The Internet would have you believe that Samsung and Google have now brought this once great tech giant to its knees. But truth be told, if Apple had been finished, it wouldn’t still be attracting the attention of billionaires such as Carl Icahn. The activist investor sent out a tweet, expressing his belief that CEO Tim Cook should spend even more of the company’s $ 147 billion cash pile to buy back as much stock as possible. News of Icahn’s interest caused Apple’s market value to rise by about $ 13 billion. With the ridiculous amounts of cash lining Apple’s pockets, how can people still insist that this company is over?
With Google just having released the Google Glasses, and Samsung just having released the Samsung Galaxy S4, we can see that these companies are completely redefining innovation. If we compare Apple and Google, we can see that with Google Glasses, we’re one step closer to the kind of technology that exists in movies such as Mission Impossible. However, with Apple’s iPhone 5, we simply have a nicer looking phone that can do everything the previous iPhone could — just faster. Ever since the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple has failed to bring innovation into their products. They have been able to maintain their reputation of seamlessly incorporating beauty in all of their iDevices — inside and out. However, they haven’t given the public anything new, which is why their stock was plummeting in a free fall until Icahn stepped in.
Apple has concentrated on making their products thinner and faster, which although convenient isn’t necessarily what the public wants. All this brings about the question, if Apple is devoid of innovation, then why is it still so popular? And this is where matters get complicated. We as a human race oppose change in all forms. And as silly as it may sound, even change on such a small scale, such as what phone you use, is undesirable. People were attracted to the iPhone during the era of Steve Jobs, who managed to sell the product as ‘simple and perfect’. One characteristic that still survives in all iDevices to date is the incorporation of elegance and simplicity, which was present in the very first iPhone and Mac. Studies show how 63 percent of iPhone users in the US are reluctant to change their smartphone brand. Users have become comfortable with Apple, and in particular, have become attached to the simplicity and elegance that is blatantly absent from rival operating systems, such as Android. Investors, however, are positive that in the near future, the public will want comfort more than innovation, and that is when Apple will get into trouble. Because frankly speaking, Steve Jobs took with him the company’s innovation when he passed on.
In 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G. A year later, they released the 3GS. Two years down the road, they had released the iPhone 4 and 4S. If analysed in layman terms, the only changes made were to the speed, design and display of the device. Rumours now indicate the arrival of an ‘iPhone 5S’. Apple has gotten into a rut that has made them predictable; something a billion-dollar company should never be. However, since we are talking about rumours, it is also important to talk about the iPhone 5C and the rumoured release of a new TV and watch designed by Apple.
The idea of selling a plastic iPhone is largely being referred to as the huge comeback needed by Apple. But these critics are forgetting the first three generations of iPhone were all made out of plastic. So instead of moving forwards, they’re still stuck in the same place. The idea of a new TV and watch isn’t a new one either. Apple won’t be the first company to manufacture both, a TV as well as a smartphone; Samsung already beat them to it. The Samsung Smart TV is already a huge hit in Asia, being found in every one out of five households in Singapore and Abu Dhabi.
With all this competition and the rising demand for innovation, is there still hope for this company?
The writer is a student currently completing his GCSE A levels. He can be reached at [email protected]