“At the company’s earnings call on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook was of course waving the flag high with record fiscal fourth quarter revenues but slightly lower gross margin numbers, down three percent year on year,” Dave Altavilla writes for Forbes. “Clearly, with new iPhones and iPads queued up for the holidays, Apple is focusing on volume and has to compete more than ever on price, in a market where competition and competitive offerings are growing like weeds in the orchard.”
“Beyond the usual chest-thumping of strong numbers, new operating systems and new devices, reading between the lines of Cook’s commentary yielded a definitive commitment to innovate new things. Then again, we really don’t have to read between the lines here much,” Altavilla writes. “Apple knows they have to strive to design and invent something truly new and ground-breaking. Not since the original launch of the iPad, has Apple defined a product category with the kind of complete dominance and almost reinvention of a computing usage model, as they did with their first devices.”
Altavilla writes, “They’ve got a 64-bit OS and processors now that will allow them to implement a robust platform across a multitude of devices, systems and usage models, from wearable computing to handsets, tablets, notebooks and your home.”
Read more in the full article here.
It took ten years to lay the foundation for the overnight blockbuster known as the iPhone, everything from iPods, to iTunes, to iTunes Media Store, to iTunes Windows to Apple retail, etc. from 1997 – 2007.
With the latest products, I really get the feeling that Apple is waiting to finish building the foundation for their next blockbuster.
So, basically, even though the vast majority of people don’t see what Apple has released this fall as revolutionary or groundbreaking, Apple has really set the stage for some massive products in the year to come. They had to lay the foundation first (with the 64-bit iPhone, iPads, and iOS, the M7 motion coprocessor, etc.) before they could release devices that, to live up to Apple’s high standards, would depend on such technologies.
Sounds about right. The majority of lackwit commentators may not see what’s going on, but Apple will come out ahead next year because they actually plan for their own future rather than reacting to what the rest of the market is doing.
And even if Steve was still with us, the gameplan would be the same. There’s no whiz bang “One more thing” that Apple would’ve released this year or the previous if he was around. We’d see headlines like “Has Steve Jobs Lost It?”, “Does Steve Jobs Have Another ‘One More Thing’ in Him?” from our imbecilic media that expects Apple to change the world every two years.
Tim Cook is patiently building the foundation for the future while ensuring that new products are as perfect as current conditions permit, the same way Steve did.
Bingo. I didn’t pay close attention to Apple prior to Steve’s death, but I imagine the immense amount of FUD we see today is neither more prevalent nor different in nature and tone than they were since Steve’s return to the company in the ’90s. These journalists and analysts push the same tired narrative with Apple because it’s all they know, even though the evidence to the contrary slaps them in the face on a daily basis. Sure, details and rumors change, but overall … it’s the same story, and it’s still just as wrong as it ever was. Correct?
Let’s remember that Steve left a five year product roadmap. Cook is managing the details, but the product stream for the last two years and the next couple at least was Steve’s doing. The Cook haters conveniently forget this.
“Apple is focusing on volume and has to compete more than ever on price” What, id Apple lower their prices? No. Did they have some big Sale? No. The lower margins were due to higher parts, shipping, assembly costs and some currency conversion that were not passed on to the consumer till the recent updates. They did not suddenly go Oh no our competition is selling cheaper products we need to lower the price and loose margin.
Ya gotta watch those “loose” margins or they will git away on ya.
“…likes weeds in the orchard.”
Hmm. I don’t think the Apple tree needs to worry about the dandelions.
These analyst and media reports about Apple, and whether they are or aren’t innovating, or innovating enough, or whatever, rather makes me think of an old simile, comparing Apple with a swan, which glides serenely along, stately and graceful, apparently doing very little, whereas below the surface it’s paddling away like an absolute bastard!
When you say ‘groundbreaking’ a lot of these writers think you’re talking about shovels.
With the release of ultra-light iPad Airs and better TimeCapsule WiFi & AppleTV with a follow on MacPro adding to a very competent iMac, apple is supporting audio-video content creation, manipulation and viewing for business and home.
What is missing? The easy to use cable/data connection system and a big screen to show it. At this point I don’t think it takes a genius to see what Apple is going to throw onto the gaming table next year.
there is still time to execute an “october surprise” and once again, show the world what they have in them, late enough for NOONE to be able to copy for the holidays THIS YEAR! (at least accept pre-orders and send a classy, apple-esque (liquid metal?) gift certificate for some lucky barstard to open christmas day!)
With the plain old iPad now called iPad Air, does anyone else see a larger iPad Pro appearing anytime?
Pukima ipad launch but aku kena red light cannot buy cannot sell. Really very cb