Inlast week ’s newspaper column , I managed to find the swarm ( loom fiscal and political uncertainty ) floating around the silver grey liner that was Apple ’s record - breaking quarterly results . But this week I think I ’d look at the situation from a more affirmative stage of view . Thereareproblems for Apple , almost everywhere you look . But if the company respond to them in the correct disembodied spirit , this represent a golden opportunity for beneficial change .
In contrast with startups , which love to move fast and break things , build corporation tend to be slow and loath to exchange direction . If Tim Cook woke up tomorrow and decided that Apple should pivot from consumer tech to , I do n’t sleep together , cupcakes , he would take to black market that decision by advisors and VPs and the control panel of director , face a huge stockholder rebellion , and probably give up on the whole matter ( or lose his job ) . He ’s in care , but the corporate construction has been designed to make it as hard as possible for a rogue CEO to rock the sauceboat with radical ideas .
This approach has its benefit because it entail a individual hare - brain executive ca n’t easily cause sudden tragedy . But it can get out big companies vulnerable to slow decline when solutions seem scary in the forgetful terminus . And in such situations , it can be funnily good to hit rock bottom .
countenance me give you a sporting analogy . In 2015 , the England cricket squad crashed out of the World Cup in mortifying fashion , clueless about advanced innovations and the way the game had evolved . But this fiasco meant it was out of the question to ignore the profound job afflicting the hidebound institutions and conservative mentality of English cricket , and the Modern captain was give a mandate for change . He get in Modern ideas , fresh players , and told the squad to spiel in the good feeling and without fear . And four years later , that squad of no - hopers was ( just scarce ) crown wiz of the earth .
Apple may not have lose by 15 ravel to Bangladesh . But it ’s had more than its average share of defeat in 2025 .
There have been legal thrashings . Late last calendar month , a judge accused the troupe ofinsubordinationand imposed rough ( but barely undeserved ) penalty . A week before that , the EU levieda € 500 M finefor violating the Digital Markets Act . And only last week , news broke that a successful class - action suit over Siri listening is now proceeding to thepayout level .
What about product releases ? This normally secure part of Apple ’s strategy appear troubled , too . Aside from Vision Pro ( so recess as to be in effect irrelevant ) and Apple Intelligence ( not fit for purpose ) , the Apple Watch ’s lamentable numbers are becoming increasingly hard to ignore , with the equipment now billow in measurable ball-shaped declinefor a full two years . And the iPhone , so all important to Cupertino ’s hope , may not be as healthy as the slender growth recorded in the Q2 account might paint a picture : data now hint that it only managed that figure because oftariff - connect affright buying , bringing purchase forward from afterwards in the class and lay in up problem for the future .
Talking of duty , Apple faces political incertitude as well . As I discussed last workweek , the party ’s family relationship with President Trump is a two-fold - edge sword : the 24-hour interval of walk a disinterest tightrope and do not to offend anyone are behind us , and the demographics that traditionally support Apple are far less likely to favour Trump . Veer one style politically , and Apple endangerment enraging its effect user base ; veer the other , and it could lose that vital duty immunity . And price hikes loom either way .
Apple always presents a courageous and unperturbed face to the public , but rest assured that this succession of reversals and unsuccessful person has registered at C - suite , board , and stockholder stratum . Which can be a plus . Now , if Tim Cook goes to the board with a radical marriage proposal , he might really get a fair hearing .
How could Apple change in response to its atrocious start to 2025 ? It could finally reimagine its relationship with developer , switch over from tyrannic platform owner to genuine partner : lower fee , relax regulation , put more resources into curation and vetting to reduce the issue of chiseler and cloners , and foster actual innovation . This would all cut into the bottom line , of course , but it would get regulators and lawyers off Apple ’s back and ultimately do good the user . And the way things are sound in the Epic case , Apple might have to do quite a lot of this anyway ; why not slant into the verdict , cancel the appeal , and domorethan the judge postulate ? Now more than ever , Apple ask goodwill and positive PR .
On the product front , Apple has long adopted a minimal - innovation policy , where gimmick are exactly as much of an climb on the premature generation as they need to be , and no more . That ’s why the Apple Watch is suffering . That ’s why so few mass are excited about the prospect of the iPhone 17 . But having stored up reiterative releases for years , the company is in a groovy place to announce crowing upgrades in 2025 and 2026 . Make afolding phone . Make aphone with no port . Push the specs and play with the designs . dissemble as if you ’ve just been tap out of the metaphoric World Cup — this is no prison term to be trepid .
Rather than mess around with specific architectural plan , Apple require a complete change in mindset . It needs to stop over being a company that focus on profit and go back to just making bully mathematical product and trusting that the net profit will come after . For a elephantine company , a change of that order of magnitude is in the main possible only when it faces an existential menace , such as the imminent failure that brought Steve Jobs back to the fellowship in 1997 . Today ’s threat is more insidious , and the danger more aloof , but it offers a second chance to reset and find a in effect itinerary .
Foundry
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column , which includes all the Apple news program you missed last week in a handy bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it operate great with a Monday dawn cup of chocolate or teatime , but it ’s coolheaded if you need to give it a read during luncheon or dinner party hour too .
Nearlythree decadeslater , Appleowes everything to the iMac .
Give up theApp Store purchase fighting , Apple , says the Macalope . It’sjust not worth it .
Apple Arcadeis thebest Apple serviceyou’re not using .
Filipe Espositomade his 64 GB iPhone usable againwithout spendinga single cent .
Here are9 Android featuresiOS 19desperately involve .
Alex Blakesideloadeda Reddit client onto his iPhone . Henever wants to do it again .
Apple admits itmay require to raise pricesto deal withtariffs .
Halyna Kubivtested every Apple Watch featureforbattery drain . The usual advice is wrong .
suffer an iPhone ? Here are11 featuresyou’reprobably not using – but should .
Podcast of the week
iCloud , Apple TV+ , Apple Music , these are just some of the region to Apple ’s Services , which have become a bigger and bigger part of the Apple ecosystem . In the late episode of the Macworld Podcast , we discuss the state of these services — what they mean to Apple , but most significantly , what they mean to you .
you may catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast onYouTube , Spotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own site .
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
Apple ’s solution to theiPhone 17 Air ’s hapless battery life ? Achunky battery pack .
Apple might not release theiPhone 18until 2027 , in amassive changeto its launch strategy .
It sure bet likeAI - power searchiscoming to Safari .
concerned iniPadOS 19 ? Here’severything you need to know .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
Io 18.5 RCis out now — here arethe release notes .
And with that , we ’re done for this week ’s Apple Breakfast . If you ’d like to get regular roundups , sign up forour newssheet , including our new e-mail from The Macalope – an saucy , humorous take on the later newsworthiness and rumour from a half - humanity , half - mythological Mac beast . you may also follow us onFacebook , Threads , Bluesky , orXfor discussion of fracture Apple newsworthiness stories . See you next Monday , and abide Appley .
