8 ms·

Big narrative violations: Mac units up 4% year over year, revenue up 14% year over year. Last quarter it was up 1% and 7%. In contrast Surface revenue was down

by IBM 9y ago

Big narrative violations: Mac units up 4% year over year, revenue up 14% year over year. Last quarter it was up 1% and 7%. In contrast Surface revenue was down 26% year over year. Other products (which include Apple Watch and AirPods) revenue was up 31% year over year. Tim Cook just said on the call that Apple Watch sales doubled year over year.

jsight 9y ago
It is interesting that Apple Watch sales are starting climbing. I have definitely noticed a lot more of them on appearing on wrists during the past 6 months.
- vannevar 9y ago
  I think they may be benefiting from the fitness device trend in a somewhat unexpected way: everyone is getting used to wearing an ugly-looking wrist device, or seeing them on other people, so the fashion barrier is not as steep as it was a couple of years ago. My original thought about the watch was that it was going to need to get smaller and a lot better-looking before it really caught on, but maybe not...
  - eric_h 9y ago
    The fact that the second revision of the watch is actually bigger than the first makes this all quite surprising.
    - 4rt 9y ago
      i guess it makes it more visible. apple products are very expensive and everybody knows that now, not just computery people.
      - charlesdm 9y ago
        Most mechanical watches are a magnitude more expensive than an Apple watch and tend to be smaller and not flashy at all. If you want to impress others.. don't wear an Apple watch. But if you like it as a watch, go for it!
  - Steko 9y ago
    I see more watches but still question whether it's 'really caught on'. I don't have a fashion objection but for me the basic functionality of waiting for the face to light up is close to a dealbreaker and the convenience of Apple Pay seems to be moving backward as I'm forced to use my PIN and sign in all sorts of places I used to be able to just wave my phone at.
    - lparry 9y ago
      > the convenience of Apple Pay seems to be moving backward as I'm forced to use my PIN and sign in all sorts of places I used to be able to just wave my phone at. This is a rant against how you imagine things work, instead of how they actually work. I put my watch on in the morning and it is automatically unlocked the next time I unlock my phone with touch id. From this point on, the pin is never required. Apple Pay is just a double click on the long button, no pin entry as you've imagined if the watch is unlocked, which is true unless you've only just put on the watch. waiting for the face to light up however, is a legit complaint. It really sucks that there's not even an option for "always on" that you could use while working out, as it's a pain in the ass to be running and want to check your current pace and find that wrist-flick detection failed so you're staring at an off instead of getting the data you wanted and getting back to looking where you're going quickly again.
      - TomSawyer 9y ago
        He's talking about having to enter the PIN for his debit card into the POS keypad.
        bogositosius 9y ago
        How can a retailer ask for a PIN number on an Apple Pay transaction? They don't even know what account the money actually comes from, since Apple Pay only gives them a one-time use number for that single transaction. So how can they verify a PIN number in that context?
        9y ago
  - perseusprime11 9y ago
    It is not as bad as you think in terms of fashion. I had a lot of people compliment me as I wear my Apple watch with a tan leather suede strap.
  - TomSawyer 9y ago
    I've witnessed this phenomenon multiple times. 1. Person buys or is gifted a Fitbit because it's inexpensive 2. Person retrains themselves to wear something on their wrist 3. Person is convinced that fitness tracking is beneficial 4. Person is fed up with the low quality of their Fitbit or it has out right fallen apart 5. Person buys an Apple Watch
    - eldavido 9y ago
      I have no reason to believe this is going to happen, but I wish Timex would buy Fitbit. FIT's market cap is right around a billion these days, which is affordable for a large, public company. Fitbit = good software, good product DNA, garbage manufacturing, in need of better distribution. Timex = great manufacturing, can't make software to save their lives, used to competing in a high-volume, low-margin retail environment
    - brlewis 9y ago
      I work for but don't speak for Fitbit. I bet all the times you witnessed that phenomenon it was a Fitbit Charge HR. The 2016 and 2017 Fitbit trackers (Blaze, Alta, Charge 2, Flex 2, Alta HR) have way fewer issues with manufacturing quality.
  - icanhackit 9y ago
    The magnetic Milanese loop is perfect for taking the sting out of a watch that you need to take off regularly to charge. I can take it off or put it on in around 2 seconds. I've never owned a watch so easy to put on or remove. It's up there with the magsafe (RIP) and detachable cover for the iPad with ease of use. I <3 magnets.
  - jsight 9y ago
    I agree, I definitely think that is part of it.
- mrtksn 9y ago
  Same. I think people are starting to figure out what it is and that it's not just a toy for geeks. I definitely see it much more on women than men.
- skc 9y ago
  I see them quite a bit now so they are definitely a smash hit, but I still find that all I ever see people actually do with them is wear them.
- jsz0 9y ago
  The watchOS 3 update was a game changer for the Watch. So much so that it makes me wonder if the dock UI was supposed to be in watchOS 1 and had to be scrapped at the last minute. If you look back at the original watchOS UI it's sort of like using an iOS device without SpringBoard. Everything was there but it was missing a center of gravity to tie everything together.
csomar 9y ago
Not saying that the new macbook pro is worse than the previous one. But having more sales doesn't have to do with a better product. The brand, network of sellers, marketing and product fit are more important.
- pilsetnieks 9y ago
  None of those things have changed much, compared to last year.
logicallee 9y ago
>Big narrative violations: Could you rephrase that? It's interesting but I don't understand the words you introduce it with (that I just quoted). What does that mean?
- 6nf 9y ago
  My interpretation: 'The narrative' over the last 6 months was that the new Macbook Pro is no longer a 'pro' level device and as a result 'pro' users everywhere are switching to other brands which means bad sales results for Apple. But today's numbers show increased sales instead, so 'the narrative' was flawed.
  - teaneedz 9y ago
    I didn't see exact numbers or returns for MBPs. Satisfaction is another thing. If alternatives are worse, a purchase is not necessarily from a satisfied customer.
- zwily 9y ago
  Lots of stories in the past year about how the new MacBook Pros are awful and nobody will buy them. That's "the narrative", exaggerated a little, and it doesn't seem to be the case.

by IBM 9y ago

jsight 9y ago

It is interesting that Apple Watch sales are starting climbing. I have definitely noticed a lot more of them on appearing on wrists during the past 6 months.

vannevar 9y ago
I think they may be benefiting from the fitness device trend in a somewhat unexpected way: everyone is getting used to wearing an ugly-looking wrist device, or seeing them on other people, so the fashion barrier is not as steep as it was a couple of years ago. My original thought about the watch was that it was going to need to get smaller and a lot better-looking before it really caught on, but maybe not...
- eric_h 9y ago
  The fact that the second revision of the watch is actually bigger than the first makes this all quite surprising.
  - 4rt 9y ago
    i guess it makes it more visible. apple products are very expensive and everybody knows that now, not just computery people.
    - charlesdm 9y ago
      Most mechanical watches are a magnitude more expensive than an Apple watch and tend to be smaller and not flashy at all. If you want to impress others.. don't wear an Apple watch. But if you like it as a watch, go for it!
- Steko 9y ago
  I see more watches but still question whether it's 'really caught on'. I don't have a fashion objection but for me the basic functionality of waiting for the face to light up is close to a dealbreaker and the convenience of Apple Pay seems to be moving backward as I'm forced to use my PIN and sign in all sorts of places I used to be able to just wave my phone at.
  - lparry 9y ago
    > the convenience of Apple Pay seems to be moving backward as I'm forced to use my PIN and sign in all sorts of places I used to be able to just wave my phone at. This is a rant against how you imagine things work, instead of how they actually work. I put my watch on in the morning and it is automatically unlocked the next time I unlock my phone with touch id. From this point on, the pin is never required. Apple Pay is just a double click on the long button, no pin entry as you've imagined if the watch is unlocked, which is true unless you've only just put on the watch. waiting for the face to light up however, is a legit complaint. It really sucks that there's not even an option for "always on" that you could use while working out, as it's a pain in the ass to be running and want to check your current pace and find that wrist-flick detection failed so you're staring at an off instead of getting the data you wanted and getting back to looking where you're going quickly again.
    - TomSawyer 9y ago
      He's talking about having to enter the PIN for his debit card into the POS keypad.
      - bogositosius 9y ago
        How can a retailer ask for a PIN number on an Apple Pay transaction? They don't even know what account the money actually comes from, since Apple Pay only gives them a one-time use number for that single transaction. So how can they verify a PIN number in that context?
        9y ago
- perseusprime11 9y ago
  It is not as bad as you think in terms of fashion. I had a lot of people compliment me as I wear my Apple watch with a tan leather suede strap.
- TomSawyer 9y ago
  I've witnessed this phenomenon multiple times. 1. Person buys or is gifted a Fitbit because it's inexpensive 2. Person retrains themselves to wear something on their wrist 3. Person is convinced that fitness tracking is beneficial 4. Person is fed up with the low quality of their Fitbit or it has out right fallen apart 5. Person buys an Apple Watch
  - eldavido 9y ago
    I have no reason to believe this is going to happen, but I wish Timex would buy Fitbit. FIT's market cap is right around a billion these days, which is affordable for a large, public company. Fitbit = good software, good product DNA, garbage manufacturing, in need of better distribution. Timex = great manufacturing, can't make software to save their lives, used to competing in a high-volume, low-margin retail environment
  - brlewis 9y ago
    I work for but don't speak for Fitbit. I bet all the times you witnessed that phenomenon it was a Fitbit Charge HR. The 2016 and 2017 Fitbit trackers (Blaze, Alta, Charge 2, Flex 2, Alta HR) have way fewer issues with manufacturing quality.
- icanhackit 9y ago
  The magnetic Milanese loop is perfect for taking the sting out of a watch that you need to take off regularly to charge. I can take it off or put it on in around 2 seconds. I've never owned a watch so easy to put on or remove. It's up there with the magsafe (RIP) and detachable cover for the iPad with ease of use. I <3 magnets.
- jsight 9y ago
  I agree, I definitely think that is part of it.
mrtksn 9y ago
Same. I think people are starting to figure out what it is and that it's not just a toy for geeks. I definitely see it much more on women than men.
skc 9y ago
I see them quite a bit now so they are definitely a smash hit, but I still find that all I ever see people actually do with them is wear them.
jsz0 9y ago
The watchOS 3 update was a game changer for the Watch. So much so that it makes me wonder if the dock UI was supposed to be in watchOS 1 and had to be scrapped at the last minute. If you look back at the original watchOS UI it's sort of like using an iOS device without SpringBoard. Everything was there but it was missing a center of gravity to tie everything together.

csomar 9y ago

Not saying that the new macbook pro is worse than the previous one. But having more sales doesn't have to do with a better product. The brand, network of sellers, marketing and product fit are more important.

pilsetnieks 9y ago
None of those things have changed much, compared to last year.

logicallee 9y ago

>Big narrative violations: Could you rephrase that? It's interesting but I don't understand the words you introduce it with (that I just quoted). What does that mean?

6nf 9y ago
My interpretation: 'The narrative' over the last 6 months was that the new Macbook Pro is no longer a 'pro' level device and as a result 'pro' users everywhere are switching to other brands which means bad sales results for Apple. But today's numbers show increased sales instead, so 'the narrative' was flawed.
- teaneedz 9y ago
  I didn't see exact numbers or returns for MBPs. Satisfaction is another thing. If alternatives are worse, a purchase is not necessarily from a satisfied customer.
zwily 9y ago
Lots of stories in the past year about how the new MacBook Pros are awful and nobody will buy them. That's "the narrative", exaggerated a little, and it doesn't seem to be the case.