AppleMatters Interview: Guy Kawasaki Talks Apple

by Hadley Stern Aug 01, 2003

If Apple is a cult or a religion then Steve Jobs is the leader and close by would be Guy Kawasaki. Guy’s influence on the Apple experience continues to be felt. One of the team members for the original Macintosh project he moved on to become Chief Evangelist of Apple from 1995 to 1998. He is now CEO, Managing Director, and Chairman of Garage Technology Ventures a company that provides private placement and advisory services for technology companies and investors.

AppleMatters caught up with Guy recently, asking him about religion, Apple and OS X.

What was your first introduction to Apple?

My college classmate, Mike Boich, showed me an Apple I. A few years later, I bought an Apple IIe. Then Mike showed me a Macintosh, and that was it.

How were you involved in the creation of the Macintosh?

I helped convince software developers to create products for a computer with no installed base, not enough RAM, no hard disk, and no native compiler.

Is (was) Apple’s success due to marketing as much as it is to technology?

Though I am a marketing person, I think Apple’s success is primarily due to it’s technology.

Do you use OS X, what do you think of it?

Yes, I like it a lot, but it’s too slow in booting and corrupts files too often. Hopefully Panther fixes this.

As someone who works a lot with entrepreneurs who surely use PCs how do you think Apple can still make the case to switch? Where is the business necessity?

I almost never hear about platform arguments anymore. It seems like the world has moved on from OS wars.

I feel pretty strongly that Apple needs to keep innovating (and by this I mean not just making the Mac better and better). Do you think Apple is capable of making the next leap in personal computing?

I hope so. The test is whether Apple will make a computer that makes me want to stop using a Macintosh.

You more or less invented the notion of the Mac evangelist, why do you think Apple users have such zeal? After all, there aren’t too many Dell sites out there.

Because people see their Macintoshes as an extension of themselves. Macintoshes increase their owner’s productivity and creativity. They are not merely appliances. You don’t see many web sites for washing machines either.

Is Apple a religion?

In the sense that you’re asking, yes it is. In the bigger picture of true religions (salvation, etc), it isn’t.

Do you think Apple can only do well with Steve Jobs at the top?

This is the $64,000 question. No one knows for sure. It’s going to be fascinating to see what happens.

How have your experiences at Apple affected your life as an entrepreneur?

I never assume that the best product will win anymore. This is sad but true. A little piece of me dies every time I think about this.

What to you is the core of the Apple brand?

One person, one computer, changing the world.

After all these years are you surprised that the Mac still only has about 5 percent of the market share?

Yes and no. Back in 1984, I anticipated worldwide domination. Still 5% of a big market is a big deal. I don’t think that BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes don’t have 5% of the car market all together.

What was your first Mac?

128K

What do you use now?

12 inch Powerbook

Does Apple Matter?

Does oxygen?

Comments

  • As you would expect of an outliner, it allows for easy indenting, outdenting and repositioning of items. free online advertising|china wholesale clothing

    jun12 had this to say on Jul 14, 2011 Posts: 44
  • If I just have spare money for gadget, I would have used it to buy all Apple products wink
    lean manufacturing

    Willis had this to say on Jul 20, 2011 Posts: 7
  • Great article. You must really know your stuff to write this while waiting for your plane. Anyhow, I will use this material to study the art of writing constructive blogs. I understand the nature of the blog too, that it is not intended to be a work for grammatical critique. At least people are paying attention to what you’re writing, huh?
    essay writing help analysis essay write my research paper

    tionnewatkins had this to say on Jul 22, 2011 Posts: 4
  • It is that whatever happens in the technology world will not last long. There’d always be new products replacing products that have not long come out. 
    latex mattress

    ronipucino had this to say on Jul 26, 2011 Posts: 10
  • Apple produces many awesome gadgets with the newest technology. It’s pretty cool.
    christening gowns

    helix.sampson had this to say on Jul 26, 2011 Posts: 15
  • Great, thanks for sharing this blog post. Fantastic.flower delivery india|flowers delivery Norway

    sonia123 had this to say on Jul 29, 2011 Posts: 5
  • Don’t know what is the issue behind, but interesting to know that he prepares something different in the next update.    Expat tax Australia

    roxycross had this to say on Aug 03, 2011 Posts: 8
  • That helps us to understand the big picture. We should finally see that it not only a problem from one side.    Book of Ra

    robinkane95 had this to say on Aug 05, 2011 Posts: 5
  • We can spare some of the best and valuable time we have to review these companies here in this website. This could end up in showing something that is going to be very much peculiar with.  electric golf trolley

    chiseedean had this to say on Aug 05, 2011 Posts: 6
  • Maybe it would be much more interesting if this website has a page that contains the testimony already in verification well. So that we can know the experiences of others.  muscle gain truth review

    tex_baby had this to say on Aug 14, 2011 Posts: 2
  • Of course with excellent support. A family can be a very harmonious family. It will be very beneficial for the family.  long island handyman

    princenathan83 had this to say on Aug 16, 2011 Posts: 3
  • Actually, we do have to think about the focus of our family. Thus, we can make a family a balanced and loving with each other.  Wedding Gifts

    takeshiyusuke had this to say on Aug 16, 2011 Posts: 3
  • Woz’s contributions to technology were huge but every bit as interesting are Woz’s contributions to society. Woz sponsored to US festivals and later went on to volunteer as a school teacher.
    squirrel proof bird feeders

    marakeshi_pusa had this to say on Sep 03, 2011 Posts: 1
  • Guy Kawasaki talks about his two different stints working with Apple, musing about what might have happened if he had stayed with the company. java programmer

    Jake Kear had this to say on Sep 08, 2011 Posts: 6
  • Hey I am so glad I found your website, I really found you by mistake, while I was browsing on Digg for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a marvelous post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I donâ t have time to browse it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the awesome work. new ford / new Volkswagen

    nickadam had this to say on Sep 17, 2011 Posts: 2
  • Page 1 of 2 pages  1 2 >
You need log in, or register, in order to comment