It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation. They should regard it as a surplus bonus and not grow the company on the basis of what could be a very short burst. The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works". Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything. It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation. They should regard it as a surplus bonus and not grow the company on the basis of what could be a very short burst. The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works". Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything. It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
I agree they need to redouble the bug-squashing efforts and continue to refine iOS and OS X, but according to my understanding these are issues that are not easily solved. One cannot simply throw more programmers at a problem expecting that to fix things. So, it'll get ironed out but it won't happen quickly.
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation. They should regard it as a surplus bonus and not grow the company on the basis of what could be a very short burst. The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works". Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything. It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
Apple's iPhone has been "in" for many years now. I can think of few stronger "foundations" than being the best at selling a high-quantity, high margin product with the fastest upgrade cycle of any technology product. Apple's ecosystem makes it sticky, so it's not going to collapse overnight. The watch, Mac, MacBooks, iPad, Apple TV have much of their value in creating that ecosystem (i.e. in addition the revenue they contribute individually). It's tough to get used to the shift from PCs to personal and mobile devices, but thankfully Apple did (and has left the rest of the PC industry in the dust, due to their prescience).
I agree, they could put a little more effort into software. But I'm not worried about the R&D ... just because they don't release half-baked products like Google, doesn't mean there isn't serious R&D happening. It's just focused on the development and perfection of user-centerer technologies that may not seem brash and bold (indeed, being almost "obvious" is part of the brilliance), but will in fact actually be used by many millions.
I am feeling feisty today, so let's deconstruct this a bit.
Originally Posted by pmcd
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.
The current mobile phone device business (which is dominated now by "smart phones") is the largest tech device market on the globe. It is the largest computing platform market for consumers, having over taken PCs awhile ago. It is huge with enterprise. In the overall market, Apple has a small but growing share of total units, which are over a billion/year. Mobile is far more important and larger than "PCs" already, and this increases each year. There are dozens of more points that can be said regarding mobile as the business to be in.
That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation.
This is the case in almost all markets (phones, cars, clothes & accessories, computers, entertainment,...) where a company does not work hard & invest to remain in the game. Apple has a 30+ year history of strong & growing satisfaction amongst the users of their products, and investing in keeping on top of their segments, so they are better positioned than any other company in this space. On top of that, Apple is unique in the industry of device makers in building up their own comprehensive ecosystem of applications, content, and services. Apple has also shown that in the consumer industry (vs. enterprise), "lowest price" is not the sole, or even dominant, decision criteria for hundreds of millions of people, and this only seems to be increasing.
Apple is, without a doubt, the strongest player in the mobile phone/computing industry, which itself is one of the largest tech industries out there.
The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was.
So your business advice to Apple is to enter a new product category, but not to put too much effort behind it. Sounds like a great plan. You must have a string of successful companies behind you. Perhaps you might want to put a bit of thought into why the Internet streaming STB & related content market (especially 2007 through 2014) is different from the watch and emerging wearable computing market.
It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works".
Sure. I don't think you will find anyone that disagrees that Apple should focus more on quality, but that isn't as simple as just adding more people to the team. That can make things worse if not done right. Hopefully Apple can find a solution, but as the entire ecosystem is growing, so is complexity. Hardly a reason to say "don't make anything new".
Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything.
I somehow have a feeling that this statement and the orientation of the CEO has as much to do with your criticism as anything.
It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
So you think that Apple isn't doing research into materials with their products, despite their patents and descriptions of processes they have invented? Or you think Apple should be doing research into particle physics, or perhaps human biology? Although you also don't think they should invest in new product categories and just fix their Mac s/w?
As is said many times on this forum, thank god you are not running Apple, or any other business.
[B][I][SIZE=5][COLOR=#c09]So, Everytime Apple Posts Staggering Mind-Blowing EARNING RESULTS, WALL STREET Responds SO MISERABLY like PABLOV's DOG, Don't They ?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
- I never suggested they should just fix their Mac software. I don't even recall using the term Mac.
- I don't know what the CEO's orientation has to do with anything. I was talking about the company being less political.
- Yes I feel Apple should do more basic research, not unlike IBM. Apple's patents are fine but hardly Nobel prize material. It would be nice for it to rise above the status of a marketing conglomerate. It's not just about moving product or fizzy water.
- Apple has not always been successful over the past 30 years as you well know. Moreover, what is hot now can change. The communications' industry is notorious for wild swings.In particular, cell phone technology is hardly revolutionary. In fact the idea of building towers all over the place makes very little sense to me as a future strategy of mobile communications. The iPhone benefits by leveraging off cell wireless providers, hardly the Star Trek visionaries of the future. That whole house of cards could easily tumble.
- Apple has had quite a history of support from customers who are rebels in a way. This goes way back to before the Mac. That group is aging and being replaced by far less committed customers who are less likely to put up with a string of relative failures.
- I am not suggesting that Apple emulate Google with its shotgun approach to projects. That is one company not to emulate.
- I still feel the watch is a bit of a gimmick, even more so than was the original Apple TV, which was a hobby. Battery life, tethered to an iPhone and the decline in popularity of watches are enough to give one pause. The health application possibilities are intriguing though. Still too early.
- I don't know if you are suggesting that I want more PC and less mobile. I can assure you that is not the case.
Finally, I have never had any interest in running a business, so you needn't fret.
Comments
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation. They should regard it as a surplus bonus and not grow the company on the basis of what could be a very short burst. The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works". Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything. It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
I agree they need to redouble the bug-squashing efforts and continue to refine iOS and OS X, but according to my understanding these are issues that are not easily solved. One cannot simply throw more programmers at a problem expecting that to fix things. So, it'll get ironed out but it won't happen quickly.
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.That is a very fickle business where you can be in one year out the next. It does not make for a strong foundation. They should regard it as a surplus bonus and not grow the company on the basis of what could be a very short burst. The watch thing isinteresting but should have been a hobby much as Apple TV was. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time fixing their software which no longer "just works". Finally, their outspoken political statements on a variety of topics doesn't strike me as a positive contribution to anything. It would be more impressive for them to do some serious basic research as opposed to R&D.
Apple's iPhone has been "in" for many years now. I can think of few stronger "foundations" than being the best at selling a high-quantity, high margin product with the fastest upgrade cycle of any technology product. Apple's ecosystem makes it sticky, so it's not going to collapse overnight. The watch, Mac, MacBooks, iPad, Apple TV have much of their value in creating that ecosystem (i.e. in addition the revenue they contribute individually). It's tough to get used to the shift from PCs to personal and mobile devices, but thankfully Apple did (and has left the rest of the PC industry in the dust, due to their prescience).
I agree, they could put a little more effort into software. But I'm not worried about the R&D ... just because they don't release half-baked products like Google, doesn't mean there isn't serious R&D happening. It's just focused on the development and perfection of user-centerer technologies that may not seem brash and bold (indeed, being almost "obvious" is part of the brilliance), but will in fact actually be used by many millions.
Quote:
I am feeling feisty today, so let's deconstruct this a bit.
It is risky for Apple to rely so heavily on cell phones.
The current mobile phone device business (which is dominated now by "smart phones") is the largest tech device market on the globe. It is the largest computing platform market for consumers, having over taken PCs awhile ago. It is huge with enterprise. In the overall market, Apple has a small but growing share of total units, which are over a billion/year. Mobile is far more important and larger than "PCs" already, and this increases each year. There are dozens of more points that can be said regarding mobile as the business to be in.
http://www.lenovo.com/transactions/pdf/CCS-Insight-Smartphone-Market-Analysis-Full-Report-07-2014.pdf
This is the case in almost all markets (phones, cars, clothes & accessories, computers, entertainment,...) where a company does not work hard & invest to remain in the game. Apple has a 30+ year history of strong & growing satisfaction amongst the users of their products, and investing in keeping on top of their segments, so they are better positioned than any other company in this space. On top of that, Apple is unique in the industry of device makers in building up their own comprehensive ecosystem of applications, content, and services. Apple has also shown that in the consumer industry (vs. enterprise), "lowest price" is not the sole, or even dominant, decision criteria for hundreds of millions of people, and this only seems to be increasing.
Apple is, without a doubt, the strongest player in the mobile phone/computing industry, which itself is one of the largest tech industries out there.
So your business advice to Apple is to enter a new product category, but not to put too much effort behind it. Sounds like a great plan. You must have a string of successful companies behind you. Perhaps you might want to put a bit of thought into why the Internet streaming STB & related content market (especially 2007 through 2014) is different from the watch and emerging wearable computing market.
Sure. I don't think you will find anyone that disagrees that Apple should focus more on quality, but that isn't as simple as just adding more people to the team. That can make things worse if not done right. Hopefully Apple can find a solution, but as the entire ecosystem is growing, so is complexity. Hardly a reason to say "don't make anything new".
I somehow have a feeling that this statement and the orientation of the CEO has as much to do with your criticism as anything.
So you think that Apple isn't doing research into materials with their products, despite their patents and descriptions of processes they have invented? Or you think Apple should be doing research into particle physics, or perhaps human biology? Although you also don't think they should invest in new product categories and just fix their Mac s/w?
As is said many times on this forum, thank god you are not running Apple, or any other business.
Yet the stock is down. WTF!!!!
So basically Apple beats and the stock takes a hit. Apple meets and the stock takes a bigger hit. Apple misses and the stock tanks.
Perhaps you guys should stop day-trading. Their stock has shown a high level of appreciation over the longer term.
[B][I][SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]Before Apple's Staggering Blow Past Analysts' Expectation EARNING CALL on Apr. 28[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58603/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
[B][I][SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]After The Result[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58602/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58604/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
[B][I][SIZE=5][COLOR=blue]On The Other Hand Villain's FAVOURATE and BACK-UP Stock ![/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58605/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
[B][I][SIZE=5][COLOR=#c09]So, Everytime Apple Posts Staggering Mind-Blowing EARNING RESULTS, WALL STREET Responds SO MISERABLY like PABLOV's DOG, Don't They ?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/I][/B]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/58607/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
Lots of people selling on the same day, however, actually floods the market, so the price drops.
You'd think that people would catch on and stop doing this, but it's been going on for years now.
^^^^ Come on now, folks... This is great stuff. ????
Well at least "Villain" didn't get him. The guy is comedy gold.
- I never suggested they should just fix their Mac software. I don't even recall using the term Mac.
- I don't know what the CEO's orientation has to do with anything. I was talking about the company being less political.
- Yes I feel Apple should do more basic research, not unlike IBM. Apple's patents are fine but hardly Nobel prize material. It would be nice for it to rise above the status of a marketing conglomerate. It's not just about moving product or fizzy water.
- Apple has not always been successful over the past 30 years as you well know. Moreover, what is hot now can change. The communications' industry is notorious for wild swings.In particular, cell phone technology is hardly revolutionary. In fact the idea of building towers all over the place makes very little sense to me as a future strategy of mobile communications. The iPhone benefits by leveraging off cell wireless providers, hardly the Star Trek visionaries of the future. That whole house of cards could easily tumble.
- Apple has had quite a history of support from customers who are rebels in a way. This goes way back to before the Mac. That group is aging and being replaced by far less committed customers who are less likely to put up with a string of relative failures.
- I am not suggesting that Apple emulate Google with its shotgun approach to projects. That is one company not to emulate.
- I still feel the watch is a bit of a gimmick, even more so than was the original Apple TV, which was a hobby. Battery life, tethered to an iPhone and the decline in popularity of watches are enough to give one pause. The health application possibilities are intriguing though. Still too early.
- I don't know if you are suggesting that I want more PC and less mobile. I can assure you that is not the case.
Finally, I have never had any interest in running a business, so you needn't fret.