“Have you heard the latest updates about the upcoming Apple (AAPL) iWatch? Some sources are reporting that the hotly awaited wearable device will begin production in a Taiwanese factory in July,” Jonas Elmerraji writes for Stockpickr. “That’s just weeks away!”
“But I’m not here to talk about the iWatch today. Apple hasn’t even announced the thing yet, and I don’t know any more about it than you do. More important, the existence of an iWatch doesn’t change the key takeaway in Apple’s stock right now: It still makes a lot of sense to be a buyer here,” Elmerraji writes. “That’s because Apple’s ‘next big thing’ is hidden in plain sight. And it could be the most important catalyst that no one is talking about right now.”
“Continuity has lacked a lot of hype because it’s simply a logical next step for the firm’s Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. Devices already talk to one another to some extent right now, and Continuity’s features (such as Handoff, shared calling and Instant Hotspot) merely make the process more seamless than ever before. But the new features do speak to a bigger driver of sales growth for Apple in the years to come,” Elmerraji writes. “By incentivizing its niche of spend-happy consumers to stay within the Apple ecosystem, Apple becomes one of the few device makers with a truly deep moat. Think about that for a moment. Switching to Android becomes a much less appealing proposition if you lose major functionality with your laptop and tablet — and who knows which other devices in the future. That’s the direction Apple is moving in. In fact, it’s the direction that Apple has always been moving in.”
“And by controlling every piece of the equation (both hardware and software for phones, PCs and tablets), Apple is uniquely able to deliver a customer experience that’s greater than the sum of those parts,” Elmerraji writes. “Continuity might not get the same attention as an iWatch or iToasterOven, but it and its sister technologies are likely to contribute to the sales of Apple’s “next big thing” far more than analysts are giving credit for… iWatch or not, the conclusion for investors should be the same: to buy shares of Apple in 2014.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David E.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Apple may support Continuity/Handoff for older Macs with Bluetooth LE adapters – June 20, 2014
Continuity: Yosemite’s coolest feature may not be available to all Mac users – June 16, 2014
Here’s the full list of OS X Yosemite-compatible Macs and iOS 8-compatible Apple devices – June 4, 2014
All-Apple product users have a distinct advantage over others with seamless Continuity – June 5, 2014
OS X Yosemite first look video: Handoff – June 5, 2014
Why Apple’s Continuity for Mac, iPad, and iPhone is great for investors – June 4, 2014
Continuity: Apple is now moving in new directions and beyond where Steve Jobs might have gone – June 3, 2014
At WWDC 2014, Apple unleashes thermonuclear war against Android – June 3, 2014
Why developers are going nuts over Apple’s new ‘Swift’ programming language – June 3, 2014
Apple just delivered a knockout blow to Android with iOS 8 – June 2, 2014
Xcode 6 features resizable device simulators, paving way for iPhones with new screen sizes – June 2, 2014
WWDC 2014: Apple sets the scene for its next decade – June 2, 2014
Apple unveils new versions of OS X and iOS, major iCloud update with iCloud Drive – June 2, 2014
Apple’S WWDC news bores investors, not developers – June 2, 2014
Apple’s HealthKit aims to unite wearables and fitness apps – June 2, 2014
Apple releases iOS 8 SDK with over 4,000 new APIs – June 2, 2014
Apple unveils iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store – June 2, 2014
Apple announces OS X Yosemite for Macintosh – June 2, 2014
Good points all. I’m quite happy and safe inside the walled Apple ecosystem. It’s getting more dangerous outside those walls every day. And it’s only going to get worse.
I agree that Continuity is an attractive new feature. However, I do not perceive it to be as Earth-shattering as does Mr. Elmerraji because Apple already has a pretty deep moat around its ecosystem. The Continuity function will make it a bit wider and deeper, but that is not unusual for Apple.
There are a lot of potential Apple game-changers bouncing around right now – new materials (sapphire and LM), mobile payment systems/iBeacon, Swift (anything that excites developers and entices them to focus on iOS), and so on. I have said it before and I will say it again: This is a great time to be an Apple fan!
It may not be earth shattering, but the margins on Macs are probably bigger than on iWatch. So even if less people buy Macs to go with their iOS devices than iWatches, the increase in revenues to Apple would be greater. And a lot of people will buy both a Mac and an iWatch.
Continuty is the start of something that will exert profound influences on consumers’ purchasing decisions. To offer up sapphire screens and liquid metal etc as comparable innovations is a trifle ridiculous.
No other company can compete with Continuity because no other company is making the definitive best-of-breed devices in the phone/PC/tablet markets. No other company can offer seamless inter-operability between quality versions of these three devices.
It works, each device offered is the best in its class and so, for the smart buyer, Apple phones/PCs/tablets become the only choice; the quality choice, the safe choice, the ‘no regrets’ choice, the value for money choice etc.
Simple. Differentiation. Outpacing the competition. Going where others cannot follow except through partnership collaborations which are usually bad news when things go wrong.
I’m thinking handoff with an A7 (or 8) powered Apple TV. Add Metal to the equation and something truly special emerges
Controlling every piece of hardware and software is a missed opportunity of historic proportions and can be laid at the feet of Steve Jobs when he basically abandoned the chance to seize the entire market and declared real, desktop computers to be “trucks” and converted Apple Inc. into a mobile device company. Of course Tim Cook hadn’t a clue of how to recover from that blunder. So, we have a bunch of gadgets competing with an ever increasing bunch of gadgets not as good as Apple’s but seizing a consumer who doesn’t care. Sad, sad day lost and no iWatch will do anything more.
Apple is going after the entire (quality) “truck” market with Mac Pro, Continuity and fast evolving Mac OS development tools.
The only “blunder” I am aware of is accidentally becoming the most valuable company in the world.
*Ba-Dum-Ba!*
Jay will be here all week folks! Be sure to come back and hear his latest comedy routine about Apple’s impending DOOM. Sponsored by your friends at Samsung.
Switching to Android becomes a much less appealing proposition if you lose major functionality with your laptop and tablet
You also lose substantial SECURITY but jumping to Android. The mountain of Android security FAILs only gets higher:
Secret keys stashed in Google Play apps pose risk to Android users, developers
World’s most pricey trojan is veritable Swiss Army knife targeting Android
. . .
… “BY jumping to Android.” Caffeine
running
out
of
veins
sssstoppppp
zzzzz
I agree. It’s huge. Continuity for the business sector alone will change the way work is done and increase productivity… and it is just a starting point. Being able to take a call on a computer is something everyone will want to try and it just adds the ability to multitask on whatever iDevice happens to be at your disposal. I can see this taking off big time. This is a very practical and user friendly idea whose time has come. A typical Apple caveat.
These self playing ads have to go. Otherwise no more MDN at work.