Typically, Apple is the go-to company for introducing revolutionary ideas that change the way society operates. From the iPhone, iPod and Apple TV, the world is a different place because of these inventions. The wildly successful company has been thought to be superior due to the strong innovation and brand.
However, Apple has been seen as a follower on the last few products released. Apple released Apple Music shortly after Spotify, Apple released Apple TV streaming due to Netflix, and now Apple is creating podcasts after Spotify acquired $500 million of podcast companies.
Apple is planning to fund exclusive podcasts to stay in line with Spotify and Stitcher. The podcast app still accounts for 50%-70% of listeners, but Spotify jumped to seize 10%-20% of listeners. Apple’s creation of new initiatives in its podcast app is quick to keep up and maintain its share of listeners. This sent Spotify’s shares down 2.7%, which was the biggest intraday decline in three weeks.
On another creative note, today is World Emoji Day. Emojis have become ingrained in society and Apple has done well keeping up and creating new emoji to satisfy young users. Apple is releasing new icons of all races and genders to better represent the world. Some new emojis include people with disabilities with prosthetic limbs, service dogs and wheelchairs. Another large update is the holding hands emoji to represent couples and relationships where everyone is represented. This proves the inclusivity mindset at Apple and children as they use them.
Privacy can be a large issue for a large company like Apple. There have been accusations that say apple has not put enough muscle behind any federal effort to tighten privacy laws. Although CEO Tim Cook seems to value privacy having it be his priority issue brought up in conversation, state lawmakers say that Apple is an ally in name only. Also, Apple has yet to formally support bills prosed on the Hill, whereas Microsoft has. The state vs. federal lawmakers may be in dispute as they try to craft a national standard. This conversation was mainly brought up on Tuesday on Capitol Hill with all of the tech giants focused on antitrust issues. This ongoing issue will continue as people respond and review the stances of the major influential companies.
