During a recent discussion with friends, the topic of Apple’s ongoing innovation and whether the company is facing a decline became a point of lively debate. Despite Apple’s impressive financial strength, there was a consensus among my friends that the company may no longer be the innovation powerhouse it once was.
We reminisced about Apple’s remarkable history, from the groundbreaking Macintosh to the iconic iMac, iPod, and iPhone, which have set the bar for innovation in the tech industry. However, there was a shared sentiment that this trailblazing spirit seemed to have dimmed in recent years.
Our conversation centered on three key factors. Firstly, we discussed the gradual evolution of Apple’s existing product lines, which led us to ponder whether the company was slowing down in terms of innovation. Secondly, the absence of recent disruptive innovations, similar to those seen in the past, was seen as a potential sign of decline. Lastly, we explored the perception that Apple’s profit motives may have taken precedence over its innovation goals, which added to our concerns. The issues surrounding product reliability and increasing customer dissatisfaction were also touched upon.
However, we didn’t disregard the fact that Apple has made significant strides in specific areas. Innovations such as Apple Silicon for Macs, improvements in the iPad line, and the widespread popularity of AirPods were brought up during our conversation as examples of Apple’s ongoing creative efforts.
Our discussion revealed that while Apple faces criticism for its perceived decline in innovation in certain key areas, it is clear that opinions on the subject are varied among my friends, and we believe the company is not in immediate jeopardy of decline.
Comments
My thoughts
I too do not believe Apple is in jeopardy of dying any time soon. I'd say the product categories that make up the majority of their portfolio, computers, phones, tablets, etc, have been around long enough to where the pace of innovation has slowed, with increasingly incremental updates year over year. This is a phenomenon I've observed to one degree or another not just with Apple, but with other companies in this space.
At any given point in tech history, companies, journalists and other interested parties are after "The next big thing." Examples of possibilities for the next big thing I've heard cited in recent years include generative AI, mixed reality and the metaverse, cryptocurrency, and autonomous driving. Ten to Fifteen years ago, it was largely smartphones, apps, and social media, and twenty-five to thirty years ago, it was the Internet. I believe the key for any company looking to innovate in any exciting, forward-looking field is to be able to transcend the hype, and create products with well conceived and marketed use cases that maintains public interest after the initial introduction of the technology has passed and the news cycle has moved on.
Global Human Overpopulation, Global warming, and mass extinction
For what it's worth . . ..
Apple won't die as a result of its own efforts. It will die as a result of Humanity's.
Joy!
Bruce
Well, I doubt Apple will be with us for that long...
Yes, it still promotes its products and targets relatively wealthy consumers many of which brag about the Apple products they own regardless of how well they actually work, but apparently the Applevis community or those with disabilities are not the only ones complaining about the ever increasing number of bugs and the company becoming less innovative and more focused on promotion.
Something Else to Consider
You also have to consider that one reason Apple may be seeing a decline in their innovativeness is that they are not focused on their strengths anymore. Instead of keeping their focus on where it belongs, that is computers, and doing everything they can to push the technology envelope, they are now branching out to speakers, headphones, and, of course, let us not forget their main strength, television programming. I suppose next they'll be trying to take over Amazon too, and there are rumors that Apple could be poised to buy a bunch of shares in Disney. So yeah, Apple is certainly focused on expansion over quality. Just my opinion.
And then there's this alleged game changer: Reality OS.
This new operating system will allegedly be a game changer and reshape how we use our devices, but my observation is that it is no longer as popular as it was when first introduced. Perhaps it just couldn't keep everyone's attention and focus on itself for long enough?
Reality OS
All we need is sighted people even more oblivious when they are out and about. I'm sure the reality OS will absolutely encourage awareness of one's surroundings.
Definitely AI, heading toward implants
Innovation isn't that difficult. The problem Apple faces is its management philosophy. If and when they return to customer satisfaction as priority number one, Apple will be fine. Until then, dissatisfaction will grow until present management is ousted. After that, Apple's future will simply depend on whether Apple ends up with an idiot like twitter's, or someone sane like whom Apple used to have.
Disney
The Disney thing shouldn't be surprising. There was a time when Steve Jobs was the single largest shareholder of Disney. 🤷🏻♂️