Ondrej Holzman It's a situation that repeats itself year after year. As soon as Apple announces that it will introduce new products, the world is suddenly flooded with speculation and guaranteed news about what new thing with the bitten apple logo we can look forward to. Often, however, Apple will blow up everyone's pond and introduce something quite different. The fans then get angry, but at the same time they are standing in line in a few days for a new product that they didn't really want at all and didn't even like at first...
This has been the case with the iPad in recent years, and it was even more striking with the iPad mini.
Rather than the fact that Apple represents what people ultimately love anyway, today I would like to focus on a slightly different phenomenon of today. In English, it is most succinctly described by the connection Apple is doomed, loosely translated as Apple has it figured out. In the past few months, there have been perhaps more articles on this topic than in the past decade combined. Sensationalist journalists compete with each other to condemn Apple more, to excoriate it, and often the only thing they care about is readership. An article that has the word in the title Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), and what's more, with a negative coloring - it's true - it will ensure a large readership today.
A catalyst for a phenomenon Apple is doomed was certainly the death of Steve Jobs, after which questions logically arose as to whether Apple could manage without him, whether it could still be the leading innovator of the technological world and whether it would ever be able to come up with groundbreaking products like the iPhone or iPad. At that moment, it was easy to ask such questions. But it didn't stop with them. Since October 2011, Apple has been under enormous pressure from journalists and the public, and everyone is waiting for its smallest misstep, the smallest mistake.
[do action=”quote”]You need to give Apple time to pull all the aces out of its sleeve.[/do]
Apple did not let anyone breathe for a second, and most would prefer if the Californian giant presented some revolutionary product year after year, whatever it might be. The fact that even Steve Jobs didn't change history overnight is not being addressed at the moment. At the same time, groundbreaking products have always been separated by several years, so now we cannot expect miracles from Tim Cook and his team.
In part, Tim Cook made the whip himself when Apple was outwardly very inactive for many months. No new products were coming and only promises were made about how everything was going to be. However, Cook emphasized during his appearances that Apple has really interesting things in store for the end of this year and the next, and this period is coming right now. That is, it has already started - with the introduction of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.
But only a few hours passed after the keynote, and the Internet was once again flooded with headlines about how things are going downhill with Apple, how it is deviating from the path of innovation and that it is no longer the Apple that Steve Jobs wanted it to be. All this after the company did what everyone was clamoring for - introduced a new product. And whatever you think about the new iPhone 5c, for example, I'd put my hand in the fire for this colorful, plastic phone to be a hit.
However, I would certainly not dare to declare now that this is still the "good old Apple" or that it is no longer. On the contrary, I feel that at this very moment it is necessary to wait, to give Apple time to pull out all the aces under Tim Cook's sleeve that he has been tempting us with for months. After all, hares are counted only after the hunt, so why write an equal number now before it is necessary.
Apple started its hunt on September 10 with the introduction of new iPhones, and I am convinced that the hunt will continue in the next six months, maybe even a year. We will see a number of new products, and only then will it be seen how Tim Cook is doing as the successor to Steve Jobs.
Neither the iPhone 5s nor the iPhone 5c provide a definitive answer to the question of what stage Apple is actually in after the death of its icon. Compared to the Jobs regime, there were several changes here, but the original formula was simply unsustainable. Apple no longer makes products for millions, but for hundreds of millions of customers. That's why, for example, it was the first time in history that two new iPhones were introduced at the same time, that's why we now have iPhones in more than two colors.
However, only after other new products – iPads, MacBooks, iMacs, and maybe even something completely new (the three-year cycle for the introduction of a brand new product does that) – will complete the puzzle full of question marks, and only then, sometime at the end of next year, will it be possible to make a Tim Cook at Apple some comprehensive opinion.
I will then have no problem declaring that the ghost of Steve Jobs is definitely gone and that Apple is becoming a company with a new face, whether it will be a positive or negative change. (However, it is popular to say that anything other than Steve Jobs is bad.) And that I don't like it. Or like it. At the moment, however, I have too few documents for a similar ortel, but I will happily wait for them.
In any examination, however, one must realize that Apple will never again be the small, fringe, rebel company. The radical moves that Apple made years ago on a day-to-day basis are now becoming more and more difficult for the Californian giant. Maneuvering room for risk taking is minimal. Apple will never again be the small manufacturer for a "few" of its fans, and believe me, even Steve Jobs could not prevent this development. Even he wouldn't be able to resist massive success. After all, it was he who laid a solid foundation for it.
Congratulations on the article. After a long time, something objective and normal. The other articles that sprung up after the keynote are disgusting
complete agreement. great article. as they say 'hater's gonna hate', and that applies doubly in the case of Apple. it's funny to watch the bunch of people out there who, even before the keynote, know 100% what a flop it will be, but then - the world is amazed - there are queues in front of stores for it and I buy several pieces.
I personally like the color of the ip5c quite a lot, and if it weren't for my somewhat more advanced (and more conservative) age, I would easily buy it. in my opinion, this is a great answer to the missing product for young people in the style of colorful Nokia phones.
"Often, however, Apple will burn the pond for everyone and introduce something quite different" - are you serious? Leaving aside the mac pro, the specifications of all the products of the last two years were already known before the presentation.
Really? Even the iP64S 5bit processor? Separate Motion unit? Or are you only talking about "wrappers", ie. will the 5S be gold and the 5C plastic colored? And the insides of the Macbook are known... it is quite logical that when a new chip and processor set from Intel comes to the market, that Apple implements it as quickly as possible in its Macbooks. Just by the way, few people expected the new SSD solution via express bus in the new Airs... and Apple came up with it!
on the contrary, the last leaks with the iPhone 5S and 5C were probably of the highest caliber that I can remember since the introduction of the first iPhone.
Fact? I think that the biggest leak in the history of Apple was the iPhone4.. It all goes hand in hand with everything. From the hundreds of thousands of pieces produced, millions and tens of millions of pieces suddenly start to be produced, which entails a huge increase in the number of employees in the factories, and simply let it be, this is very difficult to prevent. And what about the most watched technology company of today, which has factories in countries where even a thousand dollars is a name..
For the iPhone 5c, for example, most people did not expect such a high price. I think that was the biggest surprise.
The fact that most people did not expect such a price was caused, in my opinion, only by the articles in the newspaper and the exaggerated expectations of the journalist.
And isn't that the case with other speculations? Journalists who influence public opinion are always to blame.
Of course. Then it's up to everyone how they approach it and let themselves be (not) influenced ;)
Well, the MacBook Air wasn't so flashy and, in my opinion, it did well.
So everyone would like to be the great prophets who predict the fall of Apple. They are just bad with language and usually cannot objectively assess the situation. Apple is still the innovator and proves it not so much with revolutionary things, but with small innovations that the competition just can't use and bring to the market so quickly (e.g. Touch ID, 64-bit technology in iOS7, etc.). This will now be the strength of Apple, which everyone underestimates again, and it will show. In addition, we will see what Tim Cook will come up with for Apple TV and iWatch, because there will be another comparison in the approach to users, because what Samsung and others have shown with smart watches is a big flop for me and it is clear that they boiled water and had nothing to copy !
I think the fall of the stock says it all :-).
On the other hand, when I buy an iPad 5, I'll just hope (as a non-shareholder) that Apple doesn't come up with anything revolutionary for the next 3 years :-D.
Those shares always fall after the show :)
Exactly, the same thing happened after the introduction of the iPad mini.. =)
I would rather wait for the date about a week after the start of sales.... The stock markets are specific in their behavior... if the iPhone 5C really cost around 10 or less, then Apple shares would now be somewhere around 000-560 dollars... Where will the first sales numbers be after the collapse anyway :-DDD
The stock price reflects investors' expectations, which are often irrational.
In my opinion, Apple should have sold the new iPhone 5c as the cheapest iPhone option and not sell the iPhone 4s anymore. That's how the iPhone 5c doesn't seem very cheap to me. It should have been around CZK 10.
1/ secrecy is not possible today as it was before the iPhone, the number of people who deal with it before the launch is simply huge and someone will miss it, that's thanks to success
2/ revolutionary products will not be introduced for a year or two, it will be a longer time
3/ So I didn't expect a cheaper iPhone 5C, we know from experience that the margin is more important for Apple, cheap products don't work, it's their strategy, I personally would like a smaller 5C, 4S format, but thin and light, and cheaper, e.g. 16GB for 12 thousand, but she was miserable
4/ the problem is the quality of the iPhone, when I, for example, have a 4S and I am so extremely satisfied that I get 20 worth of data for the new 5S, even the upgrade from 4 is strange, those phones work very well and who doesn't have money to spare, think again, besides, we don't have such a discount system as operators in other countries have
Interesting article..
Steve Jobs was an Apple icon.. Dric, innovator, workaholic, choleric and a person who sticks to his goals and, of course, his dream.
It is logical that Apple will not be what it used to be.
The presentation of the iPhone 5c was not a surprise at all, but, as already mentioned and estimated, the price was. And she wasn't a surprise just for us..? According to the stock, and to the shareholder..., a different price for a "low-end" phone was really expected. But did everyone think that Apple, as a premium and hi-end company, would really come up with an affordable phone for the masses...? Dude, China and India are interesting markets.. but don't get mad at me.. it's all about the iPhone. An excellent and multifunctional device that you can't put out of your hands, or we always have it with us and I like to discuss it.. So.., I won't have a cheap iPhone, but a cheaper one :-) , but I know that I'm buying the quality that I want and I'll pay for it..
If I don't want an iP5c, I'll buy an iP5s.. If I don't want or can't afford these models, I'll buy an already loaded 4S, if I don't already have an iP, and it'll be... etc.)
In conclusion.., Apple can surprise both positively and negatively, but it will still be a brand that won the hands and eyes of all of us apple fan people.. :)
excellent article! I think it's a very good look.
I don't want to say anything, but I think the main reason for the iP5c is that it can make the 5S more expensive. That's just my point of view. 5c, thanks to the plastic, does not burden production lines for 5S or confuse the customer. 5c is such a multifunctional subversive that helps Apple in its goals.
And where did the 5S become more expensive? It costs the same in the USA :)
Where for example in UK iPhone 5 16gb £529 and now pre-order iPhone 5S 16gb £549
Well, if this article is objective, then maybe from the point of view of an apple fan.. Yes, everyone is always expecting something new and better, and what do we get instead? Very, but very slow evolution and theft of the last devices with which they came a long time ago... I am (maybe I was) a big fan of Apple, but after the last year I am quite disappointed... 2x complaints of two iPads with the same problem, iPhone 5 complaints, site outages .. as long as a person doesn't have a problem, apple is great and it works, but as soon as you have a problem and you start googling, you find out that tons of people have a similar problem and apple's answer is that they don't care.. in the apple store they tried to convince me that it's normal behavior.. after these experiences, I don't have much of a feeling about Apple.. plus they didn't bring anything that I've been waiting for for half a year.. iWatch, macbooks with Haswell (there's almost Broadwell already), ipad mini with retina. .. just NOTHING.. why should I keep waiting for milostpa to listen to what the market wants and introduce it??? I like apple or the iOS platform and it suits me, but I want more variability and more options... that's why I gave up waiting for an iPad mini with retina and bought a new nexus 7... fullHD display, quadcore and all that at a weight of 220 grams absolutely ideal for reading and movies on the way to work.. and now to me..
a similar situation to the introduction of the ipad mini, everyone spewed sulphur. They pondered what Steve Jobs would do and what not, and that a smaller iPad would never pass for Steve. In the end, it turned out that the ipad mini was a stroke of genius in exactly the configuration and size in which it was presented, even though everyone spat on it because it was not equipped with a retina display. A similar situation will also occur with ip5c, when emotions cool down, all those would-be haters and detractors will line up for 5c and then they will write on the forums how great a product it is.
IMHO, Apple's "inability" to keep products secret before launch is a sacrifice for them being available on shelves within a week. Check out A7 - 64bit. CPU, IOS flipped to 64 bits including all drivers – this was under Apple's thumb and no mention or hint escaped in the beta builds. And that they are under very detailed surveillance, because a lot can be revealed from them. I wouldn't worry about Apple, you have to take the statements of all those "analysts" with the knowledge that their name is derived from the word anal ;-)