Counterpoint: iPhone Sales Break Records in India
Image via Apple
Folks looking for growth, where Apple’s concerned, may want to cast their eyes on the subcontinent. Bloomberg says iPhone went big in India last quarter, is a smallish sort of way. Citing numbers from Counterpoint Research, the piece says iPhone sales “increased to 2.3 million units in the fourth quarter, up 34% from a year earlier…”
2.3-million in a country of 1.3-billion may not seem like a lot. Mostly because it’s not. iPhone sales were also dwarfed by Samsung’s 7.2-million sold and Xiaomi’s 9.3-million. Still, there are two reasons for investors to be excited. First, despite selling nowhere near the number of phones sold by its competitors, Apple made the most money. According to Bloomberg:
Apple appears to have pulled in more revenue than any of its rivals, (…), because of the iPhone’s high price tag, according to Counterpoint’s calculations. The U.S. company took in an estimated $2.09 billion for the quarter, edging aside Samsung with revenue of about $2 billion.
The other reason for investors to be excited - room to grow. Despite estimated year-over-year unit growth of 34% last quarter, Counterpoint figures iPhone’s share of India’s smartphone market is about 5%.
Growth with room to keep growing tends to make investors tingly.
Counterpoint: iPhone Hits Highest Share Yet in Europe
Image via Apple
While iPhone eyes growth in India, it seems to have mounted a comeback in Europe. Apple Insider ran a piece earlier this week citing Counterpoint numbers for that region. According to those, Apple's European smartphone business grew 25% for 2021 versus 2020, building to its highest share at the end of last year.
Averaged across the year, iPhone’s share of the European market was 26%. That’s under the 32% share commanded by Samsung. But, Apple actually ended the year in the lead with a December market share of 33% — “its highest in Europe so far,” according to the piece, and ahead of all others. “Heading in 2022,” Apple Insider says:
…Apple still leads the pack in terms of market share, and Counterpoint expects its upcoming iPhone SE refresh to give the company a mid-season boost later in the year.
We have, of course, not heard anything official about an iPhone SE refresh. Rumors have that launching later this quarter or early next quarter.
Modified “Silent” AirTags On Sale Online
I’ve kind of been annoyed by all of the stories of AirTags being used to stalk people. Not that I don’t think it’s serious for someone it happens to. I do. But the number of stories about it might lead some to think that half the population of the U.S. is being spied on by the other half with Apple’s magic tracker. Then you hear a story like this and wonder whether it’s being covered enough.
Cult of Mac says “silent AirTags” are being sold on Etsy. Yes, your home for stickers, crafts, and the odd knickknack was home to at least one unit that operates in a perpetual “stealth mode.” That’s because the sellers disable AirTag’s speaker, then sell the silent units at a considerably higher price than usual.
I don’t want to knock Etsy. The Cult of Mac piece says such units are available on eBay as well. In fact, one seller on Etsy has had a change of heart and pulled the device from sale there. That seller told PCMag:
The intent of this modification was to cater to the several requests of buyers interested in my other AirTag product who were interested in fitting an AirTag to their bikes, pets and power tools…
While I believe there to be many positive uses for this product, there are some negatives, that I’m now aware of, that can’t be outweighed by any positive. In light of this, I have removed my listing from Etsy.
Gee, ya think? I mean - yeah, I can actually conjure a scenario or two where having a silent one of these would be beneficial to good guys. But if you know about AirTag and are savvy enough to figure out how to disable the speaker, what are the odds that you haven’t heard the stalking stories?
Good that this seller is doing the right thing now. One down. Who knows how many others to go.
Apple Opens Redesigned Yas Mall Store in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Apple Yas Mall Store in Abu Dhabi - Image via Apple
An Apple Store in Abu Dhabi is back in business. The Mac Observer says Apple has revamped its store in that city’s Yas Mall in the UAE. The new digs are nearly twice the size with nearly twice the staff, according to the report, speaking 33 languages and representing 32 nationalities.
The picture makes it look huge and modern, and yet kind of homey. High ceilings. Indoor trees. That giant screen Apple loves so much. All of it wrapped on two sides by a huge glass facade.
On the grand re-opening, Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People, said:
With the opening of the newly expanded Apple Yas Mall, our team is ready to welcome even more of Abu Dhabi’s incredibly diverse and innovative community to this beautiful new space. We look forward to continuing to bring the best of Apple to the UAE, and building on our history in the region.
Glenn Close Joins Apple TV+ Series “Tehran”
Image via Apple Insider
Glenn Close is headed to “Tehran.” The series, not the city. Apple Insider says the Emmy Award winning, Academy Award nominee will join the thriller’s second season. According to the piece, “Tehran’ season 2 continues the story of a Mossad agent (…), who goes deep undercover on a dangerous mission in Tehran.”
Not overly descriptive, but maybe enough to get you interested. If so, you can stream the first season of “Tehran” now on Apple TV+. Season two beings on Friday 6 May.
Apple Promotes “Lincoln’s Dilemma” Ahead of Series Premier
“Lincoln’s Dilemma” - Image via Apple
Apple TV+ is teasing “Lincoln’s Dilemma.” The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Thursday, promoting the docuseries ahead of this month’s premier. Based on the David S. Reynolds book, “Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times,” the release says:
…the series features insights from a diverse range of journalists, educators and Lincoln scholars, as well as rare archival materials that offer a more nuanced look into the man dubbed the Great Emancipator. Set against the background of the Civil War, “Lincoln’s Dilemma” also gives voice to the narratives of enslaved people, shaping a more complete view of an America divided over issues including economy, race and humanity, and underscoring Lincoln’s battle to save the country, no matter the cost.
There’s also a trailer, which - if you’ll forgive me for saying so - is kind of creepy. Remember those apps a while back that would animate pictures of people and give them a 3D-feel? When you do that with Abraham Lincoln, it’s kind of creepy.
That said, the series looks great and I am looking forward to seeing it. We’ll be able to do that in a couple of weeks. All four episodes of “Lincoln’s Dilemma” hit Apple TV+ on Friday 18 February - just ahead of President’s Day. You can catch the preview below.
Apple TV+ Films Nab Five BAFTA Nominations
BAFTA Nominee Mahershala Ali in Swan Song - Image via Apple
No offense to the Producers Guild, the Writers Guild, or the Guild of Gaffers and Best Boys, but we’re headed into the high-end of awards season, it seems. The Mac Observer says nominations are out for this year’s British Academy Film Awards, known as BAFTAs because they’re put on by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
You know, back in the day that had to sound weird. But now, streaming services are getting movie nominations, so who knows? Maybe BAFTA was just ahead of its time.
Of course, we’re talking about them here because three Apple TV+ films have garnered five nominations. CODA has generated three BAFTA nominations, including one for Emilia Jones for Leading Actress, one for Troy Kotsur for Supporting Actor, and one for Siân Heder for Adapted Screenplay. As for the other two, Mahershala Ali has been nominate for his lead role in Swan Song, while Bruno Delbonnel has been nominated for Cinematography on “The Tragedy of Macbeth”.
The British Academy Film Awards will be presented on Sunday 13 March.
Apple Argues Against Open Markets Act Ahead of Senate Consideration
The other bill that could undo the App Store gets batted around today in committee. MacRumors says the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is set to consider the Open Markets Act. That’s the one that, according to a piece last month from 9 to 5 Mac, would mandate that:
Competing app stores would be allowed on iPhones and Android phones
Consumers would choose which app store app to download
Consumers would choose their default apps
Apple and Google would not be allowed to do anything to give their own app stores an advantage
Well, that sounds like sideloading to Apple, and Apple is ag’in’ it. In a letter sent to the committee ahead of today’s consideration, Apple's head of government affairs in the Americas Tim Powderly likened sideloading to the end of days.
But not really. Rather, MacRumors had him arguing:
Sideloading would enable bad actors to evade Apple's privacy and security protections by distributing apps without critical privacy and security checks. These provisions would allow malware, scams and data-exploitation to proliferate.
He also said that Apple is “deeply concerned” that the legislation in its current form would also “make it easier for big social media platforms to avoid the pro-consumer practices of Apple's App Store.”
MacRumors figures the Open Markets Act will get out of committee as easily as the American Innovation and Choice Online Act did last month. How the full Senate will handle it (or whether it even will) is another matter entirely.
Nikkei’s Weird Take on iPad Availability
Image via Apple
Ahead of Apple’s Q1FY2022 earnings call, we all sort of assumed that Apple had sacrificed iPad sales to make sure it had enough iPhones to go around. While Apple CEO Tim Cook did say that there may have been a tiny bit of that happening, the real reason iPad sales slipped last quarter was because of component shortages - specifically not enough legacy nodes. The Japanese business site Nikkei seems to think Cook either doesn’t know what he’s talking about, or is lying. At least, that’s the impression one gets when one sees the headline, “iPad deliveries remain squeezed as Apple prioritizes iPhones.”
What’s funny is, they even quote a guy who indicates it is the component shortage that’s slowing iPad shipments. Wayne Lam, senior director of research at CCS Insight, says:
Since iPads have greater than 8-inch displays, they need a lot of display drivers and unfortunately display drivers are produced at legacy process nodes -- which is at the core of the semiconductor supply crunch…
Also, iPads use LCD displays, while Apple Watch and iPhone use OLED. And guess what LCD displays need. Quoting Lam again:
LCD display drivers are heavily reliant on legacy silicon process nodes to produce… OLED displays tend to require less and use more advanced silicon processors.
Well, he either doesn’t know what he’s talking about or is lying, too. To cope with supply constraints last quarter, Nikkei says Apple:
…began reallocating some shared components from the iPad line to the new iPhone 13 series to ensure smooth production of its flagship product ahead of the holiday season.
Well, if they couldn’t get the parts to produce iPads, why wouldn’t they send some shared… You know what? Never mind. It’s still taking quite a while to get new iPads in many cases. Apple has said it expects that to improve this quarter. For its part, Nikkei does note slight improvement since the beginning of the year.
Apple Encourages Shareholder Votes Ahead of March Meeting
Apple’s socially distanced shareholder meeting is about a month away, and Apple would like shareholders to fall in line. Apple Insider says the Cupertino-company is asking shareholders en masse to vote “no” on a few shareholder proposals. According to the piece, the board recommends voting no on:
A motion “that Apple amend its articles of incorporation to become a Social Purpose corporation.”
“…a shareholder transparency proposal asking for clearer explanations of app removals from the App Store in response to government requests.”
“…the creation of a report detailing how Apple protects workers in its supply chain.”
“…a proposal to create a pay equity report…”
“…a proposal requesting a civil rights and diversity audit of Apple…”
“…and a proposal seeking the preparation of a report on concealment clauses,” which make it difficult to discuss workplace conditions.
It’s not “no, no, no” all the time, though. The piece says it would be cool with Apple if shareholders would green-light the nominated board of directors. It would also be swell if they’d go ahead and approve the nomination of Ernst & Young “as Apple's independent registered accounting firm.”
The meeting is set for one month from tomorrow - Friday 4 March at 9 a.m. Pacific. Shareholders have until the night before - Thursday 3 March at 8:59 p.m. Pacific to cast their votes.
Three Apple TV+ Series to Show at In-Person SXSW
Here’s a surprising sentence: SXSW is going live again this year. As in, “in-person.” A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says:
Following two years of going online only because of COVID-19, the SXSW film festival returns to an in-person event this year, running from March 11 through March 20.
“Point of interest,” you might say, “but why lump that in with Apple news?” Because Apple is going to be there. Well… Apple TV+ is going to be there. The Cupertino-streamer will use the Austin, Texas festival to launch three new series: the Elizabeth Moss thriller “Shining Girls,” the Jared Leto/Anne Hathaway limited series “WeCrashed,” and an untitled docuseries about Magic Johnson.
The WeCrashed festival premier will run right into that series’ streaming premier. It’s set to start on Apple TV+ on 18 March. No word on release dates for the other two series.
Apple TV+ Hits TikTok “Afterparty” Promotion
Apple TV+ is on the Tic Tac. Apple Insider says the Cupertino-streamer has hit the bit-size video platform TikTok “with a marketing campaign to promote ‘The Afterparty.’” According to a description from iDownloadBlog:
“The Afterparty” is a murder-mystery comedy set at a high school reunion afterparty. Each of the eight episodes [features] a retelling of the same night told through a different character’s perspective, each with its own unique visual format and film genre to match the teller’s personality.
The guy who dies is a musician named Xavier, and the TikTok promotion features him. According to Apple Insider:
The now active @appletvplus account on TikTok has begun promoting a #DuetDoWet challenge where TikTok members use the duet feature to fill in blank lyrics in the comedic music video.
At the time the Apple Insider article was written, the #DuetDoWet promoted hashtag had over 85 million views. If I’m reading the app right, that’s now over 602-million views.
In addition to the TikTok move, Apple is using another of its own channels to promote the show. Apple Insider says the company has released an official EP to Apple Music [called R.I.P. Xavier] with songs like ‘Do Wet’ and ‘Imma Live Forever’ for the deceased fictional artist.”
JustWatch: Apple TV+ “Macbeth” Took Third in U.S. Film Streams in January
Image via Apple
The Tragedy of Macbeth appears to be a triumph for Apple. Cult of Mac has new numbers from streaming tracker JustWatch that show the film as the “third most watched movie on all the streaming services in the United States during January.” Two amazing things about that - First, an adaptation of a Shakespearean tragedy beat such recent hits as Dune and Free Guy, and second, it was only available to stream for half the month. Though it saw theatrical release on Christmas, the Joel Coen directed, Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand led film didn’t hit Apple TV+ until 14 January.
Good as bronze is, maybe a sequel to Macbeth would have done better. The two films that beat it were Sing 2 in second, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife in first.
Of course, it’s probably best to put an asterisk by all of this. Cult of Mac points out:
Neither Apple nor any of the other streaming services report viewership for all their shows. But JustWatch runs a video recommendation service so they know what people are looking for. That lets them estimate the popularity of films and series.
Apple Tops Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for 15th Year Running
Pin a rose on Apple. Apple Insider says the Cupertino-company has topped Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” list for the 15th year in a row.
It’s not just a money thing, tough that is where the list starts. According to the piece, Fortune and management consultant firm Korn Ferry start by ranking companies by revenue, including the top 1,000 in the U.S. They then poll over 3,700 analysts, directors, and executives for the 10 companies they admire most.
Put ‘em all together, and what’ve you got? Counting up from ten it’s JPMorgan Chase, Netflix, Starbucks, [Google parent] Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway, Walt Disney, Pfizer, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple at the top of the heap.
As cool as Apple’s 15-years at the top are, Fortune seems even more impressed by Apple’s showing on the list specifically for tech companies. For the 12th time in 13-years, Apple has topped that list as well. According to Fortune:
Our individual industry rankings show the standing each one holds among leaders in its own industry— the folks who compete with it every day… So while Apple's 15- year reign on the All-Stars list is truly remarkable, (…), its presence atop the computer industry ranking, for the 12th time in the past 13 years, suggests that it has simultaneously impressed an even tougher audience.
IDC and Counterpoint: iPhone was Tops Globally in December-Quarter
Image via Apple
2 February 2022 - Since Apple does not say how many of what it sells anymore, one cannot officially say that iPhone crushed it last quarter. I mean, one can say that in terms of revenue, but not it terms of units sold. Not officially. Unofficially though, iPhone crushed it last quarter. That’s according to one set of numbers from IDC and another set from Counterpoint Research, both highlighted by Cult of Mac. IDC had Apple shipping 84.9 million iPhones over the holiday quarter. Counterpoint puts that number at 81.5 million.
While the firms disagree on exact numbers, they do agree on a couple of things. First, they both say iPhone shipments slipped a bit from the same quarter a year earlier. Second, they still came out on top by a whole heck of a lot. Running down the IDC top five:
Apple 84.9 Million 23.4% Share
Samsung 68.9 Million 19.0% Share
Xiaomi 45.0 million 12.4% Share
OPPO 30.1 million 8.3% Share
vivo 28.3 million 7.8% Share
As for the Counterpoint top-five:
Apple 81.5 Million
Samsung 67.2 Million
Xiaomi 45.0 million
OPPO 33.5 million
vivo 29.3 million
For the full year, Counterpoint flips the first and second spots, giving the “units shipped” crown to Samsung for all of 2021. Then again, as Cult of Mac points out, Apple “doesn’t try to compete in some of the product categories its rival does, especially very low-cost handsets.”
IDC: Despite Sales Drop, iPad Owned Q4FY21 Tablet Market
Image via Apple
2 February 2022 - While Apple’s tablet kind of tanked last quarter, even a droopy iPad is enough to win the market. Apple Insider has more numbers from IDC - these covering the tablet space and the December-quarter. The piece has the firm indicating that Apple was still “far in front of other producers in terms of shipments, and its drop in units wasn't as bad as other major vendors.”
According to IDC, Apple shipped 17.5 million iPads in the December-quarter. That was down eight-and-a-half-percent from the 19.1 million shipped in the same quarter a year earlier. Others did worse, with Samsung tablet shipments dropping 21-and-a-half-percent year-over-year, Lenovo dropping 25-and-a-half-percent, and Huawei dropping just under 14%. Props to Amazon for being the only tablet maker tracked by IDC to increase shipments. Theirs were up 1.3% year-over-year.
As for marketshare for tablets in the December-quarter:
Apple 38%
Samsung 15.9%
Lenovo 10%
Amazon 7.9%
Huawei 5.5%
As for the future of the tablet space, IDC is quoted as saying:
Though 2021 was a great year for the tablet market, shipments have begun to decelerate as the market has moved past peak demand across many geographies… However, shipments in the near future will remain above pre-pandemic levels as virtual learning, remote work, and media consumption remain priorities for users.
Apple Adds $25 to Apple Watch Trade-In Values for Heart Month
Image via Apple
Details today on the current Apple Watch trade-in bonus. As part of Apple’s push for heart health during Heart Month, the company said earlier this week that it would offer “extra savings in select countries” for people trading in an older Apple Watch for a new one. Now we know how much and where. It’s an extra $25 or the local equivalent, according to a piece from MacRumors. According to that report:
The $25 Apple Watch trade-in credit is valid until February 28 in the US, Canada, the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UAE. Apple allows customers to trade in Apple Watch models from Series 1 through Series 6, including the Apple Watch SE. More information on Apple's trade-in program can be found on its website.
Apple Releases watchOS 8.4.1 for Apple Series 4 and Later
News of an annoying update for Apple Watch - annoying because we don’t know why we need it. It was less than a week ago that Apple released watchOS 8.4. Focused on bug fixes and security updates, that one was. Now, 9 to 5 Mac says Apple’s out with watchOS 8.4.1, focused on bug fixes, minus the security. A visit to Apple’s security updates page says the update has no published Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures entries. As for what it does do, Apple’s release notes say:
watchOS 8.4.1 includes bug fixes for Apple Watch Series 4 and later. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/HT201222
Kind of a funny joke that, since - as mentioned a moment ago - Apple’s security updates page says the update has no published CVE entries. The update is free. It’s available now for Apple Watch Series 4 or later through the Watch app on an associated iPhone.
Grindr May Have Left Chinese App Stores Over Data Privacy Concerns
Supposition around what the heck happened to Grindr in China. Yesterday we heard that the LGBTQ dating app was out of Apple’s App Store in China, as well as Android app stores run by the likes of Tencent and Huawei. We also heard that it wasn’t the app stores that had pulled the app (at least not in the Apple store’s case), but that Grindr’s parent company had initiated the removals. What we did not hear was why, though at least one site says it has to do with relatively recent laws in China.
Apple Insider cites an Engadget piece that says the issue may be tied to “China's strict new Personal Information Protection Law.” According to the piece:
China passed the Personal Information Protection (PIP), the world's strictest user data protection law in August 2021. The country has since been using the PIP law in a month-long “internet purification” campaign around China's Lunar New Year.
Engadget says that China’s PIP requires “that cross-border data transfers go through China's Cyberspace Administration.” Apple Insider says:
Homosexuality is not illegal in China, but the LBGQT+ community faces continued pressures, including occasional censorship. It's likely that Grindr users would not want their personal data seen by the Chinese authorities, but it isn't clear how much international traffic the dating app had.
So, that’s the latest guess as to why Grindr is gone in China. It seems the only party to have said anything publicly is Apple, having made clear that it was Grindr’s parent company that pulled the app from the App Store, not Apple. Grindr’s parent company has “not publicly commented on the reasons for its removal,” according to the report.
Apple Announces Series Order for “Dear Edward”
Connie Britton and Jason Katims - Image via Apple
News of a new drama for Apple TV+. The streaming service issued a press release Tuesday, announcing a series order for “Dear Edward,” a ten-episode, limited series based on the novel of the same name. According to the release:
“Dear Edward” tells the story of Edward Adler (played by [Colin] O’Brien), a 12-year-old boy who survives a devastating commercial plane crash that kills every other passenger on the flight, including his family. As Edward and a diverse ensemble of others affected by the tragedy try to make sense of life after the crash, unexpected friendships, romances and communities are formed.
The show will serve as a sort of reunion for one of its producers and one of its stars. It’s being written, showrun and executive produced by Jason Katims, who worked on the series “Friday Night Lights.” The show will star Connie Britton, who also starred in “Friday Night Lights.” Taylor Schilling of “Orange is the New Black” will also star. No word in the release on when it might hit the stream.