14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s looking into ways to breathe life into its products, and one possible way to do that is to invest more in research and development. And that’s exactly what the company is planning to do, according to a new report.
It appears that Apple is willing to spend no less than $10 billion on R&D this year, Above Avalon writes, which would be a huge increase from the $6 billion budget the company had for 2015. But even if this report is true, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee that Apple can get back on the right track, as a successful strategy depends on a number of factors.
And the first of them is the efficiency of the research and development process. Apple is well aware of the fact that its products are no longer innovating, and by investing in the pre-production process, the company hopes to find new ways to achieve that.
“Next iPhones” will be pioneers of innovation
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already announced that the “next iPhones” will come with things that we don’t know we need at this moment, so Cupertino might indeed have some ideas on how to innovate, but it still takes time to bring them to fruition. The worst thing is that nobody knows exactly what the next iPhones actually means, as the iPhone 7 coming this year is very likely to be mostly similar to the existing models.
Then, in order for research and development investments to make sense, products actually need to hit the market. It’s no secret that a big share of products or ideas that are being researched by tech companies do not see daylight, and this isn’t happening only to Apple.
The iPhone maker is said to be looking into new products too, including in the automotive industry, so it’s possible that part of this new budget is reserved for the long-awaited Apple Car. Even if this is true, there are slight chances to see the car launching next year, as all pundits seem to point to a 2019 or event later unveiling.
Without a doubt, things won’t change overnight, but at least it’s good to know that Apple is aware that something’s not going right and is willing to change. And by the way, you’re welcome, Apple, for the free advice.