If you’re in the habit of following tech news, odds are you’ll have heard this report: iPhone sales are going to decline!
Gasp! Did we read that right? iPhone sales are going to fall? How? Why?
All major tech websites have written at least one article heralding the “inevitable downfall” of Apple, a prediction supported by all kinds of stats and data. As for the quintessential Apple-haters clubs, they are whooping for joy, feeling completely vindicated and enjoying their ‘I told you so’ moment. Haven’t they been predicting Apple’s doom all along?
But is it really that serious? How much do these numbers really matter? Is it the beginning of the end? Or is it all just a rumour?
The thing about statistics is that they’re like a bikini. They expose the interesting, but hide the essentials. We think that’s exactly what’s happening here. People are throwing all these numbers without first providing a context, and that paints a picture that’s completely different from reality.
Also, let’s not forget that an iPhone is like the Sachin Tendulkar of smartphones: cursed with the burden of extremely high expectations. On the pacy, bouncy pitches of Perth and Melbourne, where the team scorecard would look like a mobile phone number (9-7-6-0-8-1-4-3-0-1), Sachin would score a gritty 80, and he would still be found lacking. It may have been better than the others, but we expect a lot, lot, LOT more from Sachin.
Same is the case with iPhone. Each year, the expectations we have from it soar higher and higher, and no matter how well Apple performs, it will never be enough. We will never be satisfied! Then, there’s the case of the whimsical Wall Street. History has shown us how erratically it can behave when it comes to Apple.
Last year, too, the stock price of Apple fell 6 trading points on NYSE even though iPhones were flying off the shelves like hot cakes. Why? High expectations, of course. Traders had hoped that there would be record breaking, earth shattering sales, and bet accordingly on the stocks. But the sales, while extremely profitable, were still short of the analyst’s expectations and that sent the stock prices on a downward spiral.
Finally, there are those who are always on the look out of a “Fall of the Mighty Apple” story. These are the kind of people who kick stray puppies! They are never happy with anything in life, and nothing amuses them as much as the fall of a prominent entity. Their only goal in life is to spin tales of misery, misfortune and of impending doom.
Ok, yes, maybe that was a little dramatic. But you know that such skeptics do exist who fuel mistrust among the public. Also, negative stories get picked up and circulated faster than positive stories. No wonder then that such headlines frequently make their way up into the front page of Google News!
The crux of the matter is this: We know that sales are likely to fall. We fully understand the logic behind it — market saturation. After all, you cannot keep growing for ever. Sooner or later you are going to fall. However, this fall/decline isn’t going to be as disastrous as the tech pundits are claiming.
This slight dip in number is not going to hurt Apple. The point to remember is this: if there is a slight decline, Apple will still sell mind-boggling number of iPhones. Especially in India where the market is projected to rise. The repercussions are going to be a lot less severe, and the losses, if any, a lot more manageable.
In any case, it is most certainly not the beginning of the end of Apple. Don’t try to pull a 2012 on us, cause we ain’t buyin’, son!!