Is Apple Losing It's Shine?
I originally predicted the end of Apple when Steve Jobs died. Somehow, a cutting-edge company needs a visionary leader, even if that person has his deficiencies. For it is the nature of the beast - the Tech industry.
If you look at Tim Cook, his main contribution was the shift from in-house production of Apple products to that of contract manufacturing. He rose from Senior Vice President for worldwide operations to Lead Operations, and eventually, Chief Executive Officer.
While Steve Jobs did his best to steady the ship, and envision the new product roadmap, even as his health began to fail, the envisioned map can only predict markets in the next few years at most. After all, no matter how smart and visionary one is, one is seldom able to predict innovations and consumer acceptance with 100% accuracy (and markets are very unforgiving about such mistakes).
Cook has led Apple since 2011, so it has been more than five years at this stage, and perhaps it is a good time to take stock. Since 2011, we have not really seen much innovation in the products.
The change in vision for the Mac Pro (to the trash-can design) was poorly-received by users and analysts. The iMac and Mac Mini have not really changed, save for processor upgrades and the like. Even the changes in the MacBook mobile line has been more evolutionary than revolutionary.
The iPad also has not changed drastically, over the ensuing years, save for the various size options (with the introduction of the mini and Pro lines). The iPod line introduced a larger screen for the nano in 2012, with no changes in the shuffle. No wonder both nano and shuffle have been discontinued, as Apple struggles to find a way to transform the product that totally changed Apple at one time.
Even the iPhone (another legendary Apple product that transformed the mobile phone industry), has started to look tired of late. The iPhone 7 generally "underwhelmed" analysts and consumers alike, with the biggest change remembered as the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
There is the Apple Watch, but it has struggled to make its mark as more than a niche product.
Perhaps I am being slightly too harsh on Apple, since they did announce some new innovations during their last Developers Conference. No, I am not talking about the HomePod, which seems to be playing catch-up with Amazon and Google. I refer to the new file system, and the VR kit. Let us hope that Apple's bets take off, because too much of recent products have focused too much on the aesthetics, and put actual functionality in the back-seat.
Take the removal of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 design. You are settled with Bluetooth and its shortcomings (without aptX due to their current dispute with Qualcomm), a dongle (that Apple supplies with the iPhone 7) with a lousier DAC (and sound quality) than the iPhone 6s, or having to lug along an external DAC (the Audioquest Dragonfly is the smallest of the lot). The funny thing is that the iPhone 7 still contains a DAC, which it uses for the internal speakers, but you need to spend another US$100 to get sound that betters your previous iPhone 6s.
Or take the current MacBook, which only has one USB-C port, making it necessary for users to invest in a hub of sorts, and to carry it around. The 13" MacBook Pro is hardly any better, with 2 USB-C ports. Only the 15" model manages 4 ports.
Having been an Apple fan-boy since the early 1990s, I have never been more keen than now, to defect from the Apple bandwagon. The question is what alternatives I have on the market?