Steve Wozniak will be speaking at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco on March 24th, 2017. Event organizers Fenox Venture Capital said Tuesday that Woz will, “share insights on his time at Apple and tell some untold stories.”
Apple
Apple and the Broken FaceTime Lawsuit - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-06
Apple is facing a class action lawsuit over claims it intentionally broke FaceTime to force users to upgrade to iOS 7. John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at the case and decide whether or not they think it has any merit.
Apple Among 97 Companies in Filing Against Trump's Immigration Ban
The White House immigration executive order has faced harsh criticism and now it faces even more opposition now that 97 companies, including Apple, have filed an amicus brief with the Federal Courts. The document, which leaked last week, is harshly critical of Mr. Trump’s order and says immigrants are an important part of our society and economy.
Lawsuit Claims Apple Broke FaceTime to Force iOS 7 Upgrades
What happens when you don’t want to upgrade to a new version of iOS on your iPhone, but you’re sure Apple is forcing you to anyhow? Lawsuit! Apple is facing a class action lawsuit for just that where the plaintiffs allege the company intentionally broke FaceTime in iOS 6 to force upgrades to iOS 7 all to save some money.
Tim Cook's Newseum Free Expression Award - TMO Daily Observations 2017-02-03
Apple CEO Time Cook is receiving a Newseum Free Expression Award for free speech. Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on CEOs speaking out on social and political topics.
Apple Working on Custom Mac Chips to Cut Reliance on Intel
Apple is reportedly working to scale back its reliance on Intel for MacBook and MacBook Pro chips by designing its own ARM-based processor. The Apple-designed chip will handle low power functions such as Power Nap, and could be a step towards abandoning Intel at some point in the future.
Apple Profits, Mac Sales, and Fun with Apple's Cash Hoard - ACM 396
Apple turned in a record December quarter this week, and Bryan and Jeff look at the numbers. They also look at this one weird trick Apple did to goose Mac sales—the company released a new Mac. And for grins, they discuss some of the things Apple could do with the astounding $246 billion in cash the company has squirreled away.
Apple's Exchange and Repair Extension Programs Site
Apple has a webpage called Exchange and Repair Extension Programs that lists the company’s current recalls and warranty programs. I’m not sure it lists every such program Apple has, but it’s a good place to check if you have concerns about an Apple device. Each listing includes a date of the program or extension, the name of the program, and a link to a page detailing exactly what it is, what it covers, and how you utilize it. You should bookmark it, and then do what you can to not forget that it’s there. As of this writing there are some 15 different programs listed, from the Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter Exchange Program to iPhone 6s Program for Unexpected Shutdown Issues,
Apple Cash Hoard Tops $246 Billion, Enough to Buy 4.9 Billion Amazon Echo Dots
Apple’s cash hoard swelled to a staggering $246.09 billion in the December quarter, an increase of $8.49 billion. This, despite returning some $15 billion to shareholders in the form of stock buybacks and dividends. It’s an unprecedented concentration of corporate wealth that would let Apple buy more than 4.9 billion Amazon Echo Dots if it wanted.
Apple's Services Business Hits Fortune 100 Level
Apple is a hardware company, a media company, and now it’s a serious services company, too. Company CEO Tim Cook said the company’s services business is on track to reach the size of a Fortune 100 company in 2017, and the goal is to double the division’s growth over the next four years.
![Apple Beats Guidance with Record Revenue of $78.4B and EPS of $3.36 [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/apple-money-pile.webp)
Apple Beats Guidance with Record Revenue of $78.4B and EPS of $3.36 [Update]
Apple announced Tuesday record revenue for its December quarter of US$78.4 billion, as well as record earnings per share (EPS) of $3.36. That’s up from $75.9 billion in revenue in the year-ago quarter with EPS of $3.28. [Update: This article has been updated with additional details. – Editor]
Sorry, Apple Didn't Patent a Vape Pen
We have the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod, and based on a recently published patent, some are saying the iVape is coming next. Apple’s patent describes something that sounds a lot like the vaping pens you use when you’re sitting on the couch getting baked while watching Scooby-Doo, except that using this design would probably kill you.
Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Trump's Muslim Ban 'Is Not a Policy We Support'
Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees Saturday that President Trump’s Muslim ban, “is not a policy we support.” Echoing his many previous comments on diversity, Mr. Cook said, “Apple would not exist without immigration.”
Dropcam Founder Greg Duffy Joining Apple Could be a Smart Home Boost
Dropcam founder and Next executive Greg Duffy has a new gig at Apple, but no one is saying what he’s doing. Considering his inner drive to create cool new things, it’s a safe bet Apple brought him on board for a very interesting project, like the rumored Echo competitor.
Apple's December Earnings Report Set for January 31st
Apple announced Friday that it will announce earnings for the December quarter—the company’s first fiscal quarter of 2017—on Tuesday, January 31st. Apple’s quarterly conference call with analysts will start at 2:00 PM PST/5:00 EST.
Apple's Clean Energy Efforts, Partnership on AI - TMO Daily Observations 2017-01-27
Apple is expanding its solar farms, and that’s a good sign for clean energy in the United States, according to John Martellaro. He joins Jeff Gamet to explain how Apple is setting an example for other companies, plus they look at Apple’s just announced involvement in the Partnership on AI.
Apple Joins Partnership on AI as a Founding Member
Apple’s commitment to the artificial intelligence community is even stronger now that it’s officially a founding member of the Partnership for AI. The organization was created to help shape the future of artificial intelligence technology in an open way.
Apple Didn't Delete LG 5K Display Reviews Because They Were Never There
The internet lit up with reports on Wednesday claiming Apple intentionally removed LG UltraFine 5K display reviews from its web-based store because they were negative. Turns out that’s not true: Apple didn’t remove any reviews because it never enabled them for the display.
Apple Patches 8 Security Flaws in Apple TV with tvOS 10.1.1
Apple released tvOS 10.1.1 for Apple TV (4th Generation) on Monday. Apple’s general release notes specify only that, “This update includes general performance and stability improvements.” The Security Content document for the update details eight security flaws that were patched.
Apple Releases Sierra 10.12.3 Update with Fixes for PDF, MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Security, More
Apple shipped macOS Sierra 10.12.3 on Monday. The update includes some relatively minor bug fixes, an issue with Adobe Premiere Pro on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, a PDF encryption fix, and more. The update also includes fixes for eight security flaws.
Apple releases iOS 10.2.1 and watchOS 3.1.3 with Security Updates
Apple released iOS 10.2.1 Monday, as well as watchOS 3.1.3. The patch notes for both updates say they include, “bug fixes and improves the security” of your devices. There are no other features or improvements specified.
Simply Mac Stores Closing, but it Isn't Apple's Fault
GameStop is shutting down several of its Simply Mac stores across the U.S., and initial reports claimed it’s because Apple ended its Authorized Reseller agreement with the retailer. GameStop representatives say that’s not true and that the stores are closing because they don’t perform well enough.
Apple Releases New Design Resources for iOS Developers
Today Apple shared some free design resources for iOS developers with an update to its iOS Human Interface Guidelines (via 9to5Mac). The resources include UI and template materials to make it easier to design iOS apps. Apple says the design resources are “comprehensive and accurately depict the full range of UIKit controls, views and glyphs available to developers using the iOS SDK.” The files are available in Sketch and Photoshop formats. This is a change from the Sketch-only files in the past. Interestingly, both light and dark UI elements are given. It adds a small amount of fuel to the fire for a rumored Dark Mode.
FCC Net Neutrality, Backdoor Hacks, and New Apple Products - ACM 394
Outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler made a plea for the incoming administration to protect Net Neutrality. Bryan and Jeff discuss whether that plea is likely to fall on deaf ears [spoiler: yes, it will]. They also discuss the implications of the Cellebrite hack, and the fact that Apple released two product updates this week.
