With inflation rising, supply chains breaking, and the technology workforce unstable in the aftermath of the Covid-19 epidemic, what can a smart company do? We already know what Apple will do – it will follow in the footsteps of founder Steve Jobs, bow its metaphorical head and “innovate” indefinitely.
When walking becomes difficult …
I’m talking CNN Many years ago, Jobs explained his approach:
“We had one of these before when the dot-com bubble burst. What I told our company is that we’re going to invest in our way through the recession, that we’re not going to lay off people, that we’re going to put them first in Apple.” We’ve worked hard to bring it about – the last thing we’re going to do is eliminate them, and we’re going to keep funding. And it worked. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do. “
So, now that we know what Apple will do, here’s a quick rounddown of some of the approaches it could take.
Wall-enclosed garden reconsideration
Apple-walled orchards are under attack. The company will be forced to make some changes, but it will try to set a line around the customer’s right to choose security over customer privacy and competitive advantage.
Although the regulators still do not seem to be very confident, the argument has a lot of strength and I am a little skeptical that when a compromise is reached, concessions will be made.
Apple will only balance its business proposals to work out what is left. But it will not happen without a fight.
Rethink the services
We’ve all heard of how Apple’s service revenue pivot means that part of its business is now a bigger company (in terms of revenue) than IBM.
We’ve also heard rumors that the company wants to expand its iPhone upgrade program with some consumer-centric Apple-a-a-service offerings. Under this, you will rent your device with a set monthly fee, not your own. The idea is that Apple’s kits should be more accessible to more people, and this scheme will help Apple recycle devices as EOL products are returned and customers are upgraded.
This transition to services makes the company more resilient and provides a predictable, recurring revenue to help it meet unforeseen economic challenges.
Research and development
Apple’s research and development (R&D) spending is rising. It increased 10-fold between 1999 and 2012, when it hit 3 billion. Apple has spent .9 21.91 billion on R&D in 2021.
The investment continues to yield results, with improvements to iOS and macOS, new hardware and the upcoming new hardware family, such as AR specs and Apple Car. But Apple is a child of its time, and I’m sure that part of what the company will explore will be solutions that will answer tomorrow’s question: How can technology increase CSR? How do you create a closed loop production process? What about extended and remote healthcare?
And don’t forget the processors, software and services that can provide all of this.
Hire for innovation
Apple is known to buy small companies from time to time. Sometimes it does so in order to achieve the innate technology that the purchasing entity provides, at other times the company prefers to invest in hiring teams for the skills they possess.
We don’t always know which companies Apple bought later (sometimes much later), but we do know a lot: Apple has about $ 200 billion in cash, which means it takes the kind of financial muscle to acquire innovative companies, when economic instability means potential The acquisition target now exists in the buyer’s market. Cash goes even further if VMware / Broadcom can certify as no one else has.
Publish what’s coming
Apple has always worked very, very hard on new products which it has never confirmed. We think the company recently demonstrated a prototype of its AR glasses to its board members.
We further note that the company continues to invest heavily in Apple cars and is now establishing a manufacturing and supply chain for such vehicles.
The company spends a lot of time discussing health, and we know it’s researching elsewhere, such as wireless power supplies, ePaper, 6G and other building blocks needed to design future products.
We can easily predict recurrences of existing products, including radical redesign over time, but we can also predict brand new product families enabled by proprietary technologies such as Apple Silicon and the looming Apple 5G modem.
[Also read: 11 business lessons from iPod father Tony Fadell]
Redesign for the future
What is the future? Apple did not look back when it introduced the concept of ‘digital hub’ at the turn of the century.
That hub reflected the then-existing optimistic consumer philosophy of independence and autonomy; But tomorrow’s consumers are more likely to be dedicated to sharing and collective responsibility.
So, what are the appropriate illustrations for that vision, and how can Apple (or anyone) express that vision in new products that are designed to reflect tomorrow’s world instead of the planet we plundered yesterday?
We know Apple spends time thinking about this – just look at how it works. Despite the backlash against these promises, research shows that tomorrow’s consumers will take such things seriously and reject brands that do not share these values. Think of the criticism that Nike endured while featuring NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kepernick in a marketing campaign. Critics may have made a huge noise, but the reality is that consumer attitudes around the brand have increased dramatically and sales have increased by 31%.
That is why it is important to strike the right philosophical message and prove it.
How are you
How can you be firm in meeting the demands of tomorrow’s changing realities? How can you redesign and redesign your products and services? When it comes to technology, at least, Jobs may have omitted a hint of a method when he said so CNN:
“Things can happen fairly slowly, you know. They do. These waves of technology, you can see them before they happen, and you just have to choose wisely which one you are going to surf. If you choose unconsciously, you do. You can waste a lot of energy, but if you choose wisely, it actually unfolds fairly slowly. It takes a few years. One of our biggest insights. [years ago] We don’t want to be in a business where we don’t own or control basic technology because you put your head in your hands. “
For a better tomorrow, look to the front, not the back, though do not neglect history, which is always a useful guide.
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