Apple's Services Category Set to Be the Company's Main Revenue Driver Over the Next Five Years

[Marekul]

And I will continue to trust those services, unlike other free services like Google & Facebook.

and you shouldn't. Unlike google apple sold out to Chinese communist regime.
[doublepost=1521765242][/doublepost]

Very true. But, in honesty, it goes both ways. A lot of posters here get too tribal on whatever system, company, they are promoting or defending. I wish it was a straightforward tech discussion but too often people act as if the opposing voice is the dark side of the force. And then are are some true trolls in here that are just bored.

I don't see tribal posters, i see disappointed apple users versus fanboys who can't handle criticism.
And there are no tech discussions here to have because apple is not really a tech company anymore, it's a fashion and lifestyle brand. What you wanna discuss? The new MacBook Pro that doesn't exist? MacMini upgrades? Latest animojie avatars? see

 

[Apple blogger]

thats virtually not possible. All of Apple services require apples hardware to work (except iTunes and Apple Music) if there’s no hardware sales, Apple wouldn’t be earning from services.. also, Apple Pay is a transaction based, though a service, it depends on the amount of transaction and the number of transactions. We cannot take that into account, because that’s just a mode of checking out after buying... it is s service no doubt, but Apple users don’t pay anything directly to Apple, but Apple gets a cut..

 

[rulymammoth]

Smart move. Likely a precursor to a monthly fee for a bunch of Apple hardware.

That day has already arrived...
[doublepost=1521771064][/doublepost]

and you shouldn't. Unlike google apple sold out to Chinese communist regime.

And so has Microsoft. So stop using Windows, Mac OS, iOS? Gotcha.

Google was also stuck between a rock and a hard place with their search engine. I'm sure there are many within the ranks at Google who would love to get back into China. It's a big, gaping hole for them.

 

[Michael Goff]

and you shouldn't. Unlike google apple sold out to Chinese communist regime.
[doublepost=1521765242][/doublepost]

I don't see tribal posters, i see disappointed apple users versus fanboys who can't handle criticism.
And there are no tech discussions here to have because apple is not really a tech company anymore, it's a fashion and lifestyle brand. What you wanna discuss? The new MacBook Pro that doesn't exist? MacMini upgrades? Latest animojie avatars? see

By sold out, I assume you mean they followed the laws.

 

[AngstyKylo]

If this means I'm going to be interrupted before or during even more tasks by an unwanted and annoyingly persistent interstitial dialog pushing Apple services, I'm out.

Having to work out how to dismiss the Apple Music pitch page every other day or so is already making me wonder why I'm paying Apple to 'not be the product'. It's not hard guys, I've disabled Apple Music in my settings. You want to know if I'm interested in signing up, there's your answer. It was annoying enough when iTunes would always default to the store rather than your library, but Apple increasingly seem to be losing sight of the customer in their focus only on pushing extra up-sell.

Amazon can offer me that experience for far less.

I recently received an email asking me to resign to Apple Music with them quoting some new K-pop release after visiting S.Korea. Felt weird as I’d never received any emails asking me back to Apple Music before.

 

[Dozer_Zaibatsu]

Dammit, my post formatting got borked. Ignore me!

 

[east85]

what?

 

[mrhick01]

and I was predicting that it would be the rumored new modular Mac Pro that is supposed to come out this year.

Even if the Mac Pro is wildly successful and a great workstation, it is not going to be that much of a revenue driver.

Unless there is a massive fallback or a catastrophic event that severely alters modern civilization and renders the whole idea of civilization and markets moot, Apple is never going to go back to being "just a computer" company.

They're working toward "the next big thing," just as Steve Jobs speculated himself just before Gil Amelio brought him back through Apple's purchase of NeXT.

 

[otternonsense]

How is it cherry picking a statistic? Do you have any sources that disagree with the idea of it being the best heart rate sensor on a smart watch? Do you have any real sources with any real data to back up anything you’ve claimed?


I’d actually like to see this promise of a workstation from Apple. I’d say that it isn’t a case of trusting your word, but it kind of is.


Now we get to the third thing, the idea that the Walled Garden is a miserable quarantine. How? Apple Music just works. iMessage just works for me. I’m not miserable. And the fact that you did little research and can’t see the value in a product that fits perfectly into the Apple ecosystem is on you.

We are still not arguing on the same level. That, is a component. What I'm saying is, when I ask eg. the EMEA VP of Fjord or Frog design what she thinks of her Apple Watch and whether she'd recommend it, she'd go "mweh, it's ok, it's up to you if you actually want one" and not "OMG yes it has the best heart rate sensor on the market!!"

Apple has inherently promised such a workstation via their advertising and the common narrative that cascades from their C-suite figureheads to their Apple Store personnel -when I had asked one when would they expect a redesigned MBP in 2016, before the Touch Bar catastrophe struck, they'd ask me back whether I considered getting an iPad instead.

And yes, I do think it's a miserable quarantine. Apple Music may work, but it's the ONLY thing that works within the garden, and frankly I find its UX atrocious. That's a hindrance, not efficiency. All of my music is on Spotify and some rare DJ sets/bootlegged content which I love is on Soundcloud. I find the fact that I cannot use them on the fly pretty darn miserable in 2018.
[doublepost=1521787228][/doublepost]

And how's that been working for you? You know, over the years?

So you're beholden to Apple's "locked down" ecosystem? That is so sad.

If a company wasn't making products that met or exceeded my needs and requirements, I'd switch companies. In a heartbeat.

Yes, it's quite sad actually. 10 years ago I wouldn't even imagine working on anything else than a Mac. Now I'm stuck with a company-provided 2017 MacBook Pro (because all the design software I use is native to macOS) and iPhone 7, both of which I frankly hate with a grudge. Haven't turned on my iMac in months. I can't stand my 6S either because of iOS 11 but I use it out of habit.

It's not THAT easy to switch "in a heartbeat", you know.

 

[Keirasplace]

I'm not saying that.

I think people who say that are wrong.

I think the statements should be it is not efficient to replace your laptop with an iPad for most work tasks and it's not efficient to try real work on an iPad.

It think people engage in a lot of hyperbole, just like when people throw the word literally around all the time.

And using an iPad for general office tasks is like digging a giant hole with a spoon.

I spend the majority of my day in outlook, word and other office type software. I would slit my wrists if I had to spend the day using an iPad.

So continuing the massive hyperbole, while commenting about hyperbole... pretty ironic.

Well, slit on bud, want me to watch too? I can give you those darn sharp Ipads to help you... No hyperbole nahhh.

I've done way more "productivity" tasks than that for 40 years and I'm able to do fine on and Ipad.
Efficiency is related to the workflow and you can even modify your workflow to adapt to new tools.
You also have to fight complacency and yes, lazyness.
Just because tasks have been done one way doesn't mean they're the best way.
A lot of tasks we're built around the limitations of UI, mobility, portability, etc.

BTW, You're talking to someone who produced millions of lines of codes and ran thousands of servers through terminals since the early 1980s.

 

[chatin]

Yes, it's quite sad actually. 10 years ago I wouldn't even imagine working on anything else than a Mac. Now I'm stuck with a company-provided 2017 MacBook Pro (because all the design software I use is native to macOS) and iPhone 7, both of which I frankly hate with a grudge. Haven't turned on my iMac in months. I can't stand my 6S either because of iOS 11 but I use it out of habit.

It's not THAT easy to switch "in a heartbeat", you know.

I still use iOS 10 and 32-bit apps. Services revenue will fall off in direct correlation to the decline of iPhone.

 

[crsh1976]

"Other products" going from 3 to 30% + Services going from 23 to 56% in 5 years?

There are new things coming out for sure, but I doubt we'll see this kind of drastic jump. Furthermore, iPhone sales dropping that sharply could simply kill the company altogether given it's its bread & butter.

 

[otternonsense]

"Other products" going from 3 to 30% in 5 years? There are new things coming out for sure, but I doubt we'll see this kind of drastic jump.

Other products = dongles

 

[Marekul]

That day has already arrived...
[doublepost=1521771064][/doublepost]

And so has Microsoft. So stop using Windows, Mac OS, iOS? Gotcha.

Google was also stuck between a rock and a hard place with their search engine. I'm sure there are many within the ranks at Google who would love to get back into China. It's a big, gaping hole for them.

Yeah maybe, it’s just no one tries to paint Microsoft as the savior of free speech and online privacy.
[doublepost=1521805418][/doublepost]

By sold out, I assume you mean they followed the laws.

The fascist laws of a totalitarian regime. Look it’s their choice it’s a private company. But It clearly shows they only care about privacy as long as it doesn’t hurt their bottom line.
Looking at the old „think different“ campaign featuring mahatma ghandi it also shows that today’s apple is merely a shell of its former self.

 

[Abazigal]

I don't think anyone says it is "impossible." It is cumbersome , inconvenient and I suspect most tasks can be accomplished quicker and more efficiently using a Mac.

Vetticci is like a guy trying to dig a six foot hole using a soup spoon while a large shovel is sitting right next to him.

I got my first iPad in 2012.

Since then, I have been following his blog religiously, and purchased many of the apps he recommended on his blog. I have been using an iPad in my classroom teaching and his advice on iPad productivity has been invaluable on my getting so much more out of my iOS devices.

People here really need to accept that work is not confined to word processing and spreadsheets on a computer, and there is a whole world of work out there which can be done just as well on a tablet, if not better.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I don't see tribal posters, i see disappointed apple users versus fanboys who can't handle criticism.
And there are no tech discussions here to have because apple is not really a tech company anymore, it's a fashion and lifestyle brand. What you wanna discuss? The new MacBook Pro that doesn't exist? MacMini upgrades? Latest animojie avatars? see

We'll, perhaps we don't recognize tribal as being the same thing. I see it as rationalizing and plenty of that around here on both sides.

Also, it's a cheap shot to call Apple a "fashion and lifestyle" brand, not a tech company. The truth is it's both and it's been both since Jobs return in the late 90's. Since then Apple's put a great deal of effort into designing attractive and desirable skins for it's products. But what's inside is pretty impressive too. True, Apple seems to not be focusing on computers as much any more, but you can't say the iPhone X isn't loaded with tech. The Apple Pencil is pretty unique in a world of "dumb" styluses. AirPower looks to be interesting, if way overpriced. AirPods are definitely tech laden products and excellent ones at that. I use my iPads, ATV, and Airplay to control much of my home: lights, locks, HVAC, whole-home audio.

I would love to see a new mini, not a fan of Touch Bar, Animojis, and that stuff. But that doesn't take away the good things Apple is doing or mean not of this is worth discussing.

 

[recoil80]

Not revenue in absolute terms, but contribution to revenue growth.

Correct, and I subscribe to this point of view.
iPhone cannot grow anymore, it doesn't mean they won't sell enough phones in the future but they won't gain market share. They'll continue to sell upgrades to current iPhone owners, maybe gain some new customer from Android but not many. To really broaden their customer base they should cut prices, but that means lower margins.

 

[neliason]

I wonder if in 10 years (or under the next CEO) Apple will go the way of IBM and completely shed off all hardware and focus purely on "services". We can just hope that Apple does not get someone like Leo Apotheker.

The problem is their services rely on their hardware. The challenge may be if they start seeing their hardware merely as a platform for their services. In other words I buy an iMac because I need a good desktop with a solid OS. The services associated with it are fine, but they aren’t why I buy an iMac. There are many reasons I buy an iMac and the (hopefully reliable) interoperability with Apple TV and iOS is a factor.

 

[FelixDerKater]

Apple becomes Sega?

 

[jonblatho]

Let's start with the current Lack of Enthusiasm ... 10-bit color capture & display is coming down the Pipe (actually, it's way, way overdue !!) ... whoever gets there first will have Bragging Rights, AND potentially market dominance

I know what 10-bit color is. I asked my mom, who happily uses an iPhone 5s and iPad Air 2 like quite a few folks out there, if she knows what it is.

The answer was no, so I explained, and surprise, she didn’t care.

 

[jerryk]

Service expected to grows. Services contains AppleCare. That explains the poor reliability of the MacBook Pro keyboard.

 

[citysnaps]

Yes, it's quite sad actually. 10 years ago I wouldn't even imagine working on anything else than a Mac. Now I'm stuck with a company-provided 2017 MacBook Pro (because all the design software I use is native to macOS) and iPhone 7, both of which I frankly hate with a grudge. Haven't turned on my iMac in months. I can't stand my 6S either because of iOS 11 but I use it out of habit.

It's not THAT easy to switch "in a heartbeat", you know.

It's quite easy. It does require a bit of courage, though. If I was that unhappy with a range of products from any manufacturer, I would have jumped long ago.

But that's just me, much preferring to move forward rather than whining about something out of my control.

 

[sportpepper]

Apple is becoming Gillette! Implementing the old "razor/razor-blade" business strategy. We buy the devices, then we end up paying much much more for add-ons over the life of the device.

 

[jonblatho]

But that's just me, much preferring to move forward rather than whining about something out of my control.

Now, that just sounds too reasonable for half of the users of this forum.

 

[citysnaps]

Now, that just sounds too reasonable for half of the users of this forum.

Sadly, yes. If I was so unhappy about a range of products from say, Sony or General Motors, why would I go to a forum and constantly complain about how bad those products suck. That would be flat out embarrassing. And a total waste of time. I'd never do that.

Best to switch, in the above example, to Panasonic and Ford or some other company getting what works for me and move on with my life.