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This is a transcript of an Asymetric podcast. It was lightly edited for legibility. Judd Rubin:  Three continents, one conversation, this is Asymetric. We are very excited to have Balaji Srinivasan with us today. Balaji, you’re a busy man, Horace you’re on the run as usual, so why don’t we dive right in. Thanks for Continue reading

I’d like to let everyone know that Asymco is a podcast channel available on Apple Podcasts and Supercast. These podcasts are subscription-only (with a trial period). Join Horace Dediu and Judd Rubin as they strive to ask the right questions on the purpose of the firm, priorities in a time of plenty and what it Continue reading

Just recently, the 2 billionth iPhone was sold. Unlike the 1 billionth, there was no announcement, no celebration. Partly this is because Apple stopped reporting unit shipments, but partly it’s because it’s not as interesting to talk about 2 billion as it is about 1 billion. There is a desensitizing when numbers get that big. Continue reading

The last quarter of 2020 was a remarkable quarter for Apple. Every line in the income statement increased by double digits. Net sales up 21%, iPhone sales up 17%, Mac sales up 21%, iPad up 41%, Services up 24% and Earnings Per Share up 30%. This had not happened in over 10 years. The last Continue reading

Five years ago I used the Cook Doctrine (put forward 12 years ago) to assess the possibility of Apple’s entry in the car market. That doctrine states, among other things: We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make, and participate only in markets where we can Continue reading

The EV car market is booming. The graph below shows the global market for plug-in electric cars (plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery (BEV)–BEV are about 70% of total). The data is split between 2019 and 2020 with further distinction between the main regions. There is an additional detail in the delineation of Tesla’s shipments into Continue reading

Software is eating the world. But are users consuming software? Every day, the software industry wastes millions of dollars developing flawed software that’s abandoned by users. Yet the industry’s focus continues to be on the supply side: client or server, full-stack or specialized, out-source or in-house. The Jobs to be Done method presents a fresh Continue reading

IN a recent release, Apple reported that “more than 90% of stores in the US, 85% of stores in the UK, and 99% of stores in Australia accept Apple Pay.” This is encouraging but a very small view for the global Apple Pay picture. How can we assess where Apple Pay is and how do Continue reading

As a rule, I don’t like to make a forecast for Apple’s performance during quarters where there is no guidance. There is a good reason why there is no guidance. The management does not feel confident that there is enough information to make a reasonable prediction. Keep in mind that the management has very detailed, Continue reading