Apple looks down on ads but takes billions from Google: opinion

People queue before the opening of the new Apple Store Liberty, the first Italian flagship store of Apple in Milan, on July 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Piero CRUCIATTI

What if everyone is wrong about Apple Inc’s most closely watched growth business?

Investors have been obsessed with what Apple calls its “services” segment – a grab bag that includes the company’s cut of iPhone app sales; the AppleCare warranty programme for devices; and subscriptions for Internet add-ons including Apple Music, iCloud digital file storage and perhaps soon a Netflix-like online video service and news subscriptions.