Holistic Product Development

Another of the ways Apple stays ahead of its competitors is what’s come to be called “holistic product development.” In the Stevian approach, the phrase means that the hardware and the underlying technology—the software—are the handiwork of the same company. Look at the first-generation iPhone and the first-generation Droid: The iPhone was a work of art, beautiful to look at and to hold, yes, but far more important, it worked —the operation was almost completely intuitive, and right out of the box it operated the way it was intended to.