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I've been thinking a lot about Apple recently. Here's a brain dump: 1. Apple cannot compete with their current strategy outside metropolitan areas - and that'

I've been thinking a lot about Apple recently. Here's a brain dump: 1. Apple cannot compete with their current strategy outside metropolitan areas - and that's most of the world. I'm in rural France at the moment. There is nowhere to buy anything Apple, expect the iPhone - I haven't seen a single Mac computer anywhere - in use or for sale. But you can't move in the supermarkets for Android tablets and PC laptops. And we're not talking 3rd world countries here. 2. Apple's rise has partly been caused by being ahead of the curve on technology, with a blockbuster launch every 4-5 years. iPod (storage, battery life), iPhone (touch screen, UI), iPad (touch screen). There is no evidence of a further blockbuster launch - I am not supportive of an Apple TV. Coolness has a lifespan. People get bored. I'm bored of the iPhone now. It's viable for me to switch to Android and so I will do so at some point. I don't want to have the same phone for the next 50 years. Apple is not in control of its manufacturing facilities. If we agree that Steve Jobs was right on a lot of things, then was he right to push for Apple to own and build its own factories? Out of battery.

apl 14y ago
> There is no evidence of a further blockbuster launch There wasn't any evidence preceding previous blockbuster launches either. That's precisely what made them "revolutionary": nobody was anticipating their respective successes. So your argument is a non-starter.
- panacea 14y ago
  There wasn't any evidence Apple was working on the first iPhone before they announced it, but it was an obvious target for Apple to hit. I had a fake osX theme on my crappy Nokia and was hanging out for Apple to enter the fray. I can't think of anything they could 'revolutionize' in their own way anymore.
  - bad_user 14y ago
    There's always stuff to invent and reinvent. Apple is good at interfaces. They took the crappy phone design and delivered smartphones with friendlier interfaces. There's always room for improvement though. How about devices with no interface at all? Like devices that can read your mind or act on their own. And this is where I think the fundamental problem of Apple lies. Autonomous devices require a revolution in hardware and algorithms, not just merely building on top of other people's work ... Apple's revolution until now has been nothing more than mere evolution. Case in point: Google works on cars that can drive by themselves and on smart glasses. Apple doesn't work on anything similar, never did and anybody paying attention knew that Siri is going to be worse than the speech recognition that comes with Android.
arrrg 14y ago
Ok, then we have three years until the next blockbuster launch? That seems like plenty of time to do something.
easytiger 14y ago
> I'm in rural France at the moment. There is nowhere to buy anything Apple I live in one of the largest cities in the world, surrounded by Apple and other electronics stores. Yet I still buy things online. I cannot see your point. Brand awareness doesn't come just from b&m presence
megablast 14y ago
So you don't have SFR or an Orange shop near you? I find that hard to believe. They sell the iPhone and the iPad. Not sure who you are getting your mobile with, but they are the big ones in France.
- AlexMuir 14y ago
  Yeah, of course. But I did say that the iPhone was the anomaly. You can get an iPad there, but these are phone shops, not computer shops. My point about Macs stands.

apl 14y ago

> There is no evidence of a further blockbuster launch There wasn't any evidence preceding previous blockbuster launches either. That's precisely what made them "revolutionary": nobody was anticipating their respective successes. So your argument is a non-starter.

panacea 14y ago
There wasn't any evidence Apple was working on the first iPhone before they announced it, but it was an obvious target for Apple to hit. I had a fake osX theme on my crappy Nokia and was hanging out for Apple to enter the fray. I can't think of anything they could 'revolutionize' in their own way anymore.
- bad_user 14y ago
  There's always stuff to invent and reinvent. Apple is good at interfaces. They took the crappy phone design and delivered smartphones with friendlier interfaces. There's always room for improvement though. How about devices with no interface at all? Like devices that can read your mind or act on their own. And this is where I think the fundamental problem of Apple lies. Autonomous devices require a revolution in hardware and algorithms, not just merely building on top of other people's work ... Apple's revolution until now has been nothing more than mere evolution. Case in point: Google works on cars that can drive by themselves and on smart glasses. Apple doesn't work on anything similar, never did and anybody paying attention knew that Siri is going to be worse than the speech recognition that comes with Android.

arrrg 14y ago

Ok, then we have three years until the next blockbuster launch? That seems like plenty of time to do something.

easytiger 14y ago

> I'm in rural France at the moment. There is nowhere to buy anything Apple I live in one of the largest cities in the world, surrounded by Apple and other electronics stores. Yet I still buy things online. I cannot see your point. Brand awareness doesn't come just from b&m presence

megablast 14y ago

So you don't have SFR or an Orange shop near you? I find that hard to believe. They sell the iPhone and the iPad. Not sure who you are getting your mobile with, but they are the big ones in France.

AlexMuir 14y ago
Yeah, of course. But I did say that the iPhone was the anomaly. You can get an iPad there, but these are phone shops, not computer shops. My point about Macs stands.