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In the end, this is not the time to play music or turn on the lights. This is not the time to wear makeup or dress properly. It's not a "show time" at all.
On Monday, Apple unveiled several services during its flagship event, and they all have one thing in common: they are not ready yet. Apple News + is the only service available this month. The quick analysis of available titles reveals that the majority of them have not been formatted to take advantage of the Apple News format, so you get essentially PDF files. Regarding the other services announced by Apple, you will have to wait:
- Apple TV channels: Can
- Apple TV +: Fall
- Apple Arcade: Fall
- Apple Card: Summer
So, what was the point of holding an event in March when most announcements are announced in months? Start a major transition. The Apple event was disappointing and confusing, as it is a dramatic new direction for the company. Selling beautiful material is easy, but getting people to subscribe to a service each month requires a different type of commitment and concentration. Just like the Intel transition on Mac a long time ago, or the iPhone and iPod transitions, investors, fans and all those who follow Apple will need time to adapt to what constitutes a radical change in policy for the society.
Services with a smile
It did not take long to realize that Monday's Apple event was very different from his usual Spring speech. From the outset, Tim Cook told the public that the show would be "different", focusing only on Apple's services, term that he defined as "action to help or do some work for someone ".
AppleApple's hardware did not have much time on stage yesterday.
But more importantly, they earn money. Potentially a lot of money. While Apple has gradually expanded the Services section of its track record with iCloud, Apple Music, and the developers share via the App Store, it only touches the surface of what's going on. it can become with the right combination of content, dissemination and experience.
But it remains to be seen if Apple can bring all this. Although the event was fraught with pomp and circumstance, he was remarkably uninformed about the details, and the list of things we do not know is much longer than what we do. In particular, we have no idea of the cost of these upcoming services. But these details will come. For the moment, Apple is just teasing us with big names and letting the industry know that it is no longer satisfied with the 30% reduction in revenue. He wants everything.
Time for a new position
Apple is no stranger to the transition. There has been the move from Macs to handheld devices such as iPods, iPhones and Macs. The move from OS 9 to OS X. And most importantly, the Intel transition.
AppleApple's services are a hardware transition.
It does not seem like much now, but switching from PowerPC processors to x86 processors has been a huge deal for Apple. At the time of its announcement in June 2003, Macs were still Apple's main product and the transition involved rewriting applications or running them in a virtual environment called Rosetta. Older Macs suddenly had a definite expiration date and a whole cottage industry of FireWire accessories was in doubt. In short, everything was changing.
Delivery of the first Mac, however, took six months, but the transition was completed in just one year. And users hardly noticed. Rosetta was fast and versatile enough to keep pace with PowerPC applications. All the same ports were available. And the Macs were faster than ever. What we did not know was that the Intel transition was the first step in a more radical Mac change, a decision that would take another decade to fully materialize.
The transition of services will likely be as long. Even if all that Apple promised is actually delivered by the end of the year, Apple's new services are harder to sell than a new processor or device. With the Intel transition, Apple just had to convince people that new Macs were just as good as before. But with Apple TV +, Apple Card and Apple Arcade, Apple is asking its customers to fundamentally change the way they use their devices.
Streaming with the enemy
Although Apple does not necessarily move away from hardware, it recognizes that the way people use their iPhone and iPad changes. And this allows us to anticipate the inevitable transition of devices to screens, no matter who makes them. Apple could still sell tens of millions of iPhones every quarter in the foreseeable future, but the reality is that fewer people buy it less often than before.
Apple When Apple TV + comes to the wall, you do not need an Apple device to watch it.
This trend will only continue. Apple's solution is to sell services that complement and enrich its devices and give them added value over longer periods. But it's also about developing the Apple brand. What's most changing is that its new Apple TV channels and new TV + service will work on devices that are not manufactured in Cupertino. I'm willing to bet that Android phones come next.
It started with Apple Music and Android. What appeared to be a small reward for existing Beats Music subscribers has given way to a broader strategy that brings the Apple brand to a wide variety of devices. Apple Music runs on Android Auto. Apple recently added support for Chromebook. It works even on Echo devices.
By expanding its business to smart TVs and Roku devices, Apple is divided into two parts: the hardware vendor and the service provider. Apple ultimately wants to become as ubiquitous in services as Netflix and Google. As we have seen with other transitions, things will get lost along the way. Namely, the identity of Apple as a hardware manufacturer.
A brand apart
A new identity does not have to be a bad thing, but it depends on how Apple manages it. The sale of a video service or a credit card is very different from the sale of a brilliant hardware item, all the more so that there are renowned players who control the game.
AppleApple TV + is more than a new service: it's the beginning of a whole new direction for Apple.
Apple has the knack for engaging in a new industry and overthrowing it, but Monday's event did not inspire me with confidence. Of course, there was a lot of firepower, but the big names are not equal in success. The product has to be worth buying and, in the end, we do not really know if that's the case. The truth is that we simply do not know if Apple can succeed in the studio. Apple may have an audience of billions of people, but that does not mean they're willing to spend an extra $ 10 a month.
But if one thing is clear, it is that Apple is not afraid to sell anything for the moment. Like other Apple transitions, Monday's event was to start the debate and send a message that things are changing. It will take a long time to get there.
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