It’s funny how financial analysts are always predicting the doom and gloom of Apple. iPhone sales down! Profits drop!! The stock will crash!!!
The apple will fall from the tree. Apparently those same analysts haven’t tried to buy a pair of the Apple’s new AirPods Pro or been to one of their stores lately!
Like many Apple die-hards I live and breathe their products. Not because they are always the best, I scream and cry over bugs that never get fixed and cause havoc in my daily life, but Apple products do integrate well and are pretty easy to use. Yes, the biggest downside is price, but like the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”
Cheap They Are Not, Available Good Luck
Although you can buy cheaper Bluetooth in-ear headphones to hook-up to your iPhone, you’re not going to get a pair that will integrate like Apple’s own products. Of course I wouldn’t have needed a pair of in-ear headphones, if I hadn’t upgraded my old iPhone to an iPhone 8 Plus over the holidays. No, it’s not the latest and greatest, but it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg either.
One more frustrating thing about Apple, they always know best or think they do. Removing the old headphone jack kept me on an iPhone 6 Plus for way longer than I should have been on it. Space was limited, little to no music for years. Upgrades were stuck to relevant security patches only, no more major updates. All those little annoyances you deal with everyday, when you’re a die-hard fan.
Anyway, back to the headphones. Upgrading my phone and for once wanting the latest and greatest new headphones less than two weeks before Christmas was my plan, but not all plans work out. Can you say BACK ORDERED?
As Google noted, not one store within 150 miles had a pair of the Apple AirPods Pro in stock. In fact, I couldn’t even find a pair in two different states! Of course Amazon, the online shopping haven that has everything, had them. That is, if you wanted to pay someone ONE-HUNDRED DOLLARS ABOVE RETAIL…not! So off to the Apple site I went.
Even Apple was showing a ONE-MONTH backorder. Great, no new headphones for Christmas this year, well technically. I did order a pair before Christmas and thankfully they arrived in three weeks and not four. They look great, sound better, and work perfect with the new phone.
Current Performance Is No Guarantee Of Future Results
Back to those financial analysts who always think that Apple’s stock is going to take a dive. Maybe Apple is selling fewer phones these days, but when you multiply millions of new and old phones (without headphone jacks) by $250 (that’s right, plenty of the older Airpods are available and on the store shelves, but most folks want those shinny new Pros) you add HUNDREDS of millions or BILLIONS of dollars to the bottom line.
That new phone I got for the holiday, yeah it had a minor problem. The ear-speaker volume for calls was really low; I could barely hear anyone when they called. Back to the store I took my new phone to have them look at it. The place was packed and they told me it would be about 10-15 minutes before someone could help me. Having been to their stores on more than one occasion, I knew this was probably a low estimate.
Lo and behold, I finally got to meet ‘Eric’ my tech partner for this fix 45 minutes later than expected. Thank God Eric knew what he was doing. A quick cleaning of the ear-speaker at the top of my phone and it was like he waved a MAGIC WAND; there was volume in my received test call with him. Of course I had to place my own test call back home to mom. What do you know, I could hear mom loud and clear.
Don’t think people are buying Apple products? Have you tried to buy those new AirPods Pro? Have you been to one of their stores lately?
Apple stores are filled. Products are hard to get. And now there’s talk about 5G phones coming out next year. Can you say SUPERCYCLE upgrade? Maybe that’s why those doom and gloom financial analysts are now predicting Apple’s stock price to climb to $350 or $400 this year. Oh, and some are even predicting the stock to hit $450 next year and Apple to be a TWO trillion dollar company in a couple of years. So much for doom and gloom!
Will The Apple Fall From The Tree?
If only we had a crystal ball. Unfortunately, nobody knows where the stock will go from here or how big the company will get. Personally I think they’ll be around for a pretty long time, but when they do decide to go the way of other great companies it will be because of their own missteps. At least that’s my opinion.
Just like other once great companies: AT&T, Motorola, Sears, even Kongō Gumi; all once at the top of their industry, then after some missteps they kind of went poof. Apple’s already talking about some Google like glasses that might one day replace the iPhone. Can’t see these glasses replacing hand-held phones, unless they magically correct the need for prescription glasses? Now that would be totally awesome! Hint, hint to the dev team…new product enhancement, if you haven’t thought about it already.
As they always say, current performance is no guarantee of future results. I’m sure apples will fall from tress, but I have no idea if the Apple will fall from its tree. I hope they don’t, because I really do love their products. Can’t wait to see the new 5G phones!
PS – I got a new SSD drive for Christmas too and Eric confirmed some questions I had about upgrading my old SATA drive in my MacBook Pro, but that story will be for another day and another post.
PPS – no I’m not a financial analyst and I’m not promoting Apple stock. I love their products, use them everyday, and follow all things Apple. Just like crazy drivers on the road who drive me nuts, I’ll never understand how analysts can flip their opinions on companies and stocks go for wild rides when there really is no real news.
