I don’t think Apple can count as a pivot because they never abandoned their core/existing business, and most of their activities are surrounded by and complimentary to their core business of general purpose computing devices.
A smartphone itself is just as general purpose as the Macintosh or Apple II.
I would classify Apple as “growing into a conglomerate,” not “pivoting.”
Apple right now has a movie screening in theaters, but I don’t even call that a pivot. It’s a complementary product to Apple’s main business, because TV+ subscriptions have been fueled by its built-in-to-the-OS nature. Buy an iPhone, get it free for a year, and now you’re hooked. Putting the content in theaters is just a cherry on top.
Maybe you could argue that offering the iPod and iTunes on Windows was a pivot. The iPod being wholly disconnected from the Mac was like a different business, and it dominated Apple’s revenue for a while.
If Apple had discontinued the Mac and focused on iPods, this would qualify as a pivot. But what ended up happening was that the iPod enhanced Mac sales and led to the Mac essentially being made into a portable device with the iPhone (“iPhone runs OS X” as Steve Jobs said in the keynote).
The Apple Watch could be a strong argument for a pivot product, as it’s essentially an entry into the jewelry market. The Apple Watch business is supercharged by selling interchangeable bands, which have nothing to do with computing. However, it’s still not a pivot: it requires an iPhone, which itself is basically a Mac, and the Watch itself is also still just another general purpose computing device based on macOS/OS X/NextSTEP.
A smartphone itself is just as general purpose as the Macintosh or Apple II.
I would classify Apple as “growing into a conglomerate,” not “pivoting.”
Apple right now has a movie screening in theaters, but I don’t even call that a pivot. It’s a complementary product to Apple’s main business, because TV+ subscriptions have been fueled by its built-in-to-the-OS nature. Buy an iPhone, get it free for a year, and now you’re hooked. Putting the content in theaters is just a cherry on top.
Maybe you could argue that offering the iPod and iTunes on Windows was a pivot. The iPod being wholly disconnected from the Mac was like a different business, and it dominated Apple’s revenue for a while.
If Apple had discontinued the Mac and focused on iPods, this would qualify as a pivot. But what ended up happening was that the iPod enhanced Mac sales and led to the Mac essentially being made into a portable device with the iPhone (“iPhone runs OS X” as Steve Jobs said in the keynote).
The Apple Watch could be a strong argument for a pivot product, as it’s essentially an entry into the jewelry market. The Apple Watch business is supercharged by selling interchangeable bands, which have nothing to do with computing. However, it’s still not a pivot: it requires an iPhone, which itself is basically a Mac, and the Watch itself is also still just another general purpose computing device based on macOS/OS X/NextSTEP.