Re: Whoodathunkdit??
Apple are "great" in the sense of "very large" but a lot of people hate them for various reasons. In the UK there's a big awareness of tax-dodging now, though this won't affect their share price and probably won't affect sales either. But the reality is that they are rampant price-gougers and -skimmers who charge top dollar for products that are made as cheaply as possible: in other words, a completely normal multinational. Their marketing - particularly retail - is pretty slick, up there with other high-fashion brands.
They *were* on an amazing streak and that's been over for a year now. But as you say they've hit the end of the road: Not only has nothing new come out, they have degraded their existing lines in various ways : no optical drive on a so-called all-in-one iMac for example. Maps for another.
Personally I'd like to see them leverage their current inventory by getting into bed with some proper partner developers who match their style. Let's posit the idea of a super-clean looking CK wristwatch with built-in bluetooth iPod mini touchscreen and iPhone controller - not the clunky Sony idea but something really smart that would give Tag and Breitling a run for their money in the fashion stakes. OK maybe not CK but you get the idea. But Apple are too proud. It'll never happen.
It's very hard to come up with "what next". The genius of Apple's catalogue is that nobody knew they wanted these things - iPad, iPod touch et al - until they saw one. Then they became overnight must-haves. I don't think I've got the wild imagination required to think of "what next" (apart from my old email hat idea - but that's old tech now).
How about you lot. Apart from the usual "I'd like to see Apple drop off the face of the earth" trolls, what next for Apple?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
