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Peter Thiel 'Confirms' the 'Age of Apple is Over,' But Says It's Not Tim Cook's Fault

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In a "Confirm or Deny" feature by The New York Times this week, PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel "confirmed" that "the age of Apple is over" based on his belief that smartphones will lack further innovation.While the iPhone has become a familiar product as it turns ten, which perhaps makes it less exciting to some, to say smartphones are not an area where there will be any more innovation will certainly fuel a debate. And, of course, while the iPhone is Apple's most profitable product, it's not its only.

Thiel's comment can be argued one way or the other, but it does raise the question of what Apple's next "one more thing" will be after annual iPhone sales declined for the first time amid an uncharacteristically down year for Apple--perhaps something in the augmented reality or electric vehicle spaces? Will this be the year Apple pushes deeper into artificial intelligence with Siri and an Echo-like device?

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has routinely teased about what's around the corner. Last year, he said Apple has "great innovation in the pipeline," including "things you can't live without that you just don't know you need today." Likewise, he told employees last month that Apple has "great desktops in our roadmap," and earlier this week he said "the best is yet to come" for iPhone.

Article Link: Peter Thiel 'Confirms' the 'Age of Apple is Over,' But Says It's Not Tim Cook's Fault
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A wonderful addition to Macrumors weekly "Apple is doomed" reporting style. Way to manage expectations and awesome bait for clicking.
 
mertox said:
And considering the number of PC sales vs Mac sales, that would be a valid point.
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Not when trying to convey that a company's days are over. Apple moved beyond computers. Microsoft and Google are moving beyond software. Amazon is moving beyond online retail. It was a stupid, ill-informed, short sighted statement to make. Despite one's opinions about Apple, it's foolish to make blanket statements like this.
 
This I have been saying this recently which is why Apple decided to go increase the screen sizes and get into complicated product portfolios... This is definitely sign of desperation. Mobiles will become another addition to our set of essentials like PC, TV,Debit Card, Credit Card, Driving License, car, Camera... There is no need to replace Mobiles is every two years or even three years like we do it with others... Which is why Apple is also moving into three years product release cycle.... Innovation will be very limited in the current form factor and user interface
 
bstv69 said:
Yea it's Jon Ive's fault. His unchecked hardon for thinness has destroyed the company. Maybe if they got a couple engineers to actually keep him in check and remind him no one gives a **** about thickness at this point they wouldn't be having these issues. Phone and computer thickness hit its plateau a long time ago people would rather their devices be more powerful and last longer than 1mm thinner. When the rest of the company's exec and shareholders realize this, then maybe apple can rebound
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Totally. We need thicker devices as proven by this post. All other manufacturers push the envelope by producing as thick as possible because cumbersome devices is really what we all want to carry around on the wrists and in our pockets.
 
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v0lume4 said:
I see a lot of people defending Apple and calling Peter Thiel a bozo, but you have to be honest -- the age of the "wow" factor is over. That's not much more that we can do with phone or computer hardware anymore. They've become quite refined. And even with breakthroughs do happen, we don't ooh and aah with googly eyes as we've just become numb to new things. There's some truth to what he's saying.

edit -- The next frontier of breakthroughs are going to happen with software (AI), in my opinion. Not hardware.
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The age of the wow factor over a particular product being over does not mean that the company that makes that product is over. When was the last time an iPod wowed you?
 
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I think there's still room for some innovation. For the longest time I've wanted to see some kind of solar sensor/panel on the phone that allows for charging from sunlight. This would allow batteries to become even smaller and allow an almost infinite amount of battery life during the day, in the same way calculators with similar panels could last forever, even with dead batteries.
 
I am inclined to agree with Thiel.

IMHO, it seems like Cook's idea of innovation involves 'market research', the press, public opinion, buzzwords and fads, leading him to invest(waste) Apple's resources on cars, vr/ar, watch, etc, while concurrently reducing Apple's focus on the existing markets they are in (Macs, iPhone, iPad).

-Watch
-Pencil
-iPad Pro
-AppleTV (touch remote)

It seems like Cook has fundamentally changed Apple from a company with teams competing with each other(adversarial) where 99% ideas get a "No" and the best single idea wins, or even it gets a 'no' if its not worth bringing to market (see earlier articles regarding iPhone prototypes), to a company of "yes men" (collaboration).

IMHO saying 'No' to bad products, bad ideas... is just as, if not more, important than bringing something...anything, to market with a 'Yes'.

Cook is a COO at heart, a CEO in title, but not a visionary. I will always respect and credit him with bringing Apple from the brink in the late 90s.

I will say that there might not be anyone better who could fill his current role.... unfortunately.

The results are what we see today.
 
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Based off this article I'm guessing that Peter Thiel still regularly uses his google glass and brown 8GB Zune since they peaked the AR and MP3 player in innovation in their respective categories.
 
spiderman0616 said:
The age of the wow factor over a particular product being over does not mean that the company that makes that product is over. When was the last time an iPod wowed you?
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Everybody has their time to shine and that time doesn't last forever, for anyone. Microsoft had a time. Apple is having/had their time. And somebody else will have theirs down the road. You know?

But Apple itself will never be "over" just like Microsoft will never be "over." They just won't be the market leader forever. No one will.
 
1) people are convinced they need smartphones and they don't last forever so there will be replacements
2) The USA is not the whole world, there are plenty of people out there who could have smart phones and don't
3) Software still could provide innovation more than hardware at this point
 
andy.ringwood said:
Some people talk outta their **** sometimes.

And yet this year we'll see the biggest change to iPhone...
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Yes but with what innovations that haven't already been implemented?

Glass sandwich body with stainless steel frame? iPhone 4

Edge to edge display? Samsung edge and Xioami

Wireless charging? Samsung and my Phillips electric toothbrush

USB-C standard? Google, Samsung, Motorola

Yes there will be changes but the age of Apple was bringing things we didn't know we needed. Now it's just a collection of existing designs and technologies.
 
Peter Thiel has never used an iPhone, or never understood it, never plugging in an Apple TV. While Apple products in some cases have stagnated, and can be rough around the edges on some of its feature set, Apple is still the best in category. I scream here from time to time because Apple can be much, much, better, but the "Age of Apple is Over" is simply not the case, it's quite the opposite.
 
512ke said:
a very short sighted prediction.
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But not far-fetched. Apple brought innovative things and aggressively told consumers "you need this, how did you live without it?"

Examples: MagSafe, swipe to scroll, accelerometers, airport express, etc.

Everyone has caught up with Apple. Apple was wowing in a world where people didn't know enough to see what was growing around them. Now all Apple can do it just enhance existing technologies while other companies try to out innovate or beat them to innovations Apple are rumored to doing.

Everyone really should watch the TED talk about creativity is a remix, it's very enlightening.

"I invented nothing new. I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work. Had I worked fifty or ten or even five years before, I would have failed. So it is with every new thing. Progress happens when all the factors that make for it are ready, and then it is inevitable." - Henry Ford
 
Well the ten year anniversary of the iPhone and looking at that initial iPhone really brought home for me how little innovation there has been since the iPhone's introduction. Of course the current phones are amazing and much better. Lots of great stuff. But I bet 90% of what I use my iPhone for each day I could do just fine on the original iPhone. Throw in a CPU upgrade into the original iPhone and update the iOS to take advantage of that CPU and I'd get to 95% functionality.

Apple isn't doomed. The iPhone is great. But if we ever were in the "Age of Apple" then Apple needs something else. Frankly though, I don't think we have been in the Age of Apple. And if anything I suspect that we are entering the Age of iOS where iOS becomes the dominate software platform and replaces Windows for consumers and many professionals.
 
This article is nothing more than some Anecdotal opinion based off what? The future? I'm not to concerned with his prediction on what he believes is innovation or what Apple can and cannot do. Anybody can prophesize a future prediction, but it doesn't make it accurate based off the individual reporting it.
 
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v0lume4 said:
edit -- The next frontier of breakthroughs are going to happen with software (AI), in my opinion. Not hardware.
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Agreed. I'm pretty confident that hardware-wise innovation is done (for now) . We'll get week long battery life and true wireless charging or whatever eventually, but I'm pretty sure we've hit the end of Moore's Law and CPU development has become all about power efficiency. Nothing is ever going to really impress us again. It's the software that needs to catch up now and I think concepts like Microsoft's Continuum and AI are going to be the next step. Maybe Apple will be a part of that or maybe not, no one really knows.
 
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All products process through a bell shaped curve. Apple products are no different. When the product enters the downward side of the bell, or mature, something else will be designed. Apple investing heavily in R&D, a good thing. Whether Apple continues as a leader or becomes an also ran company (RIM) will depend on those choices. I for one hope they continue to lead.
 
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