Oddly enough, 2020 was Apple’s biggest year in a long time

Year in reviewYear in reviewWe look back at the best, worst and most significant times of the year and look forward to next year.

While most of us were having a horrible year, with lives and jobs ended by the global pandemic, tech companies sailed to 2020, driven by a stock market completely divorced from reality and consumers needing products and software to work. and study. at home. Apple was one such company, breaking its own revenue record for the year ($ 274.5 billion) and becoming the first American company to reach a market capitalization of $ 2 trillion.. Forbes named the company the world’s most valuable by 2020 and, according to Bloomberg, Apple was the “best performer of the largest technology stocks” this year. The company could have taken advantage of the fact that many of its products, such as Macs and iPads, have become essential for people who work and study at home and have simply cashed their checks. But 2020 was also a game changer for the company’s products: a year in which it consolidated its Mac stack internally, developed its services, made its cheaper products better than ever, and completed its line of core devices with accessories for people. I really want.

That is not to say that 2020 has been a total success. Apple also found itself in a legal fight with Epic Games over commissioning its App Store, in the crosshairs of regulators due to antitrust allegations, and in a fight with Facebook over new privacy policies on iOS.

Here are Apple’s biggest hits and most embarrassing moments of 2020.

So so many products

While the rest of us hung by a thread, trying to make sense of a senseless pandemic, Apple adapted to 2020 with poise. In-person events canceled? No problem; pre-record and stream product launches for all to see. Retail stores closed? It’s okay; Online shopping is a way of life now. Supply chain disruptions? Heck, those only contributed to the hype for the iPhone 12 even as they delayed the launch of the line and caused the company to hit revenue in the fourth quarter. (We won’t know how many iPhones 12 Apple sold until its first-quarter earnings report in January.)

But Apple started the year with a series of announcements. We saw a new Intel Macbook Pro with a redesigned keyboard at last, a cheap second generation iPhone SEand a new iPad Pro which finally felt like the laptop replacement we could start with, thanks to the Magic keyboard.

Things really got going in June. WWDC brought the major announcement that Apple would officially move its Macs to a custom-designed processor with integrated graphics.

And from there there was a new release seemingly every month, starting in August with the 27-inch iMac. The September event, unlike years past, didn’t see any new iPhones, instead we got the Apple Watch Series 6 and Look SE, as well as a 4th generation iPad Air and 8th generation iPad. October delivered a quartet of iPhones 12, an expected Mini model, a competitive price iPhone 12, an awesome 12 Proand ridiculously oversized but amazing 12 Pro Max. Apple’s first 5G iPhones not only connect to new 5G networks, but also sport a new version of Apple’s magnetic charging technology, MagSafe. The company also introduced two new MagSafe chargers and a set of MagSafe accessories, although the latter have not been all that impressive so far.

But that’s not all: in November we got the M1 Macs preview at WWDC: a Macbook Pro, MacBook Airand Mac Mini that have processing power that rivals much more expensive PC rivals.

And of course this fall saw the releases of iOS 14, watchOS 7and macOS Big Sur, which generated the most important changes for most of the people. Big Sur announced the iOS-ification of the Mac even as Apple resists touchscreen laptops, and iOS 14 brought home screen widgets and customization options that people have been waiting for years.

And who could forget that only this month brought the incredible price AirPods Max and the launch of Apple’s rival streaming service Peloton, Fitness +.

Phew. Looking at that list is … a lot. Apple had no major product mistakes, although the iPhone 12 Mini’s battery life was disappointing for those of us who want more of a small phone, and did we mention the $ 550 price of AirPods Max?

Apple’s 2020 Highlights Reel is better than most, but that’s not to say the company’s year was a complete walk in the park.

The drama

Resentment towards Apple for its walled garden has been building for years, particularly due to the App Store commission that charges developers for paid apps and in-app subscriptions. The only way to install an app on an iPhone or iPad is through the iOS App Store, which is the heart of the problem. That tension peaked this summer after months of discontent, with Fortnite developer Epic Games setting a trap for apple to drive a lawsuit for the company’s App Store policies.

Essentially, Epic attempted to circumvent the commission in Apple’s app by allowing Fortnite players to purchase in-game currency directly from Epic. It was all clearly a strategy designed to take Apple to court, which was evident from Epic’s prepared filing and attached video-And it worked. The lawsuit is currently working its way through the system, with Apple CEO Tim Cook volunteering to be deposed sometime in 2021 and a trial is expected to begin in July.

Apple is also being investigated by regulators in the European Union and criticized by US lawmakers for antitrust charges. The company attempted to address these allegations with a new App Store commission policy That cuts down on the cut it takes from smaller developers, but we bet it won’t slow down the scrutiny. It’s unclear whether lawmakers in the US or abroad will go that far to divide Apple (or any of the other big tech companies that are also the subject of antitrust investigations), or if the fate of the App Store will be determined by Epic Games demand, but either way, next year will be an interesting one.

Outside of court, Apple is also embroiled in a fight with Facebook, but it makes Apple seem like the patron saint of privacy. Apple plans to roll out an iOS feature next year that lets you know when companies are tracking you outside of their sites or apps, and then lets you stop it. Facebook is pissed off, because that’s the crux of your business: accumulating data about your web activities and allowing advertisers to guide you based on that activity. If Apple’s privacy protection features end up hurting Facebook next year, well, we won’t be sorry to see it.

Until next time

Which brings us to 2021. Aside from the usual product launches like the iPhone 13 and newer generations of iPads and Apple watches, we will almost certainly see more Mac M1s (or maybe M2s) showing even more processing power. from Apple Silicon.

And then there are the long-rumored products we’re all looking forward to seeing (if they exist at all). The augmented reality glasses we’ve been hearing about for years probably won’t appear until 2022, though we may see hints of Apple’s AR efforts on existing products like the iPhone and iPad next year. And as for the Apple Car rumors that he just won’t die … well, we will believe it when we see it (and we definitely won’t see it next year).

What are your predictions for 2021 for Apple? Leave them in the comments so we can visit them again next year and congratulate you on your foresight.