RTC

I bought a Surface 4 Pro recently, fastest configuration available (i7 CPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) because I needed a Windows computer for some work related stuff. Nice hardware, quality top notch but Windows? Oh boy, so bad... I am used to the lag free iOS and MacOS operation but it seems I forgot how annoying Windows can be in this regard. Pretty annoying also the Surface Pencil, not even close to Apple's pencil.
Overall, I regret getting the Surface Pro, even if I got it at a special sale here in Germany for under 2000 EUR. Conclusion: You cannot really compare a Windows laptop to a MacOS device, it makes no sense. DELL offers some nice hardware but as long as Windows sucks...

Royfb said:

Looks really thick?

You understand what a mockup is, do you?! LOL

seanismorris said:

The most innovative product I've seen in the last year wasn't an Apple product, it was the Tesla Solar Roof.

That said, Apple has nothing to worry about profit wise.  The new regulations banning laptops & tablet on airline flights are going to drive business travelers into larger more expensive phones. (In an attempt to get work done on the plane)

For regular Joes, the Apple Watch may be getting their killer apps in monitoring glucose levels for diabetics and identifying heart disease in watch wearers.  

The next step is integrating the cellular modem in the watch.  Who knows if heart attacks can be predicted before they happen, but sending out automatic emergency response requests when they do, would be a Killer App.

The Tesla solar roof is nothing innovative or new, it is just an improvement over "old" products. Similar to what Apple often does...improving older products up to a point where these products become mainstream or a real want-/must have products.

Yes, a wearable device like the Apple Watch capable of accurately measuring blood glucose levels without the need to draw blood would be a real breakthrough and innovation. I do not think that current wearable tech could predict heart attacks, this will take at least another decade of tech development but I could imagine some sort of heart sensor tech which detects some anomalies like extrasystoles or whatever. Maybe even some tech which could deliver a basic ECG. Future applications for such tech are endless once the sensor tech has been developed.

Touch ID...MacBook Retina 12...the powerhouse iPad Pro 12.9...Apple Watch 2 (one of the rare products you can take out for a swim)...AirPods...iMac with 5k display...yeah, Apple sucks. LOL
Also, their services are booming...

I am a gadget lover and I buy other products as well, also have the Samsung Galaxy S8+, which is a very good looking smartphone and the new formfactor fits quite well in my palm, also reception in some "difficult" areas is better than on my iPhone 7 Plus. However, Android still sucks (S8+ still runs with Android 7.0..., there is no update to the latest Android version), the fingerprint sensor on the back is most annoying and the iris scanner barely works with glasses and/or contacts and even without, it is slow and you often need to move around the phone to get an unlock. This was always the problem with Samsung: They make good hardware but sometimes they rush things and the software adaptation often sucks. 

The only thing I would love to see from Apple is buying Sonos and implementing Siri with their system. This would be amazing. I have the Amazon Echo and it works well but the sound isn't that great, especially when it comes to music. I know that Apple could go with a Beats product to offer a similar system but the mesh system from Sonos works amazingly well (mine is at least five years old and it still is up-to-date because Sonos hasn't changed much and regular software updates are coming).

Apple has cranked up their R&D budget over the past couple of years and they have enough money to buy huge quantities of hardware components at very low bulk prices, so there is a bright future ahead of them if they know what customers want.

People either love or hate Apple, for whatever reasons but they dominate the "high end" market regarding smartphones, laptops and tablets, maybe even desktops and it won't change any time soon. Warren Buffet and his people clearly understood that.