Apple may seem to be in a lull, but who else has driven the PC industry, then the cellphone industry, even remotely to the degree that Apple has? Name a highly successful form factor or an interface used in either, that does not owe a very deep debt to Apple for inspiration. There isn’t one.
I am not bashing Apple, like I said, they have enough cash on hand they could literally not make another dollar and keep operating full tilt for a decade without running out of cash.
Apple makes gobs of money, however the reality is the smart phone is now ubiquitous and slower refresh cycles and lower margins are the new reality.
The question is really what is next... that’s the real question for Apple is will they find the next big thing. My guess is they will... but no one really knows what that is yet.. wearables are pretty much a blah... cars? eh... What will be the next big thing? And no one would have told you smart phones in 2005... so fact no one knows what is is right now.. isn’t all that worrisome to me.
However, whatever the next thing is, Apple will need to recognize and develop it without Jobs... something it hasn’t done yet... well at least not since it came roaring back from the brink of failure.
I am not worried about Apple... when apple cuts its R&D budget, that’s when I’ll worry about Apple’s future.