things Apple needs to do next

Is Apple at risk of losing its magic touch

You don't get to be the world's most valuable technology company without the entire internet telling you that you're doing it wrong.

Pundits, analysts, flamers and fanboys all have their own suggestions on what Apple absolutely needs to do to avoid oblivion - so which ones are sensible? Let's find out, by going through the advice and seeing what we make of it.

Apple needs to make a cheap iPhone

"Apple needs to develop a phone in the $200 to $300 range, simple as that," says Tim Brugger in The Motley Fool. The reason? The iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 will "spark sales but not the kind of growth a company of Apple's ilk requires."

We'd argue that growth is more important to investors than it is to Apple - if Apple's growth stopped it'd still be the world's most valuable tech firm - but Brugger does have a point: the smartphone market is saturated, and developing countries are where the next market is. The big question is whether Apple wants to play in that market.

We say: A cheaper to manufacture iPhone 4 variant seems likely. The iPhone 4 is already down to £319/US$450/AU$449 unlocked.

Apple needs to make a giant iPhone

Apple needs a phablet, says Barclays analyst Ben Reitzes in Forbes. Less than 5 inches is not enough: Apple needs to make a phone so big you can't lift it. Forbes points out that "Apple initially rejected the idea of a 7-inch tablet - and the iPad mini has been wildly successful"

Of course the iPad mini isn't actually a 7-inch tablet (it's 7.9 inches), but you get the idea. Consumers certainly like big phones, and Apple could certainly make an iPhone Plus work.

Apple needs to Think Different about ads

Ken Segall, the man behind the Think Different ads, reckons that Apple is "battling where it used to crush", and that Samsung is winning the advertising war. It's spending more, and its message is "tremendously potent".

Segall has ideas of what Apple should do, but hasn't posted them yet - and many of his commenters disagree with his analysis.

We say: We'd argue that Samsung's edge is in specs and price rather than advertising, but we'd love to see Segall's ideas.

Apple needs to go into search