Apple Reports 3Q 2018 Results: $11.5B Profit on $53.3B Revenue and 41.3M iPhones

[Shanghaichica]

I choose some apple products over the competition. They are better than android alternatives. I view the ecosystem the same as I did years ago and for me the line in the sand has not changed.

If anything it’s gotten better over the years or maybe I’m just further down the rabbit hole.

 

[strategicthinke]

And people are complaining about Tim Cook? LOL

This.

 

[Cloudkicker]

"Apple: The iPhone & Dongle Company"

 

[strategicthinke]

That's a very bad optic for Macs, the only major product line that decreased significantly. Even the crappy iPads did better (slight uptick in sales).

“Crappy iPads”. Buddy, I do half of the work I do on my MacBook Pro on the iPad Pro, you surely haven’t really used these devices with an open mind. Also, there is work that is EASIER to get done on the iPad, some kinds of image editing (with the Apple Pencil) and PDF marking.

 

[Jimmy James]

If people really want a cheap laptop they can buy a Win laptop for as little as $199, I don't think Apple needs to go down that road of competing with throw away laptops.

Right now Macs are underspecced and overpriced. Apple needs to fix at least one if those factors. They’re not in a race to the bottom but they do have their formula wrong.

 

[pappy53]

It seems like the iPad never really caught on, and it's already less and less popular. Also the stagnating Mac sales seem sad to me, I wonder if Apple is going to do anything to improve that. Just my thoughts, but a more affordable, upgradeable Mac Mini with higher spec options (GPU), a repairable MacBook Pro, a repairable iMac Pro, an actual Mac Pro, and hardware that doesn't freaking fail all the time would probably help.

While iPhones are great, they can't replace computers, and neither can iPads. Apple is forgetting that the world depends on computers, while smartphones and iPads are more a luxury. If you can't take great photos or if your phone is slow or ugly, it's not going to stop you from doing your job. But if your computer sucks and is constantly in repair or you can't afford to upgrade it, then you are going to be in trouble.

Never caught on? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jonnysods]

There should be some reasonably priced ETFs that include AAPL in their holdings. Watch out for the FAANGs, though, if you are concerned about FB's future (FAANGs hold FB, AAPL, AMZN, NFLX and GOOG). Here's a list that I just found with a quick search. Be sure to check fees when comparing.

That's good advice thanks!

 

[ravenstar]

There is evidence to suggest this is the present strategy, and there has been since around 2013, but as you rightly point out this doesn't mean that is the only strategy they intend to pursue.

The problem with the rumours about new products is that we have been hearing these rumours since 2011, but have seen little to no results and what additional products have been released have not made the impact one would have expected. The company is still relying firmly on the iPhone as a cash cow.

But your challenge is totally valid. We can only comment from a distance and nobody knows what is going on behind closed doors except Apple's management team.
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The quality of that ecosystem, combined with the tangible benefits to customers of staying within it is vital. There is evidence that the Apple ecosystem is not as compelling as it was several years ago and that the benefits to the majority of customers of staying within it are not as dramatic as they once were. But you are correct, there are still benefits and this remains one of the key drivers for customer loyalty to Apple.

I think we can agree to disagree. To some degree it comes down to personal interpretation and speculation. I see a number of foundation technologies emerging from Apple that I expect to lead to very solid and exciting future products. I also see intriguing research in some very challenging areas (vehicle augmentation and automation and health for example) where the full impact is many years away. And those are only the things that have been reported with some certainty. Others on this forum see these developments anything from incremental improvements to a lack of focus or an abandonment of everything that made Apple what it is. It's in Apple's power to make decisions that could prove any of those views right, but the data thus far leads me to believe that the future is tending to the positive view.

 

[baryon]

Never caught on? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

It was supposed to replace computers for the average person. I've hardly ever heard of anyone using an iPad without also owning a computer, because it can't even do the simplest of things that even grandma and grandpa need to do every once in a while.

If you look at the graph, it seems like the iPad's peak of 2013-2014 is behind us. It's hard to imagine that it's going to change course.