Despite stellar sales, multiple product lines, and a meaningful cash horde, Apple gets measured more on growth increases and not on total size. That being said, Apple released its quarterly earnings last night and continues to outperform expectations. Its just that most analysts focus strictly on its iPhone sales and much less on its other product lines. Can Apple continue this growth trajectory? It depends.
It depends on how often consumers upgrade their iPhones. That seems to be every 2 years or so. it depends on how much bigger their international release can get, and it depends on what else consumers are willing to buy. We certainly don't upgrade our iPads nearly as fast; mine is almost 5 years old and performs quite well. It depends on how many folks finally switch from PCs to Mac laptops and desktops and how long they hold them till it is time to buy another. It depends on how fast consumers accept that an Apple Watch is a must have product and how many choose to become Apple Music subscribers. And now it depends on how well the Apple TV box, just available for purchase, is integrated into the home. Lastly, it depends on the next innovation to come from Apple, whether an Apple Car, Apple streaming TV content subscription, Apple business services, Apple advertising, or another Apple technological product offering.
And even if Apple turns from a growth company to a value company with sustainable revenue, free cash, and a steady focus on innovation, Apple can continue to be a major piece of our daily lives. It is much easier to fall off the mountaintop then to climb it and Apple must continue to innovate or risk technological change making them irrelevant. If they don't, they could one day be seen as the next Circuit City, Tandy, or Casio.
