In reflecting on recent developments at Apple, Jason Snell
captures the ambivalence many of us harbor about change:
"Any rethink of iTunes was going to make me unhappy, because it represents a major change to something familiar. Change is hard, and most of us dislike experiencing it.
But change is also inevitable—and, in the end, refusing to change is worse, because change will just keep on happening around you, whether you like it or not. . . .
In general, I’m a proponent of change. Yes, I was comfortable with the old iTunes, but it was also old and inflexible, and probably in need of a long, hard look. The result might be better or worse than what came before, but doing nothing at all guaranteed a lengthy, slow slide into irrelevance. . . .
When I heard word of Forstall’s departure, the first thing I thought of was something Steve Jobs himself said: "Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new". . . .
Much of [Apple's] success has come from [the company's] decision to embrace change rather than run from it. . . .
I’m not afraid of Apple changing. On the contrary, I’m concerned about it becoming complacent.
