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Still the iPhone company: Apple's record pandemic year

1 February 2021
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Apple reported record revenue and profit in its fiscal Q1, with iPhone sales making a positive contribution on a trailing 12-month basis for the first time since 2018.

Services are a vital part of the growth strategy, and should be extremely profitable.

However, Apple’s services strategy is at the sharp end of regulatory concerns about gatekeeping platforms.

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12 October 2020

It is widely expected that Apple will announce the first 5G iPhone at its event on 13 October, over a year after the UK launch of 5G networks, in contrast to Apple’s early start and key role in the launch of 4G

While the UK operators were early to launch 5G, the roll-out has thus far progressed slower than 4G did

The operator focus on 5G continues to be capacity as opposed to services, with 5G offering eye-watering speeds but not enabling any mass-market consumer services that 4G is not perfectly capable of

 

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Apple WWDC 2020: Putting the squeeze on developers

2 July 2020

Apple’s developer conference coincided with a period of unprecedented tension with its developer community, parts of which are chafing under Apple’s rules for the iPhone App Store.

These rules let Apple extract a large portion of the value of the App Store. This revenue is more important than ever to Apple’s growth story, so it has been applying its rules more strictly.

Apple is constrained here by the need to deliver the best product possible to its users, and by the possibility of regulatory intervention.

Access report

  • 5G iPhone: A small step for the UK mobile market

    12 October 2020

    It is widely expected that Apple will announce the first 5G iPhone at its event on 13 October, over a year after the UK launch of 5G networks, in contrast to Apple’s early start and key role in the launch of 4G

    While the UK operators were early to launch 5G, the roll-out has thus far progressed slower than 4G did

    The operator focus on 5G continues to be capacity as opposed to services, with 5G offering eye-watering speeds but not enabling any mass-market consumer services that 4G is not perfectly capable of

     

    Access report

  • Apple WWDC 2020: Putting the squeeze on developers

    2 July 2020

    Apple’s developer conference coincided with a period of unprecedented tension with its developer community, parts of which are chafing under Apple’s rules for the iPhone App Store.

    These rules let Apple extract a large portion of the value of the App Store. This revenue is more important than ever to Apple’s growth story, so it has been applying its rules more strictly.

    Apple is constrained here by the need to deliver the best product possible to its users, and by the possibility of regulatory intervention.

    Access report