“I continue to be buyer of [Apple Inc. (AAPL)] stock for our clients as I believe this cash rich company still trades at a cheap valuation,” Michael Yoshikami writes for CNBC. “Cash flow is huge and the company will benefit from any tax reduction from a Trump administration on repatriated foreign cash.”
“I have written several columns about the wisdom of owning Apple; I still believe this to be the case. Even so, I fear Apple is losing some of its shine,” Yoshikami writes. “Based on what I have observed in the past 2 years, the company is beginning to appear iterative in nature rather than more focused on innovation. Yes, many have uttered this suspicion; now I’m adding my voice to the chorus. I’m not convinced this is the case, but I’m beginning to wonder out loud.”
“Over the last several years we have seen the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and iPad Pro all vying for attention as the next big thing. Turns out, as of now, those devices don’t seem to be game changers. Over the next several years, Apple needs to produce game-changing products that reflect a spirit of innovation. There is a market hunger for creativity from Apple,” Yoshikami writes. “Tim Cook has promised that there are amazing technologies under development and I want to believe. I want to believe that Apple will not slip into being a highly efficient company with mature product categories; in the end that will lead to average results. Apple users are loyal but they have their limits. As other companies innovate, users may move on.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote last week:
“Pipeline Tim.” That sticks until the vaunted pipeline actually delivers.
Until then, Apple has made a number of mistakes, all of which look like laziness from the outside, including:
• No new 4K-capable Apple TV for Christmas 2016 (this would have been so easy, it’s inexplicable and unforgivable not to have this on the market right now)
• No new iMac, Mac Pro, and or Mac mini for far, far too long
• No Apple skinny bundle(s) for Apple TV while other companies ink deals and announce launches – these customers will be tough for Apple to get back once lost, if they ever get the deals signed. (Perhaps, Tim, you need to hire better negotiator(s) who can get the ink? Or make an acquisition that reshapes the industry, causing them to line up to work with you?)
• Flagship iPhone launches without its flagship feature (Portrait mode) and is currently still only in “beta” (seriously?)
• Apple TV remote looks to have been “designed” by Steve Ballmer himself (If Steve Jobs wasn’t already dead, the Apple TV Remote would have killed him; he would’ve had an aneurysm the second the mockup was handed to him)
• No new iPads for Christmas 2016 (Even simply “refreshed” with current A-series processors would have created more sales)
These are a few of the reasons why Apple fans and investors are and should be concerned.
On occasion, Steve Jobs teased the product pipeline, too. The difference is that Steve Jobs repeatedly delivered.
SEE ALSO:
Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and Apple’s monster hits – November 25, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook still hasn’t introduced a mega-hit and investors are growing impatient – November 23, 2016<
