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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

#161

Post by imagetic »

tptacek wrote: post #154
gonational wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If one of these major launches is a MacBook Pro with the same (or better) specs (esp video graphics) as their latest MacBook Pro, but without a TouchBar, they will get at least $2,500 from me. If one of these major launches is an iPhone X-like phone with a thumbprint reader (home button or otherwise), they will get at least another $1,000 from me.

The entire Mac platform is less than 10% of their revenue, for what it's worth.

That's always the argument from the business standpoint. How much of their ecosystem is on a foundation of professional Mac users? A majority of the professionals I know won't buy the current touchbar model MacBook Pro. Does that market even matter anymore?

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#162

Post by comeonman1 »

dkarl wrote: post #116
mythz wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was an early adopter of iPhone X and the following year with XS Max, from my experience any unfamiliarity with FaceID is extremely short-lived, I wouldn't go back to a home button which feels archaic at this point and unnecessarily takes up valuable real-estate that should go towards a larger screen. The gestures also become fluid and second nature after a while. Even the next Pixel4 is moving to using FaceID, goin…

I like the gestures, but the unpredictability of when FaceID is going to work is maddening. Sometimes it works with sunglasses, sometimes not. Sometimes it works in the dim light of my bedroom, sometimes not. Sometimes it works when I absolutely don't expect it (half my face hidden in my pillow, towel wrapped around my face, complete darkness with face illuminated only by my lock screen) which only fools me into half…

TouchID improved over time/iterations, as will FaceID. Can't be stuck in the present.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#163

Post by mruts »

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.

Veblen goods (which you good argue an iPhone is) are very sticky and very profitable. To say that veblen goods shouldn't exist is kind of missing the point.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#164

Post by 0xffff2 »

pas wrote: post #156
gonational wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If one of these major launches is a MacBook Pro with the same (or better) specs (esp video graphics) as their latest MacBook Pro, but without a TouchBar, they will get at least $2,500 from me. If one of these major launches is an iPhone X-like phone with a thumbprint reader (home button or otherwise), they will get at least another $1,000 from me.

Have you considered spending less on Apple stuff and more on planting trees (or otherwise advocating for reduced GHG emissions)? (Serious and sincere question.)

Have you considered that your question is a non-sequitur? Short of quitting my job and becoming a subsistence farmer, my company is going to supply me with a computer and a phone for the foreseeable future. The exact nature of those devices isn't really important. They're going to exist and they're going to cost the same order of magnitude as a Macbook Pro and an iPhone.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#165

Post by brian-armstrong »

S_A_P wrote: post #32

I have thought long and hard about upgrading my iPhone 8 to one of the new X models, but I don't like the lack of a home button. I guess I am officially old now, but I dont want to look at my phone to unlock it. I like that I can reach in my pocket, and unlock it with my thumb as I retrieve it. It may be user error, but I see several co-workers have to really train the phone on their face to unlock with Face ID. That…

I'm fairly shocked to find that a community of seemingly technically competent people would forfeit their 4th amendment rights in order to save a few seconds keying in a passcode. This small detail feels like a microcosm of tech in general currently :/

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#166

Post by dumg »

rootusrootus wrote: post #117
MaysonL wrote: post #8

And the stock increased over 4% in after-hours trading, as increases in non-iPhone hardware sales and services overcame the decrease in iPhone sales. Earnings per share slightly beat the consensus forecast. An interesting quote from Cook in the press release: "The balance of calendar 2019 will be an exciting period, with major launches on all of our platforms, new services and several new products"

Yet another lesson that stock pricing is about predicting the future, not reacting to quarterly reports.

I can argue that in the last 10 years, the stock price for non-payers of dividends is no longer a function of KPIs. Take for example Pinterest. It was offloaded to the stock market when KPIs have been dropping for a very long time [1]. The company is likely doomed. Yet the stock is above the IPO [2].

1. https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=p...

2. https://robinhood.com/stocks/PINS [1Y]

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#167

Post by rimliu »

threeseed wrote: post #36
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?

Services, AR Glasses and the Apple Car. Apple Arcade looks surprisingly interesting given they will support PS4/XBox controllers and the trend moves towards streaming gaming. AppleTV+ will do well if they can intelligently bundle it with Apple Music and you never know could have a breakout hit. AR Glasses and the Apple Car are clearly being worked on given acquisitions but both are many years out.

Who needs AR glasses? I don't doubt some geeks want them, and they can be useful for some jobs, otherwise Google already has shown how it will go.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#168

Post by Rebelgecko »

koolba wrote: post #148
noncoml wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t even mind the touchbar. Just give me back the Escape key!

I thought this was a joke as I haven’t used a recent Mac in a while but apparently it’s not. There really isn’t an escape key! https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207358

It's extra fun when touchbaragent hangs and you can't force quit anything

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#169

Post by pas »

noitsnot wrote: post #124
ceezuns wrote: post #94

I don't understand why these articles think that people will just keep buying, like in the past decade the lifespan of devices has become bigger and bigger. I'm typing this post on a 2013 Macbook and I'm sure a lot of other users are using older laptops than that, that run perfectly fine. Like does the media just expect people to be buying new stuff again and again? I don't know if I'm just missing the point or somet…

2012 Macbook Pro here. Works like I just bought it. 5G is apparently the reason next year for your phone upgrade. I'm not sure how anyone will notice the difference, not to mention plans being throttled to death to begin with.

Not everywhere. Just the US seems to be stuck in throttle limbo. And already Apple has a very large userbase outside of the US.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#170

Post by scarface74 »

rubicon33 wrote: post #53
skrowl wrote: post #23

iPhone sales continues to decline (down another 13% vs this quarter last year), but services are making up for it

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…

I bought my son a $200 Moto G. It was suppose to be one of the best midrange phones. It sucked in so many ways. He was glad to “upgrade” to my old iPhone 6s that was three years older. Even now, four years later, the 6s runs rings around newer midrange Android phones.
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