John Battelle on Apple products: AM I AN OUTLIER, OR ARE APPLE PRODUCTS NO LONGER EASY TO USE?

While each of his points is a valid one, as a whole I don't think it's a sign of trouble in Apple's land. It's just the whole ecosystem of devices, software (client- and server side) and infrastructure is getting more and more complex each and every year.

Apple's efforts towards simplification (of the user-facing components) are noble but unfortunately, they are not always adequate or consistent. But at least they are trying, often leading the industry to where it needs to go.