Referential picture outdoors the Regent Road, London Apple Retailer. | Picture credit score — Apple
It looks like the Apple neighborhood is at a crossroads. A latest ballot we ran, which garnered over 2,400 votes to date, reveals an virtually precise 50/50 break up on whether or not Apple had a great 12 months. This division is telling. On one hand, Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner is sending out memos celebrating the “very profitable” launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. On the opposite, half of the devoted consumer base looks like one thing is off. So, what’s actually happening? Let’s break it down.
The great: gross sales and success
Tim Cook dinner on the reopening of the Apple Retailer in Ginza. | Picture credit score — Apple” 
From a enterprise perspective, it is arduous to argue with success. The
iPhone 17 fashions are reportedly flying off the cabinets, outpacing the
iPhone 16. The bottom mannequin, with its ProMotion show and storage upgrades, has hit a candy spot for customers.
Cook dinner’s inner memo, a practice going again to the Jobs period, was filled with reward for the crew’s arduous work, even rewarding them with additional days off.Financially, Apple is doing what it has at all times completed: making a ton of cash. The ecosystem is powerful, and a profitable launch, by the numbers, is a profitable launch. For the 50% who voted “Sure,” that is doubtless what they see—a wholesome, thriving firm delivering merchandise that hundreds of thousands of individuals need to purchase.
The dangerous: bugs and tedium
Present outcomes of our ballot that reveals half of our neighborhood is break up. | Picture credit score — PhoneArena
Right here’s the place the opposite half of the story is available in. The
iPhone 17 launch hasn’t been with out its points. Experiences are surfacing about mobile connectivity issues, visible glitches within the new
iOS 26, and a fragile aluminum development on the Professional mannequin that damages simply. Even “
Apple Intelligence” is reportedly damaged for some customers.Past the bugs, there is a rising sentiment that Apple is taking part in it protected. Whereas Google’s Pixel telephones are pushing the boundaries of AI and software program innovation, Apple’s updates can really feel iterative. For long-time followers, the “it simply works” mantra is being challenged by a actuality of software program bugs and {hardware} points. This sense that the magic is fading, changed by predictable, incremental updates, is probably going why 49% of you’re feeling it hasn’t been a great 12 months for the tech big.
So, what is the verdict?
The divide locally makes excellent sense. Apple is a sufferer of its personal success. The corporate has grown so large that its major objective is to take care of momentum, which might generally come at the price of the daring innovation that constructed its legacy.
Whereas the stability sheet appears to be like implausible, the consumer expertise is displaying some cracks. The break up within the ballot completely displays this duality: an organization that’s extremely profitable financially, but is beginning to really feel a bit much less particular to the individuals who as soon as championed it.
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