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The September Quarter Outcome: Apple Prepares For Battle
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DawnTreader
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My latest missive at Eventide.
Snippet: It’s clear from his comments Mr. Jobs and Apple are bracing for battle with Google for supremacy in the smartphone market and the emerging market for tablet devices.
I enjoyed listening to and documenting the litany of quarterly numbers put forward by members of Apple’s executive team. But it was the remarks by Mr. Jobs that put Apple’s FY 2011 mission and goals on the table for the world to see and hear.
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Great article. Apple is ready for “war” and it is armed to the teeth. It’s Goliath-sized and David-quick. Competitors take heed.
Congratulations, btw, on nailing the $65 billion revs and $15 EPS number for FY 2010. No one save an independent analyst came close, I’d think.
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Thanks, Steve. -
I found Steve Jobs’ prepared remarks to be the most interesting part of the earnings call first, because he went out of his way to make them, and second, because of the content of his remarks. Here is my rough and tumble translation of what Steve Jobs said or what he wanted us to take away.
1) RIM, you’re through. We just passed you in unit sales and with your lack of expertise in software, you’ve got no chance of catching us. Ever.
2) Google, you’re a blankety-blank lier. You say you have 200,000 activations a day? Well we have 275,000 iOS activations a day. And why aren’t you releasing your unit sales so we could be talking about actual numbers instead of these fricking activation numbers?
3) Google: You say open. We say fragmented. You say closed. We say integrated. You say open always wins. We say Bull….
Open doesn’t always beat closed, but integrated always beats fragmented. And we’re coming after your fragmented ass.
4) Tablet competitors? What tablet competitors?
They don’t exist. And when they do exist, they’ll be too small and too expensive. And when they finally come to their senses and put out a properly sized tablet, we will crush them into dust.
It’s gonna be fun.
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I agree with your observations. What I don’t understand is why SJ needed to make those statements. What purpose does it serve to tell the world that your competitors are wrong. He used to be humble and say that the numbers speak for themselves regarding iPhone, iPod and Mac sales. They are growing at 3x market rate in PCs. Who cares if RIMM is toast or Google Droid fragmented. Who does this speech benefit.
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Happy to have you and other new members on AFB, FalKirk. Over here, We Get It(tm).
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AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
I like the gradual shift. Apple will command respect, and better yet, it will not be denied.
Same great Apple. Now just a little more upfront about its thoughts on tech and the competition. Apple’s earned the right to speak up. And I’m sure the troops are loving it!
[ Edited: 19 October 2010 03:37 AM by Mav ]Signature
The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
I agree with your observations. What I don’t understand is why SJ needed to make those statements. What purpose does it serve to tell the world that your competitors are wrong. He used to be humble and say that the numbers speak for themselves regarding iPhone, iPod and Mac sales. They are growing at 3x market rate in PCs. Who cares if RIMM is toast or Google Droid fragmented. Who does this speech benefit.
It benefits those who work for Apple first and foremost. A very clear call to arms. They hear and see their leader call out those that would oppose them and they know they’re expected to back him up and deliver the goods. If this all sounds a little sophomoric well, it is. Highly effective though.
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I don’t mind being wrong…,I just hate being wrong so FAST!
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Great recap DT. Sent it off to friends and family. Spot on for the year…,not surprising but impressive nonetheless. More entertainment ahead.
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I don’t mind being wrong…,I just hate being wrong so FAST!
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What I don’t understand is why SJ needed to make those statements. What purpose does it serve to tell the world that your competitors are wrong.
I’ve been wondering that too. It’s so unusual and so surprising that it happened at this time and at this venue.
I can guess that it was marketing. That Jobs wanted to counter the rising tide of opinion regarding the Android phone and the upcoming Android tablets. That Jobs wanted to re-frame the debate. But I’m only speculating.
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SJ is one of the clearest thinkers of our time. He did a great job of reframing my own thoughts into cleaner concepts. “Closed/open” into “integrated/fragmented.” Apple adding value as systems integrator so consumers don’t have to fear technology.
This is the “speech version” of what Apple has been doing in business for years now. Reframing the debate, changing the rules of the game. Clearly Apple is damn good at this.
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The Summer of AAPL is here. Enjoy it (responsibly) while it lasts.
AFB Night Owl Team™
Thanks, Steve. -
It was also a direct response to Gene Munster and others who claim Android will be the ultimate winner in the tablet space. I’m quite certain that tech writers will continue to write their fud and hit bait articles with little or nothing to back it up but at least now we’ll be able to respond with what Steve actually said rather than with how we think Apple would respond if they did such things.
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I don’t mind being wrong…,I just hate being wrong so FAST!
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SJ is one of the clearest thinkers of our time. He did a great job of reframing my own thoughts into cleaner concepts. “Closed/open” into “integrated/fragmented.” Apple adding value as systems integrator so consumers don’t have to fear technology.
This is the “speech version” of what Apple has been doing in business for years now. Reframing the debate, changing the rules of the game. Clearly Apple is damn good at this.
I think you’ve probably nailed it. I’ve bolded the part of your post that I liked best. Reframe the debate. Change the rules of the game. You’re right. That is one of Steve Jobs’ great strengths.
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I disagree, or at least postpone my agreement, with Steve Jobs criticism of a 7” iPad.
Yes, for normal living room reading, I agree. Its a matter of how close to one’s eyes to hold it.
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What I don’t understand is why SJ needed to make those statements. What purpose does it serve to tell the world that your competitors are wrong.
I’ve been wondering that too. It’s so unusual and so surprising that it happened at this time and at this venue.
I can guess that it was marketing. That Jobs wanted to counter the rising tide of opinion regarding the Android phone and the upcoming Android tablets. That Jobs wanted to re-frame the debate. But I’m only speculating.
In game theory, one of the simplest tactics is tit for tat. Google and the analysts (and, to a lesser extent, Samsung/tablet manufacturers and RIMM) have been beating the drum too long on when, how, why, and in exactly what way will Apple cede its leading position smartphone and tablet markets over to others. “The present is behind Apple, the future is behind the others” kind of mentality. SJ is just using their own tactic to fire back.
Notice how he spent proportionally more time on the most annoying competitors (to Apple anyway), i.e. Android first and foremost. He was also ruthless but fair. Later in the call, he clearly admitted that “Apple and Android are leading in that space” - it’s not just “Apple is leading in that space”.
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SJ is one of the clearest thinkers of our time. He did a great job of reframing my own thoughts into cleaner concepts. “Closed/open” into “integrated/fragmented.” Apple adding value as systems integrator so consumers don’t have to fear technology.
This is the “speech version” of what Apple has been doing in business for years now. Reframing the debate, changing the rules of the game. Clearly Apple is damn good at this.
I think you’ve probably nailed it. I’ve bolded the part of your post that I liked best. Reframe the debate. Change the rules of the game. You’re right. That is one of Steve Jobs’ great strengths.
It was much needed because even after the rant, there were some questions that… well let’s just say the analysts wouldn’t ask if they stopped and thought for a second (of course, it’s their rare chance to speak to Steve so it’s forgivable).
Hence, my favorite quote from the call:
You’re looking at it wrong. :DYou’re looking at it as a hardware person in a fragmented world. You’re looking at it as a hardware manufacturer that doesn’t really know much about software, who doesn’t think about an integrated product, but assumes the software will somehow take care of itself.
Agree with characterizing it as reframing the debate, great choice of words.
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Here is the reason for SJ’s speech yesterday. He summarized in this quote during the Q&A.
But I think right now it’s a battle for developers and a battle for the mindshare of developers and a battle for the mindshare of customers.
