Apple

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In 2023 Apple Wants to Have Zero Net Cash

Andrew Orr ·

Apple has US$245 of gross cash and other things like long-term securities. It has US$115 billion in long-term debt. This makes its net cash position US$130 billion, and Apple CFO Luca Maestri has said eventually the company wants to have a net cash neutral position. Tiernan Ray writes about issues that may arise because of this.

Come 2023, will investors balk at an Apple suddenly less generous with its capital returns? And if Apple puts off that day as much as possible, plodding along with no significant increase in capital returns, will it lose the support of those fickle buyers hungry for shares with meaningful dividend buyback increases every year?

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Examining Apple's Recycling Ambitions

Andrew Orr ·

Maddie Stone wrote a great dive into Apple’s recycling ambitions and the company’s quest to some day stop mining resources.

For a company that sells over 200 million smartphones a year, along with millions more tablets and computers, achieving what sustainability wonks call a “circular economy” will amount to a complete overhaul of everything from how Apple devices are manufactured to what we do with those devices at the end of their lives…The question is whether that’s a future Apple truly wants—or one that its investors will allow.

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Apple is Hiring More Software Employees Than Hardware

Andrew Orr ·

For the first time in years, Apple has been hiring more software employees than hardware employees. I think this is a great move because Apple software is generally basic.

It makes sense for Apple: its hardware is now not only ubiquitous, but demand has finally plateaud. At the end of 2018 (right around when Apple began its earnest search for more software people), it became very clear that the iPhone was no longer Apple’s meal ticket as sales lagged followed by a very rare warnings call from Tim Cook.

So now what? Lock people into the ecosystem with software and services. How to get there? Hire people who know how to build that walled garden.

Podcast

Robots, Apple Robots, Autonomous Vehicle Robots, and Foldable Phones with John Martellaro - ACM 503

Bryan Chaffin · · 2 Comments

This episode is all about robots! Apple robots, military robots, delivery repots, preacher robots, manufacturing robots, and self driving car robots! Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest host John Martellaro to deep into what’s happening with robots today and what they expect for robots in the future. Put your SciFi futurist cap on for this one. They also talk about foldable phones, or as they like to think of it, the netbook of 2019.

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Apple Cash Holdings Could Lead to Emulating General Electric

John Martellaro ·

At BetaNews, Robert X. Cringely writes:

But most importantly for those who are still looking for a headline, Apple will in 2019 greatly expand its profile in the finance industry. Tim Cook has already started in 2019 along the same path forged by GE’s Jack Welch back in 1981.

This strategic shift started to show just this week with Apple directly financing iPhone sales in China and announcing an Apple credit card with Goldman Sachs.

The theme here is wiser utilization of all that cash to make more cash. That’s what Big Companies do and what Apple seems poised to do now.

Cool Stuff Found

Apple Video Hows to Use Depth Control, and Defuse Awkward Situations With Your Partner

Charlotte Henry ·

Ever taken a lovely portrait, only for it to be ruined by someone lurking in the background? Apple feels you. Ever had a nice snap of your partner, but their friend or colleague features in it accidentally? Again, Apple feels you. That’s why it introduced depth control to iOS- the ability to adjust the depth of field before or after a picture is taken. As a new video released Sunday shows, the depth control tool can also help defuse an awkward conversation with your partner!

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Apple and Content, Marzipan, and the Executive Shuffle, with Charlotte Henry - ACM 502

Bryan Chaffin · · 2 Comments

Where is Apple going with its content drive? Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest-host Charlotte Henry to dive deep into original shows, services, publishing, news, and Apple’s other content ambitions. They also talk about the promise (and potential drawbacks) of Marzipan, and what Apple’s recent executive shuffling might portend.

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Apple Infrastructure, Attention to Details, Apple Car/AR/Glasses, with John Martellaro - ACM 501

Bryan Chaffin · · Add Comment

Does Apple have the infrastructure it needs for a cohesive future? Once that seemed clear, but Bryan Chaffin and guest-host John Martellaro say it’s become harder to see, if so. They then pivot to how augmented reality will figure into Apple’s future plans and products. They cap the show by weighing Apple’s ability to pay attention to details as the company grows.

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The Success of AirPods and Apple's Product Strategy

Andrew Orr ·

But fast-forward to 2019 and, somehow, the £159-a-pair little pods have transformed into a bona fide status symbol.

I’m not so sure AirPods are a status symbol, and definitely not a millennial one (The word millennial isn’t even mentioned in this article except the headline). But the AirPods are a great example of Apple’s product strategy: Enter a market with crappy products with a better designed, easy-to-use product, and reap the rewards.

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What Would Happen if You Remove Apple From Your Life?

Andrew Orr ·

Kashmir Hill has experimented with cutting out tech giants from her life. In week 5 she found out what it was like to remove Apple.

In addition to abandoning all my iProducts, I am blocking myself from interacting with Apple in any way, using a custom VPN designed for me by technologist Dhruv Mehrotra. The VPN prevents my devices from communicating with the 16,777,216 IP addresses controlled by Apple, rendering iCloud and any Apple apps defunct.

It’s an interesting experiment, especially going so far as to block Apple IP addresses. I look forward to Ms. Hill’s next experiment: Blocking Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft all at once.

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This Website Exposes Apple Censorship in China

Andrew Orr ·

A new website called AppleCensorship.com exposes how the company censors apps in China at the behest of the government.

A new website exposes the extent to which Apple cooperates with Chinese government internet censorship, blocking access to Western news sources, information about human rights and religious freedoms, and privacy-enhancing apps that would circumvent the country’s pervasive online surveillance regime.

I’m a fan of Apple, privacy, and Apple’s stance on privacy. That being said I think whenever Apple mentions privacy on its website there should be an asterisk with fine print saying: “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right except in these cases.”

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3 Things Apple Does That Keep Annoying Us

John Martellaro ·

Dan Moren at Macworld reminds us that there are some Apple practices that continue to greatly annoy customers. In this case it’s all about revenue, and the argument is that Apple could please us greatly for not much loss of income. But at least we have a choice: buy or not buy.