Hope King, Cheddar:

This week was my third time attending an Apple media event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

This time, Apple announced its streaming video plans along with subscription services for news and games. You’ve probably already read the recaps and taken in all the hot takes.

Now take a look at what it’s like to cover the event in person as an invited journalist, which is always a privilege.

An interesting take (mostly in photos) of last week’s Apple Event. Don’t miss the shots of the media riser and the teardown at the end. Interesting perspective.

I specifically waited for today to post this. But it really is a product.

Watch the video, then consider: If you pull the pin on a fire extinguisher and you aim badly, you adjust your aim to point the stream at the fire. But if you throw this vase badly, you’ve got nothing but continued fire.

And don’t get me started on cats knocking things off tables.

CNET:

Gerard Williams III, senior director in platform architecture, departed Apple last month after nine years, according to a person familiar with the matter.

While not well known outside of Apple, Williams led development of every Apple processor core from the A7 — the first 64-bit processor for mobile devices — to the A12X, the chip powering Apple’s latest iPad Pro devices.

And:

Williams isn’t the first notable Apple engineer to leave its chip business, which is led by Johny Srouji. Two years ago, Apple SoC architect Manu Gulati left for a similar role at Google. After Gulati left Apple, Williams took over his role overseeing SoC architecture.

Hard to know how much of an impact Williams leaving will be. Feels like Apple’s chip design process is mature enough that no one is irreplaceable.

Apple:

“After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch. We continue to believe that the future is wireless and are committed to push the wireless experience forward,” said Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in an emailed statement today.

Read all the details in the headline linked Matthew Panzarino TechCrunch article.

Been waiting for the other shoe to drop for a long time now. Glad Apple made the call.

Been looking forward to this one.

We start our examination with these curious markings on the boxes. We’re seeing multiple references to something called “AirPower” … ?

Darth: “The snark is strong with this one.”

We have some real gripes with the AirPods’ design priorities, but there’s no denying the engineering talent that goes into them. Peer into this X-ray and you can pick out batteries, microphones, antennas, speaker drivers, circuit boards—all in something that fits in your ear.

Amen.

This was an interesting read. But incredibly entertaining, too.

Joe Cieplinski:

With Apple’s release of watchOS 5.2, I see the ECG feature is now more widely available throughout Europe and other regions. That’s great news.

I want to encourage those of you with Apple Watch devices in those supported regions to go grab the update and try out the ECG. Not just because it’s extremely cool tech. But because, well, let me put it this way:

I now have a cardiologist.

That isn’t a statement I was planning to make in my forties. But there it is. And it’s only true because of Apple Watch.

Let me back up.

Riveting read. And yet another reason to appreciate the value of Apple Watch and Apple’s commitment to health.

Matthew Panzarino unearths a raft of tiny details on Apple Card, beyond the major points that have been floating around.

A few nuggets:

The physical Apple Card does not support contactless payments. If you’ve got a tap terminal, you’re supposed to use Apple Pay.

And:

The physical Apple Card, of course, has no number. The app displays the last 4 digits of the card number that is on the mag stripe of the card only, you never see the full card number. Instead, Apple provides a virtual card number and virtual confirmation code (CVV) for the card in the app. You can use this for non-Apple Pay purchases online or over the phone. This number is semi-permanent, meaning that you can keep using it as long as you want.

This last is an important point. The number on the physical card’s mag stripe is different than the number in the Wallet app.

About the phrase “semi-permanent”:

You can hit a button to regenerate the PAN (primary account number), providing you with a new credit card number at any time. This is great for situations where you are forced to tell someone your credit card number but do not necessarily completely trust the recipient.

Fantastic approach.

Lots more detail in Matthew’s TechCrunch post. Great read.

Nope. Not a typo. From the linked post by Horace Dediu:

The Apple Watch is now bigger than the iPod ever was. As the most popular watch of all time, it’s clear that the watch is a new market success story. However it isn’t a cultural success. It has the ability to signal its presence and to give the wearer a degree of individuality through material and band choice but it is too discreet. It conforms to norms of watch wearing and it is too easy to miss under a sleeve or in a pocket.

First things first. Take a look at the bar graph in Horace’s story. The iPod is red and the Apple Watch is orange. As you made your way, quarter by quarter from 2009 to 2018, you’ll see iPod revenue slowly disappear, declining into the other category, then see the mighty emergence of Apple Watch, way bigger than the iPod, revenue-wise.

OK, back to the post and that weird title:

Not so for AirPods. These things look extremely different. Always white, always in view, pointed and sharp. You can’t miss someone wearing AirPods. They practically scream their presence.

For this reason wearers, whether they want to or not, advertise the product loudly. Initially, when new, they looked strange, even goofy. But the product’s value to the wearer overcame any embarrassment and for those courageous enough to wear them, they became a point of pride. As all things distinctive enough, the distinction rubs on the user and that distinction begets new users and new distinction, and so on. So now we have a bona fide cultural phenomenon.

And:

The only thing which AirPods do remind me of is the original iPod. The iPod-and-white-earbuds had a similar signal/function ratio. Looks distinctive, works well, nails the job to be done and is self-describing. The “iconification” of white was the phenomenon of its decade.

AirPods + iPod = AiriPods

Good headline work there. Read the rest of the article. Lots of interesting thoughts, especially about the decision not to mess with a good thing when moving from the original AirPods to gen 2.

This is some music history. I would love to have this guitar, but the estimated price is $100k-$150k—next time.

This is one joyous critique. Joyous to read and watch, not so much to experience first-hand. Brilliantly wry take by Joanna Stern for the Wall Street Journal.

Don’t miss the little switches embedded throughout, which let you view the post with and without e’s and r’s or with double-e’s.

And, for the pièce de résistance, watch the video embedded below. Great work.

This is a look at the first beta of iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3. What I found most interesting was the up close exploration of the overhauled TV app.

I’ve long gotten used to being able to watch (some) content from my cable package on my iOS device. But this feels different. Both more comprehensive and with much more potential as far as searchability goes.

No Netflix, though. Wonder if that’s ever going to change. Not sure what Netflix’s game is here. If the TV app gains traction (and I think it will), seems like Netflix will only lose exposure and subscribers as more and more viewers use the tvOS interface to learn about new, recommended content.

Very excited to watch this unfold.

Fascinating piece by Guilherme Rambo for 9to5Mac. As you might expect, looks like the “discover” interface for Apple Card will use the same mechanism as the AirPods.

Repetitive stress tests are part of physical product testing. Just like slamming butts in chairs or opening and closing car doors, the tests are designed to simulate years of wear in a day or so.

This Galaxy Fold test just opens and closes the Galaxy Fold, over and over. It gives you a nice up close view of the outside of the hinge, as well as a slightly backed out view of the screen seam.

As you watch this, think about this question: Would Apple ever ship this product? If not, why?

Apple:

The ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4, a direct-to-consumer product that enables customers to take an electrocardiogram right from their wrist, is available in Hong Kong and 19 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In addition to receiving De Novo clearance in the US from the FDA, the ECG app1 and irregular rhythm notification2 are now CE marked and cleared in the European Economic Area.

This is part of the watchOS 5.2 software update, which is rolling out now.

Reddit:

So like a lot of people I like to end my trials as soon as I get them because I don’t want to forget to unsubscribe. Every other thing I subscribe to from the App Store I still get to use everything until the end of the trial even if I cancel early.

Well not with Apple News+. I ended the trial expecting to be able to use it for the next 30 days and I did it so fast I didn’t even read that it would actually end.

Yup. Unlike the Apple Music subscription, the Apple News+ subscription ends the second you cancel.

I’ve left a reminder on the 29th day anniversary to consider my options.

Follow the headline link to Apple’s YouTube channel. There you’ll find a host of videos relating to Monday’s event.

Two of them stand out to me: Previews for Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. Both give a taste of what’s coming, and if games or TV is your thing, both do their best to get the blood pumping, get the juices flowing.

New York Times:

What’s the deal with wearables and fashion? Five years on from the watch’s much-ballyhooed introduction, is the relationship over? Has technology found a new object for its affections?

And:

In advance of the watch’s introduction, Apple — which, after all, had been built on some of the principles dear to luxury, including the allure of tactile design, and planned obsolescence — began seducing glossy executives right and left to come work for the company.

Most notably there was Paul Deneve, the chief executive of Yves Saint Laurent; Patrick Pruniaux, of Tag Heuer; and Angela Ahrendts, the chief executive credited with using technology to transform Burberry, who arrived at Apple to run its retail and e-tail operations with a gilded halo still fresh on her head.

Many other examples follow. But:

But then Mr. Deneve left Apple. So did Mr. Pruniaux. And next month, Ms. Ahrendts departs. Intel “exited the end-product wearables area in 2017,” according to a company spokeswoman, and has pivoted to data analysis used to inform retailers and brands, among others.

Interesting. The Times definitely has their finger on something, just not sure it’s Apple capriciously abandoning fashion. Rather, I think Apple explored fashion as a way to help launch the Apple Watch, to add to other efforts to help legitimize the market.

As the market matured, that need has diminished. Apple has learned a lot and has new drivers, most notably health and the success of the ECG technology.

And I do think Apple Watches, and the wide marketplace of fashionable watch bands, shows that the fashion side of Apple Watch has become self sustaining.

Seems an obvious move. As I said in yesterday’s Apple Card writeup, the numbers on your card are a security risk. Dumping the numbers seems a clear trend.

Apple and partner Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are entering the competitive field of consumer credit, where banks have been shelling out costly rewards to encourage consumers to spend through their cards.

Interesting how many people are touting the minutia of rates, percentage of cash back, as barriers to Apple winning in this space. To me, it’s all about the ecosystem, and about the polish that Apple will bring to this experience. I’ll get and use the card because it fits so well in the rest of my Apple universe.

Sensor Tower:

Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates show that 40 million Android users globally have now installed the Apple Music app from Google Play, and we anticipate that the current quarter will be the service’s best yet for new users on the platform.

And:

New users of the app in 4Q18 were up 43 percent over 1Q18, and we project that 1Q19 installs will total 3.8 million for a year-over-year increase of 65 percent.

That’s solid growth. Another sign Apple’s shift to services is working.

There’s no shortage of material written about the credit card Apple announced yesterday. In digging into how all this will work, a few things stood out. While much of this might be obvious to some of you, thought it worth sharing for those still trying to work all this out.

First things first, spend a minute to make your way through Apple’s new Apple Card page.

There’s tons of useful info on the page and, likely, answers to all of your questions.

One thing in particular to notice is the set of images of the physical, laser-etched, titanium Apple Card. Notice the MasterCard logo, as well as the chip on the front and the magnetic strip on the back. The physical card is for you to use in places that do not take Apple Pay. It’s a MasterCard.

Note the lack of a card number, expiration date, and CVV code. They serve no purpose other than as a reminder for when you have to type those things in or read them over the phone. Having them appear on the card does serve as a security risk, so why include them. If you need that info, it’s all contained in the Wallet app on your phone.

Side note: Obvious, I know, but Apple Card is not a good fit if you don’t own an iPhone. Yet another brick for the walled garden.

Another point that supports the Apple Card as MasterCard model is made by John Gruber in this Daring Fireball post:

Footnote 4 on the Apple Card web page says: “Variable APRs range from 13.24% to 24.24% based on creditworthiness. Rates as of March 2019.” What a crock of shit this “low interest rates” line is. Those interest rates are usury, right in line with the rest of the credit card industry. 24% interest ought to be criminal, and 13% is not “low”.

Yup. This is the world of credit card usury. If at all possible, pay off your credit card every single month. Credit card interest rates are beyond awful.

Those awful rates aside, there’s a lot to love here.

There’s the instant cash back (2% on everything you buy using Apple Pay, 3% on everything you buy from Apple). And the incredible detail in the statements, including the ability to tap on a transaction and have the merchant’s location appear on Apple Maps. That last is just genius.

There’s the fact that there’s no annual fee. Zero. And complete fraud protection. Don’t recognize a transaction? Tap it to let Apple know and you won’t be liable for the fraud.

And there’s the 24/7, text your questions, tech support. With a live person at the other end.

I’m digging this. The new Apple Card will definitely have a place in my Wallet.

Wall Street Journal:

The Wall Street Journal is a launch partner for Apple Inc.’s $9.99-a-month news service, marking a significant shift in strategy meant to draw in new readers and paying subscribers without undercutting the publication’s core business.

And:

The paper finished 2018 with 1.71 million digital subscribers, with a full-priced subscription costing $39 a month. Its print subscribers totaled about 840,000. The Apple partnership is viewed as an opportunity to bring in revenue from a broader audience.

That $39 a month is worth keeping in mind when you assess the value of an Apple News+ subscription.

The partnership carries risks for the Journal, since each Apple user will generate much less subscription revenue for the company than a full-priced subscriber.

To me, this says that, for publishers, Apple News+ has far more value as a circulation builder than as a money maker. Not an unreasonable model to buy into.

Apple users will have access to only three days’ worth of the Journal’s archive, the people said. The Journal also negotiated terms that would allow it to drop out of the service, they said.

And there’s the specifics. I verified this myself by finding week+ old stories and trying to find them on Apple News+. I found all the newer stories, sometimes via the search field, but none of the older stories.

Side note on that search field: I’ve yet to find a way to search within a publication or within a story. I hope Apple expands on the search capabilities, as this would allow me to better refine searches, and better do a search without losing the current context (switching back to the News+ home page to do searches loses my place in the current story).

As to value, if you are interested in The Wall Street Journal, but not enough to pay $39 a month, Apple News+ is a terrific bargain. Add in the plethora of magazines (Federico did a nice job listing them all, as I posted previously), the LA Times and a host of digital publications, and Apple News+ really is a no brainer, assuming this sort of content appeals to you.

A bit ironically, for many of you, the headline linked article will be behind a paywall. But if you make your way to Apple News (note I said News and not News+) and search for “Wall Street Journal’s Partnership With Apple”, you’ll find the full article.

One final point: Now that the Wall Street Journal model has been worked out, I wonder if we’ll see the New York Times and Washington Post consider adopting something similar. As is, I’ve got subscriptions to both, but for folks that don’t, it’d be a great introduction.

Federico Viticci, MacStories:

After taking an initial look at Apple News+ with my US Apple ID and noticing the differences between Apple News Format-optimized magazines and standard “PDF-like” ones, I thought it’d be interesting and useful to compile the full list of all magazines currently available to Apple News+ subscribers in the US.

Below, you will find the complete list of all 251 magazines that are available for Apple News+ in the United States. The list was compiled by checking all the magazines featured in the ‘Browse the Catalog’ section of Apple News+ as well as individual categories. Apple advertises “300 publications” as being available in Apple News+.

If you are on the fence about Apple News+, this will help with the value equation. Add in 3 most recent days of Wall Street Journal articles, along with LA Times and all the digital publishers, plus the added value of family plan at no extra cost, see if that’s worth $9.99 a month.

This is a cool project. I wish they’d break it up across multiple pages to reduce the page load time/memory footprint. But I love the idea.

Jon Wilde, GQ:

Look to your left. Look to your right. If you’re on the sidewalk, a subway, a train, or your dorm couch; at a WeWork, an airport, a construction site, or an open-plan office, there are almost certainly little white sticks nearby poking out of someone’s head. Apple’s AirPods have slowly and all at once taken over America’s ears.

More and more lately, if I see people with some form of headphone/earpod, it’s AirPods. Especially in airports. They are everywhere, far outnumbering whatever is in second place.

Fascinating to me how AirPods moved from funny looking to normal, from geeky to desirable, over time. Fashion. Apple gets how it works.

Terrific piece from GQ, with fine photos by Gus Powell sprinkled throughout.

And, as a bonus, some interesting thoughts from Chief Design Officer Jony Ive on how all this came about.