Dear Quartz members—
When was the last time you bought a new iPhone? Perhaps you felt like you needed to because your phone was a few years old, or you just had to, because the battery was dying or the screen was cracked beyond recognition. But when was the last time you felt excited about spending all that money?
For over a decade now, Apple’s iPhone has been the company’s dominant source of revenue. It’s reshaped a computer company into one of the wealthiest multinationals on the planet, and revolutionized the way humans communicate.
But recently, the luster of the iPhone seems to have faded. Apple’s iPhone sales are slowing, and it’s not entirely clear how it’s going to replace that blockbuster revenue. Our new field guide this week, by Quartz technology editor Mike Murphy and reporters Ananya Bhattacharya and Adam Epstein, offers an in-depth examination of all the bets Apple is making, near- and long-term, to keep people returning to its brushed aluminum embrace.
The state of play drills into the Apple ecosystem to explore its growing web of gadgets and services and to assess if they’re enough to keep the company at the leading edge of disruption. Other stories in the guide offer a breakdown of its long-serving executive board, where exactly it makes its money today, and deep-dives into two areas Apple is hoping to dominate: the Indian smartphone market, and Hollywood.
If you want to catch up quickly on three key areas critical to Apple’s future, download our presentation for members compiled by Dasia Moore that we published on Friday.
TO DISCUSS WITH FRIENDS OVER DINNER…
Here are a few conversation starters from our guide:
- Apple’s smallest business line, iPads, would on its own rank 140th on the Fortune 500 list. (Apple overall is third.)
- Around half of Apple’s executive team have been with the company for over 20 years. Only four of them are women, and only three joined in the last five years.
- Apple has sold over 1.2 billion iPhones to date, after the first was sold to “professional line sitter” Greg Packer in New York City on June 29, 2007.
- Apple recently opened its new headquarters in Cupertino, California, which has been its home for 42 years, back in the days when it flew a pirate flag over its office. The new building cost $5 billion to build, and has no daycare facilities.
…OR WITH US, ON FRIDAY, ON THIS CALL
Join us for a discussion on Friday at 11am EDT with Mike and Quartz managing editor Kira Bindrim, where they’ll dissect how the future is shaping up for Apple. We’ll be taking questions and comments live on the video conference call, accessible at the usual location. If you’d like to dial in, use the following numbers:
UK: 0800-014 8469
USA: 866-226 4650
For all of the numbers, the access code is 722 994 440.
…OR IN PERSON AT THIS EVENT
If you’re in New York City on October 22, join us at our HQ for an evening of discussion and debate about what kind of technology will have the biggest impact on society over the next 50 years. Entry is free. You can register here.
OTHER MEMBER CALLS THIS WEEK
Tue., Oct. 15, 11:00am EDT: Adam Epstein and culture editor Oliver Staley get together to sort through a very full fall TV season of new and returning shows.
Thu., Oct. 17, 10:00am EDT: Hong Kong deputy editor, Isabella Steger, producer Tony Lin, and reporter Nikhil Sonnad discuss their latest Because China episode which shows how the scope of Chinese censorship is expanding well beyond China’s borders.
(To add our complete schedule of upcoming conference calls to your Google calendar, click here.)
Please send a note to members@qz.com if you have any feedback, or suggestions for other things we should cover. Another great way to give feedback on Quartz membership is to complete this short survey.
Best wishes for a productive week,
Xana Antunes,
Executive editor, Quartz