John Sculley's Comeback: Can the Former Apple CEO Rival the iPhone?

The Rise and Fall of John Sculley at Apple

John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple, has had a storied career in the tech industry. After making a name for himself as a marketing guru at PepsiCo, Sculley was recruited by Steve Jobs to join Apple in the early 1980s. Sculley accepted the offer, lured by Jobs' vision of "changing the world" with Apple's personal computers.

During Sculley's tenure, Apple experienced tremendous growth, with the company's revenue skyrocketing from $982 million to $7 billion. Sculley was credited with successfully turning around the Apple II line of computers and helping to establish the Macintosh as a mainstream product. However, his relationship with Steve Jobs eventually soured, leading to a power struggle that resulted in Jobs' resignation from the company in 1985.

Sculley's departure from Apple in 1993 marked the end of an era, but it was not the end of his entrepreneurial journey. After leaving the company, Sculley has remained active in the tech industry, investing in and advising various startups.

Sculley's Comeback: Introducing the OB World Phone

In 2014, Sculley made a surprising comeback, launching a new smartphone company called OB World Phone. The company's first two models, the SF1 and SJ 1.5, were announced in August 2015, and they were designed to target the growing markets of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The SF1, named after the city of San Francisco, is an elegant fiberglass Android device with a sleek metallic look. It boasts a 5-inch Gorilla Glass 4 display with a 1920x1080 resolution, Dolby Audio with 7.1 channels of high-fidelity speakers, and a Snapdragon 615 processor. The phone also features a 13-megapixel rear camera powered by Sony's IMX 214 Exmor sensor, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with an LED flash.

The SJ 1.5, named as an homage to San Jose, is a more budget-friendly option. It features a 5-inch HD Gorilla Glass 3 display, a MediaTek MT-6580 quad-core processor, and 16GB of internal storage. The phone also offers the option for dual SIM slots and an expandable memory card.

Sculley's Vision: Disrupting the Smartphone Market

According to Sculley, the goal of OB World Phone is to provide high-quality, premium-designed smartphones at an exceptional value to attract "discerning young people" in the fast-growing markets of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He believes that these regions present an opportunity for disruption, as the competition is not as tough as in the Western markets.

Sculley's approach to the smartphone market is inspired by Apple's success with the iPhone, but he insists that OB World Phone is not directly competing with Apple. Instead, the company is focused on creating devices that are significantly cheaper than the iPhone, yet still offer impressive specifications and design.

To achieve this, Sculley has assembled a team of experienced professionals, including the former head of Apple's product design, Robert Brunner, and the designer of the iconic Beats by Dre headphones. The goal is to create smartphones that not only look cool but also offer a perfect fit and finish, without compromising on components and specifications.

Challenges and Opportunities Ahead

Sculley's comeback with OB World Phone is not without its challenges. The smartphone market is highly competitive, especially in the emerging markets that Sculley is targeting. Chinese manufacturers have long dominated these regions, offering low-cost devices that cater to the budget-conscious consumer.

Additionally, as a private company, OB World Phone must carefully manage its resources and strategize its expansion plans. The company cannot afford to make missteps, as it does not have the same financial backing as larger, publicly-traded tech giants.

However, Sculley remains optimistic about the potential of OB World Phone. He believes that the company's focus on design, quality, and value proposition can disrupt the status quo in the smartphone market. The company's early success, with the SF1 model being named the fifth-best smartphone in Vietnam, suggests that Sculley's vision may be resonating with consumers in the targeted regions.

Conclusion

John Sculley's return to the tech industry with OB World Phone is a testament to his enduring entrepreneurial spirit. After his tumultuous departure from Apple, Sculley has reinvented himself as a disruptor, seeking to challenge the established players in the smartphone market.

While the road ahead may not be easy, Sculley's experience, connections, and drive to "change the world" once again could prove to be a formidable force. As the world watches the unfolding of this new chapter in Sculley's career, the question remains: Can the former Apple CEO become a rival to the very company he once led?