[ricksplat]

You're the first person I've seen make this point. All the way down here, and it's by far the most glaring issue with this picture. Apple's services are kind of a bit flimsy. They're at best an expensive value added service for their devices. The only reason I use Apple Music/iTunes under Windows is because I have an iPhone. Otherwise I'd probably be using Spotify.

Apple is a devices company first and foremost. The services augment these devices. To say that services are some kind of a way forward for growth neglects the fact that these devices are a gating factor for these services.

Services are an enticing revenue model because they guarantee a steady income, while developing a good device experience is "hard". But it's a hard way to make money, with your revenue constantly consumed by labour costs. Only "products" can provide the kind growth a devices company needs. Leo Apotheker got caught up in this with HP - thankfully wiser minds prevailed and they backed out before it was too late.