I think it would be correct to say that this is what Apple has slowly become. In the past, it was clearly innovative. The original Mac was incredibly innovative in 1984. The iPhone was innovative back in 2007. But Apple has not had a new idea in the last 10 years, and it has shifted from technology innovation to marketing. Nowadays, it lags in almost every segment, but it still has great marketing, and its reputation has not yet caught up with the sad reality of 2018.
Apple also has a mountain of cash. They could invest in innovative new technologies. But they won't. Partly that's because of the way Tim Cook's salary has been structured. Following a somewhat superficial and short-term understanding of the phrase "share-holder value", his pay is partly based on how much he can boost the stock price. And he's got no real incentive to engage in a massive R&D program, since the results would only pay off in the long run, after he had retired.
I'm currently using a MacBook Pro. I'd like to stick with Mac's, but that decision is very difficult to justify right now. For less money I could get a great Linux laptop.
I get downvoted whenever I mention that the payment structure for Tim Cook is probably having a negative effect on Apple's long-term prospects. Does everyone understand that the incentives offered to CEOs often influence what they optimize for? Can we agree that the most widespread understanding of the phrase "shareholder value" tends to emphasize short-term gains at the expense of long-term gains?
Except that Cook has literally said, on a public call no less, that he doesn't care what the shareholders think if the decisions they make aren't in the best interest of their customers.
I think a big issue for me, and for others on here, is that we're no longer Apple's demographic. Their machines work for me still so I'm not in the same boat as most but Apple is now making computers for everyone, not just the creative professionals or developers. The things we don't care about (Touch Bar, for example) are things that I'm constantly hearing good things about from others. In my case, I actually love the TB because it's great for Final Cut and any other media tools I use.
Apple is the one company where "shareholder value" is not a driving factor.
Q1 2018 revenue: iPhone: 61.5bn USD, others 5.5bn USD (Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod touch and Apple-branded and third-party accessories.) Even if it is a novel idea it is still pretty insignificant for the bottom line.
I think when a product line crosses the $1B threshold (ATV, Watch, iPad), it's still a successful product despite being dwarfed by the iPhone.
Think of all the other technologies companies that are currently dwarfed by the iPhone's sales: Tesla, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Microsoft, Google, Netflix, etc etc. Are these all insignificant? Nope...
I think it would be correct to say that this is what Apple has slowly become. In the past, it was clearly innovative. The original Mac was incredibly innovative in 1984. The iPhone was innovative back in 2007. But Apple has not had a new idea in the last 10 years, and it has shifted from technology innovation to marketing. Nowadays, it lags in almost every segment, but it still has great marketing, and its reputation has not yet caught up with the sad reality of 2018.
Apple also has a mountain of cash. They could invest in innovative new technologies. But they won't. Partly that's because of the way Tim Cook's salary has been structured. Following a somewhat superficial and short-term understanding of the phrase "share-holder value", his pay is partly based on how much he can boost the stock price. And he's got no real incentive to engage in a massive R&D program, since the results would only pay off in the long run, after he had retired.
I'm currently using a MacBook Pro. I'd like to stick with Mac's, but that decision is very difficult to justify right now. For less money I could get a great Linux laptop.