Apple die-hard fan: I'm worried that Apple will become another BlackBerry

May 23 news, according to Reuters, Marco Arment, one of the most famous iOS developers and a die-hard Apple fan, recently declared that if Google makes the right bet on the future, it will be troublesome for Apple, and it may face a similar fate as smartphone maker BlackBerry.

Almonte wrote in a blog post that before Apple released the iPhone, BlackBerry was one of the best mobile phone manufacturers on the market and almost dominated the entire market. The problem is that the iPhone is not just a better smartphone, it also changed the way people use mobile phones.

BlackBerry was perfect for email and phone calls. But Apple introduced the App Store, and now there's an app for almost everything. It fundamentally changed the definition of a smartphone, and BlackBerry couldn't do anything about it. "In 2007, innovation, management changes, or acquisitions could have saved BlackBerry, but it was too late, and the gap between them and Apple kept widening," Almonte said.

What's worrying is that Apple is now facing a similar fate to BlackBerry and is in danger of being completely replaced. Almonte wrote: "Today, tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook are all betting big on advanced artificial intelligence, ubiquitous smart assistants, and voice interaction, hoping that they can become the 'next big thing' in the field of future devices. If they are right, I have to worry about Apple."

Amazon, Google, and Facebook have been actively investing in big data AI services for many years, especially Google. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff even said that he believes the future will be an "AI-first" world.

But in the fields of chatbots, voice interaction, search, and natural language processing, Apple has been left far behind. Amazon's Echo is better than Apple's Siri in language understanding, so it can provide better search services and better respond to users' commands to play music.

Google's progress in artificial intelligence is also obvious to all, and its artificial intelligence has even defeated human champions in the game of Go. In addition, the artificial intelligence engines in Google Now and Google Photos are also very good. Google Photos can recognize photos, so you can search for them without tagging them.

Google is betting its future not just on a glut of apps on a screen, but on a fundamentally different way of computing, a move to the cloud that will once again change the way we use smartphones, just as Apple replaced BlackBerry.

Apple's recent earnings report showed that its smartphone iPhone sales had declined for the first time in more than a decade, alerting many investors and industry observers. Apple is about to release its latest flagship phone in September, which may help alleviate some of the panic. However, it may only serve as a temporary "band-aid" and further cause concerns.

Tim Bajarin, a Google analyst who has been tracking Apple for more than 30 years, believes that Apple lacks innovation and is in a dilemma of fierce competition with technology giants such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook. It has been left behind in emerging technology fields such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Bajarin cited three examples and believed that Apple faced more challenges in 2016:

1. Chromebook sales: Chromebook sales in the United States surpassed Mac sales for the first time. The shipments of low-priced laptops in the market are impressive, while Apple's high-priced Mac revenue far exceeds Chromebooks. The real threat to Apple comes from Microsoft, whose laptops have higher profit margins than Apple's Chromebooks.

2. Asia: Tim Cook is the first Apple CEO to visit India. He is currently on a tour of Asia and has already stopped in China. Bajarin believes that Cook's trip is very necessary, especially given the rise of ride-hailing apps in China and India's large young population.

3. Apple's tradition of secrecy: Apple has always been tight-lipped about secret R&D projects, such as rumored car projects, possible artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality plans. Bajarin said: "Apple likes to enter the market late and surprise us. Secrecy has become its middle name." (Xiaoxiao)

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.