Apple stock has recently plummeted. Long-time Mac users are questioning the future of the Mac. The iPhone 5 is, apparently, ‘boring’ and ‘old news’. All these come at a time when Apple is at its most profitable, and at a stage where it is producing not only the best products it has ever created, but also selling them at a faster and greater rate than ever before. iOS, the platform running on iPhone and iPad, is still a huge contender to Android, and isn’t leaving us any time soon. Apple is still spending hundreds of millions on R&D on the Mac, and continuing its development. I truly believe Apple’s best days are yet to come.
Steve Jobs is no longer with us, but the fact remains that Apple has some of the greatest talent on the planet, one of the largest and most influential brands, and continues to create and sell some of the most successful consumer products in history. For millions, they buy their music on iTunes and make their calls on an iPhone. And this isn’t bound to change any time soon. As for the Mac, its market share is the most significant in the product line’s history. Apple has matured it to the stage where the ecosystem is so strong and influential that it would be inherently stupid to discontinue the Mac.
Apple has assets that other companies can only dream of. If you want to point fingers at a company not doing so well, Dell might be a good place to start. HP and Sony are also not doing that great. Apple, on the other hand, is criticised despite all the facts being the complete opposite. Apple’s best days are yet to come because Apple has the the best cash flow, the best assets, no debt, the most creative freedom for its employees, and the best management. Apple is not a company whose workforce are restrained when it comes to creativity, and that counts for a lot. It’s an area which has kept Microsoft and others behind Apple for years now. Even without Steve Jobs, the fact remains – Apple has all these incredible advantages which will only help it prosper in 2013 and beyond.
I’ll also take this opportunity to put the record straight: Tim Cook is not doing a bad job. Following in the path of Steve, and managing one of the world’s largest companies is no small feat. Apple’s recent mistakes cannot be blamed on Tim Cook because, ultimately, Cook is not the only one who does or decides everything, even as CEO. Tim Cook has been at Apple long enough to know not to make the mistakes of John Sculley, Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio, so I think we have little to worry about in that respect.
What do you think lies ahead for Apple and its products?