The Apple Won’t Fall Too Far From The Tree

Apple changed the way phones are made. The Miami Heat are changing the way we make basketball teams.

Every year, Apple comes out with a new product, a new something. There’s certain factors associated with the event that occur without fail, every time. They’re as followed:

1) In the weeks, and sometimes months, leading up to the event, the 24 hour news cycle covers hundreds of stories covering every facet of the new product.

2) There’s a huge event held by Apple celebrating the greatness of their product.

3) There is the public outcry both in favor and against the product following it’s release.

These 3 steps have happened in the life cycle of every Apple product from the first iPod to the recently unveiled iPhone 4S. It will continue to happen, too.

Now, I want you to ask yourself. To which other event do this list sound familiar? I’ll give you a minute. Here’s some clues for those that still don’t get it.

1) http://voices.yahoo.com/where-will-lebron-james-go-2010-6058806.html

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTeCc8jy7FI & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmwJipHdqpA

3) http://ihatelebronjames.com/ & http://clublebron.com

It’s exactly what happened when Lebron James joined the Heat. From the moment Lebron signed his last contract in Cleveland, every news story about him in some way referenced his plans as a free agent in 2010. It’s the same way that as soon as the iPhone 4S was announced, you could read an article about the iPhone 5. The decision was held to gain widespread noticed and a pep rally to debut the new product (The Big Three) was held shortly after for even more coverage. Steve Jobs was known for his Apple Keynotes, and don’t think that because of his death that Apple will change their routine. They will continue to captivate the public every year with a presentation of their latest work. And finally, there have been countless reactions written about Lebron James and the Heat since. Just as you can find about the latest Apple offering on any news website.

Now, I understand that there are many people with very strong opinions on both sides of this argument. At one point, I remember I used to question the idea of Apple. I was happy using my Sony laptop and my Motorola flip phone. I couldn’t imagine needing an Apple product. However, as those products broke down, I eventually bought a Macbook and an iPhone. All I can say is this: I have never been happier with any other product as I have been with my products from Apple. I think Apple is head and shoulders above most other electronics companies. I’m sure many people can argue the other side and that there are other options, but they can’t argue this: Apple products work. We can point out the things that it cannot do, but as we’ve seen in the past, those problems often times go away. It was recently established that Adobe will no longer be developing flash for phones. The lack of using flash (the engine behind many internet videos and animations) was one of the biggest knocks against Apple’s iPhone and iPad. But eventually, Apple was proven right.

I bring this back to the Miami Heat. It may seem awkward to be writing a Lebron article more than a year after the fact, and I would agree with you until I saw this headline this morning: “Los Angeles Lakers looking to work out deals for both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.”

Now before you compare the merits of a trade to free agency, remember this: Dwight Howard has long been rumored to want to play in LA and Chris Paul’s agent has already requested a trade from the New Orleans Hornets. This is not teams trying to dump problem players. These are team with expiring superstar contracts trying to get something in return so they’re not left with nothing (example: the Magic after Shaq left). It’s smart business on the part of the owners, but by no means would they chose to trade either player under normal circumstances.

Understandably, Laker fans are ecstatic. Many are already declaring the Lakers as champions on the 2012 season.

But wait a second, to get players like Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, the Lakers are going to have to give up a lot of players. Essentially, almost their entire line-up with the exception of Kobe Bryant. I thought that a team of three superstars, in this case: Paul, Howard, and Kobe, couldn’t win a title. That was the rallying cry of angry NBA fans from everywhere outside of the 305 and 786 area codes. But guess what the Miami Heat proved this past season? It works.

The Miami Heat last season were able to make it to the Finals in their first year of playing with each other. Teams that didn’t make it? The Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Bulls, Thunder, and others. Teams where teamwork is stressed along with depth. Teams that have been playing with each other for years. Yes, the Heat lost the title to a great, deep team in the Mavericks, but to make the Finals in the first year of a generally new line-up? That, is success by any stretch of the imagination.

Yes, the attitude among the Heat was that they were going to win a title, they even declared as much. But to be honest, if someone asked you if you’d win the championship in your respective sport, what would you say? If you say that you’re going to win, and you do anything but, you will hear nothing but how big of a failure your team was. But if you say you’ll lose, you’ll be called a quitter and non-competitive. It’s a lose-lose situation.The bar for the Heat was set higher than any other team in the league before their first practice together.

Do you think that Spurs fans would have taken an appearance in the Finals over their first round exit? Of course.

To say that making the NBA Finals and losing is a failure of a season is not only dishonest, but a understatement of the difficulty required to make it to that level. If this was the case, the lottery bound Sacramento Kings had just as successful of a season as the Miami Heat. Don’t be silly.

Look at the moves of the New York Knicks in acquiring both Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Look at their attempts at signing another player like Paul. You don’t think that they believe in the 3 superstar-system? Look at an iPhone side-by-side with every other smartphone released on the market. Look at the shape and the icons. You don’t think the other companies see the value in what Apple has done?

You can complain about the price of Apple products. You can complain about the Decision. You can celebrate every shortcoming, despite how impossibly high the bar is set. But you can’t argue with how the product works. You may have your phone and be happy with it. You may also be constantly complaining about the latest offering from Apple and the people celebrating its release who are seemingly able to throw mountains of money away, but you can’t argue with a fact we’ve known all along:

If you were in the same position they were, you’d do it too.

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