Everyone questioning about Apple’s growth story as the company has experienced a slowdown in the momentum of it’s hardware sales. But Apple aims to bolster its services by making them smarter and opening them to outsiders. Thus Apple kicked off its annual software developers conference with new software features for its smartwatch, following a moment of reflection for the Sunday mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
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The tech giant’s iPhone sales dropped 16 per cent to $US51.19 million in the recently ended quarter, compared with $US61.17 million in the same period a year ago.
During conference Apple revealed changes to its four software operating systems—for the iPhone and iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch—and emphasized a new willingness to allow non-Apple developers to add features to its most widely used services, including Messages, Maps and Siri.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company’s software becomes “even more capable by working with all of you” as reported by The Hidustan Times
The announcements come as Apple increasingly touts its services business. Earlier this year, Apple started breaking out its revenue from services, which includes App Store sales, Apple Music and Apple Pay. In touting its services, Apple is noting its loyal user base and more predictable revenue than the boom-or-bust cycles tied to its new products.
“Services are definitely taking up a bigger role,” said Neil Cybart, who runs Above Avalon, a site dedicated to analysis of Apple. He noted, however, that Apple’s emphasis on services differs from other Silicon Valley firms because Apple aims to sell more devices, rather than collect data for targeted advertising.
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Apple’s watch, the company’s first new product since Cook replaced co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011, is getting an upgrade in September that will bring fitness tracking to wheelchair-bound users. The retooled watch software will include an “SOS” feature that will automatically call for help in emergencies and the ability to share exercise activities with other people. Apple has opened up maps and Siri to outside developers.
Apple said it was releasing tools that will allow developers to connect their apps to Siri, its voice-activated assistant. That could allow, for example, iPhone users to ask Siri to book a car with a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft. When Apple introduced Siri as an iPhone feature in 2011, it heralded a future of people finding information or completing tasks on their devices by speaking rather than typing or tapping. That vision of Siri hasn’t fully materialized.
Apple also said it would make Siri and Apple Pay available on its Mac computers. Apple Pay will work through the Safari browser, setting the payment service as an alternative to PayPal.