00:00 Speaker A
Maybe just big picture, Ramon. Apple turns 50. You’ve covered this industry, Ramon, a long time. Covered Apple a long time. I’m just curious what you make of that milestone, Ramon. You know, what do you think explains the enduring success of the company?
00:19 Ramon
You know, that that’s a great question because, you know, if you look back in the history of tech, let’s face it, not every single kind of uh not every company has made it. You know, a lot of them got acquired or, you know, fell by the wayside or anything. But I think within the Apple’s case, you know, I I I think they cling to their North Star, which is to design products, services, and experiences that just plain old delight the customer.
00:52 Speaker A
There’s this criticism you hear, right? Apple has fallen behind in AI. Curious, one, do you agree with that and two, if you do, Ramon, you know, how wide is that gap with rivals?
01:06 Ramon
You know what, that’s the funny thing about Apple. You know, in very, very few instances is Apple going to be first to the market. and and they’re very willing to let many other companies suffer the slings and arrows of missteps and mistakes, and then ultimately come out with something that’s going to be well, pretty darn close to perfect. okay? So, I think when I take a look at where where Google is, when I take a look at where Microsoft is, you know, I think Apple is taking a look at what they’re doing and and what they’re seeing along with a whole slew of other companies and saying, you know, this piece makes sense. This piece needs to be, you know, twisted and and and and turned and and developed in a different way.
01:46 Speaker A
Rumors and reports of an Apple foldable. Ramon, what do you think? You want to bet that? Is that foldable coming in the fall?
01:53 Ramon
I think it’s going to be coming out in 2026. You know, we’ve talked to the other analysts we have around the world and uh talking to a number of other, you know, players throughout the market. You know, I I I I think a foldable iPhone is pretty much inevitable, okay? Uh it’s a question of when and we’ve asked that question for the past several years. Uh but from what we hear and what we see, 2026 seems to to be the year. The question for me is, okay, now that you have a foldable, you know, what can I do with it? Okay? Um and am I going to be just be looking at, you know, videos, watching YouTube, watching Netflix, or, you know, am I going to be able to be, you know, a bit more productive? And and how much of a role is AI going to play in that? Uh because that’s, you know, it’s it’s one thing to have the hardware. Um and the hardware is definitely going to get people kind of through the door. Um but it’s the experience that keeps them coming back again and again and renewing and and refreshing, you know, every couple of years.
