Apple is no longer a premium brand in my eyes

Since the early 2010s, Apple has enjoyed a very enviable status in most of the world: that of a “premium” brand. This was especially controversial back when the company still used Intel processors on its computers and really weak hardware on the iPhone, while still costing as much or more than the competition.

After the advent of Apple silicon, especially the M-series chips for the MacBook and iPad, the company’s products became a lot better. It seemed that Apple was finally earning the status it had previously been awarded on a silver platter. I thought it made sense now that the iPhone was so popular in the U.S. and across other regions.

And then it all came crashing down.

Premium gadgets need premium software

Let’s be honest: a MacBook is a spectacular feat of engineering. It feels super nice to the touch and looks brilliant. The same goes for most iPhone models nowadays. Apple is still nailing its products in the design department. The problem is software.

What’s the point of a modern electronic device, that you’ve paid over a thousand Dollars for, if it doesn’t work right. In fact, what’s the point of paying those thousand Dollars if the device doesn’t even give you what it advertised. I am, of course, talking about the Apple Intelligence fiasco that has been going on since the launch of the iPhone 16 last year.

But so much has been said about Apple’s take on AI that I’m going to skip that. I’d like to bring your attention to the latest iOS update that the company has released: iOS 18.5. With iOS 18.5, there have been reports of people’s iPhone overheating, freezing, and lagging like crazy.

So what’s the big deal about one bad update? The fact that it’s not just one bad update. When iOS 18 first came out, it brought with it battery life problems to the iPhone. iPadOS 18 bricked M4 iPad models, prompting the company to halt the rollout when the problem became too prevalent to ignore. The Apple Vision Pro, a supposedly premium MR (Mixed Reality) headset, delayed its most promising features after launch.

It seems apparent that Apple has been staggering its way through the last two years, hoping no one would notice. Apple is now interested in robotics but, to no one’s surprise, that’s now delayed as well thanks to the company’s problems with AI.

I don’t see this improving

I’ve been saying over and over again that Apple just needs time, that the company will figure something out soon. I don’t believe that is the case anymore. Apple employees revealed some extra information about the failings of its attempts at AI recently, and it painted a very clear picture. The company is running on outdated ideas and fails to see the importance of emerging technologies until it’s too late.

Apple has been hyping up incremental improvements each year at its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) events. This ultimately reached its natural conclusion last year: when Apple promised fantastical AI tools that it has yet to deliver, drawing much-deserved criticism. Consequently, this year’s WWDC event will reportedly be a much more subdued affair, focusing on more achievable promises.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is great, and so is the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Those phones do AI right, and they’ve got software that works properly. Chinese competitors like Xiaomi and Huawei have also ramped things up with super powerful phones featuring new battery tech.

That is what a premium brand is, something you don’t feel cheated by after dropping a grand on. A brand that provides you with devices that you can be sure will remain functional after a standard software update. The iPhone 16, the M4 iPad, and the Vision Pro are not that, and with the way Apple is going, I fear that the MacBook will follow suit really soon.

Apple is no longer a premium brand in my eyes, it is a shell of its former self. Broken software, bad updates, stagnating innovation, and no clue on how to move forward. I hope that the company finds a way out of this rut, and soon.

Else, Apple executive Eddy Cue’s recent statements about the iPhone being irrelevant a decade from now will come true. Unfortunately, the AI device that Cue believes will replace the iPhone will not be made by Apple if it continues on like this.