Don't think a company is too big to fail. When was the last time you shopped at Kmart? Do you have a Sears or Montgomery Ward size hole in your local mall? Have you purchased anything from Kodak lately? Driven an Oldsmobile recently?
Even some products die off from companies. Twenty years ago, who would have predicted IBM would exit the PC market?
Apple does have its flaws. The designs, in my mind, are in dire need of refreshing. Every laptop is basically a thinner version of the Titanium PowerBook, introduced way back in 2001. There's no character to the computers like there had been, sort of like how cars have become bland crossovers that are indistinguishable from each other with a few exceptions. They're functional, sure, but they just don't have any magic to the design to help set them apart. Even though the iMac has gained colors as of late, it's just a big slab. It's not unique like the iMac G3 and G4 were. High-end Macs have been using cheese grater designs for 19 years now on-and-off. There's nothing interesting about the computers to woo new customers like you had in the early iMac era. People don't really want "thin" all the time--remember "bendgate" with the iPhone?
Usability? There are still some features, like customizing the desktop, that have been lacking since OS 9 was the current operating system.
What Apple has going for them is that the products are still better than competitors. All it takes though is one good startup to disrupt everything. Remember how Apple did that with the iPhone? The iPod? For all we know, there may be someone getting ready to launch a revolutionary new product. This parallels other industries as well--remember in the late 80s when the Acura Legend beat the European competitors in luxury sedan/coupe tests? Who would have thought the company known for small hatchbacks at the time could launch a new brand and rise to the top of the ratings in a different segment?
Another thing Apple has going for them is that they're not Google. There are a few people out there who are very much against the company and its "practices" with privacy. If they can make user privacy a priority and promise not to sell data to others, they can retain and possibly win over customers. Apple could even expand their reach there by launching more services in the name of not tracking activity or at least allowing it to be disabled completely.
There are many other things Apple needs to do. Siri is still a beta product over a decade after it was launched. It's time to finally make it more functional. The autocorrect features are very poor at guessing correct words and need to be completely updated. There also needs to be more done to reduce glare from retina displays. I have mine on "night shift" all the time. Battery life leaves a lot to be desired on some of the laptops and the chargers are entirely too large on some computers. These are all little things, but they would really add up to a better product.
Finally, Apple needs to think about making a smaller desktop. Not everyone wants a laptop and not everyone has the real estate on a desk for a huge display. If there was a 17" iMac, preferably with a design other than the boring slab in use since the G5 era in some form, I'd buy it immediately.
Even some products die off from companies. Twenty years ago, who would have predicted IBM would exit the PC market?
Apple does have its flaws. The designs, in my mind, are in dire need of refreshing. Every laptop is basically a thinner version of the Titanium PowerBook, introduced way back in 2001. There's no character to the computers like there had been, sort of like how cars have become bland crossovers that are indistinguishable from each other with a few exceptions. They're functional, sure, but they just don't have any magic to the design to help set them apart. Even though the iMac has gained colors as of late, it's just a big slab. It's not unique like the iMac G3 and G4 were. High-end Macs have been using cheese grater designs for 19 years now on-and-off. There's nothing interesting about the computers to woo new customers like you had in the early iMac era. People don't really want "thin" all the time--remember "bendgate" with the iPhone?
Usability? There are still some features, like customizing the desktop, that have been lacking since OS 9 was the current operating system.
What Apple has going for them is that the products are still better than competitors. All it takes though is one good startup to disrupt everything. Remember how Apple did that with the iPhone? The iPod? For all we know, there may be someone getting ready to launch a revolutionary new product. This parallels other industries as well--remember in the late 80s when the Acura Legend beat the European competitors in luxury sedan/coupe tests? Who would have thought the company known for small hatchbacks at the time could launch a new brand and rise to the top of the ratings in a different segment?
Another thing Apple has going for them is that they're not Google. There are a few people out there who are very much against the company and its "practices" with privacy. If they can make user privacy a priority and promise not to sell data to others, they can retain and possibly win over customers. Apple could even expand their reach there by launching more services in the name of not tracking activity or at least allowing it to be disabled completely.
There are many other things Apple needs to do. Siri is still a beta product over a decade after it was launched. It's time to finally make it more functional. The autocorrect features are very poor at guessing correct words and need to be completely updated. There also needs to be more done to reduce glare from retina displays. I have mine on "night shift" all the time. Battery life leaves a lot to be desired on some of the laptops and the chargers are entirely too large on some computers. These are all little things, but they would really add up to a better product.
Finally, Apple needs to think about making a smaller desktop. Not everyone wants a laptop and not everyone has the real estate on a desk for a huge display. If there was a 17" iMac, preferably with a design other than the boring slab in use since the G5 era in some form, I'd buy it immediately.
