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If Apple had released the flawed Galaxy Note 5…

Published Aug 28th, 2015 1:40PM EDT
Galaxy Note 5 Design Flaw
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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The media just loves to take the ball and run with it when Apple makes mistakes. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 issues weren’t even covered by mainstream media. That leaves us wondering… what would the reports have looked like if Apple had released the Note 5?Apple

is in trouble. The company once revered for their revolutionary products now finds itself in the midst of a design panic.

In case you missed it, the company’s recently released Galaxy Note 5 suffers from a critical design flaw that truly underscores how the company is reeling in the absence of Steve Jobs.

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The Galaxy Note 5 comes with a stylus, undoubtedly a useful accessory for certain tasks. The underlying problem is that when the device’s S Pen stylus is inserted the wrong way, it becomes practically impossible to remove without seriously damaging the phone. Compounding the problem is that the phone provides no indication if the stylus is even being inserted in the right or wrong direction in the first place.

Is this what Apple has become? A purveyor of expensive products that can break with just a simple mistake?

While Tim Cook is certainly adept at padding Apple’s bank account with untold billions, he clearly lacks the requisite skills to steer Apple in the right direction from a product perspective. This of course shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the Bendgate scandal that plagued the company’s iPhone 6 launch last year. Even more recently, the flop that is the Apple Watch further proves that Apple, once a market leader and innovator, has lost its way. And now, to top it all off, their latest product can be ruined in a heartbeat if users aren’t paying close enough attention.

Apple has long been heralded for its industrial design prowess, a fact which makes the Galaxy Note 5 faux-pax all the more glaring. Perhaps if Tim Cook reigned in Jony Ive instead of granting him unbridled power we wouldn’t be in this situation. Perhaps if Ive and his team weren’t too busy designing smartwatches that no one wears or cars that will likely never see the light of day, then maybe they would have been able to catch this design flaw during development. But that’s the new Apple for you, a lot of hype without the product quality to back it up.

Tim Cook likes to boast that Apple is a laser focused company that focuses on just a few things. “There are a thousand no’s for ever yes”, the company likes to say.

Clearly, this is nothing more than hot air.

Just look at what Apple has been working on and it’s clear that they’ve lost their sense of purpose. They are effectively direction-less. If anything, they’re slowly morphing into Google, what with an endless array of new initiatives that’s becoming harder and harder to keep track of. There’s Apple Music, ongoing iCloud foibles, the Apple Watch, Apple Car research, and a rumored TV subscription service. And to top it all off, the company remains beholden to annual updates for both iOS and OS X. No wonder Apple doesn’t have the ability to release quality products anymore. Meanwhile, people are growing weary of the iPhone as Apple hasn’t really offered a compelling new feature since introducing Touch ID on the iPhone 5s.

The takeaway here is that Apple’s best days are behind it. The Galaxy Note 5 is just the most recent example in a long string of flubs that should have Apple enthusiasts and investors shaking in their boots.

If there’s one thing we can state with certainty, it’s this: The Galaxy Note 5 would have never seen the light of day if Steve Jobs were still around.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.