Apple needs to enter a new category, as it did with the iPhone. I don't want Apple to become the "The iPhone Company". Maybe it will be the AppleCar, some holographic Device, some Virtual Reality device etc. ... who knows?
When Steve introduced the iPad in 2010 or iPad 2 in 2011, near the beginning of his keynote, he said that Apple was the largest mobile devices company in the world. If yoiu look at the sales mix of what Apple sells, that is essentially what they are. It just happens to be that for the majority of users, a smartphone is the only mobile device they really need. I also suggest reading the following article for another great perspective:
What should Apple do to return the iconic product to growth you say? Walt Mossberg gave a good overview in his article last March, post the iPhone SE launch. - Battery life (even if it means no further decrease in device thinness) & charging speed - Bezels! Banish or seriously shrink this waste of space - Optical, or at least optical quality zoom - Water resistance & screen sturdiness - Increase storage (no more 16GB base) - Up the iOS game & improve native apps (eg Mail)
Battery life No more an issue for the vast majority of the public, since they increased the size to 4.7 and 5.5 inches. What remains is switching to OLED screen probably in 2017. Charging speed not an issue for most.
Bezels Have to wait for OLED in 2017. May not be possible with current LCD screens
Optical zoom Why? Only tech forum goers complain about this. Besides it's a phone.
Water resistance Can already withstand some water. If your job is out on the high seas, buy a case.
Storage I agree, 16 GB's only reason is for profit margins, but there's no indication that it has hurt sales. Having increased the base model to 32GB would have prompted many previous mid-tier iPhone owners to get the 6 or 6S base model instead, saving $100. That would've impacted the margins.
Software They're already doing that. Messages one heck of an app my only wish would be to consolidate all messaging into it (FB Messenger, Google hangouts etc.) I hate having multiple apps. May be coming. Mail is OK for most people. Not great but good enough.
1) You refer to every decision Apple makes as "changing course in response to consumer demand", which is fucking horseshit. It's called "doing what is best for Apple when the time is right." They didn't "reverse course" by inventing the fucking App Store. They were not READY to do that with iOS for the first year. Do you think they sat around and said "Gee I think maybe we DO need Apps after all!?" GTFO.
2) "iPhone upgrade won't feature any major external changes"...if they replace the 3.5mm jack with a second speaker, re-route the antenna, and add new finish options...those are major external changes. You're just encouraging the over-entitled bullshit by framing the narrative that way. Stop.
I'm sorry, but the premise of this post is simply wrong. There has been no decline. Last year there was a blip, with the big sales of big phones, and this year the sales are back on the former growth curve. No decline!!
What should Apple do to return the iconic product to growth you say? Walt Mossberg gave a good overview in his article last March, post the iPhone SE launch. - Battery life (even if it means no further decrease in device thinness) & charging speed - Bezels! Banish or seriously shrink this waste of space - Optical, or at least optical quality zoom - Water resistance & screen sturdiness - Increase storage (no more 16GB base) - Up the iOS game & improve native apps (eg Mail)
Sounds like a bunch of generic nothing that no real customer gives a shit about. You seriously have no ideas and no imagination whatsoever.
I'm sorry, but the premise of this post is simply wrong. There has been no decline. Last year there was a blip, with the big sales of big phones, and this year the sales are back on the former growth curve. No decline!!
I don't see how this isn't Tim Cook "dropping the ball" -- once again! As if Apple's product line and upgrade cycles aren't predictable enough -- why not just dampen customers expectations even further by blowing iPhone univesally expected upgrade slot by an entire year? If Cook spent less time hosting GOP fundraising breakfasts (on company time) and marching in parades, maybe -- just maybe- he could barely do his job.
I can't even begin to measure the amount of crazy in this posting. Dropping the ball? Really? What should he have done? What groundbreaking products have any of the other competitors released that has left Apple behind? And please don't tell me VR or point me to concept videos. If Cook spent less time hosting GOP fundraising? What? Do you have intimate knowledge of his agenda? Do you follow him under "Find my friends" to know this? Marching in parades? And how is this keeping him from doing his job? Please elaborate.
"Do you have an example of something that's not gimmicky?"
Exactly. The sheer amount of work that went into Messages, for example, for so little actual useful utility, is staggering. I understand of course that they need to sell phones, and that the demographic that even has time for such things is quite large, but I would hardly call any of that earth shattering innovation. They seem to be more focused on functionality through software, and philosophical and ethical considerations (for which I'm grateful, their privacy developments are actually very praiseworthy).
"It's rumored that at 10 years old, the iPhone will get a major external redesign, with an all-glass body"
That sounds highly unlikely!
Apple has already tried a glass body with the iPhone 4 & 4S. Unlike the iPhone 5 & 6 series, it was obligatory that it be put into a protective case. If you dropped it, it shattered.
Samsung made the same mistake with the Galaxy S7. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing how easily the glass body shatters when you drop it.
Unless there is a new, completely unbreakable glass discovered (which I highly doubt), Apple will not be making any future iPhones with a glass body again.
What should Apple do to return the iconic product to growth you say? Walt Mossberg gave a good overview in his article last March, post the iPhone SE launch. - Battery life (even if it means no further decrease in device thinness) & charging speed - Bezels! Banish or seriously shrink this waste of space - Optical, or at least optical quality zoom - Water resistance & screen sturdiness - Increase storage (no more 16GB base) - Up the iOS game & improve native apps (eg Mail)
I'm sorry you are being voted down. I see nothing controversial in what you're saying. But it looks like Apple are doing all the things you've mentioned or are well aware of them at the least. Craig mentioned device thinness/battery life trade-off on Gruber's podcast (the audio one) the last time he was on. They hear us.
And yet Apple STILL seems obsessed with thinness and wanting no seams in the case instead of practicality like battery life, users being able to change batteries, user upgradable memory, etc. Apple's obsession with how thin it is is especially ridiculous considering that you're forced to use a case in order to save the phone from being destroyed in an accidental fall. Sometimes I think Ive thinks that all people do is look at their (uncased) phones and that people don't actually use them. The biggest problem with a phone for someone constantly on the go is battery life.
Maybe Apple should design a phone that doesn't need a case.
I agree with all the things quoted above and if Apple accomplished those, I'd buy a new phone. Otherwise, the earliest I'm buying a new phone will be 2017, not 2016.
If Apple wants major growth in phones again, they have to find something that jumps over the competition and is a "must have". I have no idea what that might be but it needs to be big. It can be the phone itself or it can be in iOS. One thing which might help is major advancements in Siri, which most people still consider to be mostly a joke. Siri has got to become advanced enough to make the competition look silly. I really have to wonder what the Siri team has been doing the last few years.
And if Apple wants more business users, how about making sync work again with Microsoft Office (Outlook). You can hate Office all you want, but it's what large corporations still use. The phone will sync Exchange Server, but not the Outlook address book (at least I've never gotten it to work since the advent of iCloud).
Perhaps Apple should be simply be happy with $250 BILLION A YEAR in steady revenue from iPhone upgraders.
The only comparable companies are oil companies.
Apple's not the one unhappy with sales, it's investors. Or, more correctly financial pundits trying to influence investors.
Energy companies, meanwhile, may have large gross sales, but they've also got huge operating costs.
Government (federal/state/local) gets more profit per gallon than do the gasoline companies, and not by a little bit, either. IIRC, it something like $0.08/gal compared to $0.495/gal in taxes ($0.546/gal for diesel).
I'm sorry you are being voted down. I see nothing controversial in what you're saying. But it looks like Apple are doing all the things you've mentioned or are well aware of them at the least. Craig mentioned device thinness/battery life trade-off on Gruber's podcast (the audio one) the last time he was on. They hear us.
...
And if Apple wants more business users, how about making sync work again with Microsoft Office (Outlook). You can hate Office all you want, but it's what large corporations still use. The phone will sync Exchange Server, but not the Outlook address book (at least I've never gotten it to work since the advent of iCloud).
Ours syncs mail, contacts, and calendar. Through the Exchange Server that is...
What should Apple do to return the iconic product to growth you say? Walt Mossberg gave a good overview in his article last March, post the iPhone SE launch. - Battery life (even if it means no further decrease in device thinness) & charging speed - Bezels! Banish or seriously shrink this waste of space - Optical, or at least optical quality zoom - Water resistance & screen sturdiness - Increase storage (no more 16GB base) - Up the iOS game & improve native apps (eg Mail)
regarding battery life -- iPhone has increased its battery life over the years despite getting thinner.
Apple needs to be less conservative. We see patents from them that are far reaching, but rarely seem to make it to market. Some of that needs to see the light of day.
what specifically is the value add to the consumer of liquid metal parts? i know it has some tech features fans like, but just saying "liquid metal" doesn't make the iPhone better.
Apple needs to be less conservative. We see patents from them that are far reaching, but rarely seem to make it to market. Some of that needs to see the light of day.
why does apple "need" to do this? does samsung need to do this? HTC? seems they all need to...apple seems to not be needing very much.
KEEP The iPhone on the shelf like we pray they keep the Mac on the shelf, and sell a staple product, and move on. But don't stop selling your defacto classic product, the mac, and as the iPhone goes on to be classic in the next 10 years, keep selling it, and go on to the next thing. Create a "societal necessary product." Like a refrigerator, washing machine, TV, or car. Hopefully you can control 15-20% or the market in each sector. And survive another 30 years...
Comments
http://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2016/6/22/wwdc-clues-hint-at-apples-post-iphone-era
No more an issue for the vast majority of the public, since they increased the size to 4.7 and 5.5 inches. What remains is switching to OLED screen probably in 2017.
Charging speed not an issue for most.
Bezels
Have to wait for OLED in 2017. May not be possible with current LCD screens
Optical zoom
Why? Only tech forum goers complain about this. Besides it's a phone.
Water resistance
Can already withstand some water. If your job is out on the high seas, buy a case.
Storage
I agree, 16 GB's only reason is for profit margins, but there's no indication that it has hurt sales. Having increased the base model to 32GB would have prompted many previous mid-tier iPhone owners to get the 6 or 6S base model instead, saving $100. That would've impacted the margins.
Software
They're already doing that. Messages one heck of an app my only wish would be to consolidate all messaging into it (FB Messenger, Google hangouts etc.) I hate having multiple apps. May be coming.
Mail is OK for most people. Not great but good enough.
1) You refer to every decision Apple makes as "changing course in response to consumer demand", which is fucking horseshit. It's called "doing what is best for Apple when the time is right." They didn't "reverse course" by inventing the fucking App Store. They were not READY to do that with iOS for the first year. Do you think they sat around and said "Gee I think maybe we DO need Apps after all!?" GTFO.
2) "iPhone upgrade won't feature any major external changes"...if they replace the 3.5mm jack with a second speaker, re-route the antenna, and add new finish options...those are major external changes. You're just encouraging the over-entitled bullshit by framing the narrative that way. Stop.
You will find more statistics at Statista
Dropping the ball? Really? What should he have done? What groundbreaking products have any of the other competitors released that has left Apple behind? And please don't tell me VR or point me to concept videos.
If Cook spent less time hosting GOP fundraising? What? Do you have intimate knowledge of his agenda? Do you follow him under "Find my friends" to know this?
Marching in parades? And how is this keeping him from doing his job? Please elaborate.
Exactly. The sheer amount of work that went into Messages, for example, for so little actual useful utility, is staggering. I understand of course that they need to sell phones, and that the demographic that even has time for such things is quite large, but I would hardly call any of that earth shattering innovation. They seem to be more focused on functionality through software, and philosophical and ethical considerations (for which I'm grateful, their privacy developments are actually very praiseworthy).
So of course they can't grow forever! So what? They can sure be healthy as heck for a damn long time.
Maybe Apple should design a phone that doesn't need a case.
I agree with all the things quoted above and if Apple accomplished those, I'd buy a new phone. Otherwise, the earliest I'm buying a new phone will be 2017, not 2016.
If Apple wants major growth in phones again, they have to find something that jumps over the competition and is a "must have". I have no idea what that might be but it needs to be big. It can be the phone itself or it can be in iOS. One thing which might help is major advancements in Siri, which most people still consider to be mostly a joke. Siri has got to become advanced enough to make the competition look silly. I really have to wonder what the Siri team has been doing the last few years.
And if Apple wants more business users, how about making sync work again with Microsoft Office (Outlook). You can hate Office all you want, but it's what large corporations still use. The phone will sync Exchange Server, but not the Outlook address book (at least I've never gotten it to work since the advent of iCloud).
SE was a good start but it should have it's own design language going forward.
Energy companies, meanwhile, may have large gross sales, but they've also got huge operating costs.
Government (federal/state/local) gets more profit per gallon than do the gasoline companies, and not by a little bit, either. IIRC, it something like $0.08/gal compared to $0.495/gal in taxes ($0.546/gal for diesel).
Apple's putting more in the bank.