SEPTEMBER 2020 MACWORLD 11forward. We remember the success, but
maybe not the sweat.
THE ERA OF EXPANSION
(2008-2015)
Beginning with the launch of the App Store
in 2008, this is the era in which Apple
went from being a big tech company to
being one of the richest and most
powerful companies in the world, largely
on the growth of the iPhone.
In this era, Apple introduced the iPad,
rapidly advanced iOS against competition
from Android, honed its chipmaking skills,
and made enormous amounts of cash.
By 2015, however, iPhone growth
began to slow. You can mark the end of
the era in 2015 or, if you prefer, 2018. But
I’d argue that once iPhone growth slowed
to a crawl, the era of Apple’s rapid
expansion had come to an end.
THE TECH TITAN ERA
(2015-PRESENT)
And then there’s the current era, in which
Apple is finding growth in new areas
beyond the iPhone—most notably
wearables (Apple Watch, AirPods) and
services. Apple’s a gigantic force in the
world, the target of regulatory
investigations and white papers from
politicians who seek to limit its reach.
Where does the company go from
here? It seems like a return to Doom is
unlikely, but there’s a real question about
whether Apple is going to enter a period
of senescence, where it makes loads of
money but stops growing and changing, or
if the corporate culture defined by Steve
Jobs drives Apple’s current generation
toward new products, new categories, and
a constant reinvention of what Apple is.
If I’ve learned anything in the last 27
years, it’s that Apple rarely stands still for
very long. Perhaps sometime this decade,
Apple will exit its post-iPhone period and
enter another exciting new period of
growth and change. I sure wouldn’t bet
against it. ■Apple has taken a commanding lead in the
wearables market.