T

en years ago, it seemed that Apple did not stand a chance against the world governed by Microsoft. However, over the past 10 years Apple has become a giant that is dominating the gadget market. With competition growing to fight against this giant, will Goliath tremble before David or will David be crushed by Goliath?

First, in this writer’s opinion, Apple has dethroned itself. With the recent loss of Steve Jobs, the company seems to be struggling to fulfill the company’s dedication to creating innovations for its products.

For example, have you seen the latest iPhone? Doesn’t it look exactly the same as the older generation iPhones? Although it is true that what is inside counts the most, the only major changes made to the iPhone 5 spec-wise are that it bears a different processor chip and slightly smaller camera. Users of the iPhone don’t know the difference between the iPhone 4, 4S and 5. But then, how can they be expected to when they are basically the same device?

Talking about Apple’s iPhone 5, it faces tough challengers, such as the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S3, the Windows Phone 8, Nokia Lumia 920 and the RIM BlackBerry OS10. Outside the smartphone market, Apple is also the “one to beat” in the tablet wars: Its iPad (launched on April 3) is facing tough competition from Samsung, Windows, Asus and Dell.

With huge innovations from these other companies, how will Apple react? Either wake up or get out. If Apple really was still the same innovative company it was before the loss of Steve Jobs then it would have changed the way their product looks and what it’s running on.

When mentioning both the iPhone and the iPad, it annoys me that these gadgets have many limitations in terms of connecting to and sharing information with computers and other devices. That’s a barrier that consumers will have a hard time overcoming when they purchase an Apple product.

The recent court ruling against Samsung will ban 21 Samsung devices from being shipped to the US. However, this lawsuit isn’t over as Samsung is still able to appeal to the jury. The outcome cannot be predicted but it could be either damaging or a sign of victory for Apple.

To be frank, a large part of the global market is unaffected by the lawsuit, so whether Apple wins or loses this lawsuit, only one part of the market will be affected.

The first things that come to mind when people hear the word “Apple” are the iPhone and iPad. Well, personally, I think that Apple depends too much on their iPhone, iPad and iPod and because of this dependence, Apple could face becoming obsolete. According to research conducted on a third-party website, Apple’s iOS accounts for 80 percent of their revenue in related products.

To survive, Apple has to learn to make a wider variety of products for customers to choose from, like Microsoft (Windows OS, Xbox, Office). Although it is true that Apple also makes computers (the Mac, Macbook), they aren’t as popular as their rival Windows.

After weighing up both sides of the argument, I strongly believe that if Apple cannot find a way to revolutionize the iPad and iPhone and increase its sales of the Mac, then Apple won’t be spared in a market full of competitors.

Joshua Wirawan
Bandung