The Role of Product at Apple

Marty Cagan, a longtime admirer of Apple, argues that the first Apple Watch after Steve Jobs is a disappointing product that falls short of Apple's usual standards of value. He criticizes its dependence on the phone, weak health apps, and awkward interaction model, while praising its industrial design. Beyond the product review, he uses the case to examine what happens when a company loses its key product leader. He explains that Apple's historical reliance on a visionary leader and product marketing managers may not have prepared it for succession, and outlines three options for rebuilding real product leadership. The piece matters because it frames product leadership as a distinct, deliberately cultivated competency rather than a byproduct of a founder's vision.

01Key takeaways

• Plan product leadership succession deliberately, since a visionary leader's departure can expose a missing competency.
• Distinguish execution support, such as launch and project management, from the product work of defining what delivers real value.
• Judge a product by whether customers find clear value over alternatives, not only by design polish or brand strength.
• A product does not need universal love to succeed, but it needs a meaningful market large enough for the business model.
• Give recognized product leaders genuine influence over decisions, not just a title, to counter strong engineering and design voices.
• New platforms take time for the developer ecosystem to unlock their potential, so early judgments should account for that lag.

02Key sections

Critique of the Apple Watch

The author admits disappointment with the watch, noting its design is strong but its engineering, interaction model, and value proposition are weak. He stresses that the product mainly duplicates what the phone already does better.

Value as Apple's hallmark

He argues that Apple's products have historically justified premium prices through clear value, which the watch fails to deliver. He acknowledges that brand strength and a sizable enthusiast market can still make a product commercially viable.

Succession and the product role

Cagan explains that Steve Jobs served as Apple's de facto head of product, with product marketing managers handling launch work. He suggests this arrangement was never prepared for succession and that the 'do whatever is needed' product manager mindset misses the core purpose of the role.

Three paths forward

He lays out three options: finding another superstar leader, promoting or hiring product rock stars for each product line, or establishing true product leaders with real influence in the organization. He views the third as the most scalable long-term option.

03From the post

“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.