Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

221–230 of 527 posts

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#221

Post by SkyMarshal »

imagetic wrote: post #161
tptacek wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I would think a company with the resources Apple has would be willing to invest more in loss leaders that keep users fully in the Apple ecosystem, or in products which may contribute in small ways to their bottom line, like Macs. They can afford to make their primary metric market share, rather than profit.

iOS can't replace Mac OS (yet) for serious work. So instead of letting Macs atrophy, they should invest in making Macs the best possible desktop and laptop computers for serious work. Own whatever amount of that market they can. Keep those users in the Apple ecosystem.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#222

Post by garysahota93 »

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

They are basically telling us "You can't escape our future"

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#223

Post by vannevar »

scarface74 wrote: post #134
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?

So who is releasing “innovative hardware”? But to your point, since 2008: - Mac revenue has grown - iPad was introduced and by itself its revenue and more than likely profit is something that any company would kill for. - the Apple Watch was introduced and all indications it’s bigger than the iPod ever was.

I'm not saying Apple isn't successful. In fact, that's my point: they're clearly releasing solid products. But they aren't the category-killers that the company's reputation for innovation is built on. There have been rumors of new innovations (reinventing TV, an Apple Car, augmented reality) but none have materialized.

Regardless of whether you agree they haven't been innovating, my question stands: if they stop innovating, but remain financially successful, will they still be Apple?

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#224

Post by echelon »

dkonofalski wrote: post #202
hanniabu wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They removed the escape key? What the..... I'm never going to retire my 2013 MBP at this rate.

They didn't remove it, at least not functionally. There's still an ESC, it's just on the Touch Bar now.

That's not an escape key. Please don't apologize for this.

I use vim and switch between a butterfly/touchbar Mac (work machine) and a Thinkpad (personal machine). Using the Mac keyboard has actually negatively impacted my typing speed when I use other systems! I remapped my vim keybindings, and now my muscle memory has atrophied.

This dumb machine has actually made me a worse typist. I am so frustrated.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#225

Post by scarface74 »

megaremote wrote: post #218
scarface74 wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the case of iOS devices, Apple just released a series of patches for devices back to the iPhone 4s that was introduced in 2011.

And they only just stopped supporting 2009 imacs.

I was purposefully leaving Macs out. My 2006 era Core Duo Mac Mini stopped being supported in 2008 (?). I was able to install Windows 7 on it, give it to my mom and it will still be supported until 2020 by Microsoft...

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#226

Post by vannevar »

reaperducer wrote: post #186
vannevar wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair, but the Apple Watch has largely been an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. You could also point to AirPods. They sold a lot of them because a lot of people had iPhones. But neither is anything like the iPhone or the Mac in terms of defining a product category. Eventually, the Apple Watch is just going to be an iPhone on your wrist. More of a derivative, like the iPad.

the Apple Watch has largely been an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product The Apple Watch does not need an iPhone to function. You could also point to AirPods. They sold a lot of them because a lot of people had iPhones AirPods work with any Bluetooth device, not just iPhones.

But in both cases, the overwhelming majority of people that get them have iPhones, because there is additional and important functionality that comes with the connection.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#227

Post by scarface74 »

vannevar wrote: post #223
scarface74 wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So who is releasing “innovative hardware”? But to your point, since 2008: - Mac revenue has grown - iPad was introduced and by itself its revenue and more than likely profit is something that any company would kill for. - the Apple Watch was introduced and all indications it’s bigger than the iPod ever was.

I'm not saying Apple isn't successful. In fact, that's my point: they're clearly releasing solid products. But they aren't the category-killers that the company's reputation for innovation is built on. There have been rumors of new innovations (reinventing TV, an Apple Car, augmented reality) but none have materialized. Regardless of whether you agree they haven't been innovating, my question stands: if they stop inn…

The TV is a low margin, bulky product with a very long replacement cycle. Nothing about that market is desirable.

Besides, people are spending less screen time on televisions every year and more on portable devices.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#228

Post by ubercow13 »

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…

Budget Android phones like that might last 1/5th as long as an iPhone though, in terms of security updates.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#229

Post by vannevar »

zepto wrote: post #139
vannevar wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair, but the Apple Watch has largely been an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. You could also point to AirPods. They sold a lot of them because a lot of people had iPhones. But neither is anything like the iPhone or the Mac in terms of defining a product category. Eventually, the Apple Watch is just going to be an iPhone on your wrist. More of a derivative, like the iPad.

The iPod started off as a Mac accessory and ended up transforming multiple industries. The iPhone was a Mac derivative and computer accessory that required iTunes to even work but became the most successful product in all of human history. You could call it just a ‘mac in your pocket’ but it would still be the most successful products The watch is on a similar trajectory.

True. But the iPod and iPhone were functionally very distinct from the Mac. The Apple Watch seems more like a convenient extension that eliminates the need to pull your phone out, but not much more than that, at least in its first few years of existence. Apple is clearly gearing it up to replace the iPhone, but that trajectory has been evolutionary, not revolutionary.

Re: Apple Reports Declining Profits and Slowing Growth Again

#230

Post by vannevar »

scarface74 wrote: post #137
vannevar wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair, but the Apple Watch has largely been an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. You could also point to AirPods. They sold a lot of them because a lot of people had iPhones. But neither is anything like the iPhone or the Mac in terms of defining a product category. Eventually, the Apple Watch is just going to be an iPhone on your wrist. More of a derivative, like the iPad.

So what “category defining” successful electronic product has any company introduced since 2008?

The Echo.
Post reply on HN