The end of an era for Apple?
01 July, 2019 Share socially
Jony Ive, Apple’s Chief Design Officer who helped catapult the company into a global phenomenon with his designs for the Mac, iPod and iPhone, has announced that he will be leaving the world’s most valuable company.
The news will come as a surprise to investors and customers, with the industrial designer so intrinsically linked to the aesthetic of Apple’s portfolio of products, particularly as they look to expand their range of products and services now and in the coming years.
What does it mean for Apple, and the technology sector in general? In our recent FutureBrand Index, almost every technology company fell in the rankings, but yet nearly half of companies perceived as ‘companies of the future’ are tech. What is causing this gap?
While there is no doubt that a number of these companies will play a big part in shaping the future, quite how has become increasingly unclear with few being perceived to be moving ahead in three years’ time. Cross-sector declines in 2018 indicate a longer-term trend that while technology brings change and new experience, the point and purpose behind this change is sometimes less apparent. This is in stark contrast to their tech ‘cousins’ in the burgeoning Healthcare space.
Apple has consistently ranked in the top 4 every year of the FutureBrand Index, and with 72% of people expecting it to be moving ahead in three years’ time, Tim Cook and company have reason to feel good. There are some clouds on the horizon though - Apple has fallen three places from top spot in 2016 and, in line with the sector, is down on all indicators since 2014.
Perhaps of most concern for the company once seen as a cult icon is that passion for the brand has fallen in the last two years, this may only be deepened with the departure of their iconic lead designer.
Furthermore, there is a notable drop in people saying that they want to work for Apple and less than 50% saying they want to buy products from the trillion- dollar mainstream mega brand. Is it losing its once crystal clear sense of purpose and meaning?
