Apple Archive

Apple has released iOS 6.1 - it's not a huge release so you probably won't notice much. What is interesting, however, is that Apple has unveiled that after just five months, 300 million iOS devices have been updated to or run iOS 6 - about 60% of all iOS devices ever sold. Google can learn a lot from this, since we're 14 months down the line, and Ice Cream Sandwich is only on about 40% of Android devices. Like I said, trainwreck in slowmotion.

"Apple Inc reported quarterly revenue that slightly missed Wall Street expectations as sales of its flagship iPhone came in below target, sending its shares down more than 4 percent. The world's largest technology company shipped 47.8 million iPhones, lower than the roughly 50 million that Wall Street analysts had predicted. Sales of the iPad came in at 22.9 million in the fiscal first quarter, about in line with forecasts." I'll leave the financials to the experts, but one thing that stood out to me: Apple sold 4.2 million Macs, almost a million below expectations. How much of a future does desktop computing have at Apple? Update: The NYT/Reuters changed the title during the night. Fixed it.

The New York Times also chimes in on the reduced orders, and they have numbers which seem more realistic. "Apple does appear to be cutting back on orders for its latest iPhone from its manufacturing partners, as Nikkei of Japan and The Wall Street Journal reported earlier. Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, a research firm that follows the display market, said that for January, Apple had expected to order 19 million displays for the iPhone 5 but cut the order to 11 million to 14 million. Mr. Semenza said these numbers came from sources in the supply chain, the companies that make components for Apple products." Some suggest this is stock manipulation, and while that is an exciting story to be sure, would respected and well-informed newspapers like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times participate in something like that? Somehow, I highly doubt it. A far more logical explanation, as NYT details, is that the iPhone simply isn't doing overly well outside of the US.

The Wall Street Journal: "Apple has cut its orders for components for the iPhone 5 due to weaker-than-expected demand, people familiar with the situation said Monday. Apple's orders for iPhone 5 screens for the January-March quarter, for example, have dropped to roughly half of what the company had previously planned to order, two of the people said. The Cupertino company has also cut orders for components other than screens, according to one of the people." The WSJ is usually very well informed about Apple matters (and Japanese business new Nikkei reports something similar), so it's a safe assumption that they're not making this up. What, exactly, this means, we don't know; perhaps a new model already? Seems strange they would switch to a different screen this quickly, though. Android (more specifically: Samsung) keeps on growing, so it's only inevitable that Apple would feel a sting there at some point. We'll know for sure on the 23rd, when Apple's latest quarterly results come rolling in.

"According to Chinese gadget news site Tech.163, Apple may be in the process of developing its own smart watch that connects to your Apple devices via Bluetooth. Based on the report, Intel will be working with Apple to create the smart watch, with a 1.5-inch PMOLED display made by RiTDisplays with ITO-coated glass." It must be the holiday lull. I'm this close to putting this in the joke category.

"By the time I reached my office, I liked the name. Really liked it. I was committed. I could imagine seeing 'Safari' in the Mac OS X dock. I had to tell the team right away and, if necessary, convince them that they liked it too. Fortunately, and to their credit, they didn't need much convincing." Like I said - I love stories like this. Never liked the name 'Safari', though.

So, Apple is serious about this thing. Tim Cook has said in an interview the company plans to manufacture one line of Macs in the US, starting next year. Coincidentally (or not?), Foxconn has just announced it plans to expand its production facilities... Into the United States. There's no indication as of yet that the two are linked, but the coincidence is at least interesting.

Patrick Gibson (via Daring Fireball): "My friend and co-worker Tom has a thesis about Apple's biggest problem: Google is getting better at design faster than Apple is getting better at web services." Apt.

Another Apple-to-switch-Macs-to-ARM post. "Apple engineers have grown confident that the chip designs used for its mobile devices will one day be powerful enough to run its desktops and laptops, said three people with knowledge of the work, who asked to remain anonymous because the plans are confidential. Apple began using Intel chips for Macs in 2005." No idea when Apple will make the switch, but they will do it. I'm thinking 5-10 year timeframe.

"Earlier this week Apple fired Scott Forstall, the architect of its iOS platform, and handed his duties over to the company's chief industrial designer, Jonathan Ive. Ive and Forstall had an infamously chilly working relationship, and one of their biggest disagreements was over the role of so-called 'skeuomorphic' design in Apple's products. Forstall, like his mentor Steve Jobs, favored it; Ive disliked it. To many observers, Forstall's forced exit looks like a vindication of Ive's stance. But if he wants to continue Apple's enviable trend of innovation, he'd be a fool to throw the baby of skeuomorphism out with Forstall's bathwater." Hoped for a thorough article on the benefits of skeuomorphism - got the age-old and intrinsically invalid excuse 'because it sells'. Windows isn't he best desktop operating system because it sells so well. Lady Gaga isn't the best artist because she sells a lot of records. This argument is never valid, has zero value, and adds nothing to what should be an interesting discussion.

It's one of those days again: Apple held a product announcement today, announcing several new products. The most important of which was rumoured about for a long time now: a smaller iPad. It's called the iPad mini, and has the potential to become the best-selling iPad - and thus, the best selling tablet.

"Looking at the stats for all our apps (we have 4 universal apps with almost 3 million downloads) and for all versions after a month gives an interesting picture." Close to 70% is on iOS 6 already. In the meantime, Sony just announced it's going to leave loads of users in the cold by not upgrading their phones to Jelly Bean. Those that do have an update in the pipeline will have to wait until next year.

The Verge reviews the iPod touch, and it's as good as ever. "This year's iPod touch is the best one ever, without question - Apple updated all the right things, and by giving the touch a big screen and good camera has made this mini tablet a more versatile device than ever. As a gateway drug into the iOS ecosystem, it does a great job of showing off all the iOS 6 features and apps, on a really solid piece of hardware. It's also a great way to get into the huge iOS ecosystem without putting an expensive data plan on your account - and thanks to iMessage, FaceTime, and Skype, there's a lot of communicating you can do just over Wi-Fi." The iPod touch rarely gets the spotlight, but I think it's actually one of the best and most clever products in Apple's portfolio. Not only is it simply a fantastic product, it also has zero competition. My best friend is pretty much in love with her iPod touch, and it gives her everything a smartphone has to offer without the burden of expensive contracts. For people like her, who do not want a smartphone and prefer a sturdy Nokia feature phone, the touch is a godsend.

Beautiful video tribute and written message from Tim Cook regarding Steve Jobs, who passed away one year ago today.