clarker99

DangDave said:

Cardholders in Canada will not get the same cashback rewards as we do in the U.S. as the cc swipe fees charged to retailers are capped in Canada. This will also be the case in Europe, Australia, and other locations with caps. 

Also, U.S. cardholders usually do not get the same rewards that we get here when charging outside of the U.S. 

Soli said:

crudman said:

whittonm said:

Oooh, a credit card, this is an insanely great Apple innovation!  Canadians must be going crazy waiting for it!  /sarcasmoff

Sarcasm appreciated, but if the features for the Canadian variant are the same as the US card it -is- going to be innovative. There are currently no Canadian issued cards that waive the foreign exchange fee (2.5%) for example. 

If no Canadian CCs do that—not even travel-focused cards with an annual fee—then I think it's highly unlikely that Apple will be able to swing that.

avon b7 said:

clarker99 said:

avon b7 said:

clarker99 said:

avon b7 said:

clarker99 said:

As per usual folks pop up and cleary dont get that Apple doesnt need a ‘new’ mid-range device every year. Apple maintains higher prices at the premium end to prop up its amazing gray market. People fundamentally do not understand Apple’s pricing strategy. It is all about maintaining brand/price integrity. Apple’s trade in program is also about controlling the gray market prices. If Apple wants to give $250 for an iPhone 6s trade-in it sets a floor for 2nd hand iPhone value. Why sell it for less if Apple will give $250. 

Meanwhile, the iOS install base continues to grow.

We understand.

However, It's not what Apple wants. It's what consumers want. 

The problem:

Three years of stagnant growth. Two consecutive YoY, double digit drops in iPhone shipments. Iterative upgrades. Price increases. Drop off in satisfaction at Apple Retail. Fierce competition.

The solution?:

Price adjustments
Competitive hardware
Retail improvements
Business model changes

That last point began to shape in 2017. The 'limited period' increased trade-in value from 2018 (a last-minute emergency measure) is still applicable over five months later. For 2019 I expect further changes.

Remove China from the numbers and everything is fine.  But keep up the narrative that Apple doesnt know what its doing ߙ䦬t;br>

If I removed China everything wouldn't be fine. First, the markets would throw a wobbly on Apple, the likes of which you have never seen. Second. That last minute extended and increased trade in value isn't only applicable in China. That tells us the slowdown might have worse been in China but definitely wasn't limited to China.

The narrative that Apple doesn't know what it's doing doesn't exist. Tim Cook went on record as saying they miscalculated.

Apple took the risks but knew them 

sigh. It was largely China. That is well known and Tim acknowledged things got better at the end of the quarter.They are adding users, which really is the neglected narrative. Which means  people are buying iPhones.  Apple doesnt care if they are new models, gray market or hand me down otherwise they would sell cheaper ‘new’ phones. People just dont get it.  

Apple is not going to lower their prices in USA or other wealthier countries. Price is not the problem. If it was, Apple would have been dead years ago.

What do you think 'things got better' means?

That things are back to normal? No. Even while 'getting better' things were still bad.

That's why Apple's special, time limited, steep trade in offers are still in place and still on Apple's front page.

avon b7 said:

StrangeDays said:

avon b7 said:

clarker99 said:

As per usual folks pop up and cleary dont get that Apple doesnt need a ‘new’ mid-range device every year. Apple maintains higher prices at the premium end to prop up its amazing gray market. People fundamentally do not understand Apple’s pricing strategy. It is all about maintaining brand/price integrity. Apple’s trade in program is also about controlling the gray market prices. If Apple wants to give $250 for an iPhone 6s trade-in it sets a floor for 2nd hand iPhone value. Why sell it for less if Apple will give $250. 

Meanwhile, the iOS install base continues to grow.

Three years of stagnant growth. Two consecutive YoY, double digit drops in iPhone shipments. Iterative upgrades. Price increases. Drop off in satisfaction at Apple Retail. Fierce competition.

Every time somebody says “But but but these are iterative improvements!” it immediately flags them as someone ignorant to how Apple rolls. Iterative product development is the name of their game. Gruber wrote about this almost a decade ago. Read up.

https://www.macworld.com/article/1151235/macs/apple-rolls.html

...doing this consistently is how you have something amazingly better years later. Iteration.

I know. We all know how Apple rolls.

That doesn't change anything and isn't even the point.

The fact is Apple is behind in most of the key smartphone areas - as a result - of how it rolls.

Perhaps (and only perhaps) from a business/investor perspective, it can be understood - even after three years of stagnant iPhone sales.

However, from a consumer perspective, Apple simply isn't doing enough to reach the front runners. Yes, because of the way it rolls, if you please, but that is irrelevant. Now, with each major Android flagship presentation, the latest iPhones get thrown up on screen to show how poorly they do in certain areas. Even the lowly Pixel 3a got in on the act at its presentation.

Two consecutive quarters of YoY decline have sent alarm bells ringing.

Falling even further behind is not an option so expect at least an effort (plus price drops) come this September.

IMO, it's time for Apple to change how it rolls.

In fact Apple did actually begin that change in 2017. Now it is time to tackle that iterative angle.