Innovation Isn’t Dead At Apple—But Excitement Is

First things first: Innovation isn’t dead at Apple.

From a thousand yards away, the full product line looks terrific. The MacBook Airs are thinner and cheaper, the MacBook Pros have new Intel processors that greatly improve performance and battery life. The iPads are thinner and sharper, and iOS 7 future proofs Apple’s mobile product line with its 1,500 new APIs and 64-bit architecture. Apple is still the king of industrial design and trendsetting in the computer industry.

But something is rotten in the state of Cupertino. The lust is gone, the magic has been exhausted. Innovation may be alive and well at Apple, but the excitement is gone.

If you’re familiar with Apple product events, they often follow a familiar script. CEO Tim Cook comes on stage, announces how well Apple is doing with all of its products in a confident but muted voice. Apple has sold 170 million iPads. It has paid $13 billion to Apple developers. There are nearly 475,000 apps available for the iPad.