It seems that consumers are keeping their devices longer and that the need to upgrade iPhones or iPads too frequently is not necessary. That's not to say that people aren't buying Apple products, they are; rather, that innovation hasn't been enough to cause consumers to change out their device. And as a product company, Apple can no longer rely on their present product line to deliver the growth that the market demands. On the other hand, its service side continues to grow as theses products demand more apps, more cloud storage, more content to satisfy the need of the user. Its service size, per financial reports grew 19% in the quarter and by itself is a $6 billion dollar business. That is not a meager amount.
But Apple is more than that. And the Apple Watch has not yet become the must have device that people expect. It is time for Apple to tell us why we need an iWatch, the Apple TV, or some not yet named product. Will it be an Apple car? I would rather see Apple license its technology into every other car manufacturer. Is it a Siri clone of the Amazon Alexa? Is it a video streaming content subscription business? Is it smart appliances in the home?
And how will Apple show that it is once again a growth company. An acquisition would make sense. What about Sirius or Netflix or Viacom or CBS? What about Microsoft? It seems time for Apple to reveal more of their hand. They can no longer rely on yearly product upgrades to maintain the fan fanaticism toward Apple. It is time to get ahead of the curve again.
