As the biggest company in the world, Apple operates to different rules from other businesses. That was apparent against last week when Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, partly blamed weaker-than-expected iPhone sales on leaks about future products.
Cook said that there had been a “pause in purchases” due to “earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones”.
There is undoubtedly some truth in this – why buy a product when you know a better version will be available in a few months? However, this is an issue that Apple faces every year; indeed, it is something that it actively encourages with its glitzy ceremonies to launch new and upgraded products.
Wall Street appears to have shrugged off the news that Apple missed expectations, because shares in the company still rose 3% over the last week. It remains the most valuable company in the world, with a stock market value of more than $750bn (£579bn).
However, the quarterly results are a reminder that the company is far from infallible and that its extraordinary run of success since launching the iPhone in 2007 is nearer the end than the start.
Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/may/07/apple-cant-make-iphones-for-ever-whats-next
