If there’s one thing we know about the smartphone industry, it is a zero sum game. So, if Apple is down, that must mean that everyone else is up! That’s how zero sum games work, right? It’s just everyone against Apple.
Writing for BGR, Andy Meek suggests that “Apple’s bad news for investors might be good news for Samsung and Huawei.” (Tip o’ the antlers to @designheretic.)
Two of Apple’s biggest rivals in the smartphone game likely broke out some bubbly over the past 24 hours in celebration of the good fortune that’s suddenly come their way.
Ah, what is bad for Apple is certainly good for Apple’s competitors, yes?
Blame was placed in large measure on a slowdown in Apple’s business in China, which likewise stems from US-China trade tensions.
Uh, well, that certainly didn’t help but, again, read Ben Thompson’s piece for a less reductive analysis.
Samsung and Huawei, meanwhile, don’t have anything to worry about regarding their own businesses.
Of course not! Yes, pop that champagne, Samsung and Huawei! Nothing but smooth sailing ahead!
Five days later…
“Samsung provides latest tech scare as it warns of 30% dive after alert from Apple.”
Turns out a downturn in the Chinese market is a downturn in the Chinese market, not simply, “nobody likes iPhones anymore because [insert pet iPhone peeve like ‘no headphone jack,’ ‘too large,’ ‘too expensive,’ ‘lets you delete Facebook,’ etc.].” Far from popping champagne, Samsung certainly knew what its position was and was instead probably pulling at its collar while reading Apple’s news and going “Nnnnyoi!” or however you spell that sound.
Huawei is still doing okay as far as we know, though. So, let us all hail our new smartphone overlord, Huawei, with whom we will clasp hands and march toward a new future where…
“New documents link Huawei to suspected front companies in Iran, Syria.”
Oh. Uhhh, yeah, well, okay, so let’s not be too excited about Huawei’s successes, shall we?
Now, Meek wasn’t the only person who was wrong recently about Apple’s iPhone production cuts. The Macalope loudly proclaimed rumors of iPhone production cuts in November to be, and here he quotes himself, “10 pounds of hot garbage in a 5 pound hot garbage bag”.
Okay, very loudly proclaimed.
He was specifically talking about rumors from Nikkei in that instance, and, based on the firehose of wrong it sprayed out early in 2018 about iPhone X production being cut in half, the horny one still maintains you shouldn’t listen to Nikkei’s claims. You don’t get to be wrong a lot and then be right once and have it clear your record.
But, the Macalope was still wrong about iPhone demand this year, it is down. And for that he apologizes to you, his dear readers. Please take these discounts on the iPhone XR as recompense.