Letters: Nov. 14, 2005

A Look at What's Next

Our reporting on Apple Computer's innovative design process earned raves from the company's devoted customers, while our stories on the new products and services on the technological horizon prompted others to wonder about the dangers as well as the pleasures of the world awaiting us

CEO Steve Jobs should be commended for Apple Computer's superior work environment [Oct. 24], which embraces collaboration and control. Employees in different departments team up in a "simultaneous and organic" process to create amazing, innovative products. Apple has gone above and beyond its competitors in creative design. If more companies in today's technological industries worked harder to create a quality product for the consumer, success would be based not on profits alone but on the more important goal of user satisfaction.

RACHEL SOMODI Kansas City, Mo.

As a 13-year-old, I can't help noticing that all the kids on the school bus are talking about the iPod and when they'll be able to get one. It's one of the most popular electronic products on the market. Apple doesn't rely on other companies to make hardware; it makes its own. Apple's innovative process is what makes its products top quality and up to the minute. The iPod and iTunes turned the company around and made it a big hit. Apple is doing a fantastic job.

TAJRIAN FARHAD Orlando, Fla.

Since the new iPod is 30% thinner, people will have enough room in their pockets for a couple more credit cards to buy even more frivolous stuff.

NANCY AIMOLA Pacifica, Calif.

Those of us who have stuck with Apple for 20 years know what TIME seems compelled to tell the rest of America almost once a year: it's an amazing company that makes great products. Apple has been declared dead more times than I can count, but it is better than most other U.S. companies. If only the rest of them could do as well as Apple. I use my iMac to make movies, access my AppleWorks cookbook, keep track of dates and addresses and listen to music as I recharge my iPod. What's next?

CHRISTINE LOWE SLATER Northbridge, Mass.

"How Apple Does It" was a refreshing take on the company's culture of technological transformation. There are not many great innovators still kicking around in the business world, but Steve Jobs and Apple are leading the way. With them in the forefront, it won't be long before home theater becomes mainstream. I can't wait.

FRANK KATCH Santa Barbara, Calif.

The Cool New World

Your article "Biochips For Everyone!", on computer microchips that can be implanted in humans, set off alarm bells [Oct. 24]. While each chip contains a personal ID number that could be scanned like a bar code and provide needed medical data, there is a serious danger. The government or anyone smart enough to hack a security system could end up using biochips to track a person's movements and activity. Should biochips become commonly used, people might then be forced to have them implanted. And if that happened, anyone without a biochip could not function in this society.

HANNAH MORONG Marblehead, Mass.