Apple didn’t sign the amicus brief opposing the second travel ban executive order, but that doesn’t mean the company supports it. John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s political versus business positions, plus they look at the features that keep them using their Apple Watch.
Apple
Apple Big Security Hire, Twitter and Two-factor Authentication - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-15
It’s security time on TMO’s Daily Observations. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple hiring security specialist Jonathan Zdziarski, plus they talk about why two-factor authentication is so important. They also talk about what an awesome asset Tom Negrino has been to the Apple community.
'Best-Preserved' Apple I Computer Up for Auction, Could Fetch $325,000
Team Breker announced this week that it had a Apple I computer up for auction. Not only is the device functioning, the auction house told The Telegraph UK it was “best-preserved example of an Apple-1 computer to appear on the market.”
Thoughts on the Productivity of Apple Employees
Recently, Fast Company published an article on “Why Employees At Apple And Google Are More Productive.” It’s probably true. John Martellaro dug into the article and found things to like as well as things to expand on based on his own experiences.
Apple Just Hired iOS Security Researcher Jonathan Zdziarski
Apple recently hired a prominent iOS security researcher, Jonathan Zdziarski. Known as NerveGas in the jailbreaking community, Mr. Zdziarski is the author of several books about iPhone forensics and how to secure iOS apps. In light of recent events like the CIA Vault 7 leak, this move may improve Apple’s standing within security and privacy circles.
Finding the 10.5-inch iPad's Target Market - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-14
Apple may unveil its rumored 10.5-inch iPad in April at the new Apple Park Steve Jobs Theater. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to sort out who Apple is targeting with the new iPad size, plus John offers some insight into management productivity inside the company.
Mazda Will Add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Retroactive for Some Models
Mazda announced Monday that it will (finally) add support for Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto technologies. Cars.com reported (via AppleInsider) that Mazda was short on specifics, but that support for both platforms will be retroactive with models that have Mazda Connect. That platform first appeared in in the 2014 Mazda3. There’s no specific timeline for the rollout, but Mazda made the announcement as part of the 2017 introduction of the Mazda CX-5 (pictured below). The company did say a “potentially minimal hardware addition” may be necessary, but it didn’t explain what that might be or how much it will cost. Cars.com also noted that once Mazda is on board, Toyota will be the last major holdout to support these mobile connectivity platforms from Apple and Google.
Apple Tops Laptop Mag's Tech Support List Again
If you’re looking for the best laptop tech support around, call Apple. That’s what Laptop Mag says for three years running in its Tech Support Showdown.
That Time Steve Jobs Taught Guy Kawasaki a Life Lesson
Then there was that time the late Steve Jobs taught Guy Kawasaki a life lesson. It comes in the form of a Quora answer posted by Guy Kawasaki and republished by The Huffington Post. In it, he talks about the time Steve Jobs walked up to him with a nameless companion and asked a question about a company. Mr. Kawasaki rattled off his negative opinion of that company, and Steve Jobs then introduced him to his companion, the CEO of that company. “Thank you, Steve.” ? There was a lesson in that incident, though, and I think it makes a very good read. So go read it.
Apple Support Forums Down, Possibly for Update
Apple’s support forums are down. The company didn’t specify what it was doing, but the graphic put in place of the forums says, “We are busy updating Apple Support Communities for you and will be back shortly.” [Update: the forums are back up.]
Apple Says You Can Take Better Notes with iPad Pro in New Commercial
A new Apple commercial makes the case that students can take better notes with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. The spot is a continuation of Apple’s iPad Pro commercials that directly respond to real tweets from real people. There’s also a second spot called iPad Pro — Need less stuff.
Apple Bundles Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Other Pro Apps for Education for $199.99
Apple announced Pro Apps Bundle for Education Thursday. It includes all of the company’s pro software—Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage—in one bundle for $199.99. “The industry-leading apps used by professional video editors and musicians are now available at a special price for qualifying college students, teachers, and education institutions,” the company said. Purchased individually outside of the education channel, these apps would total $629.95. This is no substitute for new professional Mac hardware, but it is a statement of support for the pro market, and it comes in the wake of CEO Tim Cook telling shareholders that Apple cares about the pro market. Getting students embedded with Apple’s software is a good way to hook them into the Apple ecosystem.
Apple Updates HomeKit Automation Webpage
Apple updated its HomeKit page with a fresh, new look. It includes a brief video that shows the power of HomeKit automation with iOS 10. Examples in the video include lights, window shades, coffee makers, door locks and thermostats. Apple also has several sections that give details of different areas of the Home app.
Perspectives on Blancco's State of Mobile Device Report (iOS & Android)
Recently, Blancco published a report on the performance and health of iPhones and Android smartphones. A key finding was that iPhones are less reliable than Android devices. It created quite a stir, and the report intrigued John, so he asked for a copy of the report and looked into the findings. Here’s what he found.
Avoiding Microsoft Office in 2017 and Apple's View of the Mac - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-02
John Martellaro joins guest-host Bryan Chaffin to talk about whether having or not having Microsoft Office on your Mac is a relevant question in 2017. They also try and consider the state of the Mac product line from Apple’s viewpoint, and how the company might look at the importance of new hardware.
New Apple iPad Pro Spot Shows the Power of Apple Pencil to Sign Documents
Apple has a new entrant in its iPad Pro commercials where the company responds to tweets from real people. The new one is called No more printing, and shows how you can use iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to sign documents. It’s anchored around a tweet from @ROSESplease about printing personal documents on the company printer. I thought these spots were interesting when they launched, and found it interesting that Apple was interacting indirectly with social media and tweets from real folks. As time goes on, however, I find that I don’t think about these adds at all. That certainly wasn’t true with many other Apple campaigns. Then again, I’m not the target demo for these spots. This is the fifth spot in the series, making it likely they’re performing well for Apple.
Appellate Court Rules Smartflash Patents Invalid, Saving Apple $533 Million
Apple won a significant victory in court this week in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. That court ruled three patents owned by Smartflash LLC were invalid, according to Reuters, a ruling that saves Apple US$532.9 million by negating a damage award.
Apple Rumors and Manufacturing, Tim Cook's Pipeline, and $AAPL - ACM 400
In this 400th episode of Apple Context Machine, John Kheit joins Bryan Chaffin to discuss rumors of iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8, Apple manufacturing, Tim Cook’s claim that Apple cares about pro users and creative pros in particular, the company’s supposed pipeline, and $AAPL’s record high valuation. Oh…and Nickleback.
9 New Facts about Apple Park
We learned some new factoids about Apple Park—formerly known as Apple Campus 2.0—courtesy of The San Jose Mercury News. In coverage to the South Bay Transportation Officials Association, Cupertino public works director Timm Borden and senior civil engineer David Stillman offered up nine things I didn’t know about Apple Park.
Apple gets the Upper Hand on Qualcomm Thanks to Intel's CDMA Chips
Now that Intel is making cell phone radio chips that support CDMA as well as GSM, Apple can source more than just Qualcomm for CDMA-compatible iPhones. That doesn’t, however, mean Qualcomm is about to lose its Apple contract. Instead, Apple has two suppliers it can rely on.
Why Apple Might Discontinue the Mac Pro - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-27
Apple’s Mac Pro has gone nearly four years without an update, leave plenty of people wondering if its a dead product. John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to talk about the reasons why Apple might considering discontinuing the Mac Pro, although Bryan questions if that would be a smart move.
Stanford's 'Developing iOS 10 Apps with Swift' free on iTunes U
iTunes U pushed a version of Developing iOS 10 Apps with Swift. The free iOS tutorial series from the Stanford School of Engineering has been updated for iOS 10 and the current version of Swift. Reader Rick Allen turned me onto this release, calling it, “a great and free resource,” which seems like a great reason to pass it on. Reviews on iTunes are overwhelmingly good, too. The description says the 14-part course covers UI design, memory management, a model-view-controller paradigm, object-oriented databases, animation, power management, multi-threading, networking, and performance. And it’s free through iTunes U.
7 Reasons For Apple to Discontinue the Mac Pro
Recently, John Martellaro took a philosophical tour of the idea that Apple might well want to discontinue some products that we’ve become fond of. The pros and cons. One reader asked what the pros would be to sending the Mac Pro into extinction. John tries to answer that question.
Acoustic Imaging and iPhone 8: Can You Hear My Fingerprint?
Rumors about the iPhone 8 are flying faster than snowflakes in a blizzard. Speculation about the new device using iris scanning, facial recognition, or something completely different abounds. In a recent patent filing, Jeff Butts has uncovered another possibility: acoustic imaging systems. In other words, the iPhone 8 might end up “listening” for your fingerprint. Let’s see how it might work.
