For all of those Apple fanboys and fanatics that believe that Apple can do no wrong: first hear me out. Give me a minute to voice my gripes with Apple along with a bit of backstory and then feel free to make your judgments. But I’ll go ahead and say it: Apple is over the apex and is slowly on the way down.

There are a number of reasons I say this. A series of major device flaws and loopholes have hurt a bit of Apple’s pride. Take the ‘Bendgate‘ issue when the iPhone 6 first appeared on the market. Then there were the security flaws of iOS, where users could access an iPhone’s data without entering the passcode. Then a number of users experienced what has been dubbed as ‘touch disease‘, rendering select devices useless. And most recently, a battery recall for iPhone 6s handsets.

In all fairness, my first Smartphone ever was an Apple iPhone 5. Yes, I was very late to the smartphone game. Previously I was able to get by with a double slide phone…one of the devices where sliding vertically revealed the dial pad, and horizontally revealed a full keyboard. I even made my first big move across the country to a metropolis without a smartphone. But I liked the ease-of-use of an iPhone, and user-friendly features. Plus, they looked cool. And I still think they’re eye pleasing and feel good in-hand, too. But Apple now has competition. Take the Google Pixel, for instance. A sleek looking device with comparable cameras and impressive speed – the device is catching the attention of many smartphone users. Plus, Google Assistant is a quicker, more reliable assistant when compared with Apple’s Siri.

There was also the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The smartphone was praised by many users for its beautiful display and additional stylus that made using the device fun. It was even waterproof (an IP68 rating), something Apple’s phones have not yet achieved. Unfortunately, due to a series of battery malfunctions and overheating, the device was recalled. But it definitely helped showcase what Samsung is capable of in the smartphone market.

But to be fair, social media allows everyone and anyone to scrutinize this company known for perfection. Maybe all of this exposure has been bad for Apple. Nowadays every minor Apple issue is brought to light very easily. And the company is under a microscope, that’s for sure. But what is currently setting Apple apart from the rest in the ever-expanding mobile market? A series of aesthetically-pleasing smartphones, that are user friendly, and carry the logo of a very popular, prestigious brand? Sure that’s great, but is this enough to carry Apple through? Personally, I think the company needs to launch a series of new features and functionalities within their devices in order to excite Apple users once again.

3D Touch, the big iMessage revamp, and the dual-lens camera are all steps in the right direction. However, major brands like Samsung and Huawei are not far behind. In fact, the price tag alone on the Huawei devices might be enough to sway some of the mobile market in Asia away from the dominance of Apple. So something big needs to happen for Apple… Something that will shake the mobile market and make every competitor envious. With the company’s giant list of futuristic patents and long-standing innovation, that shouldn’t be problematic.

Featured Image: Quartz

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