 30 — who now consider any watch to be a dusty relic — accept the Apple Watch. (In this, it appears that Apple is clearly targeting the sub-Rs.30,000 segment of normal watches, and not Switzerland directly) The second, which is the more important factor, is how far the Apple Watch’s functionality goes beyond Mr. Cook’s three reasons for why anybody should buy an Apple Watch. For it to be a success, it has to go beyond just measuring calories. And here, the potential is vast but as of now still undetermined. After all, the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch are just slabs of glass; they can become anything.

Payment mechanism

Last, but not certainly not least, we come to Apple Pay. Here we see the tradition of Steve Jobs shining brightly. The payment mechanism, which is one of the most comprehensive to hit the market so far, is not a rushed concept.

Yes, Google and its Wallet app may have been here for years, but not with the scalability (bank partnerships) or ease of use (Touch ID and a simple swipe) that Apple has brought to the table.

The tried and tested method of taking an established concept, refining it, and executing it even better, holds true here.

Today, we see, in the words of Apple watcher John Gruber, a grown-up Apple. One that no longer portrays itself as an underdog — which was a characteristic that Steve Jobs spent a lifetime cultivating — but instead behaves like the technology and cultural powerhouse it has become. This is not to say that Tim Cook’s Apple is destined to succeed. Only that it has now taken the first steps forward.

(This article first appeared in The Hindu dated September 15, 2014)

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