Such a question could never have been asked a few years ago, but recently it has been becoming more legitimate: is Apple spent as an innovative force?
The company that, under the guidance of the brilliant Steve Jobs, brought the world the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, has gone quiet in the period since Jobs’ death. And this lack of sparkle has only been greater demonstrated by the advent of Google Glass, a product that a few years ago would have had “Apple” written all over it but has been launched by another firm.
Now all we seem to hear about Apple is a falling share price and rumours of slight tweaks to existing products, none of which seems worthy of a company so renowned for products that people all over the world desired and bought in their millions. The much-discussed iWatch is a smokescreen. Interesting though it may sound, it is not the product Apple needs to recapture the public’s imagination. Apple TV is not revolutionary enough to move the company forward.
Chief executive Tim Cook has promised the company has “great stuff” on the way, seeking to reassure shareholders over falling share prices. Yet he has declined to offer additional details, which will only leave shareholders wondering quite what Cook has up his sleeve, amid doubts an iWatch really has what it takes to reestablish Apple as an innovations powerhouse.
Cook is adamant Apple remains committed to innovation, which is the company’s “North Star” and “the beat of its heart”, but shareholders and consumers are justified in wondering whether or not these descriptions are no longer apt, as products such as Google Glass and Samsung’s new Galaxy S4, featuring eye scroll technology, leave the firm of Steve Jobs in the shade.
