Apple Outs Spring Line of iPhone Cases and Watch Bands
Image via Apple
The Apple accessory Spring Collection is out. iDownloadBlog says the Cupertino-company hit with new colors for Apple Watch bands and iPhone MagSafe cases. According to the piece:
The new colors are for the [silicone] cases for all iPhone 13 models, including the mini and Pro Max. There is Lemon Zest, Blue Fog, Eucalyptus and Nectarine.
On the watch end of things, new band colors for the the Solo Loop, Braided Solo Loop, Sport Band, and Sport Loop include Nectarine, Lemon Zest, Eucalyptus, Mineral/Bright Green, Starlight and Abyss Blue.
I kind of dig the Lemon Zest. Both the phone cases and the new watch bands are available to order on Apple’s site. They will each run buyers $49.
HomePod mini Headed to Belgium, Holland, and Switzerland by End of March
As had been expected, HomePod mini will have some new places to call home, soon. 9 to 5 Mac says:
After [Tuesday’s] “Peek Performance” event, Apple added the HomePod mini to its stores in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Belgium. It will arrive in these countries by the end of March.
Apple TV+ and MLB Team Up for “Friday Night Baseball”
Image via Apple
An announcement from Apple that could be the start of something big. Early in the “Peek performance” event, the company announced a tie-up with Major League Baseball for “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV+. Apple describes the offering as:
…a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows that will be available to fans in eight countries exclusively on Apple TV+ as soon as the regular season begins.
Interestingly, no location restrictions on the service. Like, if you live in Boston and one of the “Friday Night” games is at Fenway, you still get to see the game on Apple TV+. But wait! There’s more! Apple’s press release says:
…fans in the US will be able to enjoy “MLB Big Inning,” a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season. Baseball fans in the US and Canada will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more, as well as a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.
Apple TV+ subscribers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, the UK, and the US will have access this season. Apple and MLB say programming will expand to other countries in the future.
Apple Shines Bright in Tech’s Current Bear Market
Image by Dave Hostad from Pixabay
You know what sounds fun? A bear market! Could be a shop with bear-themed gifts. Could be a place where bears shop. Could be a market run by bears. Sounds fun!
Of course, in the real world, a bear market refers to a stock market that’s fallen 20%. Use it in a sentence? Sure! “Tech stocks have officially entered a bear market.” That is an example sentence from Barron’s (via Apple News+). According to the report:
Since closing on Nov. 19 at 16,057.44, the Nasdaq Composite has now fallen 20.1%, crossing the 20% threshold that traditionally defines a bear market. It’s the first time the market has taken a hit that hard since the early months of the pandemic in 2020.
The following list is not for those with weak stomachs. According to Barron’s:
Amazon is down 25%
Tesla is down 29%
NVIDIA is down 35%
Meta (aka Facebook) is down 46%
Had enough? Too bad.
“Buy now, pay later” specialist Affirm Holdings is down 75%
Roblox is down a not nice 69%
Shopify is down 67%
Zoom is down 57%
And, I am sad to say, that list goes on.
Kind of beating the tech sector are Google and Microsoft. The former is only down 15%, while the latter is only down 18%. I say “only” because it’s not 20.1%. While there “haven’t been many places for tech investors to hide,” according to Barron’s, there has been safety in Cupertino to this point. According to the site:
Apple has been one of the stock market’s best hiding places, with a decline of less than 1% since the market top. An aggressive purchaser of its own shares, Apple is seen as a refuge, protected by both ongoing strong demand for the company’s flagship product, the iPhone, and a sterling balance sheet.
Wedbush Expects Big Things from iPhone SE Update
Image via TipRanks
Perhaps serving as more bear repellant for Apple investors - whatever Apple has planned for today. Like just about every Apple watcher, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives expects Apple to announce an updated iPhone SE during today’s “Peek performance” event. And he thinks it could be huge for the company. Apple 3.0 ran part of a note he wrote. According to that:
The highlight of the virtual event this week will be the iPhone SE starting likely at $399 price points with a new A15 Bionic chip and 5G capability. We do not expect major hardware design changes, as the Apple chip upgrade and 5G will be the headline of the event to further catalyze upgrades during this massive iPhone 13 led product cycle.
And when he says “catalyze,” boy does he mean it. Quoting his note again:
We estimate this new iPhone SE can translate into 30 million+ incremental units over the next year as globally there is pent up demand for this next SE based on recent supply chain checks. For the low price point and new specs/speed with multiple storage capabilities (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB), we believe the value proposition for consumers is a “standout” relative to competitors and could translate into some further Android share gains…
Well, that would make it a catalytic converter. Despite uncertainty in the markets, driven largely by brutality in Ukraine, Ives says he and his “believe Apple is a safety tech name to own during this market storm.” Quoting his note one more time:
We view Apple as both a Rock of Gibraltar defensive tech name as well as the best 5G tech play in the market with a massive product cycle that is gaining more steam along with its valuable services business which is being undervalued by the Street in our opinion.
Mr. Ives has an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $200.
Malala Yousafzai hits Time to Walk for International Women’s Day
Sometime today (Tuesday 8 March) between the “oooing” and “ahhhing” over Apple’s new hardware, Apple Watch would like a few minutes of your time. It is International Women’s Day, and there is an Apple Watch Activity Challenge dedicated to it. Do “any workout for 20 minutes or more. Record your time with the Workout app or any app that adds workouts to Health,” and get pretend stickers and a pretend medal!
In addition to the challenge, Apple Watch is bringing along an impressive woman with whom to walk. iDownloadBlog says the latest edition of the Fitness+ offering “Time to Walk” is available, featuring activist Malala Yousafzai. Describing the episode, Apple says:
Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize and an advocate for girls’ right to education in her native country of Pakistan and around the world. She became a target for speaking out and was nearly assassinated at age 15. Malala talks about how a great friend can make you feel at home anywhere in the world and what fuels her activism.
Apple Suspends App Store Search Ads in Russia
This took a few days more than one might have expected, but Apple Insider says, “Apple has suspended App Store Search Ads in Russia.” You know… like Google and Snapchat did a few days ago. Still, points for doing what they’ve done. The piece says the Cupertino-company’s Search Ads crew informed developers yesterday. In an email to affected parties, Apple said:
All Apple Search Ads campaigns running on the App Store in Russia have been placed on hold, and no new campaigns will be eligible to run on the App Store in Russia for the duration of the suspension… For the duration of Apple's suspension, users in Russia will no longer see ads for other App Store apps in their search results, and no campaign can be launched in the Russian App Store.
Apple TV+ Lands on Comcast Xfinity Platforms
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
You might think of Apple TV+ as something for the cord-cutters. It’s also a thing for those still attached. Engadget says the Cupertino-streamer is now available on or through the Comcast Xfinity platforms, including “Xfinity X1 set-top, XClass TVs and the Xfinity Flex streaming service.”
While available via cable, it’s still an over-the-top service. It does come with a fairly significant free trial, though. Engadget says “Xfinity users new to Apple TV+ can get a three-month free trial if they sign up by April 25th.”
While the service is already available through Apple hardware, game consoles, and other media players, the Engadget piece says:
…the Xfinity launch might help Apple cover the “last mile” of potential viewers who either won't buy separate hardware or are simply unaware of services that aren't available through their cable hardware.
CODA’s Kostur Wins Film Independent Sprit Award
Troy Kotsur - Image via IMDB
Congratulations, once again, to CODA’s Troy Kotsur. Apple Insider cites a Deadline report that has him following up wins at the Hollywood Critics Association Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards with a win at the Film Independent Sprit Awards. Kotsur picked up trophies at all three for best supporting actor.
Turns out there was another that I’d either missed or forgotten about - the awards season is so long. Another piece from Apple Insider says both CODA’s lead, Emilia Jones, and Kotsur won acting awards at last November’s Gotham Awards - Jones for Breakthrough Performer and Kotsur for Outstanding Supporting Performance.
Kotsur has expressed hope that CODA’s success (and his own) will lead to more parts for Deaf actors and “more inclusion to more diverse groups.” In the meantime, he’s got at least one more award ceremony to look forward to. He’s been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The film’s writer and director, Siân Heder, has also been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film itself has also been nominated for Best Picture.
Report: “Ted Lasso” Season Three in Production
Image via Apple
And finally today, what could be the final season of “Ted Lasso” is in production. 9 to 5 Mac cites a feature from Parade that says the show went back before the camera on Sunday 6 March.
Hearing that production has started is kind of bittersweet. On the one hand, more time with AFC Richmond is more than welcome. On the other, the show was originally conceived with a three season arc. While Bill Lawrence, one of the show’s creators, has acknowledged that, he’s also said he doesn’t “think anything is closed off…”
No point in missing it before it’s gone, of course. Speculation has the third season of “Ted Lasso” hitting in late summer or early fall. Seasons one and two are available now on Apple TV+.
As if you did not know that.
Apple Sets Mid-April for Return to Office
The other shoe has dropped in Cupertino. After reports last week of Google calling employees back to the office and Twitter opening its offices (though not forcing folks to return), Apple has decided it’s time for employees to head back to the Park, albeit slowly.
A piece from Engadget says Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an email to Apple workers on Friday, offering encouraging words and laying out a schedule. On the encouragement side, the CEO said:
In the coming weeks and months, we have an opportunity to combine the best of what we have learned about working remotely with the irreplaceable benefits of in-person collaboration… It is as important as ever that we support each other through this transition, through the challenges we face as a team and around the world.
As for when who has to be where, the piece says employees need to be back at their desks at least one day a week beginning the week of 11 April. That needs to be up to two days a week by the week of 2 May. By 23 May, the piece says, “they'll have to work from the office at least on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays amid a shift to a hybrid work model.”
Apple Posts Donation Links for Relief Efforts in Ukraine
Since Apple’s move from the iTunes Store model to separate apps for various services, plus an emphasis on subscription services like Apple Music and Apple Arcade, I’ve often wondered how charitable giving from Apple customers has been affected. In the past, news of earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis would be followed quickly by news of links to donate to associated relief efforts through the iTMS.
If the cause is big enough it seems, such efforts return. A piece from MacRumors says:
Apple is making it easier for customers to donate to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine through UNICEF by adding a banner on top of its website that directs users to an iTunes page that allows them to donate up to $200 using their Apple ID payment method.
Maybe MacRumors was just on it early, or maybe the site didn’t check, but the banner at the top of apple.com is all over the Cupertino-company’s services. I spotted banners on the App Store, the Mac App Store, in the Apple TV app, on Apple News+, and on Apple Music. Each links to a page in the Music app on a given device that says:
Support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
Click/Tap the amount you wish to contribute, then click Donate and Apple will transfer 100% of your contribution to UNICEF USA in support of families affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
Denominations available include $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, and $200. Apple helping customers donate goes hand-in-hand with the help Apple is giving its own employees. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook messaged employees, addressing the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Among the messages, that Apple had stopped sales of its hardware in Russia in response to its attack on Ukraine, and that Apple would be doubling donations made by employees to eligible organizations aiding in humanitarian relief efforts.
Businesses Suspend Russian Operations in Face of Attack on Ukraine
While Apple has stopped sales of its hardware in Russia, it is far from the only entity suspending operations in protest of the country’s aggression. In addition to Apple, a piece from CNET lists a number of companies that have curtailed or cut off business with Russia and Belarus, which has aided in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Companies listed by CNET include the automakers BMW, Ford, GM and Honda, Disney, Electronic Arts, Google (the search part still works, though ad sales have been stopped), Intel, Microsoft, Netflix (started with a limiting of services before suspending business entirely, according to a piece from Engadget), Nintendo, Paramount, Samsung, Snapchat (the app is live but ad sales in Belarus and Russia ore off), Sony (new film releases are canceled, though - at least over the weekend - PlayStation sales were still live), Universal, and Warner Brothers.
Additionally, a piece from Engadget says TikTok has suspended new video uploads and livestreaming in Russia. The piece says that that’s in response to Russia's “recently enacted ‘fake news’ law, which threatens up to 15 years in jail for individuals accused of spreading ‘misinformation’ about [its] military and or government.” Meanwhile, another piece from Engadget says Activision Blizzard and Epic paused game sales in Russia, though it’s unclear whether the in-game purchases that power Fortnite continue.
And finally (though not finally, I’m sure), moves from Airbnb are both impressive and convoluted. According to CNET:
The room-rental service [Airbnb] has suspended all operations in Russia and Belarus and has said its nonprofit subsidiary will offer free temporary housing to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. It's also waived host and guest fees for bookings in Ukraine, as people worldwide use Airbnb as a way to provide income directly to Ukrainians by, as The Guardian put it, “paying but not staying.”
VPN Downloads Spike in Russia as Internet Censorship Increases
Image via Apple’s Site for Russia
A little over a week ago, the deputy prime-minister of Ukraine called on Apple to close the App Store in Russia. The stated thinking was that such an action might get younger and more connected Russians to lean on the government to end the Ukraine invasion. Today, a story to support Apple’s decision to leave the App Store open. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says Russian citizens are snapping up VPN apps. This as internet censorship in Russia ramps up. “As reported by analyst firm AppFigures,” says the report:
…the number of VPN app downloads in Russia has grown considerably since the conflict began on February 24. As of Tuesday, the most popular VPN apps have seen an increase of over 1,200% in the number of downloads in both the App Store and Google Play in Russia.
Gearing Up for “Peek Performance”
Ming-Chi Kuo Expects 5G iPhone SE3 as Part of Apple’s “Peek Performance”
More signs of a 5G iPhone SE3 during Tuesday’s “Peek Performance” event. Apple sent out announcements mid-week last week, confirming a long-rumored product event for Tuesday 8 March. Products anticipated/expected include something new for the Mac line, an updated iPad Air, and the aforementioned iPhone SE update. Now, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is fanning the flame on that last one. MacRumors had Young MC hitting Twitter on Friday. Offering “Some predictions for the coming new iPhone SE,” the Tweet calls for:
1. Mass production in Mar'22.
2. Estimated shipments of 25-30 mn units in 2022.
3. Storage: 64/128/256GB.
4. A15 & 5G support (mmW & Sub-6 GHz).
5. Casing: white, black, and red.
6. Similar form factor design to current SE.
The 256GB option would be new, according to MacRumors, as would 5G support (obviously). The piece points out that “camera upgrades are noticeably absent from Kuo's expectations.” Then again, just because he didn’t say something doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Mark Gurman Floats New Display and M2 Possibilities During Apple’s “Peek Performance"
Speaking of maybes, how about a new one for the Mac side. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has one from his Power On newsletter. Well… he hints that there might be one. Citing a secret so-and-so, Gurman says he’s heard:
…that Apple has been testing multiple Macs with a new chip in recent weeks that includes an eight-core CPU (four efficiency cores and four high-performance cores) and 10 GPU cores. Those are exactly the specifications of the M2 chip I detailed last year.
Apple has been testing this new chip on machines running macOS 12.3 (which should be released in the next week or two and run on the new Macs) and a future macOS 12.4…
He’s not saying there will be an M2 processor announced tomorrow, but he does seem to be leaving the door open. If you’re hung up on the event announcement’s play on words, Gurman has thoughts on that, too. Featured prominently on the announcement are the words “Peek performance.” While that term spoken would sound like speaking of the height of performance, the spelling “P-E-E-K” implies getting a short look or first look at something we haven’t seen before. The way Gurman sees it, that could refer to “a preview of the long-in-the-works iMac Pro or Mac Pro with variations of the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips…” It could also refer to a “next-generation external display” that he’s heard Apple actually wrapped work on “months ago.”
One More Sleep
Apple’s first big event of the year is only a day away. The Cupertino-crew goes into “Peek performance” on Tuesday 8 March at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern. The event will be streamed on Apple’s events site. It’ll also be streamed on YouTube. It should be made available as a podcast later in the day. We’ll do highlights and reaction right here on Wednesday.
Apple Shareholders Approve Tim Cook’s Pay, Buck Board on Third-Party Civil Rights Audits
Tim Cook at the Apple Tower Theatre grand opening - Image: Ken Ray
Apple didn’t get everything it wanted from last Friday’s shareholders meeting, though Tim Cook’s getting paid, yo. Apple Insider says despite the protests from an advisory group and an oil fund that owns one-percent of the planet (and that is only a slight exaggeration), shareholders voted “in favor of Apple CEO Tim Cook's $99 million compensation package,” per the advice of Apple’s board of directors.
As mentioned before, the board got almost everything it wanted, with one glaring exception. According to the report:
Apple shareholders have approved a proposal urging the company to carry out a third-party civil rights audit contrary to what the board wanted…
The piece says the proposal:
…claims that a civil rights audit could flag concerns raised by Apple employees, and help the iPhone maker “identify, remedy, and avoid adverse impacts on its stakeholders.”
Apple’s board had argued against the proposal, saying:
We believe our current framework for the implementation and oversight of our human rights commitments is more effective than the broad and unfocused audit requested by the proposal…
Apple Insider says:
The approval of the proposal marks the first time in Apple's recent history that shareholders have voted for a shareholder-issued proposal. Other shareholder proposals, including ones aimed at increasing supply chain transparency and addressing gender and racial pay gaps, failed during the meeting.
Apple TV+ Extends Overall Deal with Jonathan Tropper
Jonathan Tropper - Image via YouTube
Apple TV+ has lengthened its deal with multifaceted creative Jonathan Tropper. Deadline says the second-season EP and showrunner for the dystopian series “See” has extended his overall deal for another three years. That’ll see him continue his work on “See,” as well as developing TV projects exclusively for Apple’s streaming service.
TV, not movies, which he also has a hand in. He wrote the screenplay for The Adam Project. The Ryan Reynolds/Zoe Saldana/Mark Ruffalo/Jennifer Garner film, directed by Shawn Levy, hits Netflix this Friday. He also wrote the screenplay for the films Kodachrome and The Is Where I Leave You. That last one was based on - hey, what do you know - based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Jonathan Tropper. It’s one of Tropper’s “six bestselling novels that have been translated into over 30 languages,” according to Deadline.
Apple TV+ Renews “Acapulco” for Second Season
Image via Apple
Apple TV+ is headed back to Mexico. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Friday, saying it has ordered a sophomore season for the bilingual comedy “Acapulco.” According to the company:
“Acapulco" tells the story of twenty-something Máximo Gallardo (Enrique Arrizon), whose dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime as a cabana boy at the hottest resort in Acapulco. Season two picks up right on the heels of season one.
The release says more but I will not, because - spoilers.
The series spans a few decades. It has a modern-day Máximo (Eugenio Derbez) telling the story of his younger days at the Acapulco resort in the mid-1980s.
While there’s no word on when season two will debut, the whole of season one is available to stream now on Apple TV+. You can also catch a trailer, go behind the scenes, and check out an interview with both of the show’s Máximos below.
The COVID Chronicles: Tech Starts to Relax
Bloomberg: Some Apple Stores Going “Masking Optional” for Employees
It looks like masking for Apple employees will soon be left up to the employees themselves. MacRumors highlights a Bloomberg report saying:
Apple is planning to drop its mask requirements for retail and corporate employees in the United States due to a decline in Covid-19 cases and a relaxation of local mandates…
Local conditions trump all, of course. The piece says masks were already optional for vaccinated office workers, assuming local indoor mask mandates had ended. Now, that’s spreading to stores. MacRumors says a “small number” of Apple Retail locations have heard that masks will be optional for their store starting today. That’s expected to expand to more locations, as more regions drop their mask mandates.
Despite the relaxed rules, Apple still thinks masking up is the best idea. “Though masks are optional for customers and employees in many locations,” MacRumors says, “Apple is still recommending mask usage and providing masks upon request.”
“Today at Apple” Heads Back to Apple
Image via Apple
Perhaps a stronger indication that Apple thinks the country’s turned a COVID corner - the company is once again hosting “Today at Apple” sessions at Apple Stores in the U.S. In a press release on Thursday, the Cupertino-company said:
Beginning [Monday] March 7, Apple Store locations around the country will resume in-person Today at Apple sessions for the first time since the start of the pandemic…
Quoted on the comeback was Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior VP of Retail + People. She’s said to have said:
We can’t wait to welcome more of our communities back to our stores to experience Today at Apple, led by our incredible Apple Creatives… We’ve missed experiencing this connection in our stores, and we’re so happy that Today at Apple is back in person.
Monday’s sessions kick off an in-store celebration of Women’s History Month. The session featured in the press release invites music fans and creators to remix the Lady Gaga track “Free Woman” with Live Loops, Remix FX, and other tools featured in GarageBand.
Twitter Reopening Offices on 15 March
Another tech titan is opening its offices to employees, though it’s not forcing them through the doors. Engadget says, “Twitter will resume business travel and open up its offices all around the world on March 15th…” Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal made that announcement Thursday on Facebook.
I’m kidding. He did, of course, do that in a Tweet.
Twitter offices in New York and San Francisco have been open since last fall, according to the report. While more will open week after next, most workers don’t have to return to them if they don’t want to do so. According to Engadget:
…unlike many companies who are returning to in-person operations, Twitter is not requiring employees to come back. Early into the pandemic, Twitter granted employees the option of working from home indefinitely.
Meanwhile, in Cupertino…
Twitter’s reopening its doors. Google’s reopening its doors (in a less optional way). And Apple folks are still left wondering. “At the current time,” says MacRumors:
…Apple has not yet informed corporate employees of when they might be required to return to the office, but with mask mandates dropping and Google bringing workers back in April, we could hear an update from Apple in the near future.
Apple Maps and Weather Apps Move Crimea Back to Ukraine
A weird sort of stand by Apple against Russia. Kind of. The Mac Observer says Apple’s Maps app and Apple’s Weather app now list Crimea as part of Ukraine. The piece reminds readers that Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. According to a piece from Mashable, until this week’s change, Crimea was not listed as part of any country in either app.
Here’s the annoying part: This might not be true in Russia. According to The Mac Observer:
In 2019 the Russian State Duma requested that Apple display Crimea as part of its country, and Apple complied. At the time, when viewed from inside Russia, Crimea was shown as Russian territory in Apple Maps and Weather.
But not outside. Outside, it was no-man’s land. Outside Russia now, Crimea is part of Ukraine. What the region looks like inside Russia on Maps and Weather is currently unclear.