My Apple stock is really going to take a beating this year isn’t it.
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Apple Reportedly Asks Suppliers to Make Fewer Components for AirPods, MacBooks, and Apple Watch Due to Weak Demand
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Are we suffering 'Increment fatigue'? Why spend $$$$ for incremental update's when prior machines and devices are doing the job just fine.
I still have a 2015 Macbook Pro (with all its legacy ports) and it still works perfectly well. No desire to upgrade until it burns out.
Iphone 12 just fine. Airpods, broken, but wired earphones are fine. There is nothing truly innovative to make me want to upgrade right now, especially at the current price points.
I still have a 2015 Macbook Pro (with all its legacy ports) and it still works perfectly well. No desire to upgrade until it burns out.
Iphone 12 just fine. Airpods, broken, but wired earphones are fine. There is nothing truly innovative to make me want to upgrade right now, especially at the current price points.
Yall have way too much time on your hands to debate over this like it's a societal decision that will impact everyone's livelihood
Chill
Chill
Reminds me of my refrigerator magnet, "I'm up I'm dressed, what more do you want?"
E.T. for the Atari 2600?
They need to stop releasing things on a yearly basis. These incremental yearly updates are incredibly annoying. They keep setting these yearly deadlines instead of waiting until the product or software is ready to release.
As far as the AirPods specifically, they need to make those more environmentally friendly and the battery replaceable. I've had two sets of AirPods, and they only last about 2 years before the batteries and sound quality go to complete sh*t. After the AppleCare runs out, it's like buying a brand new pair to get them replaced.
As far as the AirPods specifically, they need to make those more environmentally friendly and the battery replaceable. I've had two sets of AirPods, and they only last about 2 years before the batteries and sound quality go to complete sh*t. After the AppleCare runs out, it's like buying a brand new pair to get them replaced.
This is one person from one company. It may simply reflect Apple diversifying its production. Let’s wait and see what happens. Further, the projections may have been overly optimistic and the cutbacks could still be at levels in excess of previous years.
I am still very bullish on Apple. Just last month I bought a new 12.9" 2022 iPad Pro with 256GB and AppleCare for $1,354.96 including tax. Totally worth it IMHO. The screen is gorgeous. Last week I bought a used Mac mini M1 with 8GB and 256GB for $596.54 including tax. So far I'm loving it. Both devices are fast.
Nikkei Asia does this all the time. They cite a single unnamed source with no documentation and make broad claims about Apple’s business. At the same time we are getting reports that TSMC and Foxconn are growing and expanding. How is it possible that Apple suppliers are expanding but Apple is supposedly cutting orders? This report is total BS.
Few people upgrade every year. The typical upgrade happens every three years or more. Apple has something like a billion users. This works out to something like 300 million upgrades a year.
Apple is doing fine. Demand is fine. There was a problem with production this year because of COVID. This is being fixed.
Few people upgrade every year. The typical upgrade happens every three years or more. Apple has something like a billion users. This works out to something like 300 million upgrades a year.
Apple is doing fine. Demand is fine. There was a problem with production this year because of COVID. This is being fixed.
The slab of glass smart phone is a mature market. People upgrade when something breaks, otherwise devices now last for years. The M1 computers are amazing. I have an M1 Max, and see little need to upgrade again for years.
Apple is a victim of their own success (M1) and maturing markets (smart phones).
With that said, keep in mind the iPhone Pro's were backordered for months until very recently. Apple has also been shifting product manufacturing around, so this could be a supplier in China losing business to one now in Vietnam. Of course Apple wouldn't share that information.
Apple is a victim of their own success (M1) and maturing markets (smart phones).
With that said, keep in mind the iPhone Pro's were backordered for months until very recently. Apple has also been shifting product manufacturing around, so this could be a supplier in China losing business to one now in Vietnam. Of course Apple wouldn't share that information.
The satellite and crash detection features are innovation, but not something you regularly use. The other features you mentioned are improvement, not innovation.
Another anonymous source reportedly from companies with an iron clad NDA which prevents them from distributing information like this. Sounds to me like someone is working to cover their shorts.
This really tailed off... the always on lock screen... i'm surprised people weren't queuing overnight for that..
The products from Apple I do want to buy don't exist yet. I'm good for Mac - bought a 16" MacBook Pro - good for iPad - bought a 11" M1 iPad Pro - my Series 3 Watch still works for sports and sleep tracking. I would love a larger HomePod - why call the one available HomePod the Mini without an available HomePod? I'd love a 27" iMac with an M1 Max chip - the 2017 iMac 5K I have is getting long in the tooth. It's up to Apple to release some new product.
Keep on drinking the Apple juice, sooner or later you will forget about all the bugs, and all the flaws, and all the tiny spec bumps, and all the lackluster OSes, and all the promised features that show up late and unworkable if they show up at all....
I’d like to replace mine with a 14” (make it a 15” please) Macbook Pro with M2 Pro. A future small iPhone would be nice too but please, slow down that product cycle or better, start with silent gradual upgrades.
I work in the space. The majority of retailers and manufacturers have seen a contraction in their business. The holiday quarter was horrible for most. This isn’t unique to Apple and had little to do with their product offerings. High interest rates, inflation, and general uncertainty globally, is pushing consumers to be more cautious with spending.
Both TSMC and Foxconn are not only Apple's suppliers. They make stuff for AMD, Intel, HP, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, you name it. And a lot of their production is used in the enterprise computing space, so Apple might be their single largest consumer electronics customer, but now think of all the datacenters supporting iCloud, for example. Or AWS. Or AZure and GCP, they all are customers of both Foxconn and TSMC.
I picked up an m2 air so that blunted my technolust enough so that I can still enjoy a few more years of boot camp on my 2019. I am having a blast with Forza Horizon 5 and Burnout Paradise City. PC has the best racers.
With that economy you have to start saving somewhere. New iphones for the family or another vacation? That was an easy decision. We don‘t need a new iPhone every other year.
Apple has asked suppliers to make fewer components for the AirPods, MacBook, and Apple Watch families in the first quarter of this year due to low demand, according to a report from Nikkei Asia.
From the report:
In the fourth quarter of last year, Apple reported Mac revenue of $11.51 billion, an increase of nearly 26% year-over-year. Wearable revenue, which includes the Apple Watch, was $41 billion, while iPad revenue dropped by 13% year-over-year to $7.17 billion.
Talking to Nikkei Asia, one anonymous manager at an Apple supplier is quoted as saying "Apple has alerted us to lower orders for almost all product lines actually since the quarter ending December, partly because the demand is not that strong." Another executive at a supplier for both Apple and Samsung described the current situation as "very chaotic," citing ongoing disruptions and complications.
Apple has been facing challenging supply chain hurdles in the last few months, mainly impacting iPhone 14 Pro production. Apple's main iPhone plant in China has resumed production at near-peak capacity, a sign iPhone production has resumed normality.
Article Link: Apple Reportedly Asks Suppliers to Make Fewer Components for AirPods, MacBooks, and Apple Watch Due to Weak Demand
Any recission (or anticipation of recession) is likely to be disasterous for Tim Cook's Apple. He has been fantastic at making super profits by squeezing suppliers, securing massive supply chain orders/capacity, buying back shares to make the earnings per share values look more impressive and gradually increase the average price per device over time. People may remember that doom was forecast for Apple a few years ago around the time of the iPhone 6s when some metric fell back (number of sales or revenue or similar) but then the profits and stock price carried on up to new heights. A key way Apple have done this is to get people to pay more for their devices. In 2015 a base iPhone 6s (the premium iPhone available) cost £539 in the UK and a base iPhone 6s Plus cost £619. In 2022 an iPhone 14 Pro costs £1099 and an iPhone 14 Pro Max costs £1199 - we are talking almost twice the price. Whilst you may point to the iPhone 14 being available for less (currently £849), Apple have shuffled consumers towards the pricer models by keeping certain features like the redesign, telephoto lenses, larger screen sizes etc behind the Pro tax. Similarly, The iPad Air 2 launched for $499 in 2014 and represented the latest technology. This year the iPad Pro M2 launched costing $799 - again, features like FaceID, promotion Thunderbolt were locked behind the Pro paywall.
At the same time, the updates are lacking must-have features compared to earlier models so whilst there will always be a plethora of people that want the latest / most high end Apple offering no matter the cost, that pool is shrinking and will shrink dramatically in the face of inflation / economic uncertainty. Tim Cook can no longer keep the gravy train going by convincing people to spend even more per device - now is the time for true innovation to get people eager to buy (I can't see many people scrambling to snatch up an Apple Watch 8, iPhone 14 Plus, iPad Pro or 13" MBP M2 over the previous couple of models). The VR headset sounds like a step in the right direction, but it's the wrong product (launching a $3000 device in the face of an economic slowdown isn't the best way to generate sales).
As has been mentioned, Apple products were always premium, but a growing number of people are no longer prepared to pay the premium until the economy is more certain / positive. I have no doubt that in 12-18 months things will pick up again and people will be more comfortable buying gadgets. Apple just needs to make sure that their gadgets are the ones buyers return to.
At the same time, the updates are lacking must-have features compared to earlier models so whilst there will always be a plethora of people that want the latest / most high end Apple offering no matter the cost, that pool is shrinking and will shrink dramatically in the face of inflation / economic uncertainty. Tim Cook can no longer keep the gravy train going by convincing people to spend even more per device - now is the time for true innovation to get people eager to buy (I can't see many people scrambling to snatch up an Apple Watch 8, iPhone 14 Plus, iPad Pro or 13" MBP M2 over the previous couple of models). The VR headset sounds like a step in the right direction, but it's the wrong product (launching a $3000 device in the face of an economic slowdown isn't the best way to generate sales).
As has been mentioned, Apple products were always premium, but a growing number of people are no longer prepared to pay the premium until the economy is more certain / positive. I have no doubt that in 12-18 months things will pick up again and people will be more comfortable buying gadgets. Apple just needs to make sure that their gadgets are the ones buyers return to.