tumme-totte

Apple has for quite a while done a lot to make their hardware last longer with the consumers. Sometimes I think it's a function of their commitment to environment combined with a drive to really be user friendly behind this. Going 64 bit "early" for example gave each generation ability to be upgraded with a few more generations of iOS. Given that the user base includes everything from those who buy new every year down to kids who get their parents after 3 years of use of course eventually volumes will go down. But maybe also at some point stabilise.
At this point install base is the key. And so software as well as services. At that point Apple will more than ever rely on all three revenue streams. So - even though today Apple is from a revenue point of view hardware based, I view them as a company creating user satisfaction and value by doing the best thought out eco system.
Is it there then? Do they have vision there? They are now cought in a trap where service revenue need to grow but some of their services are a bit to expensive to fully take over pure hardware sale. Such as - in my mind - storage for photos in the cloud. Here they also need FTTH with enough symmetrical bandwith to grow so that such services function properly.

tricky but over all they do very good stuff. Buy!