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Apple's 36% Boost in Research and Development Spending Points to Strong Product Pipeline

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple made a significant investment into research and development this past quarter, increasing spending in the category by 36 percent over the same quarter last year, reports Financial Times. As noted by BTIG Research analyst Walt Piecyk, Apple's $1.6 billion quarterly investment represents 4 percent of sales, the highest percentage of spending in R&D since 2006, the year before Apple released the first iPhone.

This huge increase supports rumors the company is investing significantly in more than just new iPhones, iPads, and Macs for its upcoming product pipeline. Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly confirmed the company is preparing to enter new product categories, with Cook saying Apple is working "really great stuff." Apple's Internet Software and Services chief Eddy Cue also enthusiastically noted that Apple's planned products for 2014 are "the best product pipeline that I've seen in my 25 years at Apple."

iwatch-concept-nike.jpg
iWatch concept by Todd Hamilton
​
The highlight of these new products is likely the iWatch, a fitness-oriented smartwatch rumored for release later this year. The sensor-laden wearable device is expected to sync with the iPhone including via a new Health app for iOS 8 and may monitor vital health parameters such as blood pressure, oxygen levels and hydration status. A recently awarded patent hints at some of the advanced connectivity features Apple could embed into the device in future iterations.

Over the past several years, Apple has been hiring a number of medical and wearables experts, presumably to work on the iWatch team. Apple has also been pursuing hires from the fashion industry including former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve and former sales director of luxury watch company TAG Heuer Patrick Pruniaux. New retail chief Angela Ahrendts also comes from the fashion industry, having served as CEO of Burberry.

Article Link: Apple's 36% Boost in Research and Development Spending Points to Strong Product Pipeline
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/23/apple-rd-spending-iwatch/
Yvan256

Yvan256

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Jul 5, 2004
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Can we PLEASE remove the javascript loading from MacRumors? This website used to be fast to load, now it even froze Safari for a good 15 seconds before I could do anything.
 
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Lord Hamsa

macrumors 6502a
Jul 16, 2013
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Y'all keep fixating on HealthKit being the big tie-in to the rumored iWatch, but I maintain the bigger selling point in the long run will likely be HomeKit integration, allowing you ready and easy control for your connected house at all times, even if you aren't at your computer or already holding your phone/tablet.
 
Mad Mac Maniac

Mad Mac Maniac

macrumors 601
Oct 4, 2007
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A little bit of here and a little bit of there.
MacRumors said:
The highlight of these new products is likely the iWatch
Click to expand...

Perhaps. This is obviously the most rumored item. But there is still a potential TV, homekit product, and who knows what else. If the pipeline really is that great, I wouldn't be too surprised to see 2 or maybe even 3 new product categories over the next year and a half. The iWatch could turn out to be one of the lesser important ones.
 
lincolntran

lincolntran

macrumors 6502a
Jan 18, 2010
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I think it's time to take Tim's words seriously. He seems to be the kind of guy that is as serious as Steve was.
 
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lzyprson

macrumors regular
Mar 2, 2012
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13
Lord Hamsa said:
Y'all keep fixating on HealthKit being the big tie-in to the rumored iWatch, but I maintain the bigger selling point in the long run will likely be HomeKit integration, allowing you ready and easy control for your connected house at all times, even if you aren't at your computer or already holding your phone/tablet.
Click to expand...

I agree!!

Of course the world is excited to see what an iWatch can do; however, we all know that Home Automation is next big thing to come from commercial.

In regards to the "best product pipeline over the last 25 years" quote, i really hope that Eddie isn't just referencing larger iphones and thinnger ipads...
 
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winston1236

macrumors 68000
Dec 13, 2010
1,902
319
Lord Hamsa said:
Y'all keep fixating on HealthKit being the big tie-in to the rumored iWatch, but I maintain the bigger selling point in the long run will likely be HomeKit integration, allowing you ready and easy control for your connected house at all times, even if you aren't at your computer or already holding your phone/tablet.
Click to expand...

Nah, health is the big thing now. Trackers are an exploding market currently.
 
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Razeus

macrumors 603
Jul 11, 2008
5,348
2,030
Rogifan said:
So what are they spending all this money on then?
Click to expand...

iPhone & iPad tech and their reiterations. Camera tech, liquid metal tech, display tech, and a bunch of products that won't see the light of day. Something tells me alot of it is re-working their software (ie Photos) such as iWork that was rewritten from the ground up to have the same code base on iOS and OS X and iCloud OS (this will be Apple's 3rd OS).

It's very un-Apple to have that many products to be released. They are very careful what they pick to launch. I have my doubts about iTime/iWatch. Doesn't seem like a mass market product and definitely a niche product.
 
usersince86

usersince86

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2002
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This is good news for future products; would love to see an updated Apple TV. Note: I don't need a full TV, an updated "box" is great (and maybe preferred for me)
 
adamw

adamw

macrumors 6502a
Sep 22, 2006
744
1,789
Apple, please bring us more innovative products. More spending on R&D is good.
 
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o0smoothies0o22

macrumors newbie
Jul 22, 2014
10
0
Lord Hamsa said:
Y'all keep fixating on HealthKit being the big tie-in to the rumored iWatch, but I maintain the bigger selling point in the long run will likely be HomeKit integration, allowing you ready and easy control for your connected house at all times, even if you aren't at your computer or already holding your phone/tablet.
Click to expand...

Umm, sorry to tell you but the entire point of the wearable is biometrics. It's a wearable, which means it's always literally attached to your body, which means it's function, above all else, will be biometrics. Granted it will do plenty of other things, including home automation probably, but you don't make a product that can do what another product in your pocket can already do better. Yes, it's convenient and quick for certain things as opposed to having to always pull out your phone, but anyone with decent intelligence knows that the reason this was made is for numerous biosensors reading your body.
 
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camnchar

macrumors 6502
Jan 26, 2006
434
415
usersince86 said:
This is good news for future products; would love to see an updated Apple TV. Note: I don't need a full TV, an updated "box" is great (and maybe preferred for me)
Click to expand...

Seconded. Would love to see an aTV update and am also waiting for a new Mac Mini.
 
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