Apple

Apple Becomes First U.S. Company to Hit $1.5 Trillion in Market Value

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Another milestone. Some tiny thoughts:

First US company? Hmmm. I wonder what other companies have done this. Dig, dig, dig. Ah, here’s a list of publicly traded companies, world-wide, by market-cap.

Number 1, by far, is Saudi Aramco, which passed $2 trillion back in December, in its first day of public trading. Interestingly, Saudi Aramco’s market cap today is about $115B. That’s a pretty astonishing fall. Oil biz.

Next up is Apple, followed closely by Microsoft, just a whisker behind.

Will we one day look back on numbers like these as small? Will Apple hit $2 trillion?

A few good reads (and one video) on Apple and ARM-based Macs

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[VIDEO] A few articles I found enlightening, with food-for-thought on what issues are important to consider in the potential (likely?) Mac move from Intel to ARM:

  • John Gruber takes apart Mark Gurman’s article (the Bloomberg piece that started off this wave), adding in his own thoughts on the question of emulation (see the Rosetta video at the end of this post), Book Camp and virtualization, and the impact this move might have on current Mac sales.

  • Next up is this TidBITS article from former long-time Apple Engineer David Shayer. A good backgrounder to read. Again, the question of a potential emulator rears its head. Will Windows emulation fall by the wayside in this new wave of Macs?

  • Last write-up is this piece from The Verge’s Dieter Bohn, What Windows can teach the Mac about the switch to ARM processors. Lots of detail on potential paths here. Will Windows emulation survive such a transition?

And, finally, here’s Steve Jobs (video embedded in main Loop post), at WWDC 2005, announcing the Rosetta emulator, which translated PowerPC instructions to Intel x86 as the app was running. This was a critical step to moving the PowerPC universe to Intel. Jump to about 38:22 in for the start of that part of the video.

Bloomberg: Apple to launch Mac trade-in program at U.S. retail stores

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Mark Gurman:

Apple Inc. plans to launch a trade-in program for Mac computers next week at its retail stores in the U.S and Canada, adding the devices to an effort already in effect for other products.

The Cupertino, California—based technology giant informed retail employees that the new program will begin on June 15 in the U.S. and June 18 in Canada, according to people familiar with the matter.

Can’t help but think this will help bring along a wave of purchases when (if) the first ARM Macs start shipping. WWDC is less than two weeks away. The ARM Mac question definitely has my attention.

The 2020 voice assistant battle

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[VIDEO] This side-by-side, pitting Google against Siri, Alex, and Bixby, was interesting to watch (Video embedded in main Loop post).

The question set was limited, so it’s not really a definitive look. It’d be interesting to see an open source effort to create an extensive, defining set of questions to pose, one that could be passed along to the assistant team at any company with a voice assistant in the works.

If I was creating such a question set, I’d definitely push the boundaries, go for fully interactive conversations, with call-backs to previous questions, and questions that require the ability to plumb the depths of apps.

For example, how about questions that explore email and browsing habits, pull up orders from recent purchases, test the ability of the assistant to recall recent messaging conversations.

The tests could show how much “understanding” is going on, but also provide insight into privacy boundaries as well.

Just a thought.

Apple tells staff that first phase of HQ return begins June 15

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Mark Gurman:

Apple Inc. told staff at its main Silicon Valley headquarters that the first phase of a plan to return to the office will begin on June 15, but stressed that most employees won’t go back for several months at least.

Phase 1 will be “very limited” and workers will only be allowed in the office on certain days depending on their job, the Cupertino, California-based company wrote in a recent memo to staff. More details will be shared later this month, it added.

And:

Apple also reiterated in the memo that it is limiting how many people are allowed in buildings and other work area simultaneously, implementing social distancing, taking temperatures and requiring employees at the office to pass a daily health check.

This approach mirrors other offices planning to reopen this month, limiting personnel both by physical space and by day.

Apple is moving quicker than some other tech companies that focus more on software than hardware. Alphabet Inc.’s Google is slowly re-opening more offices, starting July 6. San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. has said employees can work away from the office forever, while Facebook Inc. expects as much as 50% of its workforce may be remote in 10 years.

I’d quibble with the word “quicker”, purely in that it might read to some that Apple is being overly quick. With their approach, Apple is easing into their reopen with safety in mind.

Bloomberg: Apple plans to announce move to its own Mac chips at (a remote) WWDC

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Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is preparing to announce a shift to its own main processors in Mac computers, replacing chips from Intel Corp., as early as this month at its annual developer conference, according to people familiar with the plans.

The company is holding WWDC the week of June 22. Unveiling the initiative, codenamed Kalamata, at the event would give outside developers time to adjust before new Macs roll out in 2021, the people said. Since the hardware transition is still months away, the timing of the announcement could change, they added, while asking not to be identified discussing private plans.

Take this with a grain of salt, of course, but the answer is less than two weeks away. And the concept of an Arm-based Mac does seem inevitable to me. Not hard to believe this announcement will happen.

Side note: Having been to so many WWDCs in person, this year’s remote event feels jarring to me. I’m excited for the keynote, look forward to seeing how Apple will make this happen, really appreciate the fact that this year is the great leveler, a WWDC that anyone who wants to can attend.

But that said, I’m already missing the Loop Bash, missing the camaraderie, the wee hours talking tech and clinking glasses with old and new friends in person.

How to enable LED flash notifications on iPhone and iPad Pro

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Tim Hardwick, MacRumors:

Unlike some Android phones, Apple’s iPhones don’t have a dedicated notification LED that lights up when you get a call, text, or other alert. What iPhones do include is an optional Accessibility feature for the deaf and hard of hearing that blinks the rear camera flash and provides a visual cue for incoming notifications.

Follow the screenshots to see how to turn this on. Definitely worth knowing about.

Apple Maps and the road from Black Lives Matter Plaza to the White House

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Follow the headline link to see a detailed image of the updated Apple Maps satellite image of the road leading up to the White House.

This view of the now-renamed portion of 16th St. in Washington D.C . has evolved over the weekend. If you zoom in on Apple Maps, you’ll see the new name as you make your way south, towards the White House, to where the street ends. And if you switch to satellite view, you’ll see the linked image (which is from a comment on this Reddit post).

Apple wins patent for creating synthetic group selfies

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Patently Apple:

The synthetic group selfie can be a composition of still images, stored video images, or live streaming video images. The computing device can automatically arrange the individual selfies into the synthetic group selfie.

Like all patents, existence of the patent doesn’t guarantee that the underlying idea will ever see the light of day.

Great concept. Key here will be the implementation. I would love the ability to take a selfie with friends scattered across the country, even around the world, and have the result feel seamless, as if we were all within arms reach.

TikTok overtaking YouTube for kids in the US, UK, and Spain

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Sarah Perez, TechCrunch, writing about a new Qustodio survey:

Kids ages four to 15 now spend an average of 85 minutes per day watching YouTube videos, compared with 80 minutes per day spent on TikTok.

And:

Kids are now watching twice as many videos per day as they did just four years ago. This is despite the fact that YouTube’s flagship app is meant for ages 13 and up.

And:

The next largest app for online video is Netflix, watched by 33% of U.S. kids, 29% of U.K. kids and 28% of kids in Spain.

To me, this reflects the splintering we are seeing in streaming services, as Disney Plus, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Hulu, HBO Max, CBS Online, BritBox, and a host of others fight for our monthly budget and threaten Netfix’s dominance.

iOS and a list of Voice Control commands

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Reddit:

I work with adults, some of whom have significant challenges when interacting with technology due to severe physical disabilities (Spinal Cord Injury, CP, Brain Injury to name examples). My organization works with them to engage technology through Assistive or Adapted equipment/software/devices. I have ALWAYS been very happy with Apple’s ability to intertwine accessibility into their OS’s.

And:

Being that the voice control feature (which is kick a$$) requires someone to basically learn a new language of specific terms and phrases in order to effectively use the feature, I went on a search for a “master list” of sorts in hopes to stumble upon something. I was wrong.

First things first, if you’ve never worked with Voice Control:

  • Go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control
  • Tap Voice Control, then tap Customize Commands
  • Explore

Voice Control is an amazingly powerful part of Apple’s assistive technology. And you can customize it to your particular needs (tap Create New Command…).

The issue raised in the Reddit post is a lack of documentation, a resource to help guide new users through the pretty massive tree of possibilities. As is, Voice Control is self-documenting, that is, you learn by tapping through the tree of commands to learn what’s there.

From the post:

Can you imagine having to following all of the steps without conventional keyboard shorts and unable to physically touch and navigate your device?

Not sure how this could be made better, but thought this was worth raising. At the very least, worth exploring this so you know what’s there, especially if you are the tech support for others in your life.

Tim Cook: Speaking up on racism

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Just a slice of Tim Cook’s post:

This is a moment when many people may want nothing more than a return to normalcy, or to a status quo that is only comfortable if we avert our gaze from injustice. As difficult as it may be to admit, that desire is itself a sign of privilege. George Floyd’s death is shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a “normal” future, and build one that lives up to the highest ideals of equality and justice.

Will all that’s happening around us change us at a fundamental level? Or will we slide back to “normal”?

I believe that fundamental change is possible. I’ve seen it in my life, I’ve seen it in others. We just can’t accept “normal” anymore.

Boarded up Apple Stores become unofficial canvases for peaceful protest

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Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:

Activism sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has spread across all 50 US states. Apple Stores have been swept up in the momentum, looted and vandalized as some protests turned to violence. Now, some peaceful protestors are reimagining the boarded up windows of Apple Stores as canvases for a positive message.

Follow the headline link, lots of images, embedded tweets. Have to say, I love that Apple draws this kind of response, especially after all those Apple Stores were the target for destruction and looting.

Apple, Apple TV, and sports

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Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac:

The company has now hired executive James DeLorenzo, who has led Amazon Video’s sports division since 2016.

And:

Another report from Sports Business Daily mentions that Apple is interested in negotiating with the Pac-12 Conference for media rights deals starting in 2024. Sporting events, something lacking on many streaming services due to cable rights, would be live streamed to Apple TV+ subscribers.

Sports is (obviously) going through a hard reset at the moment. Who knows what will emerge from this. Once we have accurate testing and successful treatment for COVID-19, will fans return to the stadiums? Will the nature of sports change? Will the arc of eSports continue to rise, eroding fans of the more traditional sports?

Sports broadcasting is at a crossroads. Whereas the ESPN brand used to dominate, it is now beset by competing brands and hurting for viewership, reduced to airing marble racing and cherry pit spitting contests.

Apple definitely has an opportunity, a moment to rethink sports coverage, and the chance to become one of the brands associated with whatever form of sports emerges from this chaos.

First look at the Apple News+ Audio beta

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[VIDEO] This is a beta, so no guarantee this will ever rollout in a public iOS release, take with a grain of salt.

That said, I find this fascinating, a doubling down on Apple News+. If Apple brings in actors to read stories, that’s certainly going to limit the scalability of audio (versus using Siri, or an automated text to speech process), but it will add a level of emotion and precision to the audio.

If I was a publisher, having Apple customize my content at no cost to me (assuming that’s the case) would make participating in Apple News+ more attractive.

Interesting experiment. Video embedded in main Loop post.

The New York Times pours love on Apple’s Zane Lowe’s new podcast

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Melena Ryzik, New York Times:

Sitting in a studio in Culver City, Calif., opposite Zane Lowe, the grey-stubbled Beats 1 host and Apple Music honcho, musicians tend to unspool, even shed a tear. They talk about their albums, but also their divorces and regrets, their influences and coping mechanisms. It’s therapy, but for an audience of millions, and with a propulsive, ever-enthusiastic host who also helps shapes the narrative, and the placement, of the songs we hear.

And:

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, revealing his own struggles helped others open up. Now that everyone wants to talk about their mental state, Lowe is primed to coax unusual realness out of locked-off megastars. Hip-hop has Charlamagne tha God; comedy has Marc Maron. And pop music has Lowe.

This is a solid appreciation piece, both in its exploration of Zane Lowe’s terrific new interview podcast and in its coverage of Zane Lowe himself.

Fan of interview podcasts and of the folks who make music? Here’s a link to the podcast.

Apple TV gains Peloton app, but not quite there yet

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Zac Hall, 9to5Mac:

Peloton already supported AirPlay for wirelessly sending content from a support Apple device to an AirPlay compatible screen. With the introduction of the Peloton Apple TV app, members won’t need a second device for beaming classes on the big screen.

The Peloton app offers a wide range of exercises, from biking to lifting to yoga to running to stretching, all with instructors motivating you, pushing you forward. If fitness is your thing, Peloton is an excellent resource.

At first blush, bringing Peloton to Apple TV is a genius idea. Before the app, you had to use your iPhone or iPad app and stream the session to your TV via AirPlay. The Apple TV app puts all those sessions directly on Apple TV, controlled by your Apple TV remote.

So what’s not to like?

The problem is what’s missing from the Apple TV version of the Peloton app. The iOS version of the app has a wealth of information about your workouts, information that gives you, for example, a history of your workouts, information about goals you’re working towards, all information you might want to use to make a decision about what workout to choose. And none of that info is available on the Apple TV app.

You could open up the iOS app, figure out what workout to do next, then fire up the Apple TV app to start the workout. But why launch the second app when you can just AirPlay straight from your iPhone or iPad? Where’s the advantage?

And if you care about all the personal progress data, you’ll need to use the iOS app anyway. So there’s no real advantage in using the Apple TV app, at least until they flesh out the app.

To be fair to the Peloton folks, it’s no simple thing adding Apple TV support to an app. The app itself is really well done. And for folks who just want to pick a workout and go, it’s a perfect solution.

Apps that let people listen to police scanners have skyrocketed to the top of the App Store

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Joseph Cox, Motherboard:

The number of users of an app which lets people listen in to police radio broadcasts across the country is nearly doubling everyday during the protests, according to its developer. As of Monday morning, ‘5-0 Radio’ had skyrocketed above apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to the most popular paid app, and the second most popular free app on the Apple App Store, according to Apple’s own rankings. Other similar apps have also jumped in popularity.

No surprise. Just found it notable.

Apple Music joins wider music industry Black Out Tuesday awareness campaign

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Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

Apple Music is joining in a music industry wide ‘Black Out Tuesday’ campaign, to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter in the wake of Minneapolis resident George Floyd being killed whilst under police arrest. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously tweeted his support of the protests happening across the US and around the world.

And:

You can access your music library, and search the Apple Music catalog, as normal.

You’ll no doubt see the #TheShowMustBePaused hashtag today. To learn more, start here.

New Apple TV+ management deal bringing in rep for Gal Gadot, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro, more

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Hollywood Reporter:

Kang-Lowe, who will bring Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron with her as a client, has set up an exclusive deal with Apple TV+.

Cuaron is best known as the writer of Roma, Gravity, and Children of Men. Gal Gadot has already signed a deal with Apple TV+ to exec produce and star in “Hedy Lamarr”.

Her client roster reads like a who’s who of Hollywood, with producers, writers, directors and talent including Riz Ahmed, Simon Beaufoy, Damien Chazelle, Deborah Chow, Ryan Coogler, Guillermo del Toro, Gillian Flynn, Gal Gadot, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, Lena Waithe, and Steven Zaillian.

Big get for Apple.

Apple allowing Apple Card customers to defer payments due to COVID-19

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Chance Miller, 9to5Mac:

Apple and Goldman Sachs have once again announced an extension of the Apple Card Customer Assistance Program, allowing users to skip their June payments without penalty.

To ask about this program:

  • launch the Wallet app
  • tap Apple Card
  • tap the “…” button in the upper-right corner
  • Tap the Message button and say you want to inquire about the Apple Card Customer Assistance Program

That’s it. They should take it from there.

Logic Pro X 10.5: Exploring Apple’s new fully-integrated Drum Synth

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Justin Kahn, 9to5Mac:

If Apple were to make a drum synthesizer, it would probably be dead simple so anyone can use it, while still offering up just enough control over the sounds to do some serious damage right? Probably. And that’s exactly what it just did here. But don’t be fooled by how simple its sound design controls/synth engine appears, this is just one piece of the puzzle. I initially thought that it looked way too simple to be all that useful, especially with the new Quick Sampler now in everyone’s LPX arsenal. I was wrong.

If you are interested in creating electronic music wit Logic Pro, this walkthrough is worth reading.

Apple temporarily closes US retail stores in wake of widespread looting and protests

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Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:

Apple has temporarily closed the majority of its US retail stores for the safety of employees and customers as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis continue to spread across the nation. Numerous Apple Stores from coast to coast have been targeted by looters, damaged, or preemptively secured and emptied of sales floor merchandise to deter damage.

A jarring wave of images and video have made their way across twitter over the last few days, shots of Apple Store glass doors being broken, forced open, and stores being looted.

Apple:

With the health and safety of our teams in mind, we’ve made the decision to keep a number of our stores in the US closed on Sunday.

Current plan seems to be to start reopening some stores on Tuesday, with limited, curfew-respecting hours.

Apple Music launches Zane Lowe interview podcast

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Apple Music:

One thing that today’s biggest artists have in common: They all speak with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about their lives and the stories behind their songs. Hear why he is the interviewer the biggest stars open up to in these candid, in-depth conversations, now available in full on Apple Podcasts.

Seven episodes dropped this weekend, including interviews with:

  • Billie Eilish
  • Selena Gomez
  • Kanye West (a two-parter)
  • Justin Bieber
  • Hayley Williams
  • Lady Gaga

Twitter enables scheduled tweets in web app

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I do appreciate this feature, lets me compose a tweet in the wee hours, have it hit in the morning. But I do wish it was rolled out in the official iOS app.

Not sure if the API that makes this feature possible will be opened up to 3rd party apps. I certainly hope so.

AirPods have dominated television in the quarantine era

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Russell Holly, iMore:

Shark Tank. The Weather Report. Tiger King. Disney Sing-Along. Community. These five things, and countless others, have one very clear thing in common while we’re all stuck in separate rooms. In each of these television events, the people staring into the camera and laughing, singing, or talking at you about something are all wearing Apple’s AirPods. It’s the best advertising Apple never asked for, but makes a crystal clear statement about the state of the headphone market.

This is Apple’s world now, and everything else is just taking up space on the shelf at the electronics shop.

First time I noticed this phenomenon was at airports. In the months following the release of the original AirPods, I started to see more and more people in airports with AirPods instead of wired headphones. I remember counting the people with each new trip, until the number of people with AirPods became too numerous for me to track.

With all the remote broadcasting made necessary by the pandemic, AirPods have become standard wear everywhere you look. Amazing.

More than half of all Apple Stores worldwide have reopened

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Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:

256 of 510 Apple Stores across the globe are now open, including Thursday morning’s reopening of three locations in North Carolina and two in Virginia.

Amazing. Feels like a whole different universe, the before COVID-19 and this new reopening. Can’t help but wonder what social distancing habits will be with us for the long haul, what long term changes will come to brick and mortar shops and restaurants.

Apple orders “Hedy Lamarr,” starring and executive produced by Gal Gadot

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Apple:

Hailed as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” Hedy Lamarr was first exalted and iconized, then destroyed and eventually forgotten by American audiences, all the while keeping her brilliant mind active through a series of inventions, one of which became the basis for the spread spectrum technology we use today.

I am incredibly excited about this project. Hedy Lamarr was an inspiration for me, breaking through barriers in pursuit of a technical dream.

From Hedy’s Wikipedia page:

At the beginning of World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes, intended to use frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers. She also helped improve aviation designs for Howard Hughes while they dated during the war.[9] Although the US Navy did not adopt Lamarr and Antheil’s invention until 1957, various spread-spectrum techniques are incorporated into Bluetooth technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of Wi-Fi. Recognition of the value of their work resulted in the pair being posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Lamarr was completely self-taught. She had an intuitive intellect, followed it constantly. The world was not kind to Hedy Lamarr, an unappreciated genius. Looking forward to this series.