Applemotive

Anyone who knows me knows I have four serious passions (not counting family, which of course is always #1).
2. Anything automotive related
3. Anything Apple Computer related
4. Hot Wheels
5. Good beer

And these days, that's about the order they're in. And now I will attempt to meld the first two into one! *cue drumroll*

Rumors are swirling all over the Internet and the mainstream press about the imminent departure of General Motors' President Rick Wagoner. Under his leadership the company has lost 10 points of marketshare, closed dozens of plants and cut thousands of workers. That's not good, btw.

On the other hand, Steve Jobs returned to Apple and revitalized the business and made it into a leader of design and innovation once again.

Obviously I'm suggesting Steve Jobs get his resumé ready and apply for Wagoner's job. And if there's anyone who questions this, here's some supporting info. Wired magazine has some quotes from Mr. Jobs that convinced me he is the man to lead GM back to profitability.

GM has been knocked lately (by me too) for its bland, uninspiring products. Here's Steve's take on that problem...

"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
BusinessWeek, May 25 1998


GM is currently udergoing billions of dollars worth of personnel and supply cuts. Steve says...

"The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament."
Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company, by Owen W. Linzmayer





(BTW, the quotes were all borrowed from a recent Wired magazine feature on Steve Jobs.)

So I'm imagining a General Motors run by Steve Jobs and seeing beautifully designed, environmentally friendly, super-expensive automobiles that are also super-popular and THE thing to have.

Hey, Rick. Step aside. Let a man show you how to do it.