Apple is heading to court again, this time to battle watchmaker rival Swatch over its use of the “Tick Different” slogan. Jeff Butts thinks there’s a definite similarity between Swatch’s catch phrase and Cupertino’s “Think Different,” but that the fight is best left alone.
Apple
Apple Music Nails It, Dumping Dialog Semiconductor - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-11
Bryan Chaffin says Apple pretty much nailed it with Apple Music. Bryan and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to look at Apple’s streaming music service, plus they dive into the company’s tactics to bring more chip design in house.
Apple Reportedly Moving to its Own iPhone Power Management Chips in 2019
Apple is developing its own iPhone power management chips and plans to stop using Dialog Semiconductor’s in 2019. That’s what Bankhaus Lampe analyst Karsten Iltgen says after talking with industry sources, although Apple and Dialog aren’t commenting on the report.
TMO Background Mode Interview with KGW TV Anchor & Digital Trends Host Stephanie Stricklen
Stephanie Stricklen has been a career-long KGW TV Portland, OR News Anchor. She tells the story about how when she was younger, it wasn’t her plan to be in front of a camera. “It just worked out that way.” But the seeds were there. She became the EIC of her high school’s newspaper and decided on print journalism as a career. In college, via internships, she discovered the “adrenalin inducing” experience of TV news. Stephanie has covered the Olympics for KGW, and that took her to Salt Lake City, Greece, Italy, China, Canada and Russia. A tech nerd and Apple fan, she’s also into aviation and has flown with the Navy’s Blue Angels. Today, she works with Digital Trends as a host and still anchors with KGW. Amidst all that? Raising a daughter with her husband.
Watch Out, Imagination Technologies, Because Apple is Hiring More GPU Designers
Apple’s in-house GPU plans have the company on a hiring spree in London, which happens to be pretty close to where Imagination Technologies is based. That’s the company Apple partnered with for iPhone and iPad graphics processors before deciding to go it alone—and more than 20 employees have already left to join the Cupertino-based company.
A Brief Salute to Retiring Walt Mossberg
Walt Mossberg announced Friday that he will retire in June. Mr. Mossberg came to fame in the 1990s as tech columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He consistently dinged Apple until shortly after the return of Steve Jobs. His career rose sharply as tech exploded and became an ever-more important part of modern society. He was one of the few journalists blessed by Steve Jobs, and was often given advanced access to Apple’s leadership and products. He and journalist partner Kara Swisher also got Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and other Apple execs on stage for the AllThingsD conference, as shown in the image below, and later at Re/code’s Code conference. I didn’t always agree with Mr. Mossberg, but he contributed greatly to our understanding of what the tech world was up to. Accordingly, salute, Mr. Mossberg, and enjoy your well-earned retirement!
Samsung Lands 2 Year Deal for Curved OLED iPhone Displays
Smartphone makers planning on using OLED screens are about to be in a bind because Apple just signed a two year contract with Samsung for the panels. Samsung will reportedly supply Apple with at least 70 million bendable OLED panels this year, and Samsung will take up the rest for itself.
The Mystery of New Mac Pros, Apple and Politics, and Robot Welfare - ACM 405
Apple kind of announced a new Mac Pro and professional display, but Bryan and Jeff want to know how we got here. They also take another look at how politics increasingly intersect with a tech giant like Apple, and discuss our robot welfare future.
Apple's New Display Plans, Broadcom's WiFi Chip Security Flaw - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-05
Along with the promise of new a new Mac Pro yesterday, Apple also said it’s going to get back into the pro display business, too. John Martellaro and Kelly Guimont join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s plans, plus they look at Broadcom’s WiFi chip security flaw.
Apple Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Report Set for May 2
Apple’s 2017 second fiscal quarter earnings report is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2nd. The iPhone and iPad maker will host its usual conference call with analysts after the market closes at about 5PM eastern time.
Apple Releases iOS 10.3.1, a Bug Fix Release
Apple released iOS 10.3.1 Monday. The patch notes are sparse, saying only, “iOS 10.3.1 includes bug fixes and improves the security of your iPhone or iPad.” The company has not yet published the security release notes, but this update is most likely addresses issues that cropped up since the release of iOS 10.3 last week.
Apple's Plan for In-house Mobile GPU Design Could Lead to Imagination Technologies Patent Fight
It’s no secret Apple likes using its own chips in products like the iPhone and iPad, and Imagination Technologies is learning that in a painful way. Apple currently uses Imagination’s GPU chips in its mobile devices, but that’s changing within two years when they move to in house designs—and that could lead to a patent fight.
Apple Scheming for HBO, Showtime, Starz Streaming Bundle
Apple has a new plan for selling us a streaming TV package: premium channels. A new report says Apple is trying to bring together a deal to offer HBO, Showtime, and Starz without requiring viewers to sign up for a base-level channel package first.
Spotify Goes after Apple Music's 'Carpool Karaoke' with 'Traffic Jams'
Spotify must think Apple Music has the right idea with this original video thing because it’s doing the same thing. Variety reported Wednesday that Spotify has purchased a show called Traffic Jams. Clearly borrowing from Apple Music’s Carpool Karaoke, Traffic Jams puts hip-hop producers and artists in a car and asks them to make a song in the back seat. We Apple fans may be inclined to dismiss this show because it’s a blatant ripoff. Ignore that instinct, though—that’s the way the TV industry works. Folks copy ideas, and sometimes they build on them. Instead, Spotify—which is beating Apple on users—is effectively validating Apple Music’s approach of using original video content to boost its steaming music business. That’s very interesting to me.
The ISP Coup, an Apple VPN, and Samsung's Bixby Gambit - ACM 404
ISPs performed a coup against consumers, and they did so in collusion with one of America’s major political parties. Bryan and Jeff are two tense geeks about it. Their solution would be for Apple to launch a VPN integrated into Apple’s products. And then there’s Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and that company’s delusions of software relevance. Oh, and Bixby, which could eventually succeed in making Samsung relevant.
Apple Releases macOS 10.12.4 with Night Shift, Cricket Scores, Enterprise Features
Apple released macOS 10.12.4 Monday, an update that adds a couple of new features and some other minor improvements. The biggest new feature is Night Shift, technology that shifts your Mac’s display towards the red at the end of your day. The update also adds cricket scores for Indian Premier League and the International Cricket Council to Siri. Apple also added a slew of enterprise-specific features.
Apple Ships iOS 10.3 with Find My AirPods, More Siri, Apple File System, More
Apple shipped iOS 10.3 Monday, a significant update to the company’s mobile operating system. Major features include the ability to find your AirPods under Find My iPhone; new Siri integration with third party apps; new CarPlay features, including daily curated playlists from Apple Music; and perhaps most importantly, the official rollout of Apple File System.
Steve Wozniak Accepts Award from Startup World Cup, Says 'This One's for Apple'
Steve Wozniak spoke at the Startup World Cup Finale Friday, where he talked about Apple’s early days, his own even earlier days, startup value, and some of the lessons he’s learned along the way. At the end of his keynote, he was presented with a miniature version of the Startup World Cup itself, which he accepted saying, “This one’s for Apple.”
Apple Buys Workflow, iTunes First-run Movie Rentals - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-23
Apple just bought the iPhone and iPad automation app Workflow. Jeff Butts and Bryan Chaffin join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on what the Workflow purchase means for iOS, plus they look at Apple’s push to offer rentals for movies that are still showing in theaters.
Apple: iCloud Extortionists Haven't Hacked into Our Systems
Hacker group Turkish Crime Family says it’s going to wipe out over 300 million iCloud accounts on April 7th if Apple doesn’t pay US$75,000 as ransom. Apple says the group hasn’t broken into its servers, so that means the logins they claim to have probably came from old hacks into other company’s services.
Here are the Features Apple Cut from Workflow
When the news broke on Wednesday that Apple bought the iOS automation app Workflow that was a good sign the company is serious about having some sort of official AppleScript or Automator-like system for the iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, that comes with a catch: some of the services the app supported on Tuesday were gone on Wednesday.
Apple Acquires Workflow App and Developers, Makes Workflow Free Download
Apple recently acquired popular iOS utility Workflow in a deal that includes both the app and its developers. While many apps get pulled by Apple after an acquisition, Workflow remains on the App Store, and is now free.
Apple Loves Outdated Tech and Gives up on Social Media, Plus Electrified LEGO - ACM 403
Apple appears to be increasingly comfy offering yesterday’s technology at today’s prices, and Bryan and Jeff are all cranky about it. They also talk about Brixo, chrome-plated and electrified LEGO bricks, and Apple’s new Clips app and what it means for social media. Oh, and Jeff had to edit out an F-bomb because Bryan got all ranty.
Hackers Threaten to Wipe Out Millions of iCloud Accounts if Apple doesn't Pay $75K
A group of hackers are trying to extort Apple with the threat of wiping out thousands of iCloud accounts and remotely resetting iPhones. They say they’ll follow through if Apple doesn’t pay up US$75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum by April 7th.