AAPL - Apple Inc.

[Guest valueInv]

"Can't innovate, my ass":

 

http://kensegall.com/2013/06/schillers-zinger-apples-rallying-cry/

 

My sentiments exactly.

[hardincap]

"Can't innovate, my ass":

 

http://kensegall.com/2013/06/schillers-zinger-apples-rallying-cry/

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

cute, but apple IS behind and I think they recognize this. not doing a large phone is a mistake; not doing an affordable iphone is a mistake; jobs said he "cracked" tv 3 years ago, where is it? good news for shareholders is they are finally putting their money where their mouth is and buying back stock, while investors continue to sell

[txlaw]

With iOS 7, Apple "remixes almost everyone in the industry":

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/11/4418188/apple-ios-7-design-influences

 

It's nice to see an acknowledgment of all the other guys whose "innovations" Apple is incorporating into their new OS. 

 

This is definitely catch up on Apple's part.  More kaizen if you will (which is not a bad thing at all).  I like iOS 7, but I would be worried that Google will preview Key Lime Pie before iOS 7 drops in the Fall, and that we will see something that causes a lot of people to hold off on buying new phones until the holiday season.

 

Also, after watching the Keynote, it still seems that Apple is really lagging on the software and services side.  I laughed out loud when the guy was presenting on iWork and marveling about how this was all "running in the browser." 

[Palantir]

"Can't innovate, my ass":

 

http://kensegall.com/2013/06/schillers-zinger-apples-rallying-cry/

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

cute, but apple IS behind and I think they recognize this. not doing a large phone is a mistake; not doing an affordable iphone is a mistake; jobs said he "cracked" tv 3 years ago, where is it? good news for shareholders is they are finally putting their money where their mouth is and buying back stock, while investors continue to sell

 

"Behind" means that others have moved ahead of them. But that hasn't been the case. They've chosen not to do a big phone and a cheap phone, that doesn't mean they are "behind".

[DCG]

"Can't innovate, my ass":

 

http://kensegall.com/2013/06/schillers-zinger-apples-rallying-cry/

 

My sentiments exactly.

jobs said he "cracked" tv 3 years ago, where is it?

 

Well, I thinking cracking the design of the interface, software & hardware is one thing, but getting all the major networks on board with what theyre likely looking to do is another, and I think that's likely what's holding this idea up.

 

For a tv product to be hugely successful IMO, they don't need to replace the current Apple TV, Roku, google tv and other DVR boxes for people - they need to replace Comcast and the other cable providers in people's homes.

 

The ideal product in my mind would (in addition to the current functionality of Apple TV) let people to subscribe to and stream all of their favorite channels. Convincing the networks to go along with this is going to be real tough.

[Guest valueInv]

"Can't innovate, my ass":

 

http://kensegall.com/2013/06/schillers-zinger-apples-rallying-cry/

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

cute, but apple IS behind and I think they recognize this. not doing a large phone is a mistake; not doing an affordable iphone is a mistake; jobs said he "cracked" tv 3 years ago, where is it? good news for shareholders is they are finally putting their money where their mouth is and buying back stock, while investors continue to sell

 

Apple is not playing catchup, they are playing a very different game:

 

http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/10/apples-haiku-to-itself-and-answer-to-android/

 

The fact that they haven't released something doesn't mean they don't have something in the pipeline.

 

Take a look at the difference in reaction to the Galaxy S4 which is "ahead" and IOS 7 which is "behind".

 

They cannot be any clearer on what they are trying to do:

 

http://www.apple.com/designed-by-apple/

 

Doesn't mean they don't make mistakes but those are their values and the game they are playing.

 

Read the part about "a thousand nos"- you don't win feature races by doing that.

[hardincap]

Of course they're innovating behind the scenes. They are definitely working on a TV, make no mistake about it. Cook admitted that they have a "grand vision" in this market. They're definitely working on iWatch. They are definitely working on different form factor iphones.

 

The problem is they are not managing perceptions well when they go silent for 9 months in an industry where a year is an eternity.

 

I think the delay has alot to do with the reorg that happened with Forstall leaving. It makes sense to delay the iphone/ipad until after the ios design refresh. But the cost is clear: perception of a company in decline, stock price suffering, competitors gaining ground.

 

 

[Guest valueInv]

Of course they're innovating behind the scenes. They are definitely working on a TV, make no mistake about it. Cook admitted that they have a "grand vision" in this market. They're definitely working on iWatch. They are definitely working on different form factor iphones.

 

The problem is they are not managing perceptions well when they go silent for 9 months in an industry where a year is an eternity.

 

I think the delay has alot to do with the reorg that happened with Forstall leaving. It makes sense to delay the iphone/ipad until after the ios design refresh. But the cost is clear: perception of a company in decline, stock price suffering, competitors gaining ground.

 

While both Apple and I get to buy stock for really cheap  :)

[Guest valueInv]

With iOS 7, Apple "remixes almost everyone in the industry":

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/11/4418188/apple-ios-7-design-influences

 

It's nice to see an acknowledgment of all the other guys whose "innovations" Apple is incorporating into their new OS. 

 

This is definitely catch up on Apple's part.  More kaizen if you will (which is not a bad thing at all).  I like iOS 7, but I would be worried that Google will preview Key Lime Pie before iOS 7 drops in the Fall, and that we will see something that causes a lot of people to hold off on buying new phones until the holiday season.

 

Also, after watching the Keynote, it still seems that Apple is really lagging on the software and services side.  I laughed out loud when the guy was presenting on iWork and marveling about how this was all "running in the browser."

 

Try resizing a document in Google Docs, you won't be laughing.

[Guest valueInv]

With iOS 7, Apple "remixes almost everyone in the industry":

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/11/4418188/apple-ios-7-design-influences

 

It's nice to see an acknowledgment of all the other guys whose "innovations" Apple is incorporating into their new OS. 

 

This is definitely catch up on Apple's part.  More kaizen if you will (which is not a bad thing at all).  I like iOS 7, but I would be worried that Google will preview Key Lime Pie before iOS 7 drops in the Fall, and that we will see something that causes a lot of people to hold off on buying new phones until the holiday season.

 

Also, after watching the Keynote, it still seems that Apple is really lagging on the software and services side.  I laughed out loud when the guy was presenting on iWork and marveling about how this was all "running in the browser."

 

Good to see you're back Txlaw, I have a little nugget for you:

 

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-06-15/clayton-christensens-innovation-brainbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

 

Read the last paragraph - Clayton Christensen applied his disruptive innovate theory to predict the failure of the iPhone when it was introduced in 2007.

 

Enjoy  ;)

[Guest valueInv]

On Appke and catching up to the competition:

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ptwfF9d-kQY/

[hardincap]

On Appke and catching up to the competition:

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ptwfF9d-kQY/

 

no one ever considered the lack of NFC to be apple's weakness.

 

the market considers the lack of a large screen to be apple's weakness, and rightly so imo.

 

its time for the iphone to be ipodified (family of iphones).

[hardincap]

i really hope this rumor of a 4.7in phone is true

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/13/apple-iphone-idUSL3N0EP1BA20130613

[Guest valueInv]

Who is commoditizing the complement again?

 

http://mashable.com/2013/06/10/itunes-radio-compared-pandora/

[Palantir]

Who only asks rhetorical questions again?

[Guest valueInv]

Who only asks rhetorical questions again?

 

A little trouble connecting the dots?

[hardincap]

Who only asks rhetorical questions again?

 

lol. seriously.

 

heres a question id like to pose: are bulls underestimating the impact to margins iphone mini and ipad mini will have? revenue has been declining, and margins have fallen even more substantially, resulting in lower gross profit. this isnt even with the iphone mini out yet. i highly doubt apple would price the mini substantially below overall margins, but its also highly unlikely to achieve anything like current 55% iphone margins.

 

it doesnt matter how cool the iphone mini is, if it doesnt translate to growing earnings, investors will be worse off

[Guest valueInv]

iWork for the web is already starting to pay off:

 

http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/14/microsoft-office-for-iphone/

[DukeCrow]

Everyone is focusing just on the colors but there is much more to it than that. the transition animations, dynamic background, multitasking, control center.. all very cool and functional. you have to try it to get a feel for it.

 

control center is so useful, i think the side buttons (volume, silent mode) will go away w/ 5s.

 

What is the new multitasking features?  The one thing I absolutely hate about my iPad is that I can't run two apps at once.  I'd love to be able to play a sound file or a youtube video in one app, minimize it then use another app while listening.  The iPad literally runs one process at a time.  I've found even the tabs in your browser don't run in parallel.  If you play a video or stream sound in one tab then switch to another it will continue to play for only a short while then stop.  Very annoying.  It's like the days of MSDOS. You have to quit one application before starting a new one.  If iOS 7 will fix this then I don't care what it looks like it will be the largest improvement to the iPad ever.  I don't have an iPhone, so I don't know if this problem bothers iPhone users.  Maybe you only want to do one thing at a time on such a small device, but for a tablet I would think listening to audio while browsing the web would be a common way people would wish to use it.

 

IOS already has partial multitasking.

 

BTW, if you play a video stream on one tab and switch to another, you can't see the video and hence, it would be useless to have the video continue to play and consume resources.

 

One would think that, but it isn't true.  I often want to only hear the audio.  Lectures, speeches, interviews, etc

 

The iPad (and iPhone) can already do what you want. All you have to do after you leave the Youtube app or Safari is double tap the home button, swipe over to the audio controls, and tap the play button. I do it all the time to listen to Youtube in the background. Background audio has always been one of the categories of iOS's limited multi-tasking. The app just has to be using that API (not all apps that play video do).

[Palantir]

So what's the verdict? Is flat iOS better than leather iOS? I didn't mind the skeuomorphism, I thought it looked fun and whimsical.

 

Perhaps Jony's minimalist designs will not work as well in software....food for thought. Furthermore, nobody is more influential than Ive anymore, and if he messes up, who will he answer to? Tim doesn't have the stature or design or engineering background to lord over the developers and designers the way Steve would.

[Guest valueInv]

So what's the verdict? Is flat iOS better than leather iOS? I didn't mind the skeuomorphism, I thought it looked fun and whimsical.

Better but there's still a lot of work to be done.

[DukeCrow]

For anyone that is interested in learning more about the new features and design language of iOS 7, I highly encourage you to sign up for a free Apple developer account (not the $99 iOS or Mac developer accounts -- unless, of course, you're interested in running the beta OS's).

https://developer.apple.com/register/index.action

 

You'll get access to all the WWDC videos. There are some really interesting ones, in my opinion. iOS 7 is still a work in progress, but you'll definitely realize that a lot of thought went into its design language, even if it's not as polished as some would like (what do you expect, it's an early release of an entire rethink of the design). Lots of room to iterate, grow, and refine. It's good to know that iOS has a solid design foundation for the future.

[DukeCrow]

So what's the verdict? Is flat iOS better than leather iOS? I didn't mind the skeuomorphism, I thought it looked fun and whimsical.

 

Perhaps Jony's minimalist designs will not work as well in software....food for thought. Furthermore, nobody is more influential than Ive anymore, and if he messes up, who will he answer to? Tim doesn't have the stature or design or engineering background to lord over the developers and designers the way Steve would.

 

There's no question it's better.

 

An excellent write-up comparing the design of iOS 6 to iOS 7.

http://mattgemmell.com/2013/06/12/ios-7/

 

And some interesting thoughts on iOS from a GigaOM article on designers' thoughts about iOS 7....

http://gigaom.com/2013/06/10/ios-7-love-it-hate-it-either-way-designers-are-talking-about-it/

 

Mike Monteiro (of Mule Design) wrote in a Twitter DM (direct message):

 

"It’s a breath of fresh air. Where was Apple going with the current crap? This opens up all manner of possibilities. I’m excited because it’s new. And fresh. The Forstall crap went to its logical conclusion. Any design system that can no longer be extended is death. The new stuff is a fresh start. Eventually it’ll die too. But right now I’m excited about how it can grow and be extended. It’s not perfect. But, as a designer, that excites me. As a consumer? I dunno."

 

Craig Mod, who is one my favorite design and content-focused thinkers, wrote:

 

"iOS7 shows us that we’re at a point where design of digital device interfaces simply cannot be accurately assessed from afar. These are living things — systems. Where the physics, the parallax, the subtlety of the movements are all part of the ‘design’ and surface design is just a rather boring tip of an otherwise very deep iceberg. Until we live with the new OS for days, it’s hard to say how successful the new design is or isn’t. What was outlined today looks like a very rational base on which to extend the OS — somewhat timeless, far more timeless than what we had before. The only truly red flags I saw (aside from bad iconography which is trivial to fix) were the decisions around translucency. I’ve never seen an instance where translucency brings clarity, not muddle, to an interface. And from what we’ve seen so far, it looks like it falls on the muddle side in iOS7, too."

 

Justin Rhoades, a Portland-based designer, said:

 

"I think the design had to be reset so that newer interaction models could surface. More gestures, more animations. They added a physics engine to the SDK. It’s like a pendulum swinging from obvious visual affordances to engaging kinetic ones. The parallax effect, the physics of the messages bubbles and I’m sure many other ‘kinetic’ behaviors are new to devs in iOS7. Apple wants apps to use more motion and less visual design."

 

I'm ignoring people that are being too nitpicky about the colors, the icons, etc. Those things can all be refined over time. There are also a lot of changes to iOS under the hood that most people are ignoring and not talking about (probably because most people who could talk about them are under NDA). The under the hood changes are a big part of the future of iOS and are slowly opening up APIs that will be very useful to developers (and, consequently, consumers).

[Guest valueInv]

Good post, DukeCrow! People only seem to be focusing on the reskinning and ignoring a lot of the other changes. IOS7 is not really flat, it has just removed the skeumorphic adornments. It has used the depth in other areas.

 

Just discovered Matt Gammell - some fantastic analysis.

[Guest wellmont]

the incremental change of IOS 6 to 7 is not a driver of aapl business. even though there are going to be folks unhappy with it; it's simply a given that it will incrementally improve. I agree that the underlying OS is now a commodity. it's the plumbing.  the market wants to see something from apple that goes beyond incremental improvements to existing products like PC Phone and tablet. That's why the stock is stuck in the mud.