How Apple Lost Its Way 2016 Year In Review Apple Inc.

2016 year in review: How Apple lost its way!

Apple Inc Review 2016

2016 hasn't been very kind to the once bulletproof company. The Apple Watch failed to set the market on fire, iPhone sales and revenues have been dropping every quarter, and the iPad range is flagging. 

The problem is that over the last few years, the excitement has been constantly waning, with Apple releasing iterative updates to the iPhone which are constantly behind the competition.

2016 saw many users becoming disillusioned with the company because of the lackluster iPhone 7/7Plus and the extremely mediocre iPhone SE, which was nothing but a repackaged iPhone 5. 

Let's take a look at what all Apple introduced in 2016: 

iPhone SE/iPad Pro :-

The year started with the introduction of the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Both products represented a company that had lost focus and was confused. 

By putting the Pro moniker on what was essentially nothing but the iPad Air 3, Apple made its iPad lineup extremely confusing and cluttered. Apple, which was known for simplicity and a streamlined product portfolio under Steve Jobs now had 5 different iPads being sold at the same time. 

The iPhone SE was another underwhelming and disappointing product from Apple. Many expected a new design in line with the iPhone 6 design ethos but Apple simply repackaged the internals of the iPhone 6S into the almost 2.5 year old iPhone 5 design. This again marked a move which was very unlike the Apple of old. 

WWDC: iOS 10, MacOS Sierra :-

Apple's WWDC this year saw a lot of incremental updates to OS X(now macOS), watchOS, tvOS. Messages, Apple Maps, iOS 10, as well as complete overhaul of Apple Music. 

MacOS Sierra was an extremely underwhelming update. It’s only major feature was the introduction of Siri to the Mac, something which should have happened years ago. 

iOS 10 saw Apple playing catchup with Android without any new innovative stand out feature. Apple Music’s redesign was nice but stemmed out of the inherent usability problems with the original Apple Music layout. The overhaul of the Maps application finally made Apple Maps usable, but that should again have been the case from the get go. 

Tim Cook CEO Of Apple Inc

iPhone 7: The iPhone 6S in a new color :-

The iPhone 7 was the first time Apple didn't overhaul the design with the launch of a new numbered model. Most analysts suggest Apple did the same so as to introduce a new design with their tenth anniversary model next year. 

Even to the most ardent Apple fanboys, the iPhone 7/7 Plus were huge disappointments. With same three year old iPhone design, no major standout features and the huge bezels, the iPhone 7 came across more as a ’S’ version upgrade. 

Yes the updates to the camera, the dual telephoto lens in the 7 Plus and the waterproofing were fine, but they were all features we had already seen before from Android competitors. 

Apple’s decision to drop the headphone jack was the the final nail in the coffin for many. While the iPhone 7/7Plus are not bad smartphones, they failed to stand out from the crowd, especially in a year which saw great smartphones such as the the OnePlus 3/3T, Samsung Galaxy S7/S7 Edge and great products from Chinese companies like Xiaomi, Huawei and LeEco. 

Apple Watch: Lukewarm response :-

2016 has been a dismal year for smartwatches in general and even Apple’s mighty Apple Watch couldn’t change the tide. The sales of the Apple Watch were lukewarm at best and it wasn't the market success everyone thought it would be. 

The Series 2, with an updated processor, GPS and waterproofing abilities failed to bring anything exciting to the table and was what the Apple Watch should have been in the first place. 

MacBook Pro: The final nail in the coffin :-

Apple finally updated it’s MacBook Pro range of laptops in November 2016. With the last comprehensive redesign of the MacBook Pro having been introduced in 2012, the new products were much anticipated by ardent Mac fans. 

However, the new MacBook Pro’s saw a lot of criticism from both critics as well as MacBook purists as they went against the very definition of a ‘Pro’ laptop. The removal of almost all legacy I/O ports, lack of an SD card reader, the underpowered internals and the shockingly bloated sticker price all contributed to the disappointment. 

The distinguishing feature of the new MacBook Pro lineup - the much leaked and anticipated TouchBar also received mixed reactions. 

Mac: The neglected member of the Apple family :-

While 2016 finally saw an update to the MacBook Pro, the rest of the lineup has not seen an update in ages. Something which is very unlike the Apple of old which despite flagging sales, upheld Mac's status as a flagship product. 

The Mac Pro has not been updated in over three years. The Mac Mini has not seen a revision since 2014 and even the iMac is in dire need of new internals. 

Even the MacBook Air hasn’t seen an update in ages and it doesn't even seem likely that Apple will shower the Air some love anytime soon. Apple also discontinued the late 2012 MacBook Pro, which was a very popular as it was the last MacBook that allowed for user upgradable Ram and HDD without voiding the warranty. 

apple retail stores in India going to built

Analysing Apple's financial performance :-

The once bulletproof Cupertino company suffered a second straight quarter in earnings and revenue decline in Q2 2016. 

Apple's sales for the June quarter were $42.4 billion, with a net income of $7.8 billion. While those figures sound very impressive, that was a 27% drop over last year's figures, when Apple's sales for the same quarter were $49.6 billion. 

A drop of that proportion is extremely worrying, especially for a company like Apple. 

Focus on India and China :-

With Apple witnessing a drop in iPhone sales for the second time in Q2 2016, the company started looking towards emerging markets like India and China for growth.

Apple CEO Tim Cook visited India and opened up a development centre in Hyderabad and announced a iOS design centre in Bengaluru. 

Apple also wants to open retail stores in India in the future. And now the way is clear for Apple to do so due to the Indian governments new FDI rules which were announced back in June 2016. 

Final Review :-

As someone who himself is invested in the Apple ecosystem and uses his MacBook Pro and iPad Mini extensively, the situation is extremely worrying. 2016 saw me finally switching over to the Android camp after extremely lackluster iPhone updates. 

The company needs to pull itself together, realign its focus and streamline its product portfolio. By ignoring the Mac and it’s actual user base, Apple is at a risk of alienating its core customers. The iPad range is also flagging and needs a major strategic realignment. 

Long gone are the days when the iPhone set the market trends and showed everyone else how it's done. The iPhone has been playing catchup for too long and Apple needs to stop playing it safe and introduce something that wows the world again. 

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What do you think? Can Apple pull out of the slump and prove doubters wrong in 2016? Sound off in the comments!