Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company has created about 2 million developer jobs. John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to dive into those numbers, plus they look at a rendering of what may be the function bar area on this fall’s iPhone 8.
Apple
Imagination Technologies Triggers Dispute Resolution Over Apple GPU Designs
It looks like Imagination Technologies and Apple haven’t found a way to kiss and make up because now they’ve entered into a formal dispute process. Imagination said on Thursday it started the process because it hasn’t been able to reach an agreement with Apple over licensing its tech for iPhone GPUs.
Apple Will Launch $1 Billion Investment Fund for Advanced Manufacturing
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Wednesday that his company was creating a US$1 billion investment fund for advanced manufacturing. Mr. Cook made the announcement during an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Mad Money. Bryan Chaffin says: think robots.
Apple Opens up App Store Referral Data to Developers
Apple announced Wednesday that developers would have access to AppStore “Sources and Referral Data.” In more direct terms, Apple is making it easier to find out where their customers are coming from. This will help them market their apps and acquire new users.
Dr. Mac on Procrastinating, Touch-Screen Macs, and Siri at Home - ACM 409
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus joins Bryan and Jeff to talk about his new book, Working Smarter for Mac Users. It’s all about beating procrastination. They also talk about Apple, toasterfridges, and touch-screen Macs, and whether Apple would compete with Amazon’s Alexa in the home.
Imagine What Mac Sales Would Do If Apple Did Something Crazy Like Update All the Macs
During the second quarter of 2017, Apple saw Mac unit sales increase by a modest four percent. Jeff Butts, ever the dreamer, imagines what would happen if Apple gave us new Macs across all the various form factor categories, from the Mac Mini to the Mac Pro.
![Apple Reports $52.9B in Revenues, Expands Shareholder Capital Return to $300B [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/aapl-stock-graph-wide.webp)
Apple Reports $52.9B in Revenues, Expands Shareholder Capital Return to $300B [Update]
Apple reported US$52.9 billion in revenues during the March quarter on Tuesday. That’s up year over year from $50.6 billion. Earnings clocked in at $11 billion, or $2.10 in earnings-per-share, up year-over-year from $1.90. The company announced a boost in its shareholder capital return program from $200 billion to $300 billion.
Microsoft Launches a New Assault on Apple: Surface Laptop
On May 2nd, Microsoft presented its latest product in the Surface family, the Surface Laptop. This is a pure laptop, in the style of Apple’s MacBook line, and has a 13.5-inch display. Notable is the low weight, 2256 x 1504 display, fabric keyboard, four available colors, Windows 10 S and a claimed 14 hour battery life.
Tim Cook Charity Auction with Lunch at Apple Park, Price Quickly Jumps to $65,000
Apple CEO Tim Cook is once again auctioning off a lunch date for charity, but this time that lunch will take place at Apple Park. While the auction closes on May 16th, 2017, it quickly jumped to $65,000 with six bids from four different rich bidders.
Apple Seeds 5th Developer Preview of macOS Sierra 10.12.5
Apple released the 5th developer preview of macOS Sierra 10.12.5 on Monday. The patch notes say nothing besides the boilerplate note that the release. “improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.”
Apple's Siri Speaker Might Look Like a Miniature Mac Pro
The rumors of Apple’s competitor to the Amazon Echo have taken a credible turn, with a well-connected but secretive leaker sending details to journalists. Jeff Butts has the latest update on the unnamed Siri speaker.
Will Apple Compete with Alexa and the Qualcomm Royalty Battle - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-28
Will Apple release an Alexa-like device as a Siri-powered hub? Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Dave Hamilton to discuss how wrong the latter two are. They also chew over Apple’s escalating royalty battle with Qualcomm.
Apple Escalates Royalty Battle with Qualcomm, Suspends Payments
The royalty fight between Apple and Qualcomm got real Friday after Apple suspended supplier payments ultimately destined for the chip maker. Apple said it was suspending payments until the courts decide how much Apple owes.
Apple's Using a Lexus for Self-Driving Car Tests
Bloomberg got pictures of a Lexus that reportedly belongs to Apple. An unnamed source gave the news outlet photos of the Lexus and claimed it emerged from an Apple facility known to be part of Project Titan. That’s Apple’s self-driving car project. The car is a Lexus RX450h SUV, and it has a sporty, “top-of-the-range 64-channel LIDAR, at least two radar and a series of cameras.” One must extend a measure of trust to the unnamed source, but it seems reasonable to imagine this is an Apple vehicle. If not, it’s going to be very like the kind of system Apple would be using to develop its self-driving technology. Apple veteran (legend) Bob Mansfield has refocused and pared down the Project Titan team. Its exclusive focus as of now is thought to be developing a self-driving system before moving on to an actual car. The long and the short of this story, however, is that people care what Apple is doing, even if it’s just testing technology using off-the-shelf components and a nice SUV. Bloomberg has more pics and a GIF of the car.
Jimmy Iovine Wants Apple Music to Be a Movement in Pop Culture
Music legend and Apple executive Jimmy Iovine wants nothing less than for Apple Music to be, “an overall movement in popular culture.” Apple Music is Apple’s streaming music service, but the company has been running original video content, too. Not so much as, say, Amazon or Netflix, but Bloomberg said its an experiment that could get bigger.
Could 'Apple Cash' Take on Venmo?
Rumors swirl around Apple like confetti after a wedding. The latest addition to the speculation mill is that Apple is once again looking to enter the money transfer service. Jeff Butts has all the details about what he thinks might be called “Apple Cash.”
Apple's Wireless Charging Could Use Your Wi-Fi Router in a New Way
We’ve thought for a while that Apple was working on wireless charging for the next iPhone, and a recent patent filing reinforces that. What’s surprising is that the filing suggests the possibility of using a Wi-Fi router to transmit the power, but Apple’s not in that business anymore. Or are they? Jeff Butts thinks it might be too early to sound the death knell for the Airport router, and wireless charging might be the defibrillator needed to bring the device back to life.
iPads, Robots and the Future of Tablet Computing - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-26
Future iPads are going to be designed in part based on changes in society, according to TMO’s own John Martellaro. John, along with Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet look at what’s coming for the iPad, and whether or not it’s evolving fast enough.
Macintosh Original Andy Hertzfeld to Keynote Vintage Computer Festival April 29th
Andy Hertzfeld from Steve Jobs’s original Macintosh team will be presenting a keynote address at Vintage Computer Festival Southeast 5.0 in Roswell, Georgia. The event takes place on April 29th and 30th, and Mr. Hertzfeld will be speaking on April 29th. This event is dedicated to vintage computers and includes booths, consignments, hands-on activities, exhibits, concessions, and speakers. In addition to Mr. Hertzfeld, Tandy executive Don French will be offering his own keynote presentation. Andy Hertzfeld left Apple in 1984, and in the years since he cofounded Radius (1986), General Magic (1990) and Eazel (via Wikipedia). He also took a lead role in the creation of Google+. Admission for the event is $10 for one day and $15 for two days. Kids 17 and under get in free with a parent or guardian, and students get in free with an ID. The pic below is of Steve Wozniak and Andy Hertzfeld from back in the day.
Apple Introduces Today at Apple Events to Make its Stores the Place You Want to Hang Out
Apple wants its stores to be the place you hang out at with your friends, and part of the push to make that happen includes a new program called “Today at Apple.” The program includes free seminars to teach creative skills using Apple products taught by employees, and where available, industry experts.
Apple Snags Another AR/VR Expert, this Time from NASA
Apple has hired another expert in the fields of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Bloomberg reported that Apple has hired Jeff Norris, an 18-year veteran of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Apple Hires Final Cut Virtual Reality Plugin Maker Tim Dashwood
Apple sure is making it easy for us to believe they’re working on augmented reality, especially when the company hires someone like Tim Dashwood. He’s the guy behind the Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier 360VR Toolbox plugins for creating virtual reality video, and now he’s on Apple’s payroll.
Get a Special Apple Watch Badge for Completing an Outdoor Workout on Earth Day
Apple announced a special Apple Watch badge for completing an outdoor workout on Earth Day. That’s April 22nd, 2017, and you’ll have to complete a 30 minute workout outdoors to collect it.
Apple Runs Up Against State Censorship in China, Again
Apple is once again running into issues with state censorship in China. Chinese newspaper Xinhua reported Thursday that two different agencies will call Apple into their offices to demand Apple tighten up controls over streaming apps available in the App Store.
