Has Apple peaked?

Apple has been a huge company in recent years. Ever since the iPod was introduced in 2001 they seem to have been growing and expanding. Now though, I'm beginning to wonder whether they've reached their limit. If you think about it, there isn't much new from Apple that has been wonderful, innovating or game changing of late. Of course, you will probably be shouting at the screen: IPAD! However, allow me to contradict what you're thinking. The iPad is not innovating. It is taking a current concept and bring it to another form factor. You may be thinking that the new A4 chip is great, but it's just Apple putting the pieces from Samsung and co together and marketing it as theirs. It also doesn't multitask or run flash on the internet; and don't mention HTML5, it's not taken off yet and you know that.

So, now for more reasoning about Apple having peaked. Another point: the iPod. The original versions were game changing. The Mini was revolutionary. The Nano brought that to a new level. The Touch brought it to a wider market. And now, it's sort of grinded to a halt. The latest version of the Nano has a worse battery than the 4th Gen, as with the Touch. The 3rd Gen Touch has 30 hours of music, the 2nd had 36. Hence, the iPod is getting worse. The Shuffle also has 10 hours of battery instead of 12 from the last version. So, has the iPod range hit its maximum and now going downhill?

The iPhone, too, has also not been amazing. The 3mp camera is last decade. The processor isn't that amazing. Video wasn't on until the latest version. It can't multitask. You can't have widgets. You can't use your own wallpaper. It drops calls. So many of these faults have been eradicated in other phones nowadays. The iPhone is no longer the leader, phones such as the HTC Hero, Blackberry Bold 9700, and newer Android phones such as the Motorola Droid have made the iPhone look weak in comparison.

So, maybe Apple hasn't gone downhill but is working on something amazing that will wow the world. I doubt this, as they seem to have lost their spirit. But, I hope to be proven wrong with an amazing new iPhone in June; some great iPods in September; and a great new iPad in 2011.