Submissions Open for Apple’s Third Annual Swift Student Challenge
Image via Apple
06 APRIL 2022 - Kids who want to show what they’ve got headed into WWDC have a way to do it. Apple’s WWDC press release also announced the third annual Swift Student Challenge. “For this year’s challenge,” the release says:
…students from around the world are invited to create a Swift Playgrounds app project on a topic of their choice, and they can submit their work through April 25.
Heads up: the deadline for entry is actually Sunday 24 April at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Additionally, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac says this year’s participants must use Swift Playgrounds 4 to complete their projects. Entries are open now. More info is available on Apple’s site.
New OS Betas Abound for Developers
Image via Apple
06 APRIL 2022 - While new versions of operating systems for everything Apple makes will be at the center of WWDC22, there’s still plenty of life in the current operating systems, and plenty of time to improve them. To that end, Apple Insider ran a couple of stories Tuesday, highlighting the first round of developer betas for the next round of updates. One piece heralded the arrival of the first betas of iOS and iPadOS 15.5, tvOS 15.5, and watchOS 8.6, while the other told of the first beta of macOS Monterey 12.4.
MacRumors Spots New Features in Apple’s Latest Developer Betas
While we don’t know what will make it to the final releases, MacRumors has already found a few interesting points poking around the betas. Outlining some of those:
There are references to “Apple Classical.” That’s believed to be the standalone classical music app for which Apple bought and turned under the streaming service Primephonic last year.
The Apple Pay Cash part of Apple Wallet appears to be adding “Request” and “Send” buttons to make managing cash in Wallet easier.
The “iTunes Pass” in Wallet appears up for a rebrand. Value held for purchases with an Apple ID will apparently be called “Apple Balance.”
The site notes updates to SportsKit, including “TV app mentions for reporting scores for different baseball innings.” Sensible, considering the Major League Baseball play coming to Apple TV+ very soon.
One other important thing to note. If you do the beta thing and you’re using Universal Control, you’re going to need to go all-in on the betas. I saw a headline somewhere that said iPadOS 15.5 “breaks” Universal Control. It sounds, though, like everything else has to be updated as well. The MacRumors piece has Apple saying that:
...Universal Control in the new iPadOS 15.5 and macOS Monterey 12.4 updates is not compatible with machines running macOS 12.3 or iPadOS 15.4, so Apple suggests that as a workaround, users should update their Universal Control devices to the new betas.
Of course, that should only be done on developer machines or spare machines. Apple and others point out that mission critical machines are no place for software that’s not fully baked.
Apple Testing Automatic Billing for Higher Priced Subscriptions
06 APRIL 2022 - News of an App Store test that’ll probably leave developers pleased and subscribers PO’d. 9 to 5 Mac highlights a TechCrunch report that says Apple is piloting tests to let developers “automatically charge users for subscription price increases.” According to the piece:
...Apple’s official developer documentation “states this is not how App Store subscriptions should work. The documentation explains that customers have to manually agree to new prices through the price consent sheet that automatically displays in the developer’s app.”
Maybe the most amazing part of this story - TechCrunch got a response on the news from Apple. An Apple spokesperson told the site:
We are piloting a new commerce feature we plan to launch very soon. The pilot includes developers across various app categories, organization sizes, and regions to help test an upcoming enhancement that we believe will be great for both developers and users, and we’ll have more details to share in the coming weeks…
Looking forward to bringing you news of the class action lawsuits filed six-months to a year after this goes live, assuming it actually goes live.
Apple Pay Goes Live in Moldova
06 APRIL 2022 - Wouldn’t you think the world would stop in Ukraine’s neck of the woods. It has not. A piece from iMore says “Apple now lists Moldova as a supported country in its list of locations that support Apple Pay.” Apple Maps says Moldova is bordered on three-sides by Ukraine - sort of nestled into Ukraine’s southwestern side.
Wouldn’t you think the world would stop…
Moldova’s Victoriabank, Moldindconbank, and Maib have all confirmed their Apple Pay support, according to iMore.
New Import Duties Force AirPods Prices Higher in India
06 APRIL 2022 - The price of AirPods has gone up in India. A piece from MacRumors says the Cupertino-company has raised the price of the entire line for the subcontinent, thanks to new import duties imposed by the India government.
Could be worse. The piece says:
The new import duties mean that headphones and earphones will have a 15% to 20% duty upon import into India, but Apple's AirPods are seemingly being subject to a less severe duty of around 5% and 10% only.
Apple has not adjusted any of its other prices in India, according to the report.
Apple CEO Tim Cook to Keynote Global Privacy Summit
Tim Cook - Image by Ken Ray
06 APRIL 2022 - Talkin’ Tim’s talkin’ again, and travelin’ too, it seems. MacRumors says Apple’s CEO will headline next week's Global Privacy Summit. Hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, the piece says the Summit will be an in person event, held at a secret, undisclosed location.
I’m kidding. It’s a privacy joke. It’s happening in D.C.
Announcing the keynote, the organization said:
Tim Cook is a leading and influential voice for the privacy community, especially as Apple remains a critical player in the broader environment in which the digital economy operates… We look forward to his contributions to the event's powerful dialogue on privacy and trust in the digital economy.
If you’re interested, you can look forward to it as well. Cook’s speech is set for Next Tuesday 12 April at about 9:15 AM Eastern. It’ll be streamed live on YouTube, according to MacRumors.
Apple TV+ Gets “Physical” Again on 3 June
Image via Apple TV+
06 APRIL 2022 - If you’re looking to get “Physical” again, you don’t have long to wait. Apple TV+ issued a press release Tuesday teasing the second season of the series “Physical,” the dark comedy starring and executive produced by Rose Byrne. Describing the sophomore season, Apple says:
Season two finds our hero Sheila Rubin (Byrne) having successfully launched her first fitness video only to encounter some new and bigger obstacles on her path. She is torn between loyalty to her husband (Rory Scovel) and the values he represents, and a dangerous attraction to someone else. And since she’s no longer the only game in town, she finds herself having to outrun some fierce new competitors on the road to building a full-fledged fitness empire.
Episode one of season two premiers Friday 3 June. You can, of course, catch the first season now on Apple TV+.
Loop Capital: iPhone SE Production Drops Because Nobody Likes Small Phones
05 APRIL 2022 - Another financial analyst has gone all gloom-and-doom on smaller form factor iPhones. Seeking Alpha has Loop Capital analyst John Donovan beating up hard on iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, and the very recently released, third-generation iPhone SE. He thinks Apple has cut or is cutting production of its most budget-friendly phone by 20-million units. Donovan’s not the only one to make such claims. Last week, both the Japanese business publication Nikkei and TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported similar, significant cuts to SE production. Donovan doesn’t think iPhone production will be down 20-million, though. He thinks Apple will increase iPhone 13 production by about half that, as folks go for bigger phones.
As for what’s slowing phone sales, Donovan cites the war in Ukraine, “supply chain disruptions, and other usual rationale…” Really though, he just thinks people aren’t into smaller phones. Quoting Seeking Alpha:
Following the “dismal” results of the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini, Donovan believes that Apple (AAPL) has finally realized that smaller iPhones have “limited appeal” and given the wide availability of the iPhone 13, the iPhone SE is unlikely to sell well.
And yet Apple keeps making them. If we assume a major appeal of iPhone SE is its relative affordability, and we agree that inflation and higher fuel prices hurt most the people with least - it may not be as much about whether the phone is popular, but whether the folks at whom it’s aimed can or will afford it right now.
Or maybe Apple keeps making small amounts of small phones because, while the audience may be smaller, its money still spends. Or maybe Apple’s just dumb.
Evercore Analyst Still Stoked for Apple Services Growth
Image via Apple
05 APRIL 2022 - Look for things to look better for the App Store soon. Apple 3.0 has a new note from Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani. According to his note:
App Store revenue growth was 8% in the month of March, which brings the growth rate to 7% for the Mar-qtr. While the rate of growth remains low, it was encouraging to see the growth rate move higher in March after 9 straight months of deceleration.
We’re coming into easier times, though. Remember the phenomenal growth seen by the App Store in 2020? And the warnings about the tough comparisons that that was setting up for 2021? Apple’s coming out of that year of tough App Store comparisons. That should lead to double-digit growth again, according to Daryanani.
But here’s the other thing: While the App Store is still a big deal for Apple’s Services segment, it’s not the end-all-be-all it once was. According to his note:
App Store revenue growth last quarter was ~13%, but growth for the overall services business came in at an impressive 24% (worth noting AAPL has called out Advertising as the top contributor to their services growth for 2 quarters in a row now).
With that in mind, AD-Rock thinks Apple Services can keep delivering “high-teens” growth even if App Store growth stays slow. Mr. Daryanani has an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $210.
Fifth-Gen iPad Air Battery Uses Pull Tabs, Not Glue
Image via Apple
05 APRIL 2022 - The latest iPad Air makes battery replacement easier. That’s the finding of an iFixit tear-down, highlighted by Cult of Mac. “While it’s still difficult to get inside the device,” the piece says, “removing its large battery pack is a simpler task for repairers.” According to the report:
iFixit discovered during its teardown of Cupertino’s latest slate that it now features pull tabs that hold its battery in place. The tabs can be pulled out when necessary, releasing the battery from the shell.
The piece says the old way of holding the battery in place involved a ton of glue. The Cult figures the change will simplify the battery replacement process. “It should also make the new iPad Air more recyclable,” according to the report.
Motorola Solutions Puts CarPlay in Play for Western Australia Police
Image via Motorola Solutions
05 APRIL 2022 - Police in Western Australia have turned to a bit of Apple tech to help them on their way. iMore has Motorola Solutions saying in a press release that it has kitted cop cars in the region with CarPlay.
Wouldn’t you think Motorola or the police would have a specialized solution of their own? First of all, they do. And second, no. The specialized solution they have is an application called OneForce Core. According to iMore:
Motorola Solutions says the new CarPlay integration is the “world's first public safety mobile application to operate within” the iPhone-based entertainment system.
If you’re wondering why they went CarPlay, it seems to have to do with ease of use. The piece has Moto saying:
When public safety professionals require access to vital, life-saving information, it must be as intuitive and frictionless as possible… By leveraging new interactions with familiar technology interfaces such as CarPlay, we remove complexity from the high-stress situations responders face and help them maintain focus on their mission.
Apple Myeongdong Opening Saturday 9 April
Image via Apple
05 APRIL 2022 - Apple’s putting the finishing touches on its largest store in South Korea. Teased by Apple last month, a piece this week from Apple Insider says Apple Myeongdong in Seoul is set to open this Saturday 9 April at 10AM local time. The company updated the location's webpage with that information and other information over the weekend. Information like the anti-coronavirus measures that will be required. “Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” the piece says, “Apple is applying safety procedures to the opening, making in-store activities only available for those who register beforehand.”
Jason Momoa to Co-Write New Series for Apple TV+
Jason Momoa - Image via IMDB
05 APRIL 2022 - Apple TV+ is going for more Momoa. Variety says “See” star Jason Momoa is set to co-write and star in a new series for the Cupertino-streamer. Called “Chief of War,” the piece says the series “follows the story of the unification and colonization of Hawaii from an indigenous point of view.”
Thomas Pa’a Sibbett is Momoa’s co-writer on the series. “Both also serve as executive producers,” according to Variety, along with a host of others. Momoa and Pa’a Sibbett have worked together before, having co-written the story for the upcoming feature “The Last Manhunt.” Momoa was also lead in the feature “Braven,” on which Pa’a Sibbett wrote.
As for the new series, Variety says it’ll mark Momoa’s first writing for television. Apple has green-lit an eight-episode order. No word on when it’ll be seen on the screen.
Harrison Ford to Co-Star in Apple TV+ Series “Shrinking”
Harrison Ford - Image via IMDB
05 APRIL 2022 - Think Harrison Ford is too big for the small screen? Well it is worth noting that TVs have gotten bigger. Also, with the advent of streaming services and the huge money spent by them, television has changed - all of which is a convoluted way of saying Indiana Solo has signed on for a series with Apple TV+. Variety says the old Blade Runner will play a shrink on the Jason Segel-led series “Shrinking.” According to the report:
“Shrinking” follows Jimmy (Segel), a grieving therapist who starts to break the rules and tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge, tumultuous changes to people’s lives, including his own.
Ford is set to play Dr. Phil Rhodes, described in the piece as a “down-to earth, sharp as a tack ‘blue collar shrink,’” and mentor to Segel’s Jimmy. “Fiercely independent,” Variety says Ford’s character:
…has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which forces him out of his comfort zone as he grapples with intrusive friends, his estranged family and his legacy.
It’s Ford’s first regular role on TV, and he’s picked a decent show to start. Segel will serve as a writer on the series, along with Bill Lawrence, co-creator of the Apple TV+ smash “Ted Lasso,” and Brett Goldstein, actor, writer, and co-executive producer on the Apple TV+ smash “Ted Lasso.”
Rachel Zegler to Voice Lead in Apple TV+ Animated Feature Spellbound
Still from Spellbound via Skydance Animation
05 APRIL 2022 - West Side Story’s star Rachel Zegler is headed to Apple TV+. Anyway, her voice is. Deadline says Steven Spielberg’s “Maria” has signed on to voice Princess Ellian, the lead in the Skydance Animation/Apple TV+ animated musical Spellbound. According to the piece:
Ellian is the tenacious princess who must go on a daring quest to save her family and kingdom after a mysterious spell transforms her parents into monsters and threatens to cover [the kingdom] in darkness forever.
Busy year for Zegler. IMDB says Spellbound is expected this November. If so, that’ll hit close to her turn in DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods. IMDB says that’s expected in December. Both precede the live action Snow White she’s doing for Disney. IMDB has that expected sometime in 2023.
If Spellbound does land by year’s end, it’ll be a quick start for the Apple/Skydance partnership. The pair’s first animated feature, Luck, is set to premier on 5 August.
CODA Up for Limited in UK Cinemas
05 APRIL 2022 - CODA’s victory lap is taking it across the pond. iMore says the Apple TV+ film and Oscar winner for Best Picture, is set up for a limited run in UK theaters. I’m sorry, theatres. The piece cites a report from Screen Daily that makes little sense to me personally - partly because it’s an industry site and partly because that industry seems to work differently in the UK. According to the post:
The film will return to cinemas on April 8, and is available to book now. BFI Distribution has taken 46 bookings already with more expected; 32 of these so far are for the April 8 date.
See? Sort of makes sense, but only sort of. One thing that stays constant, the report says, “All screenings will be presented with subtitles for the D/deaf and those experiencing hearing loss.” If you live in the UK and want to see it on the big screen, check your local listings.
Or buy a really big TV.
Good News/Bad News for AAPL from Wall Street
Happy: No Worries Around App Store Moves
04 APRIL 2022 - Which do you want first - the good news or the bad news around Apple shares and Wall Street? Let’s do the good first. It comes from Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring. Apple 3.0 had a look at a note he wrote, wherein he argues that Apple’s recent change regarding “reader” apps won’t mean that big a hit for the Cupertino-company. We heard last week that Apple would start allowing apps that are mostly designed to access books, music, video, and other digital content to link to outside websites for account creation and management. In other words, the Netflix app could have a link to netflix.com to let iPhone users sign up, cutting Apple out of its 30% or 15% commission.
No big deal, says Woodring. Quoting his note:
…the top 10 App Store reader apps make up less than 8% of total App Store revenue (Exhibit 1), while the top 20 account for 10% and top 50 account for 13% of App Store revenue. This suggests that in a worst case scenario where all reader app consumers circumvent App Store payments altogether, which we see as highly unlikely, the impact would be limited to 1-2% of EPS.
And he’s got numbers to back up his doubt in the “worst case scenario.” In a survey run by his firm late last year “only 18% of US consumers and 38% of Chinese consumers” listed themselves as “extremely likely” to go outside the App Store to pay for subscriptions.
As for the dating game going on between Apple and regulators in the Netherlands, between the lack of conclusion in the case and Apple’s plan to charge a 27% commission on sales made outside the App Store instead of the usual 30% - sounds like “sound and fury” to the analyst. Quoting Woodring’s note from late last week:
…we don't believe investors should look at this week's App Store headlines as representing a seismic shift in strategy for Apple, nor do we expect them to have a material impact on App Store take rates…
JP Morgan Stanley Livingston Taylor Swift
So says Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring. Or maybe it was JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee. Apple Insider ran a piece with those exact same numbers and even a couple of duplicate quotes giving Chatterjee the credit. But Apple 3.0 did a cut and paste of Woodring’s note, so… I think Apple Insider did something that I’ve nearly done a million times - confused Morgan Stanley with JP Morgan and wrote up the wrong thing. Where it gets confusing though - while Woodring is a Morgan Stanley analyst, he’s not the one who usually covers Apple for the firm. Normally that’s Katy Huberty. She’s given Apple shares a “Buy” rating and a price target of $210.
Sad: Worries Around Consumer Spending
The bad news for Apple definitely comes from JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee. Really. Barron’s (via Apple News) says the Chatterbox has removed ticker symbol AAPL from his firm’s “Focus List.” That’s not about Apple, though. It’s about, what Barron’s calls, “moderation in consumer spending…” Higher prices for food and fuel might crimp spending on iPhones and AirPods, it seems. That thinking is inline with comments last week from TSMC Chairman Mark Liu, though his concern was centered on “geopolitical uncertainties and new COVID-related lockdowns in China…”
The 20th century had the “roaring 20s.” The 21st gets the “screaming 20s,” when there is always something to freak you the freak out. Quoting Barron’s:
…Chatterjee said the moderation in consumer spending will do two things: It will temper “expectations for upside from the recent iPhone SE launch” and limit the benefit in the Services segment as gaming engagement in China moderates materially both from the pullback in consumer spending and tough comparisons to previous quarters. These reasons led him to remove the stock from the firms’ Analyst Focus List, a designation reserved for what the firm deems attractive purchases.
Not that Apple’s not still attractive to the analyst. Despite consumer spending concerns, Chatterjee maintains a “buy” rating on Apple shares. His 12-month price target on the shares is $210.
Three More MacBook Models Headed for “Obsolete” List
Image by yugo fuchiwaki from Pixabay
04 APRIL 2022 - Pour one out for a few more brushed aluminum homies. MacRumors says three of Apple’s smallest and oldest MacBook models are about to go obsolete. “Vintage,” in Apple parlance, means off the market for more than five-years but less than seven. Those machines are eligible for service and repair, provided anybody has the parts to make the repair. “Obsolete,” on the other hand, means off the market for at least seven-years and ineligible for service or repair from Apple or Apple Authorized Service Providers. Taking the long walk on 30 April 2022:
MacBook Air (11-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2014)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2014)
Fitness+ Adds Post-Pregnancy Workout Series
04 APRIL 2022 - From the people who brought you “Staying Active During Pregnancy,” Engadget has word of a new series of workouts on Apple Fitness+. The new series, cleverly called “Get Back to Fitness After Having a Baby,” is all about getting you back to fitness after you’ve had a baby. You know… if you’re ready for that. Engadget says Fitness+ trainer Betina Gozo makes it clear that “new parents should not feel any pressure to ‘get back to fitness’ on any schedule other than what they're comfortable with,” and that they should definitely get the okay from their healthcare provider before getting seriously active. That said, Gozo’s been there. She was pregnant when she led “Staying Active During Pregnancy.” She’s since had her baby which makes her make sense for “Get Back to Fitness After Having a Baby.”
I was going to say they should do a series of workouts for middle-aged doughy people like me. Then I realized they have that. It’s called Fitness+.
Reports Note Viewership Bumps After CODA’s Oscar Wins
04 APRIL 2022 - You know what people are watching since CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture? Well, that probably spoiled it. Anyway, it’s CODA. Two sources say so. First, our friends at ReelGood have reached out to let me know that that was the most streamed title by their reckoning from Thursday 24 March through Wednesday 30 March. The mind-bending workplace nightmare “Severance” still made the top-ten, though it’s been kicked way down the list. The Adam Scott-led series had positioned itself in second for a few weeks. It’s been pushed down to eighth.
ReelGood’s not the only group noting the effect of CODA’s Best Picture nod. Apple Insider highlights a report from Variety saying that the film “was viewed 300% more in the week after its win, than in the week before.” That is according to - wait for it - a secret someone said to know something about something. Bigger than that, the report has the same source saying “that overall 25% more new viewers joined Apple TV+, again in the week after the win and compared to the week before.”
Now all Apple has to do is keep them.