Apple is finding itself in a bit of a rut right now. Simple refreshes of their products, falling share prices and public opinion waning all amount to a company in trouble. Well at least they would if they didn’t have over $140 billion in the bank and a very loyal user base.
Apple is a big deal still, obviously. The arts and entertainment industries love the iMac and Macbook hardware; the iPod is still one of the most wanted Mp3 players on the market; iPhone sales alone are enough to make Microsoft and BlackBerry (formerly RIM) jealous and the tablet revolution was giving a right kick up the jacksie with the introduction of the iPad. But for all their might and magic, what can Apple offer the technological community and the consumer now, that someone else can do for cheaper and sometime better?
A company in transition
For Apple to get to where it is now, they had to overcome some major hurdles. The main one being near bankruptcy in 1997, where they were bailed out by Microsoft in a not completely selfless gesture (Microsoft didn’t want to be seen as creating a monopoly, so invested $150 million). Had this not happened, even under Steve Jobs’ stewardship, we would likely not have seen the iPod, iPhone, iPad or iMac.
The video above is the perfect example of revolutionary. The snap actions, coupled with the NFC functionality would completely change how we would interact with each other and each other’s device. The on desk projected interface is a marvel, if a little Star Trek and LCARS-esque. And while this functionality exists as a device already, building it into an iDevice could prove to be a key selling point. Holographic displays do exist, but they would be nowhere near the level shown in this video. Unless someone at Samsung is holding out on the tech! But even compared to the current line of iPads, the display on the mocked up device in the video is amazing. Look at it, there is little to no bezel! Why can’t Apple do that now?
Apple is by no means a company in trouble, but when your stock drops by $200, people will question what’s to come. With the competition from medium and high end Android mobile devices, Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablets starting to claw some market share their way and Blackberry looking like it will have a mini resurgence, Apple need to lay down the gauntlet again, like it did with the iPhone and the iPad. They need to take risks, to come out with a product that people will turn their heads in an owl-like fashion when walking past one in the street. No mean feat, but having done it multiple times already, how hard can it be to do again?
To echo what Steve Jobs said, for Apple to win, Microsoft (and now Google) don’t need to lose. And right now, Tim Cook and the people in charge at Apple seem to be going down the same path that got Apple in trouble in the first place. The same trouble that caused Microsoft to bail them out, prompt Steve Jobs to make his speech, and ultimately bring on the advent of the iPod, iPhone and iPad. But, if down again, do the current crop of Apple execs have the power, resources, influence and means to get back up again?
It"s not that Apple is suddenly making bad products, far from it, it"s that other companies are now matching and even besting Apple at their own game. So the question remains, does Apple have something up their sleeve to keep their revenue growing or are they starting to be a victim of their own success?
We’ll let you be the judge of that.
Images courtesy of ExtremeTech, MyDigitalLife, Sparkle Tech News, Technology for Girls, Forbes and Apple