by admin ,December 21, 2016
It’s hard to glance back at Apple’s 2016 and call it a win-win year for them.
Rumors started spinning around in January that this year Apple would publish a notable iPhone update, new Macs and much more. Also, there were rumors about Apple’s grand automobile initiative, and buzz that Apple had some wonders in store.
And then reality set in. iPhone, the Apple’s chief product that generates the larger part of the company’s revenue, was not the significant update the rumor mill had vowed to deliver. Rather, Apple only delivered a design in the iPhone 7 which was remarkably identical to the Apple’s handsets that were released in the past two years. In a quite surprising move, Apple chose to drop the headphone jack of the handset, forcing the customers to either purchase wireless headphones or utilize a tiny adapter to send sound to wired headphones. This move was considered controversial, but with iPhone 7 hyped demand, Apple most likely sees it as a good move, even though it annoyed some of the customers.
In October, Apple announced it’s only big update of the year i.e. MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. It is the first computer by Apple to incorporate a touchscreen atop the keyboard, providing users additional software functions which coordinate with what’s happening on screen. It’s a decent upgrade, however, whether it is sufficient to make any noticeable difference in Apple’s Mac division remains to be seen.
In the wake of the dispute with the U.S. government over its solicitations to gain access to the data stored on the iPhone used by Syed Farook (San Bernardino shooter), Apple won some points with privacy advocates too. In the end FBI, eventually accessed the handset without Apple’s help, CEO Tim Cook made his point.
Unfortunately, Apple’s year could be exemplified by more setbacks than anything else. Besides, the MacBook Pro there were no new Macs, and also the iPhone 7 didn’t exactly measure up to the extensive publicity. On top of this, no more than small upgrades to the Apple Watch and an aging iPad, hence, consumers around the globe may feel Apple disappointed them in 2016.
Similarly, the Shareholders might appear to be disappointed. Apple’s decision to slow down was more or less due to the decline in organization’s annual revenue since 2011. In the meantime, some warnings flared up in Apple’s financials as iPhone retails begun to drop, the iPad kept on plummeting, and even Macs fell flat to function to the degree some experts had hoped. However, Apple’s Services market returns escalated, the hardware disintegration made some reservations whether Apple’s best days are long-gone.
As expected, Apple says everything is good, still, it can’t withhold the indications of turning down issues that have surfaced. The forthcoming year offers new ways and new opportunities for Apple to reattain its stature, however, it’s hard to believe that Apple wants to go through 2016 again.
