Apple's True Legacy

Harry Marks writes a very insightful piece on what Apple has done or will do for the computing industry in a Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud environment.

To some, it means Apple has locking you in to its “walled garden”. To others, the company is giving you everything you need in a pretty, all-inclusive package – like a Sandals with free WiFi. To me, it means Apple is getting ready to finish the first volume of its 10 year long opus on the true definition of “ecosystem”.
With your iTunes ID, you can make sure any music, apps and books you purchase on your Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad are automatically downloaded and synced on all your devices at once. If you start a document in Pages on Lion, it automaticaly saves each change and uploads it to iCloud, then syncs it back down to your iPad where you can work on it later at a coffee shop, or waiting for your train. No buttons are pressed to initiate the sync, no wire is required to transfer the files. Everything is done in the background without the user’s knowledge. Apple’s iCloud is one step closer to making “user error” a thing of the past and that’s the brush being used to paint the bigger picture.
One side of the industry thinks Apple is a hardware company, whose prime directive is to sell Macs and iPhones. The other side considers Apple a software company, where the devices are just shells to run the services and apps it provides. But Apple is more than just “hardware” and “software”. It’s an experience maker.
Devices and apps are nothing compared to the industry-shifting ways in which Apple is changing our perception of what “personal computing” should be. Steve Jobs’ legacy isn’t going to be a giant spaceship in Cupertino, nor will it be the iPad or iPod. Steve’s legacy and, more importantly, Apple’s, will be having built a biome for customers where online services and devices work together so mundane tasks and troubleshooting become unnecessary, while at the same time lowering the barrier of entry for users of all levels. Essentially, Apple has made “your nephew who’s a whiz with computers” obsolete.
(I bolded certain sentences to emphasize the key message.)

It is not only just about creating great products or services, it’s about creating an entire ecosystem. Not only that, it is about creating an ecosystem with parts that all work beautifully together. That’s the key. This is Apple at its best and not wavering from their fundamental, and now ancient, creed: “It just works”.
Check out Harry’s full article at Curious Rat.
Via: Revert to Save