Apple Watch sales, along with AirPods and Beats headphones have hit Fortune 500 level, which means they’re bringing in over US$5 billion to Apple’s “other products” category. Company CEO Tim Cook shared that detail during the company’s second fiscal quarter earnings report on Tuesday.
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Apple Reports $52.9B in Revenues, Expands Shareholder Capital Return to $300B [Update]
Apple reported US$52.9 billion in revenues during the March quarter on Tuesday. That’s up year over year from $50.6 billion. Earnings clocked in at $11 billion, or $2.10 in earnings-per-share, up year-over-year from $1.90. The company announced a boost in its shareholder capital return program from $200 billion to $300 billion.
Shopping For Mother’s Day? Consider Digital Art Decoration
Looking for a Mother’s Day present? Andrew Orr found a new type of digital art decoration on the market called Meural Canvas. It’s a 27-inch screen you hang on your wall, and change the art it shows using your smartphone. You can upload your own photos to the display, and the company partners with a bunch of big-name art museums. You can choose over 30,000 paintings from Meural’s app and website.
Microsoft Launches a New Assault on Apple: Surface Laptop
On May 2nd, Microsoft presented its latest product in the Surface family, the Surface Laptop. This is a pure laptop, in the style of Apple’s MacBook line, and has a 13.5-inch display. Notable is the low weight, 2256 x 1504 display, fabric keyboard, four available colors, Windows 10 S and a claimed 14 hour battery life.
Twitter Really Wants to be Your TV Source, Gets 12 New Live Streaming Content Deals
Twitter is moving aggressively into streaming video with 12 just announced new content deals, including Bloomberg and the MLB. The deals will bring original video exclusively to Twitter in the form of live shows covering sports, fashion, news, and more.
Tim Cook Charity Auction with Lunch at Apple Park, Price Quickly Jumps to $65,000
Apple CEO Tim Cook is once again auctioning off a lunch date for charity, but this time that lunch will take place at Apple Park. While the auction closes on May 16th, 2017, it quickly jumped to $65,000 with six bids from four different rich bidders.
Final Polycarbonate MacBook Joins Apple's Obsolete Product List
Farewell, white MacBook, because Apple just added you to its vintage and obsolete products list. The 2010 13-inch MacBook with white polycarbonate body joined the unsupported hardware list on May 1, closing the final chapter on the laptop model along with three MacBook Pro models.
Apple's Q2 2017 Earnings Report Today, May 2
Apple is hosting its second fiscal quarter earnings conference call this afternoon at about 5PM eastern time after the market closes. The iPhone and iPad maker’s guidance for the quarter is targeting between US$51.5 billion and $53.5 billion in revenue with a gross margin just under 40%.
Universal Search on Apple TV Expands, Plus Crackle, Filmstruck, and Freeform
The fourth generation Apple TV gets several improvements today. The universal search function now includes Spike, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. Plus, Apple’s TV app now supports the Crackle, Filmstruck and Freeform apps. These apps are supported across multiple devices.
1st Gen Apple Watch Repair Coverage Bumped to 3 Years for Swollen Battery Issues
Apple is showing a little compassion for first generation Apple Watch owners suffering from swelling batteries. Warranty repairs for the battery issue have been extended out to three years.
Apple to Unveil Siri-controlled, Amazon Echo-like, AI appliance at WWDC
Apple may be ready to announce its own Siri-based Amazon Echo competitor at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. So says KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who calls it “Apple’s first home AI product.”
Apple Seeds 5th Developer Preview of macOS Sierra 10.12.5
Apple released the 5th developer preview of macOS Sierra 10.12.5 on Monday. The patch notes say nothing besides the boilerplate note that the release. “improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.”
Pop Goes the Laptop: Some New MacBook Pros are Making Unexplained Clicking Sounds
Your new MacBook Pro may be making a popping sound, but Apple doesn’t have anything to say about it. Many MacBook Pro users are complaining about what sound like random trackpad click noises coming from their laptop and so far Apple has been silent about the issue.
Apple's Siri Speaker Might Look Like a Miniature Mac Pro
The rumors of Apple’s competitor to the Amazon Echo have taken a credible turn, with a well-connected but secretive leaker sending details to journalists. Jeff Butts has the latest update on the unnamed Siri speaker.
You Can Now Delete Uber Account Data Straight From The App
Today Uber announced the introduction of a Privacy Settings in its app. This lets you delete Uber account data and give you more control over app notifications and contacts that the app has access to. You can also control location data within the app. Andrew Orr tells us the details.
DOK Malware Signed by Valid Developer Certificate (for Now)
A new piece of malware, called OSX/Dok, has been discovered by the Check Point malware research team. It affects all versions of macOS and is signed with a valid developer certificate authenticated by Apple. Dok malware is also the first to spread in a widespread email phishing campaign. Andrew Orr gives us the technical details.
Apple Escalates Royalty Battle with Qualcomm, Suspends Payments
The royalty fight between Apple and Qualcomm got real Friday after Apple suspended supplier payments ultimately destined for the chip maker. Apple said it was suspending payments until the courts decide how much Apple owes.
Jimmy Iovine Wants Apple Music to Be a Movement in Pop Culture
Music legend and Apple executive Jimmy Iovine wants nothing less than for Apple Music to be, “an overall movement in popular culture.” Apple Music is Apple’s streaming music service, but the company has been running original video content, too. Not so much as, say, Amazon or Netflix, but Bloomberg said its an experiment that could get bigger.
Apple Watch Emergency SOS Helps Student In Car Crash
Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS has saved another life. 9To5Mac reports that Casey Bennett, a college student in Maryland, was driving to class earlier this month. Another driver hit his Jeep, and Casey flipped over. His iPhone dropped out of reach, but he had an Apple Watch. Andrew Orr tells us what happened.
Could 'Apple Cash' Take on Venmo?
Rumors swirl around Apple like confetti after a wedding. The latest addition to the speculation mill is that Apple is once again looking to enter the money transfer service. Jeff Butts has all the details about what he thinks might be called “Apple Cash.”
Exxon’s Speedpass For Apple Watch Supports Apple Pay
Exxon updated its Speedpass for Apple Watch app today, finally letting customers pay for gas using their Apple Watch. Although the app uses in-app Apple Pay for transactions, you can use it at Exxon Mobil gas stations even if they don’t have a contactless payment system. Andrew Orr tells us how to use it.
Air Force Bug Bounty Program Goes Live For Hackers
Today the Air Force announced a program for sharing vulnerabilities that it will launch next month. The Air Force bug bounty program will let hackers comb several public Air Force websites for software vulnerabilities. Cash prizes are available for discovered bugs, and this new program also does something new that others of its kind don’t. Andrew Orr reveals all.
New Verizon Prepaid Plan Has Unlimited Data, But With Limitations
Verizon launched a new prepaid plan today, featured unlimited data. It’s US$80, and you won’t need to sign a contract or fork over your credit details. However, Big Red will limit you in certain ways, so take that “unlimited” phrase with a grain of salt. Andrew Orr tells us what the new plan gives you.
iPhone 8 Smokes Samsung Galaxy S8 in Leaked Geekbench Performance Tests
How fast is the iPhone 8? If a Geekbench performance test screenshot that just surfaced is to be believed, it blows the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S8 out of the water. The reported results have some other interesting tidbits, too, like a really tall screen aspect ratio.