The Apple bonanza continues. This time it is the iPhone 5. The new iPad released seemed to have quite a few flaws in the design and received quite a bit of complaints about the heat, low battery life, etc. It makes you think about what will happen next. The previous iPhones have all received some questionable reviews after there were antenna problems and lack of new features.
Next is the iPhone 5 which has been confirmed as a 4G powered phone. As of right now, it is expecting to be released in October. Some of the upgrades speculated are a larger screen, larger processor and a redesigned form factor.
However, there is a threat to the iPhone’s release date, Foxconn. Foxconn workers have gone on strike to protest lack of hours and lack of payment. This means that Apple is going to have to try to bargain with the Foxconn workers by giving them more hours and a higher wage, cutting into underlying numbers. The longer they wait, the less likely an October release would be.
Apple is facing an increasingly hostile environment every day. The most worrisome part for me is it seems that people are getting less and less interesting in the products as more flaws and lack of features come to light. Don’t get me wrong, Apple still sold 3 million new iPads at the launch date but their products are beginning to disappoint some. This could be a sign that Apple is peaking right now. Some have gone so far as to say that this is the last iPad that counts.
Apple is a strong company with a strong following. They may have been off since the iPhone 4 antenna issue but Apple will get back in the saddle. They have hit highs and lows before in corporate history and it could be experiencing yet another one. The only concern is can you survive the lows and prosper enough during the highs? Apple can. There seems to be an increasing issue with the Foxconn workers that needs to be taken care of. Apple needs to negotiate all it can but at the end of the day, the labor disputes just need to be solved because it is killing Apple right now. Workers committing suicide and such is bad press and not needed. Take care of the labor disputes and get back on focusing on improving products and wowing customers to reassure them that Apple is alive and strong.
