Is there anything specific in the article with which you disagree?

If there's a next record-breaking quarter, I can't see how it will come about any time soon. They hitched their wagon to the phone market, and that market is now saturated. The only place to get market-share is from Android (I don't see how chasing sales in India are going to be sufficient, despite what Apple thinks).*

So they need their products and software to become more compelling. Has that been the trend since SJ passed away?

*I don't want to discuss the "Services" market. I doubt even Tim Cook believes that will move the needle much, even though he mentions it to placate investors.

Perception is an odd thing. Microsoft under Ballmer more than doubled revenue and profits while building some successful new businesses. Still, the 00s are referred to as a "lost decade" for the company. The stock price started climbing immediately after Ballmer's resignation -- before a replacement had been chosen -- demonstrating a pretty clear "anyone but him" sentiment in the market.

So on the one hand, negative perception seems a bit silly when the company is fundamentally doing well. On the other hand, that perception is often rooted in something real.

I only skimmed the article, but I didn't get the impression that the writer was suggesting that the changes are going to immediately result in Apple losing sales or loyal customers... They admit that Apple is still the best in the industry at providing simple solutions for their customers - just that they aren't as simple as they used to be, and there is a growing resentment of this in their loyal customer base, that could eventually bite them in the ass.

It's kind of like when you're trash talking in sports and the other team just stands there and points to the scoreboard with a 100 point lead.

Posted from a 2015 Mac Book Pro