Apple Reduces Max Trade-In Values on Macs, iPas, and Apple Watches
06 MAY 2022 - Apple has lowered the maximum trade-in values on things it’ll let you trade in - iPhones not included. A piece from MacRumors says the ceiling has been lowered on various models of the Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch. Some changes aren’t that bad: The max trade-in value on a run of the mill iPad has dropped $10, from $200 to $190. Others are more significant: The max trade-in value on a Mac Pro has dropped $720, from $2,720 to a still respectable but not as respectable $2,000.
They’ve also pulled Apple Watch Series 2 off the trade-in list, for what it’s worth. What it’s worth is apparently “nothing” as far as Apple’s concerned.
Apple Offers Settlement in NY/NJ iPhone 4S Suit
iPhone 4S - Image via eBay
06 MAY 2022 - A piece from The Mac Observer says:
A six-year-long class-action suit against Apple [regarding] the iPhone 4S is finally being settled. The lawsuit accused the company of knowingly slowing down the device after a iOS 9 update in 2015.
The original suit covered iPhone 4S owners in New York and New Jersey. Apple has set aside $20 million to make the whole thing go away. According to the report:
Users that believe they are eligible for [a payout] must, “submit a declaration under the penalty of perjury that, to the best of their knowledge, they downloaded iOS 9, or any version, thereof, onto their iPhone 4S… their iPhone 4S experienced a significant decline in performance as a result, are entitled to a payment of $15 per applicable device”.
You know, given the time it’s going to take do all of that, it probably isn’t worth the $15. I wonder if anybody thought of that…
Report: Apple Plans to Remove Steel Fencing Around Portland, OR Store
Apple Pioneer Place (Steel Fencing Not Included) - Image via Apple
06 MAY 2022 - Apple’s Pioneer Place store in Portland, Oregon appears to be up for a friendlier look. Apple Insider highlights a report from Oregon Live that says the company plans to remove the steel fencing that’s fronted the location for over a year. According to Apple Insider:
The [location] has been protected by a steel fence since February 2021. At that point, it had been closed for nine months, in part because of the coronavirus lockdown.
However, the store had also been looted and vandalized after the George Floyd riots in May 2020.
All of that and a fire as well, though the store stayed open after that. Here’s the thing: The store is surrounded on three side by glass, which - it has been proven - is breakable. Apple has a plan, though: a transparent polycarbonate enclosure. That would “ be placed around 30 inches out from the existing glass facade,” according to the report.
Report: “Prince of Tides” Series in the Works for Apple TV+
06 MAY 2022 - From the streamer that brought you one series that’d already been a movie, another series that’s already been a movie. The Hollywood Reporter says Apple TV+ is working on a series version of The Prince of Tides. That’s the 1986 Pat Conroy novel that was made into a movie in 1991 that was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won none.
The script for the movie was written by Conroy and Becky Johnson. Tate Taylor is attached to write the series. His biggest work has been as a director, helming such films as The Help, Get on Up, and The Girl on the Train.
The production is said to be after a lot of A-list talent, though exactly who has not be said. Barring incident, production is expected to start this summer.
Aisha Tyler Takes Part in Apple TV+ Title “The Last Thing He Told Me”
Aisha Tyler - Image via IMDB
06 MAY 2022 - Add another big name to the call sheet for “The Last Thing He Told Me.” Deadline says Aisha Tyler is joining the cast of the Apple TV+ limited series. “Based on the book of the same name,” the piece says “The Last Thing He Told Me” tells the story of Hannah (played by Jennifer Garner), “a woman who forms an unexpected relationship with her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter (…) while searching for the truth about why her husband (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has mysteriously disappeared.”
Best known for her work in “Fear the Walking Dead” and as the voice of Lana in the animated-for-grown-ups series “Archer,” Tyler will play Hannah’s best friend Jules. No word on when the series will make its limited run.
Kinky, Thy Name is Supply Chain
Foxconn Cancels Zhengzhou Hiring Spree as New COVID Lockdown Imposed
05 MAY 2022 - Well that was fast. Yesterday, we heard that Foxconn’s “iPhone City” plant in Zhengzhou was in the midst of a hiring spree, something not anticipated for the location until late June or early July. No one seriously thought they were building the next round of iPhones yet. Instead, speculation had Foxconn either hiring more folks to keep up with current iPhone demand, or maybe getting people into the factory’s “closed loop” ahead of the seemingly inevitable next round of COVID closures.
Turns out that start was a little too late. The Mac Observer cites a report from the South China Morning Post, saying Apple’s manufacturing partner has had to stop the hiring push, with new COVID-19 lockdowns hitting Zhengzhou.
I said, “No one seriously thought they were building the next round of iPhones yet.” That does not stop people from worrying about the next round of iPhones. Both the South China Morning Post and DigiTimes say the new lockdown, set to end next Tuesday, could cause trouble for iPhone 14 production. Hard to know whether they actually think so or just like the clicks. Whatever the case, the early massive hiring is off for the time being.
Report: Apple Benches iPhone Display Manufacturer BOE
If iPhone 14 does end up delayed, it’s probably going to be impossible to tell what caused it. Shortages tied to legacy nodes? Myriad COVID closures? The trouble BOE has gotten into with Apple? Could be that, because it has gotten into more.
BOE makes iPhone displays for Apple, or did until a couple of weeks ago. Toward the end of April we heard word that the company was having trouble with display production. That was due in part to a lack of display drivers, along with problems producing panels with the chips it had on hand. Originally expected to produce 40-million iPhone displays for Apple, that expectation was lowered to 30-million, then it was left kind questionable.
It won’t be 30-million. MacRumors highlights a report from The Elec, saying, “Apple has virtually cut Chinese display manufacturer BOE out of the iPhone 13’s supply chain after discovering design changes to its OLED panels…” The piece goes on to say:
…BOE reportedly changed the design of its OLED panels by expanding the circuit width of thin-film transistors. The Elec claims that when Apple discovered the change, it told BOE to halt production.
That said, the piece expresses doubt that BOE is permanently benched. Keeping them in the loop keeps pressure on iPhone’s primary display manufacturers Samsung and LG. For now though, another kink in the supply chain.
Canalys: Apple Tops in Tabluters
05 MAY 2022 - Here’s a sort of silly story making the rounds again: A new report from Canalys says Apple is the world’s No. 1 computer-maker, if you count tablets as computers, which they technically are but almost no one does.
Why do that? If you’ll allow me, I can see a day where we don’t even think about computers as physical things anymore. A day where we think in terms of thinking. Of communication. Where what we’re talking to - tablet, laptop, smartphone, unseen server, wearable of some sort - won’t matter as much as what it’s doing for us.
That is not the world we live in today. And yet, Canalys says “Apple is the number one computer maker,” then people read the article and go, “oh, okay, that’s cute.”
I’m just saying you could talk about the fact that the tablet category is still beating pre-pandemic levels and Apple still owns it. You could focus on the fact that, despite Apple not having nearly enough to meet demand, iPad won the first-quarter of 2022 walking away. Though their shipments did decline 2% year-over-year (while global tablet shipments fell 3%), iPad’s marketshare actually grew - from 38.2% in the first quarter of last year to 38.6% last quarter. By Canalys’ own estimates, Apple shipped 14.9-million iPads last quarter - nearly double the 7.9-million shipped by second place Samsung.
Indications from Canalys are that the tablet market is in for a rougher time of it this quarter. A few factors will contribute, including off-and-on COVID lockdowns in China, continuing component shortages, and manufacturers pulling sales out of Russia because Russia barged into Ukraine.
Custom Mac Studio Orders Slip Mid-Summer
Mac Studio in Use - Image via Apple
05 MAY 2022 - News of another Mac that’s getting harder to get. Last week we heard word that some people who’d ordered MacBook Pros with customizations as far back as February were seeing their orders pushed out to June. Now, Apple’s second biggest computer says, “hold my beer.” According to a piece from Cult of Mac, Apple’s Mac Studio seems to be “caught by the same assembly delays that are affecting MacBook Pro.” Quoting the report:
There’s no version of the Mac Studio available from Apple’s online store in less than a week. And the only configurations that ship so quickly are the ones with the base model M1 Max processor, 512GB of storage, and either 32GB or 64GB of RAM.
Increase the storage capacity to 1TB or more and the delivery window slips to between June 23 and June 30. The same is true if a faster version of the M1 Max is picked.
Go for an M1 Ultra and the soonest you might get your machine is somewhere between 24 June and 11 July. That’s for a model with 64GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and the base model M1 Ultra. Up anything on any of that, and the best Apple will give for a delivery window is 10 to 12 weeks.
My refurbished Mac mini is doing great, by the way. I know it’s not the same thing, but… I thought I’d tell ya.
Apple's 3-Meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro Cable Up for Sale
Image via Apple
05 MAY 2022 - You may not be able to get the Mac you want, but you can get a relatively long, super expensive cable to plug into it. iMore says “Apple is now selling a 3-meter Thunderbolt 4 Pro cable on its website for the first time…” The piece says the cord was “promised when the Studio Display went on sale.” It is now available - for $159.
That is more than an Apple Pencil.
For a cord.
Cool.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Allison Janney Headed to Apple TV+ Shows
05 MAY 2022 - News of two big names headed to two upcoming shows for Apple TV+. Both stories come compliments of Variety. The first has “Game of Thrones” own Nikolaj Coster-Waldau joining the Jennifer Garner series “The Last Thing He told Me.” The second has “The West Wing’s” Allison Janney joining Kristen Wiig in the series “Mrs. American Pie.”
For “The Last Thing He Told Me,” Variety says:
The show follows Hannah (Garner), a woman who forms an unexpected relationship with her sixteen-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (…) while searching for the truth about why her husband has mysteriously disappeared. Coster-Waldau will star as Owen, Hannah’s husband.
Who has disappeared? It’s probably artsy.
As for “Mrs. American Pie,” Variety says Janney will play Evelyn:
…a full-time Palm Beach resident and member of the high society that Maxine Simmons (Wiig) attempts to secure her place in. Set in the powder keg era of the early ‘70s, the series will follow Maxine… [As] she navigates the line between the haves and the have-nots, the series focuses on questions of who gets a seat at the table and what people will sacrifice to get there.
No word on when either show will make the screen.
iJustine Goes Behind the Scenes with Apple Fitness+
05 MAY 2022 - Wanna go behind the scenes with Apple Fitness+? Well you can’t, but iJustine did - and luckily, she brought a camera. The Mac Observer says the content creator got a tour of the Apple Fitness+ studio in Santa Monica, as well as interviews with Apple Fitness exec Jay Blahnik and some of the Apple Fitness+ trainers. You can catch the video now below.
Make Star Wars Noises with GarageBand
Image via Apple
05 MAY 2022 - If you’ve ever watched a movie or TV show set in the Star Wars universe and wondered how the noises were made, Apple will teach you to do it in GarageBand. On the heels of the Star Wars-centric “Behind the Mac” dedicated to Skywalker Sound’s use of Apple computers, the company has announced a virtual “Today at Apple” session, scheduled for Monday 9 May.
It promises to be a jam packed hour, including an interview with Skywalker Sound’s Leff Lefferts, a viewing of the “Behind the Mac” episode, and - a piece from The Mac Observer says, “a GarageBand tutorial on creating vocal effects for a character.”
The session is set for 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT time next Monday. Though attendees won’t need to go anywhere, registration is required. If you’re not planning on hitting the session but want to see the “Behind the Mac” episode, it is available now below.
Report: Foxconn Ramping Up Hiring For Zhengzhou’s “iPhone City”
04 MAY 2022 - A bit of news that is both strange and interesting, if true. The Mac Observer cites a report from Taiwan’s UDN that says Foxconn’s “iPhone City” factory in Zhengzhou has started a recruitment drive. What’s strange is the timing. UDN says Foxconn hiring drives like the one underway usually begin around the middle of June or the start of July. Another strange thing, Foxconn’s paying more than usual to attract the employees. They generally pay workers a bonus of ~US$980 if they stay with the company for 90 days. The current drive has the manufacturer playing closer to US$1,300.
The report does not see early work on iPhone 14 as a driving force for the hiring drive. Strengthening its workforce to keep up with continued strong demand for iPhone 13 is seen by the piece as more likely. It’s also possible that Apple has asked Foxconn to bring employees into its “closed loop” early so that, should the region be hit with more COVID closures, new product releases will be less affected.
Whatever the case, the story is strange and interesting.
Wedbush Still Wedbullish on Apple Despite Tech Sector Trouncing
Image via TipRanks
04 MAY 2022 - Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives is out with a new note, letting people know what to hold and what to fold in these manic macro times. Guess which category Apple’s in. Apple 3.0 ran part of the note he wrote. Quoting part of the part:
The magnitude and velocity of the sell-off in tech names have surprised us this year as fears of a recession and no more easy Fed-driven money has caused multiples to fall off a cliff in tech stocks with so much pain inflicted on the bulls. As we have discussed, been there and done that; seeing so many times that tech names rolled over hard and the skeptics said the clock struck midnight for tech and it was time for the bulls to say goodnight. We could NOT disagree more as we remain steadfastly bullish on the tech sector during this market storm.
Not that everything is going to be fine. His note goes on to say:
We continue to view this bifurcated tech tape will be driven higher by software, semis, cyber security, and product-driven names (Apple) as part of this digital transformation, while the [Work from Home] poster children such as Netflix, Zoom, DocuSign, etc. will continue to see multiples compress as results soften off pandemic highs.
“…top picks in the tech sector remain Microsoft and Apple,” for Wedbush ’n’ Friends. Ives has an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $200.
Morgan Stanley Likes the Worldwide View of Apple’s App Store
04 MAY 2022 - While Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives is turned on by Apple products, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty is stoked over what she’s seeing in the App Store. Apple Insider has had a look at a note she wrote. Citing the latest Sensor Tower estimates, Huberty says App Store revenue was up 8% last month versus April of 2021. While that growth is said to be slower than expected, the analyst sees a lot to like. “In China,” says Apple Insider:
…App Store net revenue growth accelerated from 1% year-over-year in the first quarter to 11% year-over-year in April. That's despite a more challenging year-over-year compare, and is likely because of a new wave of Covid-19 lockdowns in the country.
yay…
Japan and South Korea are also looking better year-on-year, according to her note. The way Huberty sees it:
The improved positioning in these regions more than offset weaker growth in the US, where App Store net revenue growth decelerated 3 points from March to 6% Y/Y in April, even off an 18 point easier compare… ,” the analyst writes.
She’s still expecting App Store revenue growth of 15% for the June-quarter, versus the same quarter a year ago. Huberty has a positive rating on Apple shares. Her price target on the shares is $195.
Developments for Developers
WWDC: Come One, Come Few
04 MAY 2022 - Developers who want to try for some of the limited WWDC seating at Apple’s campus can do so next week. Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is online-only this year, same as it’s been since the start of the pandemic. However, when the company announced this year’s dates, it did say that it was hosting “a special day for developers and students at Apple Park (…) to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together…” The company promised that details on how to apply to attend would be provided “soon.” And now we can make that now.
9 to 5 Mac says Apple is opening submissions for in-person WWDC attendance next week. About the event, Apple says:
Attending (…) is free and open to members of the Apple Developer Program and Apple Developer Enterprise Program. Invitations will be allocated through a random selection process and are non-transferrable.
9 to 5 Mac says would-be attendees can submit their requests from Monday 9 May at 9:00 a.m. Pacific, through Wednesday 11 May at 9:00 a.m. Pacific. Folks will hear back the following day at 6:00 p.m. Pacific.
Best of luck to you all.
Developers Get Fourth Betas of Apple Operating Systems
As we move toward WWDC, work continues on Apple’s current operating systems. The Mac Observer says developers on Tuesday got access to the fourth round of betas for those. That’s beta number four of iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS 15.5, macOS Monterey 12.4, and watchOS 8.6. Nothing new spotted since last week’s betas, though work is continuing on webcam issues for Apple’s Studio Display.
Almost as soon as the first users activated their Apple Studio Displays, those users started complaining about the quality of the hardware’s built-in webcam. Apple said the problem would be fixed in a future software update. The first of those fixes hit with last week’s third round of betas, though it met with another round of disapproval. Now, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac says a second software fix for the Studio Display webcam has shown up in beta round four and things do seem to be improving.
More people should be able to see for themselves in the next 24 to 48 hours. The latest round will likely be out to Apple’s public beta program soon. More info on that at beta.apple.com.
Apple Offers Explanation, More Time Ahead of “Outdated App” Evictions
Last week we heard that Apple was kicking “outdated” apps out of the App Store in under a month. Now a piece from Engadget says Apple has given developers more of an explanation and - perhaps even better - more time. In a post to developers, Apple explains that:
…it will only send removal notices to developers whose apps haven't been updated in three years, as well as to devs whose apps have not “been downloaded at all or extremely few times during a rolling 12 month period.”
The reasons why stay the same: It’s a combination of making active apps more discoverable and making sure the apps users download have been tweaked for the latest devices and operating systems.
As for time to comply, that’s gone from the 30 days Apple originally stated to 90 days. The piece also points out that apps that still work will stay active on user devices, provided they’re downloaded before the cull.
Union Moves Grow in Apple Retail
Apple Towson Town Center - Image via Apple
04 MAY 2022 - Moves to unionize continue at Apple retail locations. The Washington Post ran a lengthy piece Tuesday, highlighting moves at the Towson Mall store near Baltimore, Maryland. According to the report:
The organizers notified Apple chief executive Tim Cook of their intention to organize as the Coalition of Organized Retail Employees ― AppleCore for short ― in a letter dated Tuesday, a copy of which was reviewed by The Post.
Organizers say they’ve been garnering support to unionize for close to a year, working with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. An organizer with that union says AppleCore plans to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) “in the coming days.” The Post has store organizers saying that “they have signatures from more than 65 percent of employees who are likely to be eligible, giving them a ‘supermajority’ that would be difficult for [Apple] to overcome.”
The Maryland store is the third Apple Retail location to make definitive union moves. There’s also Fruit Stand Workers United at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, and an Atlanta location that doesn’t seem to have cute name, but is moving quickly. The Post piece says employees at the Cumberland Mall store in Atlanta were the first Apple store workers to file for recognition with the NLRB. They will also be the first to vote on the issue - and soon. A piece from The Verge says Apple Cumberland Mall employees “have reached an agreement with the company to hold a union election on [2 June].” Voting will run through 4 June, according to the report.
2nd-Gen iPad Air and 2nd-Gen iPad mini Both Hit Apple’s Vintage List
04 MAY 2022 - If you’re rockin’ a second-generation iPad Air or a second-gen iPad mini, go easy on it - it just got a little more difficult to fix. MacRumors says both of those devices have landed on Apple’s vintage list. Vintage is a designation Apple gives to hardware that’s been off the market more than five years but less than seven. While they can still be repaired by Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers, such work is contingent on parts for repair being available. Not always a guarantee, so - you know… be careful.
Submissions Open for Beats Black Creators Program
Image via BeatsbyDre.com
04 MAY 2022 - Apple subsidiary Beats is taking applications for its Beats Black Creators Program 2022. Geared toward current students or recent grads of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), this year offers two courses of study: One for Content Creators and one for Customs Creators. For the first, they’re giving filmmakers, script writers, photographers, videographers, and the like the goal of producing “a curated content piece to be showcased on Beats’ social channels.” For the second, the program is giving illustrators, digital artists, fashion designers, painters, mixed-media artists, and so on the goal of “gathering and presenting insights that lead to a final headphone and packaging design for [Beats 2022 custom products].”
And I don’t think it costs attendees anything. The site for the course says:
The three-month paid program provides current HBCU students or recent graduates from HBCUs the opportunity to get hands-on experience that incubates their creative expression and talents while being mentored by industry leaders.
I assume “paid program” means they’re paying participants, not participants are paying. How horrible would it be for a multi-billion-dollar company to ask a bunch of people fresh out of college to take on more debt?
Applications for the program are open now. They close on 16 May. Though the site says it’s a three-month program, it also says the program kicks off on 20 June and ends on 31 October.
Eh. Clarity’s overrated.
After 31-Years, Desi Ujkashevic Leaves Ford for Apple
Image via LinkedIn
04 MAY 2022 - News of a new hire for Apple’s fabled car project. TechCrunch says Ford veteran Desi Ujkashevic has left Dearborn for Cupertino. She was Ford’s global director of safety engineering, though that hardly covers her 31-year career with the automaker. Over that time, “Ujkashevic served in several roles,” according to TechCrunch:
…including developing EVs, vehicles exteriors and interiors and chassis components… Most recently, she has been responsible for all current and future program safety strategy (including autonomous vehicles), corporate rule-making, advanced strategy development, field service actions and program safety compliance…
And that’s still not everything. As for what she’ll do at Apple - probably leave in a couple of years? Seems to be the way…