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Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

nytimes.com

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Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#101

Post by merpnderp »

wcfields wrote: post #62
rubicon33 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And they will continue to decline as long as a $200 Android phone can do literally ~95% of what a $1400 iPhone can do. Seriously, there's just no good reason for a general consumer to purchase an iPhone today. Build quality on the Android devices even in the $200 realm are damn near what the iPhone offers. For the record: I've used iPhones since 2010. I've never had an Android until this year. It came time to upgrade…

Disagree that iPhone users are going from a previously $700 phone to a “free when you switch carriers” Android. More so that someone with a 6S or better has little reason to upgrade; the improvements have been incremental.

Same story here. Although 6 years ago I remember catching flak for buying an iPad over an Amazon tablet. Course my iPad is still going strong, but has been relegated to backup after a new iPad purchase. Those 6 year old Amazon tablets are in a dump somewhere.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#102

Post by jknoepfler »

situational87 wrote: post #100
vannevar wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still, the company hasn't released an innovative hardware product since 2008. That's a long time for them. If Apple can't innovate anymore, regardless of whether they have continued financial success, are they still really Apple?

They increased their spending on R&D by $500 million since last year. They then spent $17 BILLION on share buybacks in the last quarter. It's not a tech company anymore it's just a financial engineering scheme for large shareholders. If you're a shareholder, good for you!

those are obviously not meaningfully commensureable numbers.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#103

Post by mr_crankypants »

whatshisface wrote: post #72
mr_crankypants wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems that the endgame we're unwittingly asking for is WALL-E .

The hitch in that plan is that only one company can have their P/E ratio justified by being Buy-n-Large 100 years from now.

I suspect that that fact and our beliefs around it are being reflected in market prices, albeit with some heavy discounting for the uncertainty inherent in there still being so many companies out there.

So many people's first instinct to respond by buying more shares of that company, thereby driving its price and market cap higher. That's a reaction that implies that we think that the general trend is toward Buy-n-Large. If we expected regression to the mean to be the driving phenomenon, then we'd be more likely to respond by selling.

(Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting that's actually how things work, just that a lot of us behave as if we think that's how it works, or should work.)

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#105

Post by rubicon33 »

ballenf wrote: post #65
rubicon33 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And they will continue to decline as long as a $200 Android phone can do literally ~95% of what a $1400 iPhone can do. Seriously, there's just no good reason for a general consumer to purchase an iPhone today. Build quality on the Android devices even in the $200 realm are damn near what the iPhone offers. For the record: I've used iPhones since 2010. I've never had an Android until this year. It came time to upgrade…

And my Toyota can literally do 99% of what your BMW can do. BMW is obviously screwed.

Did you miss this?

> Build quality on the Android devices even in the $200 realm are damn near what the iPhone offers.

It's not just the software. I'm guessing you haven't used any of the new + cheap Android phones? They might surprise you.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#106

Post by lern_too_spel »

snazz wrote: post #79
toper-centage wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So it's a mix of Stockholm syndrome and lazyness to change and tweak the system a bit in a more privacy friendly way.

Unlocking the bootloader, flashing TWRP, and installing LineageOS without Google Play Services is roughly equivalent in privacy to an iPhone. I wouldn’t blame my grandma for choosing to buy an iPhone instead!

A phone with Google Play Services collects less data than an iPhone.

To wit: Apple knows every app you ever downloaded, and there is nothing you can do about it. Every time you click on an address link, it sends the address to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. Any time an app looks up your GPS location, that location is sent to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. If you want to write apps for your own device, you need to give card details to Apple, and there is nothing you can do about it. A phone with Google Play services doesn't suffer from any of these problems.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#107

Post by situational87 »

jknoepfler wrote: post #102
situational87 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They increased their spending on R&D by $500 million since last year. They then spent $17 BILLION on share buybacks in the last quarter. It's not a tech company anymore it's just a financial engineering scheme for large shareholders. If you're a shareholder, good for you!

those are obviously not meaningfully commensureable numbers.

Why not? They can spend their money however they want, but Wall Street demands endless share buybacks over everything else.

Do you think there is any downside to just transferring wealth to the (already rich) shareholders over and over and over again? Seems to be their top priority nowadays.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#108

Post by [deleted] »

zepto wrote: post #98
vannevar wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still, the company hasn't released an innovative hardware product since 2008. That's a long time for them. If Apple can't innovate anymore, regardless of whether they have continued financial success, are they still really Apple?

Ignoring the Apple Watch, which dominates the category and is a clear success.

[deleted]

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#109

Post by r00fus »

immichaelwang wrote: post #2

Apple needs new sources of revenue. Anything marginal like cheaper iphone models won't cut it. I like the recent wave of acquisitions. Smart cars? Smart homes? Iterations of Apple Watch - deeper connection to the body itself? What's next for them?

When Ahrendts was first hired, everyone thought Apple would go into tech jewelry/fashion.

While Apple Watch "edition" was a bust, the concept of designer straps and iPhone accessories is still strong.

Apple is like the IKEA of tech + fashion.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#110

Post by yibg »

rubicon33 wrote: post #105
ballenf wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And my Toyota can literally do 99% of what your BMW can do. BMW is obviously screwed.

Did you miss this? > Build quality on the Android devices even in the $200 realm are damn near what the iPhone offers. It's not just the software. I'm guessing you haven't used any of the new + cheap Android phones? They might surprise you.

In many cases quality for a Toyota is superior to a BMW. Try maintaining a BMW that’s over 5 years old compared to a Toyota.
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