Apple's iPhone success may be reaching its peak

Haven't they been essentially been saying this with every release of the iphone since its inception?

Wouldn't it be better for all of us to reach "Peak Stuff?"

No kidding, it died with Steve... the next iphone is the iphone 5SE, and the next one after that it suppose to basically be an emulation of galaxy S5 features

that it suppose to basically be an emulation of galaxy S5 features

This is fascinating. Samsung has been ripping off Apple since the first iPhone reached market, and we still hear this sort of lunacy.

Apple's iPhone success may be reaching its peak

The all point is itself meaningless. Some dudes living in their finance bubble want Apple to grow regardless of laws of physics. Even if Apple continues to make huge profits, the only thing they want is growth, growth, growth without limit.

But beyond that, there are cycles anyway. Even Apple can't sustain a strong growth every year particularly after introducing big new versions at some point of time. We heard the same BS during the age of iPhone 5S, until Apple introduced the iPhone 6.

Apple hasn’t commented on iPhone sales since last fall

Apple never does anyway, what's the point? Apple officially reports them during earning reports. It has never reported anything between a new model launch (besides indicating first week end sales) and the last quarter earning report.

the company is suffering from its own success

I can't believe what I am reading here. Basically they are starting to blame Apple to be successful.

None of those new products have sold like the iPhone itself, however. Sales of the iPad have been declining for two years.

What the point? The iPad is a $25 billions business. Hardly negligible or is it? A Japanese company would kill to have this only business.

Apple still has a lot of value, a lot of cash flow, so it’s not to say the company is in trouble. But it’s difficult to say that it’s on the cutting edge

Here we go again. The usual Apple is doomed BS. I mean the medias are really ridiculous with Apple in that regard. We don't hear things like that for Google (whose business model is highly questionable) or Microsoft (which has completely missed the mobile revolution) for example. Nor we hear the same BS for Samsung which saw its mobile business collapsing the last few years. The Galaxy S5 and S6 are total flops...

And what cutting edge means? What exactly other company is on the cutting edge?

Others say it’s premature to count Apple among former tech giants

No sh....

daito_hak: Samsung is still much larger than Apple. Yes, Apple makes more profits, but it makes much less revenue, its assets are worth much less and has less equity value. Overall, Samsung is more than double the size of Apple. Sony, Kyocera, Toshiba, etc all these Japanese companies used to have a stronghold in global electronics market back in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Look at where they are now, because they failed to find new growth engines and delayed restructuring. Sony, Kyocera, Toshiba, Hitachi, Panasonic and all the other Japanese electronics added up make less profit than Samsung.

You can't just look at profits. Future growth is all about rising revenues. A flat revenue and consistently high profit is dangerous as smartphones have reached market saturation in even developing markets now. And with China's slowdown and the dominance of Huawei and Xiaomi which the Chinese increasingly think are on-par with Apple and Samsung phones will mean that Apple needs to find a new growth engine.

Samsung is investing heavily into home appliances, a market which it topped in the US in 2015, even performing better than Whirlpool and General Electric. Furthermore, Samsung is also investing heavily into electric vehicle batteries, a market currently dominated by LG and Panasonic. But with Samsung's huge capital, I think it's likely Samsung will overtake these two companies within 2 years.

Apple's main growth engine right now is the iPhone. I doubt this growth engine will last very long. Profits are already forecast to fall in the next financial year.

I personally own a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. I bought it because it looks aesthetically pleasing to the eye and it performs just as well as the iPhone 6S, if not better. It also has the best smartphone camera on the market by far and has an excellent "tap the home button twice to launch camera" function.

Honestly, the faster iPhone sales decline, the faster Apple will want find a new growth engine.

Many Chinese are moving to the iPhone and that will be a growth area for Apple.

iPhone needs more new models instead of just 1 or 2. And I am sort of amazed they have done so well with the limited amount of models they have produced. 5 models of iPhone would be nice and not everyone wants a mega sized phone either. For the newer OS you will need a 4S or >. The new beta has a f.lux clone.

IPad Pro was a definite and much needed step-up.

Lots of software infrastructure building now I would assume.

It's difficult to compare the two, since Apple is a relatively young tech company, and Samsung a chaebol, the Korean counterpart (same kanji) to the pre-war Japanese zaibatsu, (Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, Yasuda and Mitsui), which has for decades enjoyed the benefits of close ties to the Korean govt and the entrenched position such companies have with Korean banks.

Apple is working on a wide range of future products, from streaming video to virtual reality and even self-driving cars, WOW thats innovation for you

Every refugee has an iphone nowadays. It's just nothing special anymore and has lost its appeal with the affluent customers.

I have an iPhone. I like it just fine. My wife has a Galaxy. I like it just fine.

I think the tech has gotten to a point that the differences between the brands are relatively minimal, and consumers will buy the gadget that fits their tastes and the price they like.

If I am correct, Apple's leadership in the field has come to and end precisely because of all the innovation and marketing succes brought about by apple.

Apple is victim of two factors, one of them is an inside one. First, iPhones are still way too expensive in most part of the world. Perhaps in first world countries it's relatively affordable. But in some countries it costs as much as a no-frills car. Seriously? And iPhones 6S models came out even more expensive than the previous release. Second, most people with older models are quite happy with what they have, iOS runs smoothly in 4 and 4S models. Why upgrade to an expensive model if this 2002 one is still beautiful and works great?

I am one waiting for the 7 model, will surely buy one. I am having a serious problem with a Samsung model I am forced to use at work. It is really not good for working or planning like iPhones are.

Obviously we need to find other living creatures in our galaxy very soon to sell to so we can keep up the unrealistic expectation of never-ending growth.

I've been a staunch detractor of the iPhone for several years now. That said, given the current line-up of Androids available, this may be the year I give the iPhone another chance. This news is surprising, as I know I'm not alone in this line of thought.

Its simple: the market is saturated and the technologies are all mature. other major phone makers such as htc and samsung are more or less in the same situation. better start thinking of 'next big thing'