Innovation at Apple is 'Sputtering', Says Analyst

Some consumers criticized Apple when the iPhone 5 was revealed; apart from its height, the smartphone arguably didn't feature any major improvements over the iPhone 4S. The iPad 4, meanwhile, instilled even more anger into customers; Apple only released the third-generation iPad seven months ago, with the next-generation iPad hardly offering anything new apart from an improved A6X processor, better front camera, and the lightning connector. An analyst has agreed with concern over such products, with innovation at Apple "sputtering".

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdry singled out Apple's inability to launch touchscreen Macs. The firm had spearheaded the industry of touchscreens and high-resolution displays, but failed to instill it into its computer lineup.

"Apple's innovation is sputtering. Why is that Apple, the company that brought touch to phones and tablets, stopped just there and did not bring touch to notebooks and iMacs?  Why is it that Apple brought high-resolution screens to…some Mac MacBooks and not to all devices? High-resolution screens are a commodity today."

Chowdry's comments were made after Apple revealed it had increased research and development spending to $3.4 billion this year. Either way, he believes the company's recent mishaps such as its abysmal Maps apps, which is said to have led to the departure of iOS chief Scott Forstall, may be due to a lack of a solid product road map.

"Our contacts speculate that Apple executive leadership may have rushed Scott Forstall to deliver products prematurely," he stated. "This may also indicate that Apple may be lacking a three to four-year product road map, because if a roadmap existed, engineers would not be pushed to ship products prematurely — especially when they are not fully tested."

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  • echondo
    "Why is that Apple, the company that brought touch to phones and tablets, stopped just there and did not bring touch to notebooks and iMacs?"

    Really? Apple brought touch screens to phones and tablets first?

    This Chowdry guy is an idiot.
    Reply
  • s3anister
    Busy day of Apple news for Zak Islam...
    Reply
  • kartu
    echondo"Why is that Apple, the company that brought touch to phones and tablets, stopped just there and did not bring touch to notebooks and iMacs?"Really? Apple brought touch screens to phones and tablets first?This Chowdry guy is an idiot.We used to have tablets without touch screen, you know.
    Hint: Reality Distortion Field.
    Reply
  • DjEaZy
    ... touch on a desktop and proper laptop is stupid... period...
    Reply
  • madjimms
    Zak Islam...... *facepalm*
    Reply
  • Yes and Microsoft gives us Win 8 and Metro, and talks like that terd is sweet chocolate candy. I would call Microsoft's attempt de-innovation, and a lust for Apple's closed ecosystem! At least Apple did not try to force ios onto the their desktop OS! Oh, and now a new improved CPU/GPU is something to frown about! I would hardly call Apples treatment of the A6X non-innovative, Zaky boy!
    Reply
  • fat_panda
    Apple hasn't done anything significantly amazing since the introduction of iPod touch...at least that's how I feel.
    Reply
  • madjimms
    WhatZakSpinsYes and Microsoft gives us Win 8 and Metro, and talks like that terd is sweet chocolate candy. I would call Microsoft's attempt de-innovation, and a lust for Apple's closed ecosystem! At least Apple did not try to force ios onto the their desktop OS! Oh, and now a new improved CPU/GPU is something to frown about! I would hardly call Apples treatment of the A6X non-innovative, Zaky boy!Actually I like the Microsoft tablets..... They offer VERY competitive features (albeit less software) than iCrap.
    Reply
  • halcyon
    madjimmsActually I like the Microsoft tablets..... They offer VERY competitive features (albeit less software) than iCrap....and I'm sure the ecosystem for Surface RT will be great too. /sarcasm
    Reply
  • jaquith
    Analyst confused over Apple's inability to bring touch technology to its notebooks and iMacs.
    IDK, maybe because 'widgets' were so good and well adopted since they failed over-and-over: Windows 98 widgets failed, Windows ME widgets failed, Windows XP widgets failed, Windows Vista widgets failed, Windows 7 widgets failed, and now Windows 8 widgets on steroids - not to mention MacOS widgets failed. Also, Convertible & Tablet PC's for years also failed.

    I'll give Microsoft credit for having huge balls with f/k/a Metro interface with Windows 8. I've used Windows 8 off and on since it's early Preview editions, and at least on a 'PC' it's not ideal and quite honestly gets a little annoying after a while.

    I 'get' OMG 'NEW' ... sheep I must buy it mentality, goodness knows I bought a few $39 upgrades just in case and for testing. Now where Window 8 f/k/a Metro interface makes since to some degree is with Phones and for now Convertibles -- not RT, RT sucks. Convertible's like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 are indeed a perfect match (i7 Ivy Bridge, 128GB SSD, Touchscreen & Folds).

    So unless you have a 'Touchscreen' IMO you're not going to be happy after a a month or two of trying to swipe your PC's screen ... or ... spending $500+ on a decent Touchscreen monitor.
    Reply