“The iPhone might be becoming useful but boring, just like every other device you own,” Emily Bary reports for Barron’s. “Consumers seem less likely to upgrade to the latest iPhone models than they were in the past. Their old phones hold up fine for longer than they used to, and new features are cool but nothing special. Plus, when it comes time for an upgrade, iPhones users are increasingly opting for the prior year’s model, since it’s $100 cheaper than the latest version. This is known as ‘mixing down.'”
“‘The smartphone could be going the way of the other mature consumer electronics devices, whereby the devices are replaced only when broken or incompatible with a large swath of user applications,’ wrote Barclays analyst Mark Moskowitz in a research note Tuesday,” Bary reports. “Moskowitz downgraded Apple shares to ‘equal weight’ in the report, meaning that he thinks investors should hold onto their Apple shares but not buy more. He set a price target of $117, 2.5% below Apple’s recent $120.”
“While Apple’s 10th anniversary edition of the iPhone will generate excitement when it comes out later this year, Moskowitz is concerned that Apple may try to introduce too many different models, confusing customers,” Bary reports. “Plus, in recent years, the new iPhones haven’t been much different than their predecessors, and it’s unclear whether the upcoming version will contain real ‘must have’ features.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Moskowitz is peddling pure tripe.
SEE ALSO:
Apple looks to reinvent Touch ID for next-gen iPhone – January 23, 2017
Analyst foresees Apple’s 10th anniversary ‘iPhone X’ to feature 5.8-inch OLED ‘fixed flex’ wraparound display – January 18, 2017
Apple supplier Japan Display wins $640 million from government-backed fund to boost OLED tech as Apple eyes new iPhone display – December 21, 2016
Apple’s next-gen flagship OLED iPhone is codenamed ‘Ferrari’ – December 20, 2016
How many times do these people have to hear the phrase “record numbers” before they figure out we just be some iPhone luvin freaks out here?
Fanboys don’t like to admit that Cook has released virtually the same phone for the last 3 product cycles.
I’m an iPhone 6S owner who also owned an iPhone 6 with 16GB of RAM. Thus I was forced to upgrade because greedy Cook was still selling iPhones with the bare minimum amount of storage to run iOS, even though he still wouldn’t allow us to delete the gigs of WORTHLESS Apple apps.
Now why in the world would I upgrade to the iPhone 7; unless I wanted to take advantage of brilliant Cook’s new feature… the removal of the 3.5mm jack, a feature I use daily by the way.
The truth is, incompetent Cook has released virtually the same iPhone for the past 3 product iterations. If he does it a 4th time it might actually get him in the book of world records!
Cook has released the same iPhone for 3 successive iterations. He is the laziest CEO in America. His laziness is only superseded by his overwhelming and unmitigated incompetence.
No wonder you don’t have a name. You don’t have a voice. Your stuff is outdated. Move on little troll. Let us play with our boring iPhone…
My guess : You don’t have a single Apple product.
Well you’re right. He has launched the same form factor three times. But it stops there. Sorry you can’t tell the difference.
Plus, no exploding!
She must have woke up with sand in her vagina. The only reasonable explanation I cann come up with.
@CC : “She must have woke up with sand in her vagina”.
You are so kind, should rub salt in it instead.
Last time I checked Emily’s still breathing the “same old boring way.” She still takes a dump the “same old boring way.” Toasters and ovens still work the “same old boring way.” Ditto microwave ovens, most cars, water faucets, ocean, refrigerators, etc.
These are the problems of geeks with too much time on their hands and spoiled rotten expecting miracles a couple times a year. Get a life and another job. Obviously this one’s boring you, and us.
Absolutely correct!
I have just upgraded Moskowitz to ‘equal weight’, which means he is as stupid or crooked (your pick), as the rest of the AAPL analysts.
The correct word is Anal-cyst
Software is a product.
Actually anal-ists.
Give me boring any day over exploding in a fireball.
Lol, Cookie knows the good times are about to hit a brick wall which is why he is selling shares like crazy.
And of course Barclay’s itself has a great reputation…
Barclays to pay largest civil fine in CFTC history
“As a result of instructions from Barclays’ senior management, the Bank routinely made artificially low LIBOR submissions to protect Barclays’ reputation from negative market and media perceptions concerning Barclays’ financial condition,” the CFTC said in a statement.
The LIBOR is an average rate set by banks each morning that measures how much they’re going to charge each other for loans. That rate, in turn, affects rates on many loans for consumers and businesses.
Barclays also agreed to pay $160 million as part of an agreement with the Justice Department’s criminal division on a related matter. It will also pay nearly $93 million to British regulators.
Emily Bary and Mark Moskowitz are exactly what’s wrong with the analyst set espousing the very thing they claim the Apple fan base is guilty of advocating and demanding: vast and breathtaking advances each and every year. Then, when they don’t see it, they “downgrade” Apple (and/or AAPL — the two are NOT the same).
Everyone (and I do mean everyone) should be OK with moderate, incremental upgrades on a yearly basis for a few years running then a major shift to “the next big thing” every 5-10 years. To demand “the next big thing” every year or even every three years is asinine. No company can do that, not even Apple.
As I’ve said here before, my biggest, current complaint about Apple is that they’re not doing that with anything other than the iPhone and to a slightly lesser extent the Apple Watch. It does not take a R&D budget the size of Apple’s to do this. Apple needs to keep continuously improving all its product lines. Then when Apple does release “the next big thing” it will actually be a big step forward rather than a catch up move.
The only new thing we need is an increase in quality of the apps on iOS and Mac.
That’s more important than features, which are OK if they work correctly, otherwise, don’t bother because all you are doing is pissing people off.
So: maybe lets try fewer features until Apple gets its feet back under it.
Apple: BEHIND THE CURVE as usual. And you fanboys and fangurls just keep taking it.