Spearheaded by the iPhone SE, a smaller iPad Pro, then the much-hyped iPhone 7 series, do you think Apple's 2016 was a success? Unfortunately, many do not think so.

Let us review some of the tech giant's shortcomings and see where they have failed to deliver for consumers.

According to CNET, some people may only look at profits to gauge the level of Apple's success. But for others, it is how the company delivers what people may need and want on a smartphone --- none of the needless essentials that come with it.

The iPhone SE is very much like a version of the iPhone 5s, but has nearly all specs of the iPhones 6s and 6s Plus. It is amazing though, that Apple can put all those specs into a smaller phone like the iPhone SE.However, it still makes the SE boring because of having the same design as the 5s.

The 2016 iPad Pro 9.7 has a higher price than other recent Apple devices, as well as more expensive accessories. However, it has less RAM and a slower processor than its 12.9 inch counterpart.

The biggest disappointment of Apple this year was the iPhone 7. The most controversial part? The headphone jack removal and replacing it with weird-looking AirPod headphones. Critics say that people can easily misplace the AirPods, which is very likely because of its small size and not being connected to anything. If this happens, the unlucky person who misplaced his/her AirPod has to shell out $69 to replace it. Moreover, one now needs a dongle in order to use traditional headphones with an iPhone 7.

Furthermore, CNET's report indicates that Apple may have lost sight of the very core that made them successful; making intuitively simple, user-friendly, and practical products. In the end, Apple just seem to have made 2016 all about the business and not much about the customers.