Third Round of Betas for Current Apple Operating Systems Out to Public Testers
16 JUNE 2022 - As night follows day, so too do betas for Apple’s public testers follow betas seeded to developers. Earlier this week we got word that the third betas for updates to Apple’s currently available operating systems had been made available to dev-types. Now, a couple of pieces from MacRumors say the third betas of macOS Monterey 12.5, iOS 15.6, and iPadOS 15.6 have beeb released to Apple’s public beta testing program. Additionally, a couple of pieces from iMore say the same is true for the third betas of tvOS 15.6 and watchOS 8.7.
If you’re already in the public testing program, you likely know what to do. If you’d like to be in the program, you can find out more at beta.apple.com.
Registration Opens for In-Store Apple Camp 2022
Image via Apple
16 JUNE 2022 - If the summertime boredom of children is already on your last nerve, Apple Camp is open once again. Or will be starting next week.
Apple Insider says the Cupertino-company’s “annual summer educational program designed for families with young children” is back to in-person for 2022. This after two-years of remote camping due to COVID-19. “As with past Apple Camp programs,” the piece says:
…the 2022 edition will see families use products like the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to snap images, add drawings, and ornament their creations to design their own personalized stories.
The two-hour courses for families with kids between 8 and 12-years-old will see campers participate in a program called “Art Lab: Comic Book Adventure With Your Family.” Registration opened Wednesday and, at least in my area, filled up Wednesday as well.
For folks already iced out of in-person classes or who just want something to do on the home front, the company has also made an at-home version of its Camp Filed Guide available as a downloadable Keynote file. That’s got activities covering several areas of interest, including photos, music, art + design, and coding.
Apple Launches At-Home, iPad-Based Professional Learning Series
Image via Apple
16 JUNE 2022 - If it’s not the kids’ lack of motivation but your own that’s got you in the doldrums, Apple’s got your back as well. Cult of Mac says the Cupertino-company is running a series of “free iPad-based virtual conferences this summer in its Professional Learning series.”
Topics run the gamut. Headers include:
I say “headers include” because each of those topics has individual, one-hour classes nestled inside.
While the classes are all made for iPad, some require free apps such as GarageBand, Numbers, and Clips! Classes actually started on Wednesday 15 June. They’ll run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through 21 July.
Coming Soon to a TV (and Theater) Near You
Vera Farmiga in “Five Days at Memorial,” premiering globally August 12, 2022 on Apple TV+.
Two Series Get August Premiers on Apple TV+
16 JUNE 2022 - Toss a couple of series on the schedule for Apple TV+. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Wednesday announcing premier dates for “Five Days at Memorial” and “Bad Sisters.” On the first one, Apple says:
Based on actual events and adapted from the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheri Fink, “Five Days at Memorial” chronicles the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath on a local hospital.
The first three-episodes of the eight-episode limited series hit Apple TV+ on Friday 12 August.
On the second show, Apple says the 10-episode series “Bad Sisters”:
…follows the lives of the Garvey sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents and a promise to always protect one another.
It may not sound like it, but this one’s a comedy, according to Apple. The first two-episodes of that one hit Apple TV+ on Friday 19 August.
Cha Cha Real Smooth Dances Onto Big and Small Screens This Friday
And finally today, Apple’s big get from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Cha Cha Real Smooth, premiers this Friday, with a couple of ways to see it. iMore says the film about an aimless college grad working as a sort of entertainer at bar and bat mitzvahs who falls for a local mom is headed both to Apple TV+ and select theaters on the same day. The piece says Apple has confirmed that the film will get a limited though global release “in select theaters” this Friday 17 June. That is the same day that it hits Apple’s streaming service.
Germany Probes Potential Inequity in Apple’s App Tracking Transparency
Image Image by Jörn Heller from Pixabay
15 JUNE 2022 - From the “no good deed” file, a piece from Cult of Mac says the German government is investigating Apple’s implementation of App Tracking Transparency (ATT) for possible malfeasance. Specifically, authorities are questioning whether ATT was “designed to give Apple an unfair advantage in advertising.”
Jogging the memory - ATT makes apps and developers ask a user’s permission before tracking their activity outside of a given application. Its implementation dented the bottom lines of a number of companies in the online-advertising game. What seems to have some worried is the fact that ATT can’t stop whatever tracking Apple might like to run on its own.
Enter the Bundeskartellamt, which is apparently Germany’s anti-trust arm. That agency’s president, Andreas Mundt, is quoted in the piece, saying:
We welcome business models which use data carefully and give users choice as to how their data are used… We see that Apple’s rules apply to third parties, but not to Apple itself. This would allow Apple to give preference to its own offers or impede other companies.
Mundt goes on to say:
While users can also restrict Apple from using their data for personalised advertising, the Bundeskartellamt’s preliminary findings indicate that Apple is not subject to the new and additional rules of the App Tracking Transparency Framework.
According to the Cult, the agency’s investigation will probe “whether these rules may lead to a reduction of users’ choice of apps financed through advertising.” No word on what sanctions or remedies could follow.
Deutsche Bank Drops Apple Target to $175 on Macro Concerns
15 JUNE 2022 - News that really shouldn’t come as a shock: A piece from Barron’s (via Apple News+) says Deutsche Bank analyst Sidney Ho has cut his price target on Apple shares by $25.
It’s not Apple. It’s the planet. While ticker symbol AAPL has done as well as or better than most stocks like it, “he thinks macro uncertainty could continue to weigh on investor sentiment,” according to Barron’s. In a note to clients, Ho wrote:
Considering the macro environment (rising interest rates, slower consumer spending, and continued geopolitical uncertainties) in the past 1+ month, we do think risk to our estimate is to the downside, and we would not be surprised to hear more chatters about Apple cutting orders…
The analyst says he will be watching “demand trends, including global GDP growth and inflation and China’s Covid-19 lockdowns.” Special interest on Apple’s supply chain, which the analyst thinks “will be a key factor to watch ahead of results for the coming quarters.”
All of that said, he still likes the stock. Ho has a “Buy” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is lower though - dropped from $200 to $175. With Apple currently trading at ~$132, the lowering of more targets would not be surprising.
13-Inch M2 MacBook Pro Up for Order on 17 June
M2 13-Inch MacBook Pro - Image via Apple
15 JUNE 2022 - One of the laptops announced last week at WWDC is going on sale this week. MacRumors says Apple announced Tuesday that the M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro will go on order this Friday 17 June, hitting stores and the porches of people who order the following Friday 24 June.
If you’re looking for good news in the supply chain, this may be it. According to MacRumors, “Apple had previously said the new 13-inch MacBook Pro would be available in July, so orders are running ahead of schedule.” Of course, changes for this machine are minimal. It’s pretty much the same as the previous 13-inch MacBook Pro, with the insertion of the M2 being a very notable exception. As of now, the new from the ground up, M2-powered MacBook Air still shows on Apple’s site as “available next month.”
Next Round of Betas for Current Apple Operating Systems Out to Developers
15 JUNE 2022 - While the future of computing goes on sale this Friday, there’s still work to be done on what we’ve already got. To that end, Apple is still tweaking the operating systems running the hardware that’s out there now. A piece from Apple Insider says the third betas of iOS/iPadOS/tvOS 15.6 were seeded to developers on Tuesday, as was the third beta of watchOS 8.7. Meanwhile, a piece from MacRumors says same goes for macOS Monterey 12.5.
If you’re in Apple’s Developer Program, you can have it if you want it. They’ll likely turn up for Apple’s public testing program either today or tomorrow.
JP Morgan is Sweatin’ to Apple Fitness+
15 JUNE 2022 - JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee has trained his eye on another of Apple’s services. Earlier this week, Chatterjee sang praises of possibility for Apple Music and Apple Arcade. Now, a piece from Apple Insider has him working up a sweat over Apple Fitness+.
While at-home fitness got a lift from COVID-19 lockdowns, Chat-Man thinks the industry is poised to keep going. According to the piece:
JP Morgan expects more than half of consumers to stick with virtual fitness, which could allow the industry to grow to $70 billion by 2026 when combined with other tailwinds.
And Apple is well positioned to benefit, in his estimation. The report says that’s thanks to the service’s “deep integration into Apple's ecosystem, a competitive price point, and the ability to add the subscription into a broader services bundle through Apple One.” The way he sees it, Apple Fitness+ could grow from revenue of $300 million in 2021 to $3.6 billion by 2025.
Chatterjee has a positive rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $200.
Apple Inks 10-Year Deal to Carry Major League Soccer
Image via Apple
15 JUNE 2022 - Are you ready for some football? I mean futbol? A piece from the Wall Street Journal (via Apple News+) says:
Apple Inc. and Major League Soccer unveiled a 10-year broadcasting deal for the league’s games, the iPhone-maker’s most significant move yet into sports that underscores the company’s growing ambitions for streaming.
I make fun of soccer. I honestly think that and Big Gulps are two of the most American things I do. In truth though, this is a big deal. According to the Journal, the deal will make the Apple TV app the global home of all MLS matches starting with the 2023 season, though MLS will look to broadcast a limited number of games through other outlets. Games are currently carried by ABC and ESPN, FOX and Fox Sports, and Univision.
Unlike Apple’s Major League Baseball experiment, the MLS games will not be included with Apple TV+. According to the report:
From early 2023 through 2032, fans will access matches by subscribing to a new MLS streaming service available only through the Apple TV app. The price for the service wasn’t disclosed.
Of course, you do want to get people interested. To that end, the Journal says some MLS games will be free through the Apple TV app (probably why Apple is cool with MLS broadcasting a few games a year as well). Additionally, the piece says:
A broad selection of matches in MLS and Leagues Cup, an annual competition between MLS and Liga MX clubs, will be available to subscribers to Apple TV+…
Apple Sued Over Apple Watch Auto Unlock
15 JUNE 2022 - Trolls gonna troll, yo. The Mac Observer has word of a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple that it sounds like has to have originated in a bog or under a bridge. According to the report, a company called SmartWatch MobileConepts is suing Apple for the Auto Unlock feature found in Apple Watch. SmartWatch MobileConepts seems to have been put together to buy patent no. 10,362,480, “Systems, Methods and Apparatuses for Enabling Wearable Device user Access to Secured Electronics Systems.”
Here’s the crazy part: Not only did SmartWatch MobileConepts buy the patent after Apple had introduced Auto Unlock, the patent itself seems to have been applied for after Apple introduced Auto Unlock. “Apple’s announcement of Auto Unlock predates SmartWatch’s patent,” according to the report. The way The Mac Observer sees it:
…that means Apple had been testing and developing the feature for a considerable time prior to launch. The possibility that the claim is legitimate in this instance is almost zero.
Trolls gonna troll, yo.
Apple’s “Move to iOS” App Now Moves WhatsApp Data
Move to iOS - Image via Google Play Store
15 JUNE 2022 - It is now easier for WhatsApp users to move from Android to iPhone. CNET says people who want to can now transfer over their photos, videos, and chat history in the Facebook-owned communication app. The change comes not by way of WhatsApp, but Apple. According to CNET, Move to iOS is an app created by Apple for Android users who don’t want to be Android users anymore. According to the report:
The app already helps people move their contacts, calendar, SMS messages and photos from an Android phone to an iPhone. As of Tuesday, you can now move your WhatsApp data from Android to iOS, too.
That is potentially a big deal. As the piece points out, WhatsApp has over two-billion users worldwide. Not being able to move years of communications may have been enough to keep some Android users unwillingly in the robot army.
Next Apple Watch Activity Challenge Marks International Day of Yoga
Image (modified) via Apple (via iMore)
15 JUNE 2022 - Apple Watch owners, get ready to get bent. The International Day of Yoga is a little under a week away and Apple is encouraging owners of its wearables to take part. Though it’s not popped on watches yet, 9 to 5 Mac has peeped the upcoming message, which says:
Join in on the International Day of Yoga. On June 21, do a Yoga workout of 20 minutes or more and you’ll win this award. Record your time with any app that adds workouts to Health.
Like the rest of the Apple Watch activity challenges, completion of this one will net users virtual medallions in the Fitness app on iPhone and Apple Watch. It’ll also score users virtual stickers they can stick in Messages, FaceTime, and other apps that can handle the virtual stickers.
JP Morgan is Stoked Over Apple Arcade and Apple Music
14 JUNE - News of a note from JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee that’s kind of hard to parse. 9 to 5 Mac has the Chatterbox figuring revenue for Apple Arcade and Apple Music over the next few years. Combined, he expects the services to take in $8.2 billion by 2025 - nearly all of it coming from Apple Music. The piece has the analyst indicating that:
The two services are likely to have a combined subscriber base of about 180 million by 2025 – 110 million for music and 70 million for gaming – boosted by the rapid spread of the internet and a booming gaming industry…
You know I’ve been thinking of getting me one o’ them internets…
By his reckoning, the piece says Chatterjee thinks Apple Music will account for “$7 billion in revenue by 2025 while Apple Arcade is estimated to pull in $1.2 billion.”
What’s weird is the focus on Apple Arcade in both the 9 to 5 Mac piece and a piece on the note from Apple Insider. According to that report, Chatterjee is particularly fond of the stickiness of the Apple Arcade subscription model. He’s also a fan of the titles exclusive to Apple Arcade, rather than it being “aggregated content.” Additionally, he said the simplicity of games adds to the overall potential market,” according to Apple Insider.
Maybe? I know of one family (not a huge sampling, I’ll grant you) BUT I KNOW OF ONE FAMILY with two-kids and two-adults and an Apple One family bundle. The two-kids barely seem to know and certainly don’t care about the games in Apple Arcade. I was going to use that as an argument against Chatterjee’s thinking, then I remembered - the two adults are almost always hooked on one Apple Arcade game or another… so… okay, maybe.
As with many such notes, the chance of us ever knowing whether Chatterjee is correct is slim. Apple does not break out subscriber numbers for its various services. Still, his thinking reflects and adds to sentiment around the Apple Services story.
Chatterjee has a positive rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $200.
FDA Approves Apple Watch Use for Monitoring Parkinson’s Symptoms
14 JUNE 2022 - Another sign of the phenomenal potential in wearable computing: Apple Insider says the medical startup Rune Labs has gotten FDA approval to monitor Parkinson’s symptoms with Apple Watch. Citing a Reuters report, the piece says San Francisco-based Rune Labs:
…works in brain data and neuro-based therapies. Its software platform uses motion sensors in the Apple Watch to keep tabs on symptoms such as tremors in Parkinson's patients…
The piece explains that getting info on Parkinson’s patients can be difficult. Apple Insider says “doctors will typically need to gather data about a patient's movements by observing them during a short clinical visit.” Since symptoms can vary quite a bit though, short visits aren’t thought to be the best way to get the necessary data.
Rune’s CEO indicates that the combination of Apple Watch and other tools “will give doctors a much more detailed picture of a patient's symptoms…”
Apple’s Amazing AR/MR Apparatus!
Report: LG Display Gearing Up for Apple MR Headset 2
14 JUNE 2022 - How strong is the belief in Apple’s mixed reality (MR) headset? So strong that we’re already talking about the second one. MacRumors highlights a report from The Elec, indicating that “LG Display is preparing to supply micro-OLED display panels for Apple's second-generation mixed-reality headset…”
Oh! The mysteries of the supply chain! LG Display is thought to be in on Apple’s first MR headset, according to the report, though it won’t be the display supplier. That honor is thought to be Sony’s for the gen-one device. A MacRumors report back in January had Apple’s MR headset sporting three screens - two micro-OLED displays (the ones into which users will stare) made by Sony and a third, AMOLED display, meant for purposes as yet unknown.
Ming-Chi Kuo: AR to VR Slide a Big Deal for Apple’s MR Headset
As much as I want to believe in Apple AR/VR/MR possibilities (and I do), some things make it seem wildly fantastical. “There’s gonna be a third screen, but we don’t know why” is just the start of that. I saw a couple of Twitter posts from TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo over the weekend that I kind of sat on for a couple of days, mostly because I don’t know what to make of them. “Now everyone knows what a VR experience is & what an AR experience may look like,” began Twitter post 1-of-2:
But for most people, it's hard to imagine what kind of innovative experience the smooth switching between AR & VR can provide, and it may be one of key selling points of Apple's headset.
Continuing with post 2-of-2:
I think a complete mixed reality is not only the hardware that can support both AR & VR but the ability to integrate AR & VR and switch them smoothly for different scenarios. That's why I'm using AR/MR to describe Apple's headset expected to hit the store shelves in 2Q23.
As someone who’s wanted viable virtual reality for decades and someone who’s been hip to augmented reality possibilities for a while now, I am one of the people he refers to: One for whom it is “hard to imagine what kind of innovative experience the smooth switching between AR & VR can provide…”
At the same time, that’s not my job. It’s the job of Apple and developers and experience creators. I would argue that switching smoothly from AR to VR is only as compelling as what one is doing in either setting.
No - I don’t know what it’s going to be like. Still can’t wait.
JustWatch: “For All Mankind” Season Three Premier Breaks Streaming Top-10
14 JUNE 2022 - An impressive launch for last week’s premier of “For All Mankind” season three. With one episode and only three days to do it, the latest rankings from streaming video tracker JustWatch show the show just cracking the top-ten. A piece from iMore explains that the period covered ran from 6 June through 12 June. The season three debut only hit on 10 June, yet it squeaked into the JustWatch top-ten, showing up at no. 10.
Start the Trip for Free
If you’re wondering what the fuss is about but don’t want to pay to find out, Apple TV+ is letting you go back to the beginning for free. A piece from Cult of Mac says the Cupertino-streamer has made the first season of the alternate history sci-fi drama free to watch for a limited time. No subscription required and no Apple device required, either. You just need access to the Apple TV app. Most (if not all) game consoles have access to an Apple TV app. Streaming devices from Amazon and Roku do too, as do most smart TVs made in the last few years. Finally, the Cult of Mac piece says Windows and Android users can access the content at tv.apple.com.
No word in the piece (nor on Apple’s site) how limited the limited time offer is.
Apple-1 Auctioned on eBay for $340K
Schlumberger 2 Apple-1 - Image via eBay
14 JUNE 2022 - And finally today, one of the two “ultra-rare,” working Apple-1 computers that was up for auction last week is off the market. For now. A report from iMore says the Schlumberger 2 Apple-1 eBay auction is done. The seller’s description said this machine “is believed to be one of the last Apple-1 computers assembled in the Jobs family garage in late 1976 or early 1977.” It was also signed by the guy who designed it, Steve Wozniak, though that signature was added decades later.
Selling originally for the infamous price of $666.66, it has appreciated well. It sold on eBay for $340,100. That’s got to have been a bit of a disappointment, though. Sellers had expected it to go for somewhere in the neighborhood of $485,000.
If you meant to bid but missed your window, that other “ultra-rare,” working Apple-1 computer is still lout there. RR Auction is selling that one in an auction that also features an Apple Computer Company check signed by one “Steven Jobs” back in 1976, and a TIME Magazine featuring Jobs on the cover and autographed by Jobs. Bidding on that Apple-1 currently stands at just under $190,000. That auction ends on Thursday 23 June.
Foxconn Complains of Competition Poaching Workers in Vietnam
13 JUNE 2022 - Foxconn is dealing with a whole new supply chain issue: The poaching of its employees. Apple and Foxconn have been looking to shift some of their manufacturing out of China. That’s partly in response to the on-and-off COVID lockdowns, though it seems to be tied more closely to ongoing tensions between the Chinese government and the US.
Earlier this month we heard word that Apple manufacturing partner BYD was set to start a small run of iPad production in Vietnam. Now, Apple Insider says Foxconn is looking to grow its manufacturing presence in the country, though it’s having trouble with staffing. The piece highlights a Bloomberg report that has Foxconn chairman Young Liu illuminating the issue. Bloomberg has the chairman indicating that:
Its supply chain competitors are allegedly opening up facilities near to Foxconn campuses in the country, so they can poach workers and benefit from the existing knowledge and skills pool.
While he wouldn’t say which companies were stealing his workers, he did say “The move shouldn't be condoned.”
Question: If competitors can pay your employees enough to leave… any chance you could pay them enough to stay?
Apple Glasgow: Retail Unionization Heads Across the Pond
Apple Glasgow - Image via Apple
13 JUNE 2022 - Unionization moves are spreading around Apple. After a spate of stories about Apple stores trying to unionize here in the US, news of the first such move in the UK. A piece in the Glasgow Times says workers at Apple Glasgow have “filed for Voluntary Union Recognition with Apple after joining [the Edinburgh-based labor union] GMB Scotland.”
The piece has Apple Retail employees saying that “low wages, lack of pay transparency and unfair shift patterns” have prompted the unionization move. One anonymous employee is quoted as saying:
In the UK Apple have staff forums, but these are continually shown to be ineffectual and feedback is ignored. It is a one-way conversation. We need our own representatives and a proper voice to change things. People are suffering with the cost-of-living crisis. We need a pay rise, pay transparency and a voice.
The piece also has Scottish secretary of the GMB Louise Gilmour saying:
GMB’s mission is to make work better and we are delighted to give these workers the support they need to unionise in Apple. Times are changing for big tech firms; in the grip of the biggest cost-of-living crisis in 40 years they need to start practicing what they’ve been preaching for years about corporate social responsibility. So rather than fight against the inevitable, Apple must listen to its workers, respect their desire to organise, and work with our reps to make it happen because this drive for recognition isn’t going away.
For its part, Apple said what it’s said since unionization moves started to take hold in the States earlier this spring:
We are fortunate to have incredible retail team members and we deeply value everything they bring to Apple. We are pleased to offer very strong compensation and benefits, including private healthcare, enhanced parental leaves, paid family leave, annual stock grants and many other benefits for every team member.