For Apple,

[Asrokhel]

10:20 AM - It?s time for a changing of the guard. Apple (AAPL), the most valuable consumer electronics company on the planet, has already peaked and is now tumbling back down to Earth according to a former employee. Apple is on the verge of reporting the biggest quarter in the history of U.S. business thanks to record iPhone 5 demand, a refreshed iPad lineup and all-new Mac computers, but former Apple engineering manager Dan Crow still says Apple?s peak is behind us and ?it?s all downhill from here.?

?I think Apple has peaked and the story of the next few years will be one of a slow but real decline,? Crow wrote on Wednesday in a column on The Guardian. The software engineer points to the ongoing iOS Maps debacle and the recent executive shakeup as two sure signs of the upcoming Apple apocalypse.

?Replacing Google Maps with an obviously inferior experience shows how much Apple has changed,? Crow wrote. ?Apple?s success had been all about offering users the best possible experience; suddenly it is willing to give users a clearly worse experience to further its corporate interests ? in this case its long-running dispute with Google (GOOG). We might expect this sort of behaviour from Microsoft (MSFT), but we don?t expect it from Apple.?

Crow says Apple is now putting its own needs ahead of its customers? needs, and this is a sure sign of the company?s slow tumble. Even though Apple may have taken some steps to reverse the trend, it?s apparently too late.

?It?s not just on the product side where there are signs of Apple slipping,? he wrote. ?While the recent departure of Scott Forstall has, rightly, garnered a lot of headlines, it?s important not to overlook the fate of John Browett. He was in charge of Apple?s retail stores ? a vital component of Apple?s success over the last decade. Browett was in position for just seven months and by all accounts he presided over a significant and ill-advised change in strategy, focussing on profit over customer care ? another example of Apple putting its corporate needs ahead of its customers.?

He continues, ?It?s baffling. Apple has a winning formula ? perhaps the most successful business formula ever ? yet it seems intent on changing it.?

No company can stay on top forever, of course, but many would argue Crow?s claim that Apple is in the midst of a decline is a bit premature. Apple?s stock is getting pummeled though, down more than 18% since hitting a record high when the iPhone 5 launched, and investors have not been impressed with Apple?s recent numbers thanks to sky-high expectations from Wall Street analysts.

Whether or not Apple is truly in decline remains to be seen, but making that claim immediately after Apple reported a record September quarter, and just before Apple is set to post a record December quarter, is a bit of a stretch.

http://bgr.com/2012/11/07/apple-criticism-maps-executive-shakeup/

[BattleDaggit]

Crow says Apple is now putting its own needs ahead of its customers? needs, and this is a sure sign of the company?s slow tumble.

I thought that was always the norm.

[neo1911]

The Apple Maps debacle is going to bite them in the ass hard. I myself going to use 4S as long as I can and switch to Android or WP8 phone next. Right now I am using a phone which has poor to none 1st party map support in my city.

And this after me upgrading to every iPhone released since iPhone 3G shows what damage apple has done.

[trip21]

?It?s baffling. Apple has a winning formula ? perhaps the most successful business formula ever.?

Is he refering to the brainwashing?

[remixedcat]

shouldn't have used apple maps

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

The usual Apple trolling aside (I see in a handful of posts we already have some good examples) I have to say I do agree, and I'm concerned about their future.

The maps fiasco was utterly in-excusable.. in fact I can't believe they ever launched it with so many obvious, glaring problems. There must have been some interesting emails circulating in Cupertino on the run up to and the subsequent release of IOS6, from engineers who knew full well that the product wasn't ready.

I'll reiterate my concern about them now - all of the stuff they release is an evolution of an existing product. They're not making any exciting new products or bold moves into new markets. I used to enjoy watching the launches to see what was going to come out but now it just feels like we're watching the same products.. just 33% quicker, or 25% better. I want to see some game changers.

[Dorza]

Is he refering to the brainwashing?

Yes, but every large MNC does this, its just that Apple, sorry Steve Jobs managed to do it far better. Now that he is gone Apple are in decline, I always said and thought it would happen. He was Apple and if they want to continue they need to open up, offer OSX on PC for a start. I bet it would do well as many people would like to own a mac they just can't because the barrier to ownership is too costly compared to a standard windows product. That would really put the cat amongst the pigeons where MS are concerned. But as it is the majority can't justify the grotesque cost of a mac (which is essentially a PC these days).

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

they need to open up, offer OSX on PC for a start.

Now there's a novel suggestion.

[thealexweb]

Their share price will come down to match the true value of the company yes, but with revenue and profit still climbing every year Apple will remain at the core of the tech industry for decades.

[TruckWEB]

The last time Steve was out of Apple, it almost came crashing down. Now Steve is no longer with us.... Look what's going to happen....

[Glassed Silver]

The last time Steve was out of Apple, it almost came crashing down. Now Steve is no longer with us.... Look what's going to happen....

That's cherry-picking of factors for your equation.

The situations hardly are comparable.

It's not like it's impossible the outcome of a crash or almost crash might happen over time, but not necessarily for the same reasons.

It's like saying "That dude who just died 5 days ago ate an apple 3 hours before his death.

I see you're eating an Apple, my estimation is that we might wanna call the undertaker now..."

Glassed Silver:mac

[Noir Angel]

I've never been a lover of Apple products, but they have always deserved credit for being innovative. However I think it's been a while since they did anything truly innovative.

[Arceles]

Now there's a novel suggestion.

Uuuuuuh.... that would be indeed the beginning of a new era, I for myself like OSX (or at least did, on my hackintosh with Leopard) and with the current direction MS is taking... may as well switch to OSX on my entertainment partition, they already have a nice quantity of games too, I however hope that ubuntu goes up in popularity with steam :D

[Dorza]

I however hope that ubuntu goes up in popularity with steam :D

So do I, proper mainstream gaming on Linux is like hell freezing over. That could go anywhere that one could and open up doors that were previously thought unlikly with linux.

[Gaffney]

Apple needs to come up with some Innovation fast. The iPod and iPhone is what put them in the position they are today, those products need an innovation. The most obvious would be a new operating system but when was the last time Apple made a good bit of software? OS X 10.5 is the last one I can think of, that was in 2077 same year as the iPhone. Since then iOS and OS X have just got small incremental updates.

[+unabatedshagie Subscriber¹]

Are the maps really that much of an issue or is it just something Apple haters have latched on to?

The maps have worked fine for me any time I've tried them.

[Asrokhel]

that was in 2077 same year as the iPhone.

I think you meant 2007.

[srbeen]

Yeah, their cheap 'equal to iPad 2' overpriced mini to compete with google's nexus success, and removal of their google-apps (maps, youtube, etc) from iOS, and the refresh of their 'lightning' connector to force planned obsolescence of accessories, in addition limiting which systems can work with OSX (Im sure my 2006 mini & 2007 macbook can run OSX10.9 as they run windows 8 fine). We won't even touch the 35% or whatever they take from App sales, as well as the clear show of capitalism they are demonstrating on all hardware levels. Hell, its not like iOS is incredibly stable anyway - its just super clean when its not.

Its no longer the 'user' experience, but continual exploitation of the iSheep pot of gold it seems. With lawsuits against every tech company basically, they are only digging their own grave deeper. Maybe they will actually create something amazing again and save themselves, rather than wasting time in courtrooms.

[Glassed Silver]

Are the maps really that much of an issue or is it just something Apple haters have latched on to?

The maps have worked fine for me any time I've tried them.

Here's a word from an Apple fan:

They are absolutely subpar in terms of actual mapping data.

I also cannot express the disappointment I have that Maps won't use installed public transport apps to hook into them and grab the info needed and instead make you switch apps.

Apple's been all about design, simplicity and integration, from that point of view and expectation it's hard to sympathize with the amount of app switching going on in iOS, particularly in Apple Maps.

Just by the way: I never actually had public transport info in Maps on iOS, as Google doesn't seem to support my city. So meh, I got great apps and hence the coverage.

Even nation wide working apps that have ALL stops I ever saw.

Speaking for Germany here, public transport is a dream over here.

Glassed Silver:mac

[The King of GnG]

Is he refering to the brainwashing?

Religious zeal, I think it's religious zeal.

[Rippleman]

Are the maps really that much of an issue or is it just something Apple haters have latched on to?

The maps have worked fine for me any time I've tried them.

apple maps work fine for me too, young adults in their moms basement always need something to hate... the cool thing to hate now is apple, next year it will be something else and they will move on.

[nekrosoft13]

I thought that was always the norm.

was and its still is

Is he refering to the brainwashing?

apple cult followers will keep buying their devices, nothing will change

I've never been a lover of Apple products, but they have always deserved credit for being innovative. However I think it's been a while since they did anything truly innovative.

last thing that was truly innovative was the ipod

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

last thing that was truly innovative was the ipod

No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.

[fehu]

I don't understand how people cry about maps and forget all the rest like the grip of disconnection O_o

maybe is some remaining effect from the perception filters

btw apple has so much money that they can now develop anything, I can't imagine what but now they can

The only uncovered tech mass market is console, and with sony and nintendo in decline can be the right moment for a surprise

[NightScreams]

I don't understand how people cry about maps and forget all the rest like the grip of disconnection O_o

maybe is some remaining effect from the perception filters

btw apple has so much money that they can now develop anything, I can't imagine what but now they can

The only uncovered tech mass market is console, and with sony and nintendo in decline can be the right moment for a surprise

I'd like to see it, console that is. Seriously doubt they will however, its very difficult to make a console and make money doing it. It's also extremely risky, though I suppose the first Ipad was risky too, however that was something that lacked immediate competition.

Though i'll be ditching Apple to get a MS Surface as my next Tablet.