Is Apple Turning into Microsoft?

Apple is said to be the game changer of smartphone industry. With introduction of touchscreen phone to fingerprint sensor, Apple has done it all.  During Steve Jobs reign, originality and novelty in Apple products was evident, be it the iPod, the iPhone, or the iPad.  After Steve Jobs demise on October 5^th, 2011, the story seems to have changed. It seems Apple lost more than Steve and now has nothing new to offer. What we see in name of innovation are usual updates and improvements, but nothing exceptional!

Like Microsoft, Apple now focuses more on profits rather than creativity. Soon it’s going to be the new Microsoft. In the name of modernization Apple is tweaking certain features by adding up the old technology and calling it new.

Does this mean Apple is losing its charm and has nothing to offer post- Steve era?

Agreed! It’s hard to follow someone’s footsteps but does that mean you can name imitation as innovation?

Apple replaced the MacBook line charging with USB – C charger and called it “the future” but conveniently forgot to add the same to its newest iPhone. And then last year it called iPhone X as “the future of smartphone”. Seriously, do they even know what they are heading towards or, are they taking their huge fan following for granted?

Apple is a Victim of its Own Success

For Apple fans, the mere thought of an ‘Apple-less World’ is petrifying. But at the rate which the company is moving, it may soon become a dead company walking. It is losing its way, to get back on track and needs new approach, vision, and a path breaking product idea to anchor more hearts and minds. This is the only way left to regain its lost position and profits.

Companies slow down after a growth spurt and start accumulating profits, but to stay in competition new things should be introduced. By developing products that elevate society’s standards for business, if Apple think things will work then they are mistaken. They need to develop creative and affordable products rather than ones that make holes in pocket.

Apple must stop dragging its feet and finally start using the cash to build something new.

iPhone cannot be called Apple’s next-gen innovation. With each passing year, smartphones are becoming smarter, but this doesn’t change the primary functioning of a mobile phone. Therefore, Apple needs to think out of the box and buck up. By buying smaller companies if it thinks it is innovating then it isn’t. It’s just a way to earn more profits rather than using them to create something new.

Sigmoidal Curve

Steve Job’s creation is in danger, it is falling behind Google and Facebook in the race of future technology. From software-only they are now moving to “machine learning” opening a gap that Apple is struggling to bridge.

Since the iPad there has been no spectacular product launch. If we talk about iPhone X, it has nothing new to offer. The iPhone of today is a mere combination of the original vision and eight years of slower evolution. Does that mean the biggest and smartest company on the planet is moving towards the Sigmoid Curve?

A curve that has a learning phase, growth spurt, a plateau and then it begins to decline if nothing new added to it.

Imitation is not innovation

We perceive, participate, and alter things that attract our attention, either positively or negatively. The goal of innovation is to create better and superior products. Not to just add few diamonds here and there and call it innovation.

The latest iPhone X is nothing more than an advanced of Samsung S7 a year-old phone. For which Apple is not apologetic and claims it to be the “future of smartphone”.
Innovation comes from a desire to change the world in your own way; it cannot come by imitating someone’s footsteps or by replacing the old things with some modifications.

Undoubtedly, Apple releases a new iPhone every 12 month or so, and this time there were 2 new variants. But nothing was outstanding that would make people crazy to get one apart from the exorbitant pricing of iPhone X.

Apple is buying Innovation Instead of building it.

Addressing the Elephant in Room

Since 2011, nothing much has changed. The only changes made are – phone is now waterproof, removed headphone jack, and upgraded camera, but this is not innovation. In name of it what they are offering are cosmetic enhancements and beautification.

Seems like, Tim Cook has nothing new or creative to offer. He has taken the credit for the 4K HDR technology which is a lie because it is a year-old technology.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are simply a replica of iPhone 7. He could have called it iPhone 7S or iPhone 7S Plus. If you have an iPhone 6 or higher model you wouldn’t find difference apart from the price.

Oh, how can we forget about the most talked about phone, iPhone X. It’s no different, the only difference is FaceID. (A feature that most people dislike from privacy point of view).

Apple Watch Series 3 is also on the same path, you won’t find much difference apart from a cellular option. That is, you need to pay an extra price if you don’t want to carry a charger. Because the new feature is made to save your iPhone’s battery from drying out. For that you need to pay a huge amount, that you could have saved by buying a charger and carrying it with you. This feature is nothing new it has been in LG and Samsung smart watches from quite some time.

They know you will buy Apple products anyway

After all this fan will still buy the products and Apple knows it. This is the main reason why the company doesn’t bother to bring new and creative things. By portraying old features as new, if users believe you and fall for them then what is the need to invest huge amount.

Fro Apple fans this all will mean nothing and neither would they appreciate it, but there’s no harm in knowing what’s going around. One can be a follower or acceptor of anything but should keeping oneself updated.

Apple has such huge fan following that it knows whatever they will claim to be their people will agree.  Even if they call old technology new or claim ownership of ideas that doesn’t belong to them, everyone will read and press will cover it.

Change is inevitable

Unquestionably, the only way to be in race is to innovate. Like iPhone Apple needs another game changer to turn things in his favor. It can be a cyborg – the part-human, part-machine. We have already seen advancements in field of smartphone technology, wearables and there is not much left. Therefore, to bring a revolutionary change Apple needs to make clothing that would track your blood pressure, heart rate, rather than a watch.

Jobs once said that death was “very likely the single best invention of life”.

Apple became the global leader with its smartphone in 2007 but that was all yesterday. That was Jobs but now there is no Jobs Only Cook. So, in order to take Apple ahead he needs to think differently rather than just earning profits. By breaking up itself into bite size pieces Cook can concentrate more on innovation and on all product line separately.

All primary businesses of Apple are meaningful and they can stand alone. By letting them work independently Cook can do wonders.

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Apart from timing there’s a big problem that needs to be addressed the missing creativity, novelty and innovativeness. Also, Apple should stop assuming that people will accept everything they say and will consider it true for long. If they want their users to stick and want to add more they need to start creating something new and different.