Heh, yeah. Does get old.
To wdolson, let me point out that you have a somewhat narrow and distorted view of all the Apple has managed to do. For example, contrary to your "Firewire was their answer to USB", Apple actually was able to jump start Intel's USB by being first to integrate USB: they actually replaced the legacy ports with USB with the introduction of the iMac. A bold move. Until they did, USB was stuck in a chicken-and-egg situation. (And USB peripherals followed quickly after.) This is something that was a common problem on the Windows side of the world as the system software and hardware were developed by many different companies with different priorities. Another example of this is Apple's introduction of WiFi to the first iBook: first wireless networking in a laptop! Long before that, Apple had integrated easy wired networking and incredibly easy file-sharing. It was a long road for DOS/Windows to build up their abilities – and always frustrating to have to work with.
Anyway, a little different perspective than you here and I shouldn't let myself get drawn in on an Apple debate, but the Cook vs. Jobs thing and Apple is doomed thing always sounds so ridiculous. You've heard bad "reviews" about the Watch?? Don't you remember the early comments with the introduction of the iPod, iPhone or iPad? And besides, what is early success? Outselling all other "smart watches" in the first few weeks? (Still not interested in wearing anybody's watch myself but I'm certainly not going to predict its demise!)
As for an Apple car? It sounds like a crazy fit, but then I was initially surprised and confused by the introduction of the iPod too. (After owning one for a while though I started thinking... wait... what if this device eventually evolved into a general, super-mobile, personal computing device?!) Knowing the culture at Apple and their continued desire to strive to make a positive impact on the world, it's possible for me to imagine Cook and others thinking, like Elon, what better way to help make the world a better place (by getting us off of burning oil and screwing with our climate).
USB/Firewire may not have been the best example. USB 1 is much slower than USB 2. Firewire is still a bit faster than USB 2, but not to a great extent. I did a short stint at Microsoft doing USB 2 design before there were many USB products out there. (I'm not a huge fan of Microsoft, the Netscape court battle was going on at the time and I had to hold my tongue when people discussed it around me.) Few computers had them at the time, but the high end motherboard makers for Windows started introducing USB ports about the same time Apple did. I don't know the exact timeline.
I have mixed feelings about Apple products. As far as reliability goes, their products are among the most reliable available. My SO is a huge Apple fan and has been a Mac user since they were introduced. She had one of the first series of Macs and the first Apple laser jet printer. I have always struggled with Apple interfaces even though I'm a software engineer. To my mind, their interfaces are frequently very unintuitive whereas I figured out DOS and Windows very easily. UNIX wasn't all that tough either. I've come to realize it has something to do with the way people naturally think (not their intelligence, the way they process information). Apple interfaces are very intuitive to certain people and don't make much sense to others. Though I have managed to get some Apple diehards to admit that some of the aps that drive me around the bend like iTunes aggravate them too, they are just more willing to forgive Apple for some applications being horrible and overall have a good user experience while sitting at a Mac is like trying to read Farsi.
I got an iPhone because I found Android unstable. We both had Android phones and various features would just quit and you couldn't get them back. The camera on my phone quit after a few months, I only used it a couple of times before it quit. After a year it quit playing anything except the ringtone. My SO's Android phone always had intermittent ringing. Sometimes it would ring and sometimes it wouldn't. She had other things just up and quit too (I forget what at the moment). We both got iPhones and while the iPhone was a royal pain in the backside to setup, once configured, it hasn't had any problems in a year of use. And I bought a used one. I would give the iPhone an F for interoperability with desktop computers, especially Windows and an F for ease of setting up, but an A for long term reliability. The Android was almost the complete opposite.
I also have an iPad and a Kindle Fire which runs Android. For reading or other media, I think the Kindle is better. It also works better connected to a Windows machine, it just looks like a thumb drive. For actual portable computing the iPad is definitely superior.
As for the demise of Apple, if it does happen, it will be a long time off. Microsoft peaked around the time of Windows XP or so and they have been chasing the buzz they got for Windows 95 for 20 years now, but they are still a major market force and probably will be for some time to come. Microsoft had some real turkeys with Win Vista and 8, but what has really started their slide was the growth of portable devices. Apple got into the portable device market at the right time with the right product and has profited from it. As long as Apple doesn't really screw up the iPhone, they will likely remain a strong competitor until something else comes along that kills cell phones, or radically changes the market in some fundamental way. I don't know what that will look like, but it's the nature of technology.
It's also too early to tell what the demise of Steve Jobs will do the company over the long haul. I sense a possible lost step with the iWatch. With other Apple product introductions, the iWatch was the first one where I asked myself, "who would really want that?" With all their other cutting edge products, even if I didn't want one, I could see the usefulness of them for some people. They are a big enough market leader that can survive a few weak products here and there. I'll reserve judgement until they roll out more products and see if they have lost their way or not. I am considering the possibility that they may have peaked though. The backside of their existence is likely to be a long one, but my only point is they may have peaked.
