Why this is the beginning of the end of Apple

Back in late 2011, during a keynote to entrepreneurs, I was asked whether the passing of Steve Jobs was the beginning of the demise of Apple. In one of those ‘speak before you think’ moments I replied that I wasn’t sure Apple could continue to enjoy its market domination; even with Jobs firmly at the helm. The fact is Apple had put itself in an awkward position. It was a cult brand that had become mainstream. Put simply, it had become a victim of its own success.

Where do you go from there?

We are constantly reminded Apple has billions in reserves. Unfortunately, in my mind at least, this signals a hesitant company rather than a game-changer investing into the future. The launch this week of the iPhone 6 only confirmed my sentiment that we are watching a giant at the beginning of a period of sideways or backwards growth.

Now don't get me wrong. I’m honestly not one of those tall-poppy chainsaw choppers, waiting for the opportunity to put my boot in just as an icon stumbles. In fact I’ve spent the last decade being an evangelist for everything Apple; a drawer full of now redundant devices is testament to my once undivided loyalty.

But just a few weeks ago I switched camps to the ‘dark side’ . Yes I bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 powered by Android and experienced all the anxiety that goes with leaving a company I’d emotionally connected with and integrated into every aspect of my life.

My motivations to leave were in part due to the fact that Apple appeared to have become complacent. When was the last time they came up with a new feature that really wowed me? The other driver of my treachery came down to practicality. I found myself envying my ‘early adopter’ friends with their single all-in-one device, until finally I couldn’t stand lugging both an iPad and iPhone around any longer.

So I took the plunge and bought my first non-Apple tech product in a decade.

And guess what? Even though I must confess I did spend a weekend re-arranging things on the Samsung to make it feel more like the familiar Apple, my world didn’t fall apart. And very quickly I was won over by the individual charms of my new life companion. I stopped making comparisons and started exploring. The bigger screen rocks and the camera is cool albeit suffers from function overload. But for me the most compelling reason to switch is the ultra-power save. Now I have an unbelievable 12 Days of charge on limited functions which is perfect for those long weekends I spend in the wilderness.

You might appreciate that when the excitement about the latest Apple iPhone 6 reveal reached a fever pitch, I was nervous that my Galaxy would be redundant before it was hardly out of the box. Not to mention having to eat humble pie after a fortnight of convincing my iFriends they had been hoodwinked by the Apple promise and that fear is hard to change. As it turns out, I shouldn’t have worried. In what we have come to expect from Apple in recent years, there is a lot of hype about very little more than colour or shape, this year’s announcement was similarly disappointing. I accept the Apple iPhone 6 is probably an excellent improvement on the model I had. But it just feels like they are having to catch up to their competitors. I expect more from a brand which flouts innovation and customer experience as their standards.

Memo to Apple: form does not always trump function. Particularly when you’ve had 18 months of R&D to make something incredible or to create a feature that actually makes your customers’ lives better, easier or more exciting.

In summary, Apple is a case study on what can happen to a challenger brand that becomes #1 in their category. Either resting on the laurels of past success or nervousness about making a mistake results in the same outcome. If you want to remain relevant in a demanding customer driven world, you need to keep the spirit of innovation, change and development alive. Sometimes you will also need to reconnect with the audacity you started with to make the big, and sometimes risky, decisions that made you number one.

The lesson for entrepreneurs, business owners and corporate CEOs is this: Don’t believe your own Bull (dust) and if you want your customers to remain loyal you must never be complacent. Keep adding to the secret sauce to keep your customers hooked.

Photo courtesy of iStock.com