Bloomberg: Jeff Williams is Second-Most Important Person at Apple, Operates Similar to Tim Cook

[FFR]

Already been posted by me in several other threads. iOS marketshare slipped 5.5% in Europe and almost 2.5% overall in the United States. Lack of innovation and price were cited as reasons.

That report actually states apple and the iPhone gained marketshare in Europe except for France and Britain.
Apple also gained marketshare in Australia, China, and India.
Same report.
So does that mean apple increased marketshare as Well due to “lack of innovation and price”

You seem to cherry pick the data from the reports to suit your ridiculous theory.

It’s quite silly since the report is available for anyone to read.

 

[Regbial]

Second-most important... yet certainly most handsome. hmmm... zaddy. <3

 

[Bawstun]

That report actually states apple and the iPhone gained marketshare in Europe except for France and Britain.
Apple also gained marketshare in Australia, China, and India.
Same report.
So does that mean apple increased marketshare as Well due to “lack of innovation and price”

You seem to cherry pick the data from the reports to suit your ridiculous theory.

It’s quite silly since the report is available for anyone to read.

That actually isn’t what the report states at all. Yikes.

 

[smulji]

I found the 250 on the internet. Obviously the real number would be difficult to get.

If you listened to Tim Cook on Apple's financial conference calls over the past year, you would have gotten those numbers. They're not a secret. They're given by Apple themselves.

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2019/5/30/apples-billion-users

 

[Bawstun]

“Last year Apple ranked fifth in China with a 9.1 per cent share, which fell to 7 per cent in the first quarter.”

“Oddly Apple's iOS was down 2.4% in the U.S. despite owning the three top smartphone positions.”

“The iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in the United States in the second quarter, according to research from Kantar, but the share of iOS device sales seem to have slipped in both the US and major European markets while Android vendors enjoy growth during the same period.”

“For the United States, iOS saw its share of sales drop year-on-year from 38.7% for Q2 2018 to 36.3% for Q2 2019. Over the same period, Android saw its share increase from 61% for 2018 to 63.5% in 2019.”

“The Cupertino-based tech giant’s problems are not confined to China. In the first quarter iPhone shipments worldwide fell to 36.4 million units, a 30.2 per cent decline from same period last year.”

“The iPhone struggled to win over consumers in most major markets as competitors continue to eat away at Apple’s market share,” IDC said. “Price cuts in China throughout the quarter along with favourable trade-in deals were still not enough to encourage consumers to upgrade.”

“Apple’s market share in China is expected to continue to slide, according to Zaker Li, a senior industry analyst at IHS Markit. “Putting aside political issues, Apple’s product offering and pricing strategies will be core reasons behind its drop,” he said.”

“Former CEO John Sculley Calls iPhone Decline Apple’s ‘Biggest Problem’”

 

[FFR]

That actually isn’t what the report states at all. Yikes.

Yes it does. Yikes!

Post the chart your report comes with.

That report actually states apple and the iPhone gained marketshare in Europe except for France and Britain.
Apple also gained marketshare in Australia, China, and India.
Same report.
So does that mean apple increased marketshare as Well due to “lack of innovation and price”

You seem to cherry pick the data from the reports to suit your ridiculous theory.

It’s quite silly since the report is available for anyone to read.

 

[FFR]

“Last year Apple ranked fifth in China with a 9.1 per cent share, which fell to 7 per cent in the first quarter.”

“Oddly Apple's iOS was down 2.4% in the U.S. despite owning the three top smartphone positions.”

“The iPhone XR was the best-selling smartphone in the United States in the second quarter, according to research from Kantar, but the share of iOS device sales seem to have slipped in both the US and major European markets while Android vendors enjoy growth during the same period.”

“For the United States, iOS saw its share of sales drop year-on-year from 38.7% for Q2 2018 to 36.3% for Q2 2019. Over the same period, Android saw its share increase from 61% for 2018 to 63.5% in 2019.”

“The Cupertino-based tech giant’s problems are not confined to China. In the first quarter iPhone shipments worldwide fell to 36.4 million units, a 30.2 per cent decline from same period last year.”

“The iPhone struggled to win over consumers in most major markets as competitors continue to eat away at Apple’s market share,” IDC said. “Price cuts in China throughout the quarter along with favourable trade-in deals were still not enough to encourage consumers to upgrade.”

“Apple’s market share in China is expected to continue to slide, according to Zaker Li, a senior industry analyst at IHS Markit. “Putting aside political issues, Apple’s product offering and pricing strategies will be core reasons behind its drop,” he said.”

“Former CEO John Sculley Calls iPhone Decline Apple’s ‘Biggest Problem’”

I see you left out the link and cherry picked the data as always.

Are you going to post the complete chart from the kantar report?





By the way if the guy that almost bankrupted apple thinks the iPhone is “apples biggest problem” , then apple has nothing to worry about. Because he was the moron that almost bankrupted the company and he ran it into the ground.

 

[cult hero]

I like Williams generally. If you believe the current reports, he saved the Watch from Ive's fashion-focused vision. The Watch itself is interesting tech, but things like HealthKit and some of the APIs dealing with data and studies are a big deal. This is the kind of stuff most people forget about when they need to stop here and complain about the headphone for the umpteenth time since the iPhone 7 was released—or maybe just drop a "courage" joke.

I think there is entirely too much "product vs operations" talk on how these guys work in a greater system. The fact of the matter is that you need both and as long as the guy at the top understands his own strengths versus where he needs to lean on others then you're in good shape as an organization.

Steve Jobs was so talented in some ways it made up for the fact that he was completely awful in other ways. I think the nostalgia factor and revisionist history around Jobs around here is silly though. This is the same guy who tried to tell all of us the the hockey puck mouse was a really nice—and who designed it? Pretty sure that was Ive. 10 years after it's "obvious" removing the legacy ports on the iMac seems forward-thinking, but in the thick of it there was whining about floppy disks akin to the griping about USB-A ports (and optical drives went through the same thing, "Why does Steve Jobs hate Blu-ray!? I want Blu-ray in my MacBook Pro!.").

The man possessed what is/was known industry-wide as the "reality distortion field." He had great showmanship on stage. However, plenty of his steps forward were stumbles that were corrected over time due to consumer demand—App Store for iOS anyone? Remember when web apps were supposed to be good enough for everyone? I mean, if you look at where NeXT was going, you know he was indeed a visionary, but there is no way on earth I would have put up with his antics in the work place. And like all visionaries, they're really wrong a lot of the time.

Ive is about to get the same nostalgia factor. (Heck, Forstall is getting nostalgia around here at this point and he basically lost to Ive in terms of iOS designs which lead to his departure.)

I find the idea of judging how a guy is going to run a near trillion dollar company by how excited he seems at his keynote presentations to be utterly ridiculous. It's just nitpick nonsense from people who think that if Jobs did something a certain way, it was the right way.
[doublepost=1563831940][/doublepost]

Who here is on team Federighi??!! #hairforceone

Both as a shareholder & an Apple fan- I would absolutely love, love, love to see Craig eventually run the company.
He’s got more personality than Tim, Jeff, Eddy, and Phil.... all put together!!!

Can he though? I mean he's easily my favorite presenter and tends to cover the areas I care most about (e.g. macOS). But I don't know that this at all qualifies him to be the CEO. I said it above, but presentational kills aren't really the most important thing for a CEO. They don't hurt, but the reality is that Apple is entirely too huge to be one man's vision now. Those days were over even before Jobs died.

 

[cult hero]

Yes, totally agree. Really disappointing. Apple products are....soulless. The marketing is anodyne and sterile in the way a hospital room is, although more colorful to be sure. The executives are glass eyed automatons during presentations, with the exception of the lady who presented the XDR display. They should use her more often, perhaps replace John Ternus. That guy is clearly just walking through a memorized script.

Can someone please show me the method by which the "soul" of a mass-produced product made by a multi-billion dollar company is rated? I gotta tell you, I love my MacBook Pro because I do work with it every day. macOS—for all its warts, is still very much my preferred OS. It's also (with the exception of this dreadful keyboard) the nicest laptop I have ever used. My iPhone 8 is an excellent product and it only displaced my 6S due to water damage.

The "soul" of these items is the same as my Chuck Taylor All-Stars. These aren't artisan products that are the blood, sweat, and tears of a small team. These are produced by thousands of people in different places. Some people really care about the end result—product guys and designers—and some people are in a factory soldering. Say hello to electronics. This idea of "soul" is just something someone injects into the conversation because they like the way things used to be—or worse, selectively remember The Way Things Used To Be™.

And sorry, I don't think Jobs added "soul." Vision? Sure. Better keynotes? Absolutely. But all of this bashing of presentations is just... it has nothing to do with production, team-building, or the products being created. Jobs was a generational talent with a really unusual mix of talents but he had to have those things because was he ever terrible at a lot of other things.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Can someone please show me the method by which the "soul" of a mass-produced product made by a multi-billion dollar company is rated? I gotta tell you, I love my MacBook Pro because I do work with it every day. macOS—for all its warts, is still very much my preferred OS. It's also (with the exception of this dreadful keyboard) the nicest laptop I have ever used. My iPhone 8 is an excellent product and it only displaced my 6S due to water damage.

The "soul" of these items is the same as my Chuck Taylor All-Stars. These aren't artisan products that are the blood, sweat, and tears of a small team. These are produced by thousands of people in different places. Some people really care about the end result—product guys and designers—and some people are in a factory soldering. Say hello to electronics. This idea of "soul" is just something someone injects into the conversation because they like the way things used to be—or worse, selectively remember The Way Things Used To Be™.

And sorry, I don't think Jobs added "soul." Vision? Sure. Better keynotes? Absolutely. But all of this bashing of presentations is just... it has nothing to do with production, team-building, or the products being created. Jobs was a generational talent with a really unusual mix of talents but he had to have those things because was he ever terrible at a lot of other things.

If you think I was referring to a 'literal soul,' you are sadly mistaken.

If you don't understand what I was saying, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think enough other forum members can empathize.

 

[Rogifan]

I like Williams generally. If you believe the current reports, he saved the Watch from Ive's fashion-focused vision. The Watch itself is interesting tech, but things like HealthKit and some of the APIs dealing with data and studies are a big deal. This is the kind of stuff most people forget about when they need to stop here and complain about the headphone for the umpteenth time since the iPhone 7 was released—or maybe just drop a "courage" joke.

Ben Thompson said on Twitter today Apple Watch failed as a fashion item and that the product took off when it was re-focused as a fitness device. First of all I’m not sure how you measure whether it failed as a fashion item. How are you defining fashion? One of my favorite part about the Watch is the ability to easily change bands. I’ve probably got a dozen or so bands and I’m swapping them out frequently depending on what I’m wearing. Does that not count as fashion?

Anyway I think this narrative that Ive was in one corner pitching the Watch only as a fashion item and Williams was in the other saying no it needs to be a health and fitness device is ridiculous. Watch the keynote. The three pillars Cook focused on were timekeeping, communications and fitness. Not fashion accessory. But many of the health related features weren’t ready when the Watch launched so it’s hard to focus on something that doesn’t exist yet. Also I’m sure Apple was wary of the Watch being branded as nothing more than an overpriced Fitbit wannabe. So there probably was a focus on bands/materials as a marketing tool, a way to say this is more premium than a Fitbit and worth a premium price. And that’s probably why there was also a focus on communications and apps to again say this is not just an expensive Fitbit clone. I guarantee you if that September keynote talked about nothing but fitness tracking the entire tech community would’ve had a collective yawn and ridiculed Apple for making a big deal out a fitness band. Apple needed to market it as more than that.

Can he though? I mean he's easily my favorite presenter and tends to cover the areas I care most about (e.g. macOS). But I don't know that this at all qualifies him to be the CEO. I said it above, but presentational kills aren't really the most important thing for a CEO. They don't hurt, but the reality is that Apple is entirely too huge to be one man's vision now. Those days were over even before Jobs died.

Yet there are people here who think Scott Forstall should be CEO for no other reason than they prefer iOS 6 UI design.

 

[cult hero]

If you think I was referring to a 'literal soul,' you are sadly mistaken.

If you don't understand what I was saying, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I think enough other forum members can empathize.

Oh, I understand what you're saying. I'm just saying it's utterly nebulous.

"Soul" is one of those words people use when a band they follow puts out a new album they don't like. "This doesn't have soul like their old music did. They sold out, man." Of course, the old stuff was actually "good" because you were much younger when it came out and you are using that as your yardstick.

And yes, others can empathize because they too really liked the first couple albums better. That doesn't mean this feeling is something quantifiable in any way but how you feel which, of course, has no bearing on who should be CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.

Yet there are people here who think Scott Forstall should be CEO for no other reason than they prefer iOS 6 UI design.

It was on the first page of the comments. The only thing that came to mind was, "Gross." If I recall correctly, Forstall actually had a very Jobs-like temperament and I cannot say that's a good thing.

Sorry everyone, there's no one in Apple that's suitable to build a personality cult around anymore. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that's not a bad thing.

 

[Justanotherfanboy]

Can he though? I mean he's easily my favorite presenter and tends to cover the areas I care most about (e.g. macOS). But I don't know that this at all qualifies him to be the CEO. I said it above, but presentational kills aren't really the most important thing for a CEO. They don't hurt, but the reality is that Apple is entirely too huge to be one man's vision now. Those days were over even before Jobs died.

I don’t know him personally (although I have sent him queries now & again via email, and was shocked when he even replied to one on Thanksgiving Day!), but I know that he worked directly for Steve at NeXT after “the ousting” (mid 90’s), followed Steve back to Apple after the buyout, and currently is in charge of both macOS & iOS at the highest level, in his role, holding one of the ten leadership positions at Apple w/ the “SVP” title attached.... meaning, there is nobody above you except Tim.
So.... he’s been in the industry several decades, been with Apple over a decade, has monumental software knowledge, and holds a senior management position now. All that, completely aside from his charisma.

I think a MUCH better question is: what makes you think he couldn’t?

In my mind- if you don’t even have the CAPACITY to one day step into CEO shoes, what the heck are you doing holding the position directly below his... year after year?

 

[Zdigital2015]

The ones crossed out mean nothing to customers.

Apple Music only has more subscribers than Spotify in the US, where Apple Music subscriptions are bundled with phone contracts.

AirPods are good. The Apple Watch is fine (zero interest personally because of iPhone requirement and proprietary lugs). This is the positive side of modern Apple.

Apple's best overall tablet is the mini, which is unchanged in design since 2012. The quality control and durability on the new Pros is a joke.

No competitors are trying to match FaceID. For the same reason no competitors are trying to match the Touch Bar. Just not worth having.

The crossed out stuff means plenty for consumers, even if they don't understand how they benefit...however, the above points are geared more to stockholders, which is what the this story is focused on, considering the source.

• Apple Music subscriptions are generally for a free three month trial, not forever. Apple is doing that all over the place. Why wouldn't they? Spotify does the same thing, is Apple not supposed to promote their homegrown service? Also, my mobile provider does not bundle in Apple Music at all. If I want it, I have to pay for it.
• AirPods are good...they must be, because Apple has had trouble keeping up with production, ever since they introduced them to the public.
• Apple Watch is more than fine, it's a growing segment with lots of innovative things happening...your lack of interest, not withstanding.
• Apple's best overall tablet is whatever is best overall for the customer. The iPad mini 5 uses the same design as the mini 4, introduced in 2015, not 2012. While the change from the mini, mini 2 and mini 3 is minimal, it is different, especially in thickness. I would dare say, either the 6th Gen iPad or the iPad Air is Apple's best overall, sales-wise.
• I haven't heard much about the 2018 iPad Pro's durability or lack thereof since the initial bendgate issues. I would think Apple has moved to address some of the issues by now.
• Microsoft has Windows Hello, but who knows how many people use it and if it is secure at all. Android handset makers aren't really interested in doing the hard work to insure the level of security that is involved in FaceID, they certainly don't have the silicon (A11 and A12 Bionic) to make it a reality. As soon as Google figures out how to monetize facial recognition data, I'm sure a Face ID copycat will be de facto standard for handset makers to keep their License.
• Just because you don't like the Touch Bar, doesn't mean it isn't worth having, but thanks for throwing in a completely unrelated item.

Whether Williams becomes the next CEO is a moot point. How things shake out over the next 9-12 months from a hardware design perspective and how well he immerses himself in the products will make tell us all we want to know. If Ive was detached due to simply being burned out after his time at Apple and Cook is truly not a "product" guy, Williams may be just the right mix for Apple going forward. I think we will see a much happier and productive Jony Ive once he gets his design agency up and running. He really relied on Steve to be a balancing force and as passionate about design as he was. Tim Cook was and is not that guy and that's okay. But for Ive, Cook is as much antithesis as anathema...what we saw with Jobs, Cook and Ive was something very rare. A visionary, a designer who could make those visions come alive and the guy who make sure those creative visions became actual products. That Tim enjoyed building the pipeline to make those things a reality more than the actual products themselves shouldn't surprise anyone who applies themselves to understanding him just a little.

Apple is undergoing a new phase and a rebalancing in a lot of ways. I think taking a wait and see attitude might be prudent for most of us.

 

[FFR]

That actually isn’t what the report states at all. Yikes.

No need to blatantly lie.

Couldn’t wait for you to post it anymore here you go.

So are you going to answer my question?

I will post it again.

That report actually states apple and the iPhone gained marketshare in Europe except for France and Britain.
Apple also gained marketshare in Australia, China, and India.
Same report.
So does that mean apple increased marketshare as Well due to “lack of innovation and price”

You seem to cherry pick the data from the reports to suit your ridiculous theory.

It’s quite silly since the report is available for anyone to read.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I like Jeff's presence and presentation when he's been on stage.

 

[Rob_2811]

I think that Apple may turn into an Apple of the 90’s and today hybrid. I don’t think we will see a return of beige boxes of course, but I think we will see designs that use easier to produce with cheaper, more standard components.

I wouldn't be too sure. Rumors that the rainbow logo is coming back thats the first step towards a whole line up of Cook/Williams beige Macs.

 

[wouwout]

I'd wish more CEOs had the guts to bring someone with a different skill set, character, culture etc in as number 2. Broaden your horizon, step out of your comfort zone and your bubble, change of perspective - it can only benefit Apple in the long run.

 

[TrenttonY]

Yea I knew once Jeff was making more appearance's in the past few years, he would be Tim's successor. I think he would be a good one, personality wise. Tim Cook sometimes annoys me. Jeff seems like he would be your next door neighbor.

Yes, I know all of this doesn't matter, CEO's are suppose to make maximum profit.

 

[DevNull0]

Apple is seing an uptick thanks to Morgan Stanley, it’s almost hitting 207. Rumor is sales rebounded during the tail end of the quarter.

Rotten luck, mate.
That’s going to sting.

I read the Morgan Stanley release (after reading your reply, so thank you). Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like they're basically saying they expect service revenue growth to be up, which is likely a safe bet, and then basically since all the other firms are so pessimistic, it should beat those low-ball expectations. And they raised their 1 year price target to $247, but I still see a consensus target of $211.

Obviously I'm missing something, but I don't see why the Morgan Stanley release should lead to such a strong surge today. "Everyone else set the bar too low so it has to beat it" doesn't sound very inspiring.

 

[Tech198]

He may be only second-most important person, but the comparison, you could have easily mistake Jeff for Tim

 

[allapple]

The "not innovative" line is so wrong. They are not in the business of turning out new products every 6 months that are on the cutting edge. You can't make up products out of thin air nor do you want to pull a Samsung and deliver products that burn up or incomplete, untested products such as the folding phone. First to market rarely is memorable. They have turned out the best smartwatch, the best wireless EarPods, quick updates to the entire computer line and a Pro machine aimed at Pros, not just those who are not or who are dreamers. No one knows what is in the pipeline so to speculate is a waste of time. No question they were late to the smart speaker market and probably should have bought Sonos.

Now if they can just get rid of those flat icons, blurry cotton candy color translucent screens! Fix Itunes! Not just rename it! Something I can use to play MY music! Not discover! Not share! Just play, buy and manage! Itunes 4 would be a good place to start!

 

[sakurarain]

Is this guy more boring than Cook?

much more, i guess

 

[sahnjuro]

Doesn’t sound like Jeff is an agent of disruptive product designs and innovations

 

[alexhardaker]

I think some need to calm down here. If the Apple Watch and AirPods are what he’s been directly involved in (and maybe the cleanup of the Mac lineup?), then we are in safe hands.