6 ms·

IoT is the big market Apple should focus on. It plays to their strengths: - People want integrated solutions, not one-off devices - Control of hardware and so

by irq-1 8y ago

IoT is the big market Apple should focus on. It plays to their strengths: - People want integrated solutions, not one-off devices - Control of hardware and software, including updates - High quality cameras, sensors, design aesthetics, etc... - High price, because integration differentiates their IoT making it hard to compare directly with other products - Latest technology: Siri voice assistant, face recognition, AI, VR/AR Imagine if Apple IoT in a home worked with guest iPhones. The networking effect of people talking about iDevices (do you have Apple?) might be enough to create a monopoly. An example of a simple opportunity: Apple could have in home data caching for music and video where an IoT device acts as a peer server that works with Apple TV -- buy more Apple IoT and all your devices get better.

TheOtherHobbes 8y ago
Agreed. Apple went the wrong way with this by killing AirPort - which could easily have been expanded to become a semi-standard smart home hub. That space is probably going to be owned by a descendant of Alexa. But Apple's problems go much deeper. Product design has been mediocre since Jobs died, which either suggests that Ive isn't quite the genius he was sold as, or that Cook + Ive is a zero sum game. Software quality is also mediocre. There always nice features, but discovery has all but disappeared as a concept, and bugs are a real thing. But the real problem is lack of imagination. While everyone is arguing about how much an iPhone should cost, iPhones are already last decade's product line. There should have been a new market-leading product line by now. There isn't. Car is going nowhere. AR might be a thing, but unless it's a bullseye it's going to be Watch 2.0 - nice tech that doesn't have a can't-argue-with-this sells-itself need to exist. IoT and smart home could have been a huge thing, but instead Apple handed HomeKit over to the market with a shrug. (Were the margins too small for Mr Cook? Maybe...) So now there's a big yawning void where the new ideas should be. Momentum will keep the machine running for a long while yet, but without some freshness Apple is in danger of becoming a rather dull company with negative wowness.
- lostlogin 8y ago
  > Agreed. Apple went the wrong way with this by killing AirPort Possibly, that device dying has lead to people discovering some truely excellent products. For me it has been Ubiquiti and Synology stuff, but you see other names here. For me it has been beneficial (though expensive) that Airport went away.
  - scarface74 8y ago
    Most people aren’t buying third part routers. They are using whatever came from their ISP.
    - lostlogin 8y ago
      This might be relevant to Apple killing their airports, but it hasn’t stopped others making excellent products.

by irq-1 8y ago

TheOtherHobbes 8y ago

Agreed. Apple went the wrong way with this by killing AirPort - which could easily have been expanded to become a semi-standard smart home hub. That space is probably going to be owned by a descendant of Alexa. But Apple's problems go much deeper. Product design has been mediocre since Jobs died, which either suggests that Ive isn't quite the genius he was sold as, or that Cook + Ive is a zero sum game. Software quality is also mediocre. There always nice features, but discovery has all but disappeared as a concept, and bugs are a real thing. But the real problem is lack of imagination. While everyone is arguing about how much an iPhone should cost, iPhones are already last decade's product line. There should have been a new market-leading product line by now. There isn't. Car is going nowhere. AR might be a thing, but unless it's a bullseye it's going to be Watch 2.0 - nice tech that doesn't have a can't-argue-with-this sells-itself need to exist. IoT and smart home could have been a huge thing, but instead Apple handed HomeKit over to the market with a shrug. (Were the margins too small for Mr Cook? Maybe...) So now there's a big yawning void where the new ideas should be. Momentum will keep the machine running for a long while yet, but without some freshness Apple is in danger of becoming a rather dull company with negative wowness.

lostlogin 8y ago
> Agreed. Apple went the wrong way with this by killing AirPort Possibly, that device dying has lead to people discovering some truely excellent products. For me it has been Ubiquiti and Synology stuff, but you see other names here. For me it has been beneficial (though expensive) that Airport went away.
- scarface74 8y ago
  Most people aren’t buying third part routers. They are using whatever came from their ISP.
  - lostlogin 8y ago
    This might be relevant to Apple killing their airports, but it hasn’t stopped others making excellent products.