“Apple CEO Tim Cook and his leadership team are moving to implement sweeping changes to the way iPhones are sold and marketed in order to deflect competition from smartphones running Google’s Android operating system,” Mark Gurman reports for 9to5Mac. “Hints of the new iPhones sales push were described at a secretive summit at San Francisco’s Fort Mason for Apple Retail Store Leaders from across the globe, according to multiple people familiar with the internal event.”
“Cook reportedly spoke to Apple’s Retail Store Leaders for approximately three hours. During this time, Cook expressed satisfaction with the way Macs and iPads have been selling via Apple Stores, so he placed those two products on a figurative ‘back-burner’ during his talk, according to two sources,” Gurman reports. “One out of every four Macs sold across the globe are bought from an Apple Retail Store, Cook praised, but the Apple CEO noted his dissatisfaction that approximately 80% of all iPhones are not purchased from an Apple Store”
Gurman reports, “Store Leaders, according to people briefed on the talks, reportedly left the summit feeling confident about Apple’s fall product pipeline. Expect ‘an army of new products this fall,’ one person said.”
Read more in the full article here.
An Army?! The last time an army was sent out, there was a major catastrophe of which we are still experiencing the fall out!
Now, if he/she said a slew of products or an avalanche of products, I might take that statement without a pinch of salt. As it is, I need a bucket of salt to swallow with that statement!!!
Avalanches tend to be pretty catastrophic too
…and can’t be reasoned with.
One posible design is here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1533052-new-macbook-ether-no-2-the-design-case
Hmm, could the iPhone Plus actually arrive this year rather than 2014? Maybe Tim has a few tricks up his sleeve.
May be an iPhone plus iTune?:)
Well every existing product sans MBA will be updated. Presumably iPods. iPads and iPhones of course. Then ios7 and mavericks. Plus the new Pro… So basically you have an army of new products just with those we know of.
Yeah, I’m not going to read much into the “army of new products” thing. We had an army of new products released last year, too. There’s an army of updates coming our way no matter what.
Yes, but what if it is an Air Force of new products?
Then the Analysts would say Apple was just a “Fly by Night Outfit”
Exactly,
Are we going to have NEW or IMPROVED products?
An army of new products to me is something different to someone else. Please specify.
Very exciting year for Apple and Apple customers. This is what we want. Building the ecosystem. More products. Improving quality. Leading the tech industry. Providing products that the rest of the industry tries to copy, but fails. Stock sucks, but Apple rules.
NIce post. Positive. I like it.
I wish Apple to simplify the product line.
More gadgets is cool however gadgets that add or enhance things like the iPhone bother me. iWatch to carry around to check whats on my phone – come on. Soon Apple thinks I need to have my iPad, iPhone and iWatch to fulfil my day. This is horrible. When my laptop was new it was the only device I needed. Emails, Instant messaging, video calls all were capable in one machine. Fragmenting the ecosystem into a bundle of simple devices is not where I hope to be. Charing all these things and maintaining them and updating them… ugh. Most people find the iPhone the only computer they need. Others find iPad and iPhone are it… Apple make the damn iPad mini with telephone capabilities and it will sell. It will be all I need. Thanks.
Anyone ever have to contend with army worms?
Now that is what I call an army.
The word ‘Army’ is not one that should be bandied about lightly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_worm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_ant
Mr. Cook in Japan all the iPhones are locked to a carrier. It would be great if there was an option at the Apple Japan to purchase an unlocked model. In the meantime my iPod touch 5 with a pocket mifi works great for me in Tokyo.
I tried to buy an unlocked iPhone 5 but was told that the only ones available were on contract. I wanted to buy an iPhone outright, not sign up for a two year contract.
If Tim Cook wants more iPhones to be sold in Apple stores, he needs to make them available for sale without contract from the outset rather than only when the initial demand is over.
Thats odd, here in Canada, the networks all lock the phone.
The only place to buy an unlocked phone is Apple.
You will see in the Apple retail stores – the line up of Networks iPhone works on – and also purchase a Sim for, Fido & Rogers, Bell & Virgin, Telus & Koodo… yet you can – just buy the phone out right at Apple without the sim – so Apple is the place to buy an unlocked phone. And it makes sense.
I am confident that Apple will have great new products and I’m glad Apple retail is doing well, but that said this thing about Macs…
as an ex-Ad pro I suspect (I don’t have privy to insider Apple info but I believe) that one of the primary reasons one out of 4 of all macs are sold through Apple Stores is that Apple does NOT ADVERTISE Macs.
How is the other retailers like BestBuy or Futureshop (Canada) going to sell a lot Macs if Apple does not advertise them? The sales dudes are NOT going to say “Macs are better than PCs “. When a shopper asks what’s the difference between a $400 PC and a more expensive Mac (I tried it myself) all the sales-guy is going to say “its an Apple”, he’s NOT going to say “Macs have less Malware, they are less buggy, they are easier to use, the OS upgrades are $19 vs $100 for PC, the run faster with less ram ” etc. because they sell more PCS and they are not going to damage the Windows brand …. so NO Mac sale (unless it’s die hard apple fan or a savvy shopper who has done his/her own research ).
Apple has not advertised the new mac mini, new imac from last fall (in spite of spending all the effort on ‘groundbreaking glass bonding process’ etc), in fact has not an iMac or mac mini ad for YEARS, has not advertised OSX Mt. Lion is better than turd Windows 8 etc (vs the numerous ads in the past like Mac Pc guy).
Without Mac ADVERTISING TO DO THE SELLING for the retailers they are not going to move many macs.
(Mac market share has been stuck at 5% worldwide for the longest time in spite of great products and win 8 ).
Msft still makes billons off Windows, Apple (although making large Mac profits) should push Macs and take even more of the $,
Anon C, Apple looks at iPhone as the calling card to buying more products. Many people who hadn’t considered buying an Apple product before are now considering an iPhone.
Getting that new customer to purchase their iPhone at Apple means a much greater chance of concurrent or future other Apple purchases. This model of marketing in Apple’s case is much more efficient than advertising each individual product.
“This model of marketing in Apple’s “, eh, letting things ride and hoping that iPhone will have a halo effect is not marketing…
sure iPhone owners might buy other apple products but why not Advertise as well?
Also if iPhone halo effect is so effective why isn’t Best buy etc who sell a lot of phones ALSO selling plenty of macs, i.e. why isn’t the Halo Effect working at the other retailers? (I gave you my theory , what’s yours?
I’ve also spoken to people who have iPhones but who use PCs, when asked why don’t they buy macs they say they ‘want to keep their monitors’… i.e they do NOT EVEN REALIZE THAT APPLE HAS MAC MINIS, they think they have to buy iMacs because apple does not advertise Mac minis!!! And many big box ‘apple experts’ sales guys have only the vaguest idea what a mac Pro is (as they don’t stock them).
(Lots of people do NOT live near an apple store to get educated. I live on an island and have to take a hour and half ferry and then drive to get the nearest apple store).
the fact that Mac share is tuck at 5% vs iPhone at 20+ worldwide shows that macs have room to grow.
Apple could afford Mac ads (look at the dozens of Mac PC guy ads) when macs were making less money. And if you want to penny pinch what about cheaper print ads…
I believe that Win 8 turd is golden opportunity for Mac to gain significant marketshare.
With aapl fallen from 700 to 400 Apple shouldn’t leave easy fruit on the low branches.
I agree mostly, Advertising now seem to be in the products themselves. However, BestBuy typically has an appointed Apple person always near the goods. And the guys I have spoken with are extremely knowledgable and fairly pro-Apple. They can explain the value Apple has over PCs with ease. In my opinion, they do a great job – in addition they are not negative or pushy; letting customers make their own decisions without sales talk.
New products in the pipeline? Seems we’ve heard that before and… nothing. Believe it when you see it. Wall Street doesn’t believe it because they decided some time ago that Tim was not believable. Consumers are yawning over Apple stuff while considering every other competitors gadgets. The “new” we need to see is a new CEO. Now, flame away all you lemmings. Flame away.
The “new” we need to see here, is you whining about something other than Tim Cook.
Talk about beating a dead horse.
Macs: “1 out of 4” = 25%
iPhones: “20%” = 1 out of 5
I’m I the only one that doesn’t really see a huge difference here?
iPhones are sold in many, many more places than Macs. This statistic doesn’t really seem abnormal to me at all. I’m thinking this “report” is inaccurate.
25% of 17 million Macs = 4,250,000
20% of 125 million iPhones = 25,000,000
Am I the only one….. @ Micheal, the Grammar police are watching your every move! 🙂
Shock and awe.
Fuck the army. Cook, carry your ass from Apple, and take you stinking chartreuse queerbag with you.
Probably the guy with the parabolic microphone misheard,
Cook really said they have an ‘array’ of products in the works.
And if the development pipeline is as long as the Newton (cough, iPhone, we could wait years for these new products.
Iwatch is actually Apple answer to cheap iPhone . Apple is gonna reinvent the cheap smartphone like Apple did to net books by iPads .
I’m just pissed at hearing that Timid Cook allowed Google to become a more valuable company than Apple if you take away the cash.. Jeez, I hate hearing things like that. I thought Apple was flying high and alone as a tech company, but I see now that isn’t the case.
Hey, hilarious, just WHERE is that cash going to disappear to? Burn up? Hypothetical greater valuation greater than Apple IF you burn up assets MEAN NOTHING! You might as well say Google is worth more than Apple if you take away the iPad or the iPhone product line. That pile of cash exists and was earned by Apple mostly under Tim Cook’s watch while Steve Jobs was unfortunately suffering a very serious illness and dying. The financial fundamentals of Apple are still just as strong as ever. Tim Cook can do very little to overcome a hostile and ignorant punditry, as well as a concerted, well funded FUD campaign by unscrupulous competitors.. So just admit you really admit you don’t know what you don’t know what you’re talking about. . . or admit your a member of that well funded FUD campaign.
“New” in Apple-speak these days is once-a-year marginal upgrades to long-existing products and form factors. No retina on the MBA? Just a battery bump. iPhone 5s is looking more and more like it will be another dull update to the now 3 year old iPhone 4 design. Very difficult to get excited by anything they’re talking about. The “big reveal” of iOS7 last month was embarrassing. All that money and talent and they can’t update phones beyond a 3 year old design and form factor? What the hell are they doing in Cupertino?