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Apple lacks strategic vision

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Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#171

Post by daft_pink »

NewJazz wrote: post #126
daft_pink wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think their problem is that laptops and computers are so well made these days that there is no real need or want to upgrade.

Haven't macs had that reputation for a while?

I had a Macbook Pro with a butterfly keyboard before and it was terrible and would break constantly and my Applecare was offered without accidental damage warranty and only lasted 3 years.

Now I have a MacBook Pro and I pay a small annual fee and have full coverage Applecare with accidental damage and if the battery goes out they replace it, etc. The only reason I would upgrade at this point would be for a built in cellular modem or face id.

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#172

Post by JustExAWS »

wolvesechoes wrote: post #169
scarface_74 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has 70% market share in phones in the US and even in other countries a large share of affluent users have iPhones.

Nice! I am not sure what does it have to do with my comment, but good to know.

1.5 billion active users worldwide and the most affluent user base is not “that many”?

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#173

Post by Jensson »

TingPing wrote: post #155
mg74 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where has the competition caught up? Arent Apple's chips still by far best-in-class from the laptop down to the watch? Its an honest question, I would love an arm based laptop running NixOS that is competitive with the upcoming M5 Pro's but I dont see it anywhere. Case in point: Google's newest Google TV box (released this year) is an absolute turd when compared with an 8 year old 4k Apple TV box.

The main innovation was buying all 3nm production from TSMC. Snapdragon chips on the same node perform as well.

The biggest stunt Apple pulled was making people think this is Apples new CPU designs that created the performance gap and not just buying all the production capacity for next gen fabs.

We used to get that same performance gain every few years just from regular process improvements, but this time Apple made it seem like it was Apple that made the gain and not the general world.

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#174

Post by xnx »

daft_pink wrote: post #115
NBJack wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But has Apple Silicon justified the investment? I don't doubt it's good tech, but the market share hasn't necessarily reflected it. In 2024, total shipped units dropped quite a bit. Judging by the available data, I wouldn't use the term "wildly successful" just yet (particularly if we account for pre/post pandemic sales).

I think their problem is that laptops and computers are so well made these days that there is no real need or want to upgrade.

Build quality is definitely factor, but that probably dates back to the 2008 unibody laptops. An equally big factor is that most specs have plateaued: retina screens can't get much better, SSD is fast enough for most data, processing is fast enough to play HD video. M1 was worthwhile upgrade for many because it improved battery life to be more phone-like.

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#176

Post by fullshark »

All these tech giants lack strategic vision, they build monopolies/moats and offload innovation to startups and then copy/acquire them when they gain traction to keep the party going.

There's no vision beyond defending the cashflow and squeezing it.

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#177

Post by jajuuka »

tracerbulletx wrote: post #10

There are a few hiccups, but everyone'e acting like Apple Silicon wasn't one of the most wildly successful overnight improvements in laptops in the last 50 years and that airpods aren't so popular that even Android phone users buy them.

Apple Silicon was only an improvement in battery life. AMD and Intel still made more powerful processors coupled with Nvidia and AMD GPUs that blew Apple Silicon out of the water. Also depends what you consider successful since Macbooks are still a small fraction of the laptop market.

Airpods being dominant is something from many years ago. Sony, Bose, even Samsung caught up quickly and offer much better integration since half the features are locked to iPhone only. Airpods were early to market and assisted by forcing users to buy them since their phones no longer had headphone jacks. Which boosts their word of mouth marketing.

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#178

Post by wolvesechoes »

JustExAWS wrote: post #172
wolvesechoes wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice! I am not sure what does it have to do with my comment, but good to know.

1.5 billion active users worldwide and the most affluent user base is not “that many”?

Think a little about the meaning of the phrase "Apple doesn't have that many customers, but has a lot of followers".

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#179

Post by jajuuka »

flohofwoe wrote: post #147

Apple not hopping on the AI hype train might actually turn out to be an advantage when the next AI winter arrives ;)

This reminds me of the "well Blackberry doesn't need to worry. People in business will still prefer Blackberry after the smart phone hype dies down."

Re: Apple lacks strategic vision

#180

Post by jajuuka »

xnx wrote: post #175

Apple stock is up ~1400% under Tim Cook. How much better do you think it would do with "strategic vision"?

This is by and large not because of him though. Tim was handed a golden goose with the iPhone and Mac line. Comparing Apple when Tim took over and Apple today and they are not very different. Still majority of revenue from iPhone sales. They have a couple new products now. The only way he could have failed is due to active sabotage.

Apple is "dominant" now in a couple spaces, but if they miss the next thing they will become the next Blackberry.

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