Walter Isaacson amends comments on Google, Apple, and product innovation

Walter Isaacson sat in on a panel discussion on Bloomberg TV. At one point, he addressed an earlier comment he had made about Google being the most innovative company in the world.

I will say one thing about the comment I made about Google being the most innovative…Innovation is great, but it ain’t everything. It’s not the holy grail. Execution is what really matters. Apple is the best at execution.

I appreciate the correction, and he’s certainly right about Apple being the best at execution. But I would argue that, in the areas that grab Apple’s focus, Apple continues to be the best at innovation.

If Apple decided that the time was right for a wearable heads-up device, do you think people would be paying $1500 for Google Glass? Or would everyone be queueing up for an Apple iGlass device, running a version of an operating system that makes for an unparalleled user experience? The latter, I think.