Why Apple faces its biggest crisis since it was saved by the iPod

Tim Cook did not hold back. “This is obviously a disaster,” he told finance executives in a 2018 email, ordering his lieutenants to improve the underwhelming sales of Apple’s latest iPhones. Apple’s business in China was sliding, leading to the company’s first profit warning in 16 years. One executive described the performance as “an extreme problem”, while another said employees needed to respond as if it were a “five-alarm fire”, according to emails recently released as part of a lawsuit against Apple. Apple chief Tim Cook with the latest iPhone, the 15 Pro Max. Credit: Bloomberg The company later reported two consecutive…