Despite the relative success of their latest smartphone, iPhone15s, the Cupertino firm had never been able to renew with the success of legendary iPhone5s, launched ten years ago, in 2011. As of today, we don’t know if Microsoft will keep iPhone and iPad product lines, or decide to provide these with a lethal injection…
Some history: back in 2011, Apple (iOS) was enjoying 50%+ market share in some of the highly developed countries, like 79% in Japan or 50% in Sweden, and was still beating Android (by 1%) in the US…
If we look at Apple historical results, the company has already experienced such a market share decline, and seen sales decreasing on a booming market: it was in 1995, the product was the Macintosh. Apple’s board decision to fire Steve Jobs a while ago (1985) and to replace him with beans counter was clearly the reason explaining such a decline:
Steve’s come back in 1997 has helped the company to return to success, with the iPod launch in 2001, quickly generating huge sales and profit. Surfing on this success, Apple successfully launches a revolutionary smartphone in 2007… Even if the smartphone concept had been invented by IBM with the “Simon Personal Communicator” in 1992, and hit success with the Nokia 9000 in 1996, and later with the “Blackberry” from RIM, launched in 1999, the iPhone launch in 2007 had completely change the consumer perception, at the point that such an expansive device, supposedly reserved to a business elite, has penetrated even house (I should say every room, as kids used it as well). So, Apple could have said a big “Thanks” to Steve Jobs, who has moved in less than ten years a quasi-bankrupt company into… Wall Street largest valued company! But this was in 2012, and the Cupertino firm has duplicated, in the meantime, the former MAC story, like highlighted by this picture (in fact, just replace “Word Perfect”, the MAC OS text editor in blue by MAC, and “Word” in red by PC or Windows).
The “Word Perfect” curve is just representing that has happened to “iOS” twenty years later: launched in 2007, it climbed very quickly to close to 50% market share (at the detriment of Nokia and RIM), to start declining in 2012, when Android (Word in 1990) started to dominate the smartphone OS market… Just take a look at this iPhone market share picture by world region in 2019:
But, it was no more possible to call back Steve, very unfortunately (not only for his family, but also for the electronic industry) Resting In Peace. That’s why now, in 2021, Microsoft has decided to acquire Apple (after the Nokia acquisition 8 years ago). By the way, Microsoft is about to rename itself into “GEEC”, to make an image lifting and attract younger people. What’s the acronym signification? “Giant Elegant Elephant Cemetery”…
Eric Esteve from IPNEST
Just a remark… this “breaking news” is obviously a marketing joke, BUT it was inspired by a real news: Apple launching the latest iPhone for €799 and a so called “low cost” version for €499 (I am not sure of the precise pricing, but it’s ridiculously high).
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