Mike Mpofu

Should we be worried about Apple? And is Apple worried about Apple?

This week, the company proudly brought to us by Steve Jobs, experienced a 13% drop in its quarterly sales. This is the first time revenue or profits have declined in this manner in 13 years.

(Note: companies measure their performance every four months, hence the term: “quarterly”).

This is a big deal.

Apple is not only the most valuable publicly traded company – a company whose ownership is spread among the general public in many shares of stock which are freely traded on a stock exchange – but it is a world leader in technology.

It is without a doubt most famous for the iPhone.

The iPhone accounts for nearly two-thirds of Apple’s revenue and the company sold 16% fewer iPhones than it had during the same period in 2015, and made 18% less money from them.

This is a lot of money lost.

The results, however, did not come as a surprise as Apple had warned of this drop in sales for various reasons – one of the main reasons being a slowing Chinese economy. This matters because China is the second-largest market in the world for Apple products behind the US. And when these two nations cut back on their spending, it sends Apple shares tumbling.

Enough of the technical details… the question is: what now?

I cannot personally envision this slump to last for long. People are loyal to this brand and they would probably cut back on spending on other things before giving up on the latest iPhone. Can we rely on this reasoning? After all, they said the Titanic was indestructible, and that didn’t work out very well.

Some argue that it will be most difficult for Apple to produce a “leap” or “jump” similar to the one that they did when they introduced the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus.

Apple essentially “transitioned” from the 5 series successfully, which saw a reasonable boom.

Apple’s latest phone launch is the iPhone SE, which is (to simplify), iPhone 6 technology within an iPhone 5 shell.

This means it’s perhaps a bit cheaper and accessible to people who cannot get the 6 or who prefer the size of the 5.

The SE hasn’t taken off in the way one would have imagined.

The iPad Pro is another invention that hasn’t taken off too spectacularly. It is a combination of the iPad and the standard MacBook. While – in my opinion – it could not entirely replace the MacBook, there is a strong case to be made for adding a few extra features that would enable one to discard of their ‘Book. But do people really want to do away with their Macs?

Then there is the question of pricing. It’s no secret: Apple products aren’t cheap.

They are often referred to as an investment – which they are. But if they are to recover, they need to make their products more accessible.

However, this would render the “exclusiveness” of the brand slightly less weighty than it currently is.

I guess the Apple developers and the rest of the team have much to mull over.

I cannot imagine a life where my selfies are taken on a Samsung, so I pray this is resolved sooner than later.

History teaches us that human beings respond to change in different ways.

Some of us find it easier to adapt to new environments, friendships, jobs, technologies, and homes than others.

The recent Uber driver strike in Cape Town, and I believe other parts of South Africa, should be a great learning moment for all of us.

Uber is a multinational online transportation network company.

The entity developed a phone app, where customers can “hail a cab or taxi”, track how far their ride is, and in the process have access to the driver’s details, including name and plate number.

It also requires no physical exchange of money and is relatively cheaper than your conventional “cab” or taxi service (depending on what you call it in your part of the world).

Some would argue this would be a welcome innovation and a huge milestone in the way we view public transport, which it is. But not everyone has “adapted” to the service in the same way – including Uber drivers.

Uber does not own a single vehicle (for public use that is). Instead, it contracts people who already own vehicles to drive on their behalf, if certain requirements are met.

On the face of it, this is great, but like every great innovation it requires change.

Humanity doesn’t like things it does not understand.

When Uber first launched in many parts of the world, it was met with widespread support by the public. This is because people could go further for cheaper.

This presented a problem which we have recently experienced in South Africa: the drivers were getting paid less than their counterparts in other companies, while their counterparts from other taxi or cab businesses were losing out on their regular income as customers were voting with their feet.

So the Uber drivers, like they did in Cape Town last week, decided to “down their keys” and went on strike.

Because of them – as for all of us – the price for innovation was change (literally).

Humanity wants to do better. Obviously.

The question is, how do we effect change in other spheres of life – including transport – without alienating our neighbours in the process?

How do we make sure that Uber drivers, customers, and competitors can remain “friends” in the process?

Some would argue this scenario does not exist. I beg to differ.

We will only realise change through innovation when our desire to go forward becomes stronger than our urge to stay comfortable.

We’ve got to want it so badly that we have no choice but to get a little uncomfortable for the greater good.

This means we all have to pay the price – change.

Experts predict that transport across the globe will change in years to come.

The concept of “owning a car” will become a thing of the past, with innovations such as “car sharing” being developed further.

Some of us cannot fathom that, but with the world beginning to get smaller as populations grow, we have to consider this and prepare to pay.

Sometimes innovation demands change, whether we like it or not.

Do I condone lower salaries for Uber drivers? Certainly not, but we can perhaps consider introducing the “tipping” option as has been suggested across the world.

I am no transport guru, but I know what would kill us all – our desire to stay the same.

What area of your life have you been meaning to effect change but have been putting it off? Or have you behaved like me – following a barber all the way across town after they moved premises, for fear of change? (I now have to walk past at least six other barbers to get to this guy).

If we want to be better, you and I must prepare to pay the price of innovation.