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First, he is questioning the whole app-centric strategy. I wrote a piece a couple years ago on the "cloudphone", using HTML5 to get into web-based interfaces instead of downloadable apps. It hasn't caught on yet, but we did say it might work in lower cost Asian markets first.
Second, he calls out Apple on innovation, and questions the stop-gap of the iPhone SE - which I applauded recently since it taps into frustrated upgrade procrastinators.
Taking on Tesla in China seems a pretty tall order. But, stranger things have happened. I'm wondering if there is yet another Chinese company a la Xiaomi ready to break into the mobile top five. It's hard to see these guys coming - this was the first international television interview for Jia.
As their market share slips, it becomes less important for developers to target iOS, and if an app gap starts to appear with killer apps not being released on iOS, or even just getting delayed on iOS it becomes a self reinforcing loop.
It used to be that developers would target iOS first, Android second, and then maybe other platforms if they had resources. Now developers target Android first, iOS second. It could turn into developers targeting Android, and then maybe iOS if they have resources. While all the big apps will continue to be available on both platforms, there could be a long tail apps only available on Andriod, which could incrementally push users to the Android platform, leading incremental developers top developing for it, increasing the size of the app gap over time.
I agree with the comments above posted, and I am not necessarily Apple-maniac (I don't like "closed" systems, where you are forced to do things the way somebody else decided you should do...), but Apple is making 40% of the profits generated by the entire Silicon Valley based companies!!
Eric, Apple and Intel for that matter need someone like Andy Grove. In this world, tech and otherwise, only the paranoid survive and prosper. Governments around the world and societies in general have much to learn from this great man. Your comment is excellent.
The iPhone in china most important role is as a status symbol. It's a known fact, and i'm not sure it even has a lot to do with technical stuff(unless android comes with a unique breakthrough). And i didn't see nothing in the story from LeEco on how to disrupt a status symbol.
But who knows, i'm not a marketer, maybe status symbols work in cycles or something. Or maybe the decline in sales is just the general economic situation.
Pity poor Apple. They're king of the hill and everyone wants to see them stumble. Finding new high-growth domains isn't easy. Not obvious anyone else has a firm grasp on any such opportunity either. Can't be used as an excuse of course. When you're king, either you find a way or you get pushed aside by the next claimant to the throne.
But Apple with all it's resources and it's cash, doesn't even seem to be seriously trying to create exciting new things, unlike Google and even Facebook with VR, internet drones, etc.
It just plays the same old game of industrial behemoth, for example buying beats, or with it's new music service, trying to force spotify to stop offering music streaming for free via ads.
