Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the leading companies in the technology sector. Ever since Steve Jobs’s revolutionary introduction of the iPhone in 2007, Apple has risen in stature for both investors and consumers. The company has enjoyed a lot of success after the release of its iPhone and iPad; however, Apple’s dominance started to fade away after competitors like Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KRX:005935)came into the market, with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)‘s Android platform as their major strength.
The iPhone and iPad were definitely revolutionary products in the technology sector, with Apple gaining the first player advantage in next-generation touch-screen smartphones. Today’s Apple products are more evolutionary than revolutionary, which is one of the reasons why some consumers have had enough of Apple’s product line.
Hating Apple as a Consumer
A lot of Apple consumers will disagree with me, but Apple has not been the most innovative company this year. Yes, the company has released some brilliant products including its 5 generations of iPhones; however, innovation has not played a major part.
In the graph above (source: forbes.com), you can see that Apple’s innovation started to fade away after 2010. This is the time period when Apple’s iPhone line had already achieved success, and the iPad had already hit the stores. Apple’s latest tablets and smartphones are not based on new concepts; they’re based on that legendary 2007 event, along with a smattering of innovation.
Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry’s CEO, recently said that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is “old.” He said that the company did a fantastic job in bringing touchscreen smartphones into the market, and he respected the company for its brilliant software. Heins also stated that Apple’s software is now five years old, and that Apple has not innovated in the same speed as it did five years ago. Even though BlackBerry might be going toward a slump of its own, I definitely agree with Heins’s speech. The innovation in the tech industry has been too quick, and failing to innovate at a similar speed can crush companies.
As of now, I’m not a fan of Apple products, mainly because I believe Apple’s next-generation products are just slightly modified versions of its first-generation products, like the iPhone and iPad.
A lot of analysts have been predicting, especially after the release of the Samsung’s Galaxy S IV, that the iPhone 5’s sales will fall below expectations. Basically, consumers want something unique, and if Apple’s next iPhone and iPad are modified versions of the iPhone 5 and iPad 4, then I just don’t see consumers buying Apple’s next-generation devices on account of a few software additions (like the previously introduced Siri and maps).
Loving Apple as an Investor
As an investor, I’m a big fan of Apple. Even though the company might not be the most innovative company in the world, it is a global brand.
Source: Nasdaq.com
