Apple Forecasted to Report First Quarterly Revenue Decline Since 2003

[macduke]

Hmmm…debating whether to sell today. I think there's a decent chance that Apple may surprise everyone.

 

[igorsky]

Apple needs to drop everything and concentrate on their core business, which is making great computers. I need to replace my MBP, so they should focus on that, and only that. If they put all their billions into building the best MBP they could, and cut the price drastically, they would sell a lot of them, and that would save the company from financial ruin.

Also, did I mention I need to replace my MBP?

I can't tell if this is a joke or not

 

[I7guy]

Can posters not be critical of Apple - as long as they can back up opinions? The keyword is *opinion*, which is not black and white.

While many people here, like myself, enjoy Apple products, can also see the shortcomings of the company - AS WELL as the good stuff Apple does.

Goto AppleInsider if you don't want to read criticisms.

Its a discussion forum. A discussion forum that only allowed praise for Apple would be exceedingly boring, and non-sensical.

Damn, the Apple apologists are out in full force today!

Face it:

• A keynote that was so uninspiring that the invitation literally included a reference (let us loop you in) to their biggest announcement which ended up just being... a new watchband.
• 5200 RPM hard drive in an all-in-one computer that runs the "worlds most advanced OS".
• Base configuration of 16 GB for $650/750 (depending on screen size) in 2016 just cause they know people will have to pay an extra $100 for 64GB so they can actually use their phone!

There a huge difference between reasoned criticism and hyperbole and Apple bashing. Most of these have been the latter.

 

[spiderman0616]

Ah but that's a misconception made by the many on here, you get called a 'hater' just because you don't agree with Apple on one thing! Even though you could have spent thousands on Apple products.

Here's what I know: This is NOT the forum you want to come to if you just want to talk about Apple products. It is always such a troll fest. And there are a lot of users here who think they know things but really don't seem to understand how the world works. The site itself doesn't help when it posts click bait. Not saying there aren't good, intelligent people here too. There are just a lot more that take every opportunity they can to cut Apple, its products, and its users down.

My worry is not that Apple can't continue to innovate and release good stuff. My worry is that bad mouthing Apple makes a lot of websites a lot of money and the more popular Apple gets, the more the media will want to take them down. There are a lot of perfectly logical reasons why Apple is going to post a decline today, but you rack up a lot more clicks and ad revenue by reporting FUD. This phenomenon gets worse and worse with each passing year, and in my opinion, Apple has always been far too willing to just let the media run with the narrative and make it into whatever the want. This was a problem under Steve Jobs as well. He preferred to say nothing and let the loudmouths tell the story. The current guard is much the same.

I know a lot of people have the attitude of "Hey, how will Apple get better if we don't rip into them now and then?" That's all well and good, but people have become incredibly hypercritical over the littlest things. There are big things that Apple needs to improve too, but I think many have lost perspective on the huge amount of positive things Apple is doing. The entitled, hypercritical attitudes about Apple have gotten way out of control, and while people might think their intentions are good, this is what's eventually going to take Apple down. The people that just read the headlines and move on or take everything they see in dumpster fire threads like this one as fact (and this is the majority of people) are eventually going to start believing all this BS if they don't already.

Apple isn't doing enough to recognize these PR problems and they never had. Steve Jobs once famously said, "You have to ignore the ignorant people." Well, yes, you can do that for awhile, but it doesn't scale to the situation Apple is in now, where for some reason, people just seem to want to watch them burn. It makes no sense to me at all, but it's what I truly believe will be Apple's ultimate demise.

 

[762999]

that's what you get for not updating the mini!

 

[doelcm82]

Tim secretly wanted the public to know about the FBI case, so he could use that as a positive public relations stunt to make Apple look good.

I am better at reading Tim's secret thoughts and desires than you are, and I can tell you that you are completely wrong.

 

[JoEw]

Maybe I'm a little naive, where I think a better product would sell more as a result, and evens itself out. I appreciate that isn't always the case. Regardless, how much is too much when it comes to quarterly profits and offshore money? It seems a bitter irony that the more money they make, the more they tighten their grip. Companies with money just seem to want more money.

Possibly it's just the way they carry themselves which irks me. I don't feel particularly offended if HP cut corners to maximise profits. But then HP don't have a deified self-claim that they're changing the world for the better -- the CEO asking himself every day, "what would MLK do" -- it's a laughably, savagely pretentious attitude.

They have 90% of smartphone worldwide PROFITS. There isn't much room to go anywhere.

It's called capitalism, you always have to grow, doesn't matter what company you are.

 

[Thunderhawks]

This drop is more realistically a correction after some exceptional years. I don't see that as a problem.

However, I do see a drop in the Apple core values. To distill it down to one point: I now regularly have to do a Google search to find out how to to something on an Apple product. That was never the Apple way, it shouldn't be in the future.

Again, that probably isn't the issue this time, but I would put the blame there if this does turn into the start of a long term trend.

The sky is falling crowd does this with every stock when sales don't keep going up forever.

I do agree that Apple's intuitiveness has suffered. While I do not have many problems with El Capitan, the changes in using EC they made were unannounced and one has to hunt for them, read reviews, what is new etc.

Small ways of having to do things differently, but annoying. And, more googling than ever.

Instead of just releasing stuff and the usual: stability improvements statement, what is wrong with saying we did this and this now works differently or you can do X if you want things the way it used to be.

Even a simple thing as scrolling was changed to the "natural" way, which as a Mac User since 1984 didn't feel natural to me.

All that goes for iOS and TVos as well. Granted nobody reads manuals unless they get stuck (even then googling is faster), however a small pdf with an app or an improvement info would be a good thing.

As for innovation, that isn't so easy to come by, otherwise everybody would be doing it!

Apple rarely innovates. They take existing stuff and put it in well designed enclosures and make them work easier/better.

I just saw an investment piece on the Apple watch and the current AW version is only 1% of what it will end up being. We will ALL run around with it as a band, but it will no longer be a watch.

Probably about 2-3 years away.

The criticism of Tim Cook is somewhat justified. A financially minded person is not necessarily creative (well maybe with taxes, but certainly does not portray vision, nor was he ever hired to be the next visionary.

When he presents stuff it does seem to come from him. He just does what he has been briefed to do.

What I do not like is that Apple has known forever that their services suck and they are just not doing the right thing to catch up. Small GB allowances, complicated UI and trying to tie certain things to iCloud without another option are just no good (at least for me)

I have posted before that I feel like an Apple Whisperer and that means that when I don't use a certain Apple product or service , something is wrong with it or I am waiting for the next evolution. So far, I have mostly been right.

Apple Music and the acquisition of BEATS with the two characters still has to shake out.
The iCar, maybe. Getting into movie deals and content creation , we'll see.

All in all Apple is a permanent construction site. Their sheer size will see them through all ups and downs, but it will be a rough ride.

 

[heckyeahinmyopinion]

I feel that Tim Cook's time as caretaker CEO is done.

He's guided Apple to outstanding profits, but has not shown that he can take Apple to new heights in the long-term. The Apple Watch is not a worthy successor to the Mac, the iPhone and the iPad, in my opinion.

In the five years that he has been CEO, he has never shown the passion for Apple products that Steve Jobs did. As a result, the public has become less enthusiastic also.

Finally, the area that Apple most needs attention is services. Eddy Cue is not the right man to lead this area, to put it mildly. Apple needs a major culture change to instil the right ethos for making high quality services. It goes against their traditional culture in a fundamental way, and requires strong leadership to overcome resistance in Apple. Tim Cook is not able to give this leadership, nor does he have the headhunting chops to find the right person; he is too nice, and doesn't have the sharpness in this field.

It's time for new blood.

FRIGGIN AMEN TO THAT! ....Geez. I was beginning to think I was the only person that felt like this guy was a joke.5 .I think Steve may have put him in place to destroy the company .lol..

 

[brewmonkey]

when people like me (long time apple enthusisasts) are going to by Microsoft Surface, Samsung S6 edge and Dell XPS -- there must be something wrong with apple nowadays... but apple is strong, we will see

I sincerely hope you do not encounter them, but the horrible display/graphics bugs (and numerous other issues) in both the Surface and XPS products firmly eliminated those from replacing my rMBP.

Here's to hoping for some great new Macs this summer.

 

[doelcm82]

I can't tell if this is a joke or not

Thanks for the compliment!

 

[igorsky]

Here's what I know: This is NOT the forum you want to come to if you just want to talk about Apple products. It is always such a troll fest. And there are a lot of users here who think they know things but really don't seem to understand how the world works. The site itself doesn't help when it posts click bait. Not saying there aren't good, intelligent people here too. There are just a lot more that take every opportunity they can to cut Apple, its products, and its users down.

I've noticed a number of posters who are obviously not users or owners of Apple products, but are here to post nonsense and stir $h!t up. Right, @maxsix? Thankfully I've discovered the online bliss that is the "Ignore" button...thanks Macrumors!

 

[BMcCoy]

Apple's profits are increasingly a tribute to their world-class marketing, against a well-established customer base, rather than reflecting product innovation.

In addition, feature selectivity* is destroying their mantra of releasing the 'best products" they can.
(*eg. old tech HDDs in iMacs; 480p front camera in new MacBook; etc)

 

[kenaimac]

I feel that Tim Cook's time as caretaker CEO is done.

He's guided Apple to outstanding profits, but has not shown that he can take Apple to new heights in the long-term. The Apple Watch is not a worthy successor to the Mac, the iPhone and the iPad, in my opinion.

In the five years that he has been CEO, he has never shown the passion for Apple products that Steve Jobs did. As a result, the public has become less enthusiastic also.

Finally, the area that Apple most needs attention is services. Eddy Cue is not the right man to lead this area, to put it mildly. Apple needs a major culture change to instil the right ethos for making high quality services. It goes against their traditional culture in a fundamental way, and requires strong leadership to overcome resistance in Apple. Tim Cook is not able to give this leadership, nor does he have the headhunting chops to find the right person; he is too nice, and doesn't have the sharpness in this field.

It's time for new blood.

While I agree with you it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to find the CEO Apple needs. Apple needs a CEO that is not only a visionary but one that does not follow establish business conventions. These traits, in my opinion, are native to the individual and cannot be learned. Apple's focus has shifted to their public image and social matters over innovation, product development and quality.

 

[Razeus]

This is what happens when you have a operations guy run Apple. All Tim has done was re-package what Steve has done. We had a good run Apple.

 

[djphat2000]

Maybe I'm a little naive, where I think a better product would sell more as a result, and evens itself out. I appreciate that isn't always the case. Regardless, how much is too much when it comes to quarterly profits and offshore money? It seems a bitter irony that the more money they make, the more they tighten their grip. Companies with money just seem to want more money.

Possibly it's just the way they carry themselves which irks me. I don't feel particularly offended if HP cut corners to maximise profits. But then HP don't have a deified self-claim that they're changing the world for the better -- the CEO asking himself every day, "what would MLK do" -- it's a laughably, savagely pretentious attitude.

So does Apple moving all of their power needs to renewable sources of energy, new recycling programs, improving labor practices abroad, supporting LGBT rights, and matching contributions to charitable organizations not count for anything?

I think under Tim Cook this company improved in MANY ways that didn't register in Wall Street, but does for millions of people around the world. Dare say billions. They have improved there products and diversity, since again they make everything (software and hardware). They will never match the output of many companies selling crap Android phones combined. But they can lead the pack with better technology, improved security, and ecosystem cohesiveness. Yes, it would be wonderful for Apple to give us all 128GB smartphones for $99 and not have it suck. I'm sure they couldn't make enough of them to sell to everyone that wanted one.

HP can't get out of there own way and it's there own fault for thinking they actually could sell a PC cheaper and better then Dell, and Lenovo. The world changed and some companies didn't change quickly enough to be ahead of it. Apple on the other hand moved with the times after creating the culture for it. You got the iPod when other options sucked. You got the iPhone when other options sucked. The iPad when well, what other options was there? You got thinner, lighter, and faster laptops when other options arguably sucked. The world has caught up in many of those areas obviously, but Apple pushed that space forward. The world caught up, and now Apple has to push it forward again. I personally expect Apple to push forward with better tech that we all will want to buy.

 

[Razeus]

They could have had better results if they didn't let their Macs languish. The poor Mac Mini and rMBP.

 

[American Hero]

The sky is falling crowd does this with every stock when sales don't keep going up forever.

Stocks aren't based solely on profits... They are also based on potential. Tim hasn't given us hope for potentially great and future products.

 

[Razeus]

While I agree with you it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to find the CEO Apple needs. Apple needs a CEO that is not only a visionary but one that does not follow establish business conventions. These traits, in my opinion, are native to the individual and cannot be learned. Apple's focus has shifted to their public image and social matters over innovation, product development and quality.

Plus you're NEVER going to find a guy that puts his heart into the company the way the guy that built the company did.

 

[wozmatic]

Maybe if they released some MacBook Pro's instead of working on a Car....

 

[rasputin1969]

Gradually, people's perception of Apple has changed. The implicit consumer/company covenant that had been developed under the Jobs years whereby it was understood that you paid more, but you were looked after, has all but disappeared.

Apple is now double-dipping on its users - overcharging for a faster charger for the iPad Pro 12.9 - a charger that it should have shipped with. Raising the prices on iPad 9.7, and then overcharging for a keyboard and stylus. Shipping a phone with mediocre battery life, and then overcharging for a ridiculous battery case. Don't get me started on the base 16GB storage or the 2GB Ram on a "Pro" iPad. Instead of fixing the pathetic Appstore search, we're seeing rumours regarding paid search results.

The modern Apple way is you pay more, and then expect to keep paying. Apple used to sell their products segmented into Good, Better and Best. That is now long gone.

 

[Razeus]

I'm just looking for a 20% increase in the dividend payout.

 

[igorsky]

Maybe if they released some MacBook Pro's instead of working on a Car....

This post is the perfect crescendo after reading pages of complaints about Apple not innovating.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Damn, the Apple apologists are out in full force today!

Face it:

• A keynote that was so uninspiring that the invitation literally included a reference (let us loop you in) to their biggest announcement which ended up just being... a new watchband.
• 5200 RPM hard drive in an all-in-one computer that runs the "worlds most advanced OS".
• Base configuration of 16 GB for $650/750 (depending on screen size) in 2016 just cause they know people will have to pay an extra $100 for 64GB so they can actually use their phone!

The only thing Apple really cares about right now is their cash cow iPhone, but being a one-hit wonder could create problems in the future.

 

[RickInHouston]

Apple needs to drop everything and concentrate on their core business, which is making great computers. I need to replace my MBP, so they should focus on that, and only that. If they put all their billions into building the best MBP they could, and cut the price drastically, they would sell a lot of them, and that would save the company from financial ruin.

Also, did I mention I need to replace my MBP?

How old is your current computer? I just replaced a pc that was SIX YEARS OLD! The replacement cycle for laptops and desktops has grown tremendously. No longer do we have to replace four year old laptops. An "oh, my gosh this is the best mpr in the world" release isn't going to spark enough new growth, especially when it is less than 10% of a company's business.