Three trillion dollars. As much as Apple, the first in the world to cross a symbolically important threshold, but which for mere mortals remains in the realm of the imagination, not unlike the one thousand or two thousand billion reached respectively on 2 August 2018 and 19 August 2020.
The analysis
Successes and challenges: what Apple’s first 10 years were like under Tim Cook and what the next ones will be like
by Bruno Ruffilli
Cook’s decade
Apple’s market value has grown by more than $ 700 million a day since Tim Cook became CEO (August 2011) in early 2022. In a decade, the Cupertino-based company’s revenues have increased by $ 108 billion. per year to $ 365 billion in 2021. Net profits grew 3.7-fold, from $ 26 to $ 95 billion. Today, to give a yardstick, Apple could buy a country like Ireland with cash. Of course, it should also be pointed out that in the same period that Apple’s market value rose by about $ 27 trillion, Microsoft made $ 2.1 trillion, Alphabet $ 1.6 trillion and Amazon $ 1.5 trillion, and most of it during the past two years. , effect induced by the pandemic.
strategy
Apple and the pirates: has Cupertino lost its innovative spirit?
at Antonio Dini
The Christmas season
Christmas season figures have not yet been released, but in a note to investors, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives estimates that Apple has sold more than 40 million iPhones over the Christmas period, and that demand has outstripped supply. about 12 million units. Even in 2022, the demand will be higher than expected, a sign that the replacement cycle of old iPhone owners who switch to models with 5G is not yet over.
AirPods also did well, which in the third quarter of 2021 sold 27 million units (an increase of 107% compared to 2020), and consequently the forecasts for 2022 are positive: 90 million, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. thanks also to the newly released AirPods 3 and the new version of the AirPods Pro coming this year. The AirPods are thus replicating the success of the iPhone. Even though the market for true wireless headphones was busier than ever in 2021, Apple still has a substantial lead, with a market share of 25 percent.
The other major product launched under Tim Cook, the Apple Watch, can also finally be called a success: alone it is worth 31 percent of the global smartwatch market. Even better than the iPhone, which however maintains a record: in the number of units sold it stops at 17 percent of the total, but in takings it covers 80 percent of global smartphone profits, according to Counterpoint Research.
Services
And yet, Cook’s work was more radical in the service sector. The industry generated about $ 70 billion in revenue last year, nearly double the Mac, iPad and wearable divisions, with margins of 70 percent. Cook has built a vast offering of services step by step to make every penny of the Apple ecosystem, garnering a steady stream of revenue from App Store fees and Apple’s nearly 800 million digital media users. Analysts estimate that revenue from services will account for 25 percent of revenue by 2025. This has reduced dependence on iPhones and other hardware, and investors have been able to look to the future with more confidence, thanks also to a series of financial practices introduced by Tim Cook, primarily the repurchase of shares and the payment of dividends. Furthermore, Apple now has a supply chain that is unmatched in efficiency and flexibility, and has not faced serious attacks on its reputation like those that have hit almost all the big names in hi-tech, starting with Facebook.
The plans for 2022
Apple is preparing the new Mac Pro based on the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips already seen on the MacBook Pro. According to the latest rumors, there would therefore be a smaller Mac Pro with up to 40 CPU cores and 128 graphics cores, a new Mac mini and an iMac Pro that replaces Intel’s current 27-inch model. Cook said it would take two years to complete the transition of Mac computers to Apple Silicon, and by WWDC 2022 the milestone could be reached.
Very likely a deeply renewed MacBook Air within the year, not so much in the processor, which is expected a little more powerful than the current one, when in the design that should be inspired by the current iMac: various colors and white display frame. The entry level MacBook Pro will also be updated. There is also talk of an Apple branded display, with a more affordable price than the Pro Display XDR.
There may be a new iPad Pro with MagSafe charging, but certainly there will be a fifth generation iPad Air with 5G connection.
iPhone 14 and surroundings
2022 could be the year when the iPhone finally loses the notch. Rumors suggest that a high-end version of the iPhone 14 will have a hole for the front camera and other sensors used for Face ID hidden under the display. The family is still expected to consist of four iPhones, but this year, there won’t be a “mini” iPhone: the display size should only be two, 6.1 inches, and 6.7 inches, and for both of them there will be one. Pro version. All displays in 2022 could have “ProMotion” technology at 120Hz, now reserved for iPhone 13 Pro only. Numerous rumors also indicate the possibility that the smartphone body is thicker, so as to eliminate the protrusion of the rear cameras and make the design more linear. For the camera, Apple will focus on the ultra-wide angle lens and perhaps on an increased optical zoom. The chip, of course, will be an A16 with improvements in power and efficiency. A new Qualcomm chip could indeed arrive, capable of allowing emergency messages to be sent via satellite in areas where there is no cellular coverage. Other features could include up to 2TB of storage and faster WiFi 6E connectivity. A 5G version of the iPhone SE is also expected in the first half of the year.
Three models are expected for the Apple Watch: here too, the renewed SE version, the Series 8, and a new rugged version, intended for extreme sports enthusiasts.
Augmented reality
Apple has been working on an augmented and virtual reality headset for years, and it seems that 2022 should be the year of the launch. In some ways, according to rumors, it should be similar to Facebook’s Oculus Quest, but with a more elegant design, which could take some traits of the AirPod Max headphones and use lightweight fabrics and materials for greater comfort. Apparently it will be equipped with two Sony 4K micro-OLED screens, and perhaps an additional third display, as well as various sensors and 12 (or even 15) cameras for mapping surfaces, dimensions and distances relative to who it is. uses, as well as for tracking hand movements.
The headset will be able to track eye movements and hand gestures, but Apple is experimenting with various input methods, including a ring-like device worn on the finger. With a view to the ecosystem, Cupertino plans to create an App Store for the viewer, offering games, streaming video content and more. The launch price of this first model, however, should be very high, at least at the beginning: around $ 3,000.
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