Who does Apple answer to?

(This month we are continuing our craft brew tour by heading in a Southernly direction to Civil Life to check out their refurbished pub area!)

Apple makes physical things we use, like computers and phones and watches. But as they have grown, in size and influence, they have also taken on new non-physical ventures, like streaming media, app curation, cloud services, and credit cards. And as a major global business, they have to contend with global challenges – not just supply chains and tax policies, but national security laws, different cultural preferences, even map nomenclature. With all of this added scrutiny and strictures, how has Apple's responsibility changed? And what happens when outside demands affect the user experience of their devices?

We will survey some of the recent challenges Apple now faces, either due to governmental regulation, the nature of their wider portfolio, or some of their own development choices. From limits placed on AirDrop in China to quell popular protest, to EU mandates on charging ports, and the proliferation of ads (enabled by Apple themselves) in spaces where they have previously promoted user privacy – where is Apple being influenced on what they make, and how we can use their products? Beyond the boilerplate shareholder-value mandate, what are their wider responsibilities to their expansive set of stakeholders? How do these integrate with their stated organizational goals in areas like environmental sustainability, community outreach, and labor fairness (particularly given their strict resistance to retail stores joining unions)?

All of this has bearing on what we can expect to see come out of Apple going forward, either because of external constraints or changing internal priorities. We have seen a progressive shift into services over recent years; does that serve to enrich the ecosystem, or take away the focus from making 'insanely great' hardware and software? Or is merely the cost of keeping up with a market that has overwhelmingly embraced the monthly subscription as the unit of sale?

We will also check in on Apple's counterparts and partners as we see these challenges play out in areas such as data security, smart homes, and social media. That plus our usual tech news rundown, and some lighthearted reviews of this year's crop of holiday tech gift guides. Come ponder the state of the fruit with us over a brew and a burger!