mayfly

slow n easy said:

I’m wondering if the Apple Car will have a similar fate as the Apple Television Set. It’s hard for me to see how they can innovate on building cars. We already have EV and self-driving, and we already have big digital displays. Cars have been innovating like crazy in the last few years. Instead of building the actual vehicles, Apple should license the software instead. Like CarPlay, but much more advanced. I can’t imagine buying a car built by Foxconn.

Getting into the automaker business is the worst thing Apple could do. Think of how many American carmakers there were in say, 1930: more than 50. Now there are basically 3, if you include Tesla, but not the boutique makers (Fiat Chrysler/Stellantis is no longer an American carmaker). And many of those companies were GREAT automakers. Think Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, Packard, Studebaker, Hudson, American Motors, Kaiser, DeLorean, Checker and many others.

These companies were all founded by people with extensive experience in the segment prior to startup, and still failed. It's my belief that Apple would suffer the same fate if they "diWORSEified" into automaking. It could be significantly detrimental to the entire company if they don't cut their losses, from the enormous startup costs to the overhead and payroll costs. Better would be to license Apple's proprietary technologies to existing automakers, and charge them up the wazoo for it!

avon b7 said:

mayfly said:

Apple has succeeded almost beyond belief by focusing on core competencies, avoiding "shiny object" distractions, and leveraging what they do best for maximum profits. And that's what they should continue doing. Apple has never been the dominant player in the gaming arena, and I don't see any benefit for Apple to jump into the chaos in that sector.

It has long been argued, with good reason IMO, that Apple's lack of commitment to gaming is a major reason why people rule out Macs as purchases. 

That isn't a good thing because it means you are deliberately underperforming in an area that holds massive economic potential.

The key here is not how well you are doing. The key is how much better you could be doing. 

The same thing happened with the original iMac launch. Widely lauded as a success, it was a case of massive underperforming for a variety of reasons. 

What you're suggesting is what the great investor Peter Lynch wrote, in his book "One Up on Wall Street," called "diWORSEification." Meaning venturing into business sectors where the company has little of no expertise, in the attempt to increase sales. It always leads to startup expenses, that keep piling up losses until the company abandons it. And that's exactly what happened with eWorld. And Newton. And the Apple xServe RAID.

That Elon Musk runs Twitter like captain Joseph Hazelwood ran the Exxon Valdez: aground!

anantksundaram said:

AAPL around the time of SJ's resignation: ~$55. 

Now it's (approximately) four times that.

Not even close. Split adjusted, on August 12, 2011, Apple's stock price was $13.46. Today's close was at $176.38.

Total gain: 13.1 times, not four! Hope you invested then!

No one is a bigger Apple fan than me. I worked for an Apple VAR, then for Apple, Inc. My wife and I have at least two of everything Apple makes (except a Mac Pro and only one iMac), and subscribe to AppleOne. We both have AirPod Pros.

But when it came time for over the ear headphones, we both found the AirPods Max hot and uncomfortable. Didn't like the fit and finish of the Beats, either. Then we tried the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones. And bought two of them on the spot. They're lighter, more comfortable, and never have condensation, even when I wear them during my morning LifeCycle workout. Their audio fidelity is comparable to Apple's. But then, there's the ANC (noise cancelling tech). It's the BEST, bar none. We wear them when we travel by air or rail, and I've used them in noisy restaurants (they also have good voice priority settings) and at the movies and the symphony. Did I mention they're $200 less than the Max, and sometimes can be found on sale for $250? And that they fold flat to fit in a supplied case? They also have an audio jack, with an airplane adapter. They only come in two colors, and the app is an Android port (but I almost never use it). Other than that, they're superior to AirPods Max.