Few people who have paid attention will have any doubts that Apple, in the year 2020, a difficult year with closures of factories, offices, borders, etc., has come out victorious.
Not only did the continuity products it introduced, such as the iPad, Apple Watch, or iPhone, continue to garner surprising innovations and widespread applause, with sales that launched Apple's results above all imaginable predictions. .
It also launched its own on-board computers, M1, starting with the consumer ones: Mac mini, MacBook Air and Macbook.
This fact is remarkable not only for the confidence it shows in its strengths and innovation capabilities of its organization chart, but because it has had the "courage" to leave Intel, the undisputed queen of chip manufacturing.
The ability to disrupt Apple's status quo never ceases to amaze me.
Intel has gone from being kindly apologized for its manufacturing problems, as if it were a lesser evil we have had to live with, to being challenged by everyone who talks about its problems as a deeper and deeper hole.
We've seen it before: We all supported Flash until Apple said there was no reason. Windows was the mammoth until Apple launched its Mac OS X and began innovating at a speed Microsoft never dreamed of.
We could go on with many other examples in mobility, music, etc.
This is what makes Apple so scary. Like the eye of Sauron, if you set your eyes on a market, it might take more or less to get there, but when it does it will redefine what people expect and the industry will have to position itself, as an imitator or adversary, by confronting Apple. .
So Apple closed 2020 with a leadership position, not only industrial or commercial but ideological, with a firm and relentless authority that makes everyone feel like breathing with borrowed oxygen, until the Cupertino company he will not reveal his cards.
The year 2021 for Apple
For all of the above, for the masterful management of the pandemic, guiding the protection of workers and customers, closing shops with excellence and without agitation, sending people to work at home and still delivering their tasks almost without delay and with the he manufacturing and marketing excellence we are used to, for all this, the year 2021 represents a great bet for Apple.
Now he has to prove that 2020 was not a chain of lucky coincidences that favored him, and that it is indeed in a cycle of creativity and innovation that will mark a new era. You need to show that we are at the stage that will define Tim Cook's legacy beyond his managerial capabilities.
2021 is the year that Tim Cook will enter the history books, as head of the technological innovations of the post Jobs era.
He Mac M1
Everyone is waiting to see the wonders that Apple will offer in the most powerful computers in the range, both for the restyling of the external appearance, and for the speeds they can reach when they are not so constrained by space.
Particularly exciting could be the new iMac. And in my opinion, the MacBook Pro will be reserved for announcement at WWDC, in front of (i.e., virtual) developers, with game demos, renders, etc.
The discontinuation of the iMac Pro adds even more expectation to the performance Apple can deliver with its M1
Final report: they will all be M1 or we will see "surnames" to identify the versions, such as M1 Pro, M1 Max, etc.
WWDC
Since we talked about it, the realization of the second virtual WWDC poses new challenges, beyond the best and the best. Will Apple Develop Its Own Message-Based Conferencing System?
Airtag and other "goodies"
Like the third generation of AirPods, Airtags have been in the cauldron of rumors for months, with more and more certainty that their launch is imminent.
However, the scope or depth Apple can give to the alleged AppleTags or AirTags is still unknown. It can be a revolution or something completely forgettable.
Apple TV +
Apple TV's grace period has already been exhausted, even though Apple has had to extend it twice and the moment of truth is approaching.
It is true that announcements of new series, contracts, renewals, etc. They have multiplied in the last few weeks, but there is still nothing concrete or something that makes you continue to be tempted to pay five dollars / euros a month.
Billie Eilish's documentary may have attracted a young audience who took advantage of the trial period to see it, but that audience will find little else in Apple TV + programming that will keep them connected (maybe Dickinson?)
But after the summer, subscriber cancellations can turn into bloodletting.
Apple News e Apple Card
These services are the "covered" by their lack of progress. I personally think Apple News is defunct, especially with the aggressive push Google has given its news service.
Apple News is the new Ping.
Apple Card, Apple's credit card, seemed to want to more or less quickly extend its reach to other countries, but it remained relegated to those of its official launch.
It certainly has truly gigantic growth potential, but Apple appears to have lost interest - or perhaps it hasn't found as many partners outside of the United States as it hoped.
Virtual / Augmented Reality Glasses
With Dan Riccio taking over the lead of the project, Apple has indicated that the commercial potential it sees in these products is well defined and, more importantly, the development of subsequent versions with their improvements is clear.
In my view, Apple could launch virtual reality glasses accompanied by a subscription service that offers new experiences every month, such as tourism, museums, games, etc. in the style of Apple Fitness +.
apple machine
As it seems obvious, all the work in virtual reality actually distills that done in the design of the Apple car. We know that in 2021 we will only continue to collect rumors, and we will still read them with interest.
Hence the need for new more detailed maps, work on the analysis of reality, know how sensors work and are integrated, etc.
In true Apple fashion, work done for one product ends up infiltrating others.
That Apple is starting to talk to manufacturers means its move to production is already closer than far.
It is likely that Apple will launch a first car far from its vision (as happened with the iPhone, iPad, etc.) but necessary to be able to get where it is proposed.
Apple's first car will not be autonomous nor will it be able to travel a thousand kilometers without recharging, but it will lay the groundwork for it to be developed and when Apple releases its third version the rest of the industry will begin to have problems keeping up and overcoming. the characteristics of the Apple car.
The Apple Wars
Equally important or more will be the different lawsuits Apple claims around the world to defend its integrity (which others call dominance).
Epic Games, Facebook, governments of all languages, etc. they all have reason to think that a divided, weaker or less integrated Apple would allow them to make more money than they currently do.
So we can expect there will continue to be protests, investigations and lawsuits against Apple in 2021 with the potential to change the Apple we know today once and for all.
Conclusion
It is vital that Apple manages to emerge unscathed from 2021 and at the same time present products that excite consumers and are innovative, while maintaining the optimism and expectation of all.
Of course, after 2021, 2022 will come and we can say the same, because what Apple needs is a series of years in which - apart from great benefits - present products that continue to excite everyone's imagination and conversations.
If unsuccessful, we can expect an avalanche of criticism and bad omens for Apple (remember that most critics continue to argue that "Apple" is temporary and that sooner or later, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, etc. the world will end. a snack) remembering that Tim Cook is just a good manager and that he lacks the genius of Steve Jobs, blah blah blah.
What do you expect from Apple in 2021?
