Sometimes, well almost always, it’s good to wait awhile after Apple encounters a crisis of some sort and not get swept up in the venting, rage and fury. Later, cooler, experienced heads weigh in. This time it’s Ben Thompson at Stratechery. “As rare as last week’s Apple revenue warning from CEO Tim Cook may have been — the company last issued a revenue warning in June 2002 — the company has had other bad quarters in the iPhone era.” This is great analysis, worth reading.
Apple
Will Apple Focus on Innovating and What Would Mac Spinoff Look Like, with John Kheit - ACM 495
Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit chew on Apple’s rare guidance warning like the mangy junk yard dogs that they are. They also discuss innovation, scale, how a giant Apple should be structured, and what a Macintosh, Inc. spinoff might look like. It’s a rollicking episode, and you’re cordially invited to listen in!
Apple is Better Placed than Most to Ride Out a Tech Downturn
Despite the events of this week, in which Apple offered a revenue warning and saw its share price take a hit, the company is better placed than most other tech firms to ride out an economic storm. That’s the view of Tim Culpan, who ran the numbers for Bloomberg News. While we’ve heard warnings about the tech bubble bursting for years now, the piece certainly helps give some useful context to recent events.
When I first ran the numbers on a selection of nine companies — a mix of branded electronics, product assemblers and chipmakers — I concluded that the decade-long tech party looked headed for a nasty hangover. I’ve now added September-quarter figures to the same analysis, which includes inventory levels, turnover and cash conversion cycles. The situation is even uglier than four months ago. Apple’s warning this week that it won’t meet revenue guidance proves the initial concerns to be true, but it’s only a small part of the industry’s woes.
Apple Services are Where the Growth is Now
After some rough financial news, Tim Cook is reassuring investors that Apple isn’t done growing by highlighting Apple services.
Step back from the gyrations of the moment, and there’s an emerging strategy for Apple: Sell fewer iPhones and assorted devices such as Macs and iWatches at a higher price than mass-market rivals, and then flood those millions of users–who have more than average disposable income because they were able to afford those devices in the first place–with apps and content that they will pay for.
I expect big improvements in Apple services in the future. Better iCloud storage, an Apple News content subscription (which I will happily pay for if it means no longer needing to visit ad tracking-riddled websites), an Apple video subscription, and more.
Apple Needs to Expand Its Product Grid to Include an Edition Category
Designers would win by being able to make more focused and less compromised designs; consumers would win with more choices; Apple would win with greater focused products, more revenue, better margins, and better market share.
Analyst: Apple Miss 'Bigger than Expected'
Wall Street was unimpresed by Apple’s December Quarter revenue shortfall, and analysts raised concerns about China and pricing.
iOS 12 is Installed on 75% of Apple Mobile Devices
75% of all Apple mobile devices run iOS 12. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system had a faster take-up rate than iOS 11.
Roku Reveals Premium Subscription Plan Similar to Apple's
Roku announced a premium subscription that will mix free and premium content in a manner similar to what Apple is reportedly developing.
The Pornification of Software and Grading Apple's 2018 Products with John Kheit - ACM 494
Bryan Chaffin is joined by John Kheit to discuss what Mr. Kheit calls the pornification of software. They also look back at and grade Apple’s new product releases in 2018. It being these two, they are surprisingly upbeat, while still being cranky as can be.
Apple will Outperform other FAANG Stocks, Analyst Predicts
Apple stock will outperform its major competitors in 2019, even in the face of an economic slowdown, according to a top analyst.
Foxconn Could Manufacture iPhone X in India from 2019
Foxconn could start assembling top-end iPhones in India as early as 2019 – it would be a significant increase in Apple’s business there.
Recent, Notable Guests on TMO's Background Mode Podcast: Jeff Gamet, Dr. Kiki Sanford
John has had some very interesting and inspiring guests on his Background Mode podcast recently. Here are a few in case you missed them.
Apple Cloud Services, Password Management, Apple Leadership, with Peter Cohen - ACM 493
Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest-host Peter Cohen to discuss Apple’s cloud services, including the ones they do really well and the ones that suck. They also talk about password management and practices, and look at Apple’s leadership team 8 years after Steve Jobs’s passing.
Facebook Gave Tech Firms Access to Your Data
Facebook allowed other tech firms to access user’s personal data to a far greater degree than was known by them.
New Apple Patent Outlines Work on Wraparound Display
Apple received approval for patents relating to a wraparound display and a variety of other features, including “multi-device charging”.
Qualcomm Says Apple Still 'Flouting' the Law
Qualcomm insisted that Apple remains in violation of court orders in China, despite the iOS updates pushed on Monday.
Apple Medical, Privacy Bill, Future of AI with John Martellaro - ACM 492
Bryan Chaffin is joined by guest-host John Martellaro to discuss how Apple might be looking at the medical industry, of which CEO Tim Cook has said he wants a piece. They also talk about the privacy bill making the rounds in Washington, and the future of artificial intelligence.
TMO Background Mode Interview with CNET Journalist Shara Tibken
Shara Tibken is a senior reporter/journalist for CNET News, focused on Samsung and Apple. She previously wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal.
She grew up on a farm in Iowa, where her mother was a teacher, and Shara became an avid book reader. That led to a desire to be a writer, meet people and learn new things. We chatted about her progression from Simpson College to interning for a small newspaper in North Dakota to landing a job with Dow Jones Newswires/WSJ and finally CNET in 2012. We talked about her recent investigation of rural broadband issues in Iowa, which is terrific, as well as future 5G smartphones, Samsung’s development of foldable smartphones, Samsung mimicking Apple and more. Shara gets into interesting technical detail on all these topics.
New 'Peanuts' Content Coming Exclusively to Apple
Apple’s forthcoming streaming service will be the exclusive home of new ‘Peanuts’ series, specials and, shorts.
Manufacturers 'Gearing Up' for Qualcomm Trial
Manufacturers engaged in a dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm are “gearing up” for a trial in April, according to their lead attorney.
Google Won't Sell Facial Recognition Software. Yet.
A senior Google executive said the company will work through technology and policy issue before it sells its facial recognition software.
Apple Releasing Updates Next Week to try and Resolve Qualcomm China Dispute
Apple will release software updates next week in a bid to overturn the ban on sales of some iPhone models in China.
Apple Building New $1bn Campus in Austin
Apple is building a new 133 acre, $1 billion, campus in Austin, Texas and creating thousands of jobs across the U.S.
Apple Fighting China iPhone Ban
Apple filed an appeal in China on Monday to try and overturn injunctions that prohibited the sale of a number of models of iPhones.
