Apple Proposes Settlement in Butterfly Keyboard Case

20 JULY 2022 - Apple is paying for the Butterfly effect. A piece from MacRumors says the Cupertino-company “will pay $50 million to settle a 2018 class-action lawsuit over the faulty butterfly keyboards that were used in MacBook machines between 2015 and 2019…”

Apple liked the Butterfly keyboard because it made the machine thinner and gave the keys a more stable feel. Consumers did not like them because they pretty much quit working. I had to have mine replaced. I know one guy who had to have his keyboard replaced three time before Apple gave up and finally replaced his whole machine.

Geographically, that guy would not be covered by this settlement, though I guess I might be. Then again, maybe I won’t, since I didn’t pay anything to have my machine fixed. MacRumors says the settlement covers customers in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Washington. According to the report:

…lawyers are expecting maximum payouts of $395 to customers who replaced multiple keyboards, $125 to people who replaced one keyboard, and $50 to people who replaced key caps.

All of that assumes the deal goes down. The judge overseeing the case still has to approve the settlement.

Some Deem Midnight M2 MacBook Air a Scratch and “Fingerprint Magnet”

Image from the Twitter feed of ZONEofTECH

20 JULY 2022 - Are scuffs and dings on your hardware badges of honor or ribbons of shame? You may want to consider that before buying an M2 MacBook Air - specifically the Midnight edition, it seems. While it’s not likely to have a Butterfly effect, a piece from iDownloadBlog does have people singing the blues over the Midnight machine. According to the report:

YouTuber Marques Brownlee called the notebook in his review a fingerprint magnet. He says the fingerprints become visible “the instant you start using” the laptop, adding that “it’s impossible to keep clean.”

Perhaps as troubling, depending on who and how you are about such things, the Midnight machine might scratch like Mix Master Mike. He’s a musician. Does a lot of scratching. Quoting iDownloadBlog again:

The vast majority of reports describe dings and scuffs around the edges of USB-C ports. Some people also reported scratches on the cover. These nicks are mostly permanent so if you prefer to keep your gear in pristine condition, you’re probably better off picking another color option.

I guess the question I have is how much time do you spend staring at your ports? ZONEofTECH posted pics on Twitter of the - I guess - worrying wear. No, it doesn’t look as good as out of the box… I don’t know. I guess I’d be in the “badge of honor” crowd.

Apple Sued Over Locking Financial Institutions Out of iPhone’s NFC

20 JULY 2022 - News of a potentially troubling suit against Apple. CNET ran a piece earlier this week saying that “financial institutions and credit unions that issue payment cards for Apple Pay” are suing Apple over Apple Pay. Well… over not being able to make an Apple Pay of their own. According to the report:

Apple is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that it has been restricting access to its NFC technology and making billions of dollars in profits as a result.

So, Apple is accused of… business? Not how the plaintiffs see it. Quoting the complaint:

[Apple] exercises its market power in the device markets by requiring that consumers of its mobile devices also acquire its mobile wallet -- Apple Pay -- and prevents consumers from using competing mobile wallets capable of offering competing tap and pay solutions…

“By comparison,” the suit says, “Google does not restrict access to Android NFC technology, enabling multiple competing wallet apps to exist.”

Being the only game in town (where the “game” is Apple Pay and “town,” in this case means “iPhone”), Apple is able to charge money for payments processed. That’s “up to $1 billion a year” that financial institutions and credit unions would apparently rather keep for themselves.

While past performance is not indicative of future results, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac points out that the law firm behind the Apple Pay case has won ebook and developer antitrust cases against the Cupertino-company.

No comment from Apple for the CNET report.

Short Apple Pay Promos Land on YouTube

20 JULY 2022 - As a suit against Apple over mobile wallets heats up, so does an Apple Pay PR push. The Mac Observer says the Cupertino-company has mounted an ad campaign highlighting Apple Pay’s security and ease of use. Available on Apple’s YouTube channel in the UK (so - everywhere, really, just geared for the UK), TMO says:

Each short ad emphasizes that physical credit cards are able to be stolen, used by anyone, and leave your card number exposed to others. Additionally, the ads remind the audience that all of these issues (…) are avoidable by using Apple Pay.

According to the report, the first video focuses on the physical theft angle. The second highlights the stronger protections when Apple Pay is tied to Face ID. And the third video addresses keeping card numbers secret and safe.

The three videos run less than 30-seconds total. Seriously, we’ve spent more time on them here than one would spend watching them. Still, you can see all three below.

National Fitness Day Challenge Planned for Apple Watch Users in China

Image via Apple China

20 JULY 2022 - It’s one of the biggest Apple Watch activity challenges on the planet, and you probably can’t participate. 9 to 5 Mac has word of the “National Fitness Day” challenge, marking the day of activity in China.

Yes, it’s a huge region with about one-seventh of the planet’s population. Still probably regional, though it’s not been officially announced by Apple. Based on the regional assumption, 9 to 5 Mac says, “Apple Watch users in China can unlock a special Activity award by completing at least 20 minutes of exercise on August 8.”

As usual, folks can hit their goals either by using one of the built-in activities on Apple Watch, or through a third-party app that shares info with Apple Health. Also as usual, participants get a cool virtual-medallion to mark the achievement, as well as animated stickers to be stuck in iMessage and FaceTime.

Luke Combs to Feature for Apple Music Live

Luke Combs on the Apple Music show “Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen”

20 JULY 2022 - News of another Apple Music exclusive on the horizon. According to a piece from Apple Insider:

Luke Combs' performance at Coyote Joe in his home state of North Carolina will stream exclusively as part of Apple Music Live and be available on demand August 24.

Be on your best behavior, North Carolina - that’s over 165-countries potentially peeping what you’re up to. The Combs performance is the fourth live offering under the Apple Music Live banner. Those started back in May with a performance by Harry Styles. That was followed by a performance in June by rapper Lil Durk and a Mary J. Blige show that was recorded live, but won’t be available to stream until the end of July.

Bernstein Analyst Up on Apple June-Quarter, Down on Next Several

19 JULY 2022 - Hedging his bets for the near term and being just so “him” going forward - ladies and gentlemen, word on the latest words from Bernstein research analyst Toni Sacconaghi. Barron’s (via Apple Stocks) has written up the latest from the Sacconator. Basically, he thinks the Street is too pessimistic about the June-quarter and too optimistic about the next few quarters to follow. On June numbers, the piece says:

…Apple had warned that supply constraints could reduce revenue in the quarter by $4 billion to $8 billion; Sacconaghi thinks the actual impact might be at the low end of the range or below.

“Meanwhile,” the piece goes on to say:

…he thinks that Apple could outperform consensus estimates for both Mac and iPad sales. He sees Mac sales up 13%, above the Street’s consensus forecast at 3%, and projects iPad growth of 9%, far above the Street consensus forecast for a decline of 6%.

Given those numbers, Sacconaghi has raised his June-quarter expectations. He had been looking for revenue of $82.8 billion. He’s upped that to $84 billion - higher than the Street’s expectation of $82.4 billion. He’d also been looking for earnings per share of $1.17. He’s raised that to $1.19 - well above the Street’s expectation of $1.15.

After that though, Ragnarok. While things do seem to be straightening out for the supply chain, Sacconaghi says “incremental consumer weakness” and foreign exchange headwinds could rain on future results parades. He doubts Apple will offer financial guidance, given #TheseTimesInWhichWeLive. That said, Barron’s says he does think “that any hints that growth in the September quarter could be in the high single digits or better would be viewed positively by the Street.”

Past the very near term, he’s still pretty Sacconaghi. With worry about consumer spending weakening in fiscal year 2023, his take on Apple is “neutral to modestly negative” for the next six-months to two-years. Quoting his note again:

We worry that growth…may slow as consumers are increasingly pressured by inflation and rising rates.

(…)

Apple is consumer-centric, and is highly transactional, with less than 10% of its revenue and profits being recurring, meaning it could be vulnerable to a downturn.

Sacconaghi has a “Market Perform” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $170.

Report: Apple to Slow Hiring and Spending for Some Parts of Company

19 JULY 2022 - No news of layoffs, though there’s word this week that Apple is slowing hiring and spending for parts of its business. Mark Gurman, Bloomberg’s guy in the know, say secret peeps have told him the moves are being made “to cope with a potential economic downturn…” According to the report:

The decision stems from a move to be more careful during uncertain times, though it isn’t a companywide policy, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The changes won’t affect all teams, and Apple is still planning an aggressive product launch schedule in 2023 that includes a mixed-reality headset, its first major new category since 2015.

The report says the slowdown in spending will not affect planned pay increases for retail and tech-support staff. Apple declined to comment for the  Bloomberg piece.

Tales of iPhone Toughness

New Ads Promote iPhone 13 Durability

I guess if you’re always selling iPhones, you’re always promoting iPhones. With likely just a couple of months between now and the next round of iPhones, Apple has launched a couple of new ads hyping the durability of iPhone 13. The Mac Observer highlights the two spots. According to the piece, the video called “Edge” demonstrates “the protection [Apple’s] Ceramic Shield technology offers the iPhone 13.” The other video, called “Shake,” shows off iPhone 13’s spill and splash resistance.

True Tales of iPhone Survival

With all of the stories of iPhones surviving falls from amusement park rides and dips in lakes and rivers, one wonders why Apple bothers making (and making up) commercials. Why not a series of testimonials from people with true tales of iPhone survival? Maybe they don’t want people doing stupid things with their iPhones trying to get on the 21st century versions of TV.

Still, the stories of falling/sinking iPhones come up - like the one this week of a phone lost for a few hours in the Atlantic. 9 to 5 Mac highlights a Reddit post. Said the (eventually) luck so-and-so:

Phone sank to the bottom of the sea after 5 minutes of paddleboarding. 7 hours until the tide went out & it turned itself back on. I tracked it down & remarkably no damage after being in the sea for over 5hr.

To say it was at “the bottom of the sea” is a bit of an exaggeration based on the map the Redditor posted (below). Still, it was in the drink for between five-and-seven hours. It’s an impressive bit of kit.

Developers Get Second macOS 12.5 Release Candidate

19 JULY 2022 - Word of yet another RC. Early last week we heard word of release candidates   for all of Apple’s current operating systems. Last week ended with second release candidates for iOS and iPadOS 15.6. Now, a piece from Apple Insider says developers have been seeded a second release candidate for macOS Monterey 12.5. Performance improvements and bug fixes are all the site expects, “with no visible user-facing changes to report.”

Apple Brampton Road: Third London Flagship Opens Next Week

19 JULY 2022 - News this week of a new Apple store for London. 9 to 5 Mac says Apple Brompton Road will be the city’s third flagship location. Situated close to Harrods, the report says:

Apple Brompton Road is located at a suitably prestigious location, which the Royal Institute of British Architects refers to as “the gateway to Knightsbridge.”

Those words mean nothing to most of us, but still sound - oooohhh - very posh, indeed.

The piece says the location will feature a “fantastical [augmented reality] realm.” It’s unclear whether that’s part of the location’s grand opening or a dedicated space henceforth. I kind of thought the whole point of augmented reality was it could (and would) be everywhere, but… okay. We’ll find out more in under two-weeks. Apple’s site for the store sets the opening on Thursday 28 July.

Apple Downtown Brooklyn Temporarily Closed

Apple Downtown Brooklyn - Image via Apple

19 JULY 2022 - Apple Downtown Brooklyn is closed for some reason. Apple Insider says it’s heard that the Flatbush Avenue location has been at least partially boarded. That’s “likely for interior renovations,” in the sites estimation.

The webpage for the location shows it as closed for a week. It’s worth noting though, the schedules on Apple’s retail sites only stretch out a week. While that means the closure could last past next Monday, it seems likely to be short lived. Apple did not respond to Apple Insider’s request for comment.

New Apple Arcade Section Warns of Titles “Leaving Soon”

19 JULY 2022 - It’s been a minute since Apple Arcade made news. That minute is up. Launched in the fall of 2019, Apple Arcade gives subscribers access to ad-free and micro-transaction-free games across a number of genres for $4.99-a-month, or as part of an Apple One subscription bundle. While the deal stays, reports from all corners say 15 of the games are about to go away.

As one piece points out, it’s not the first titles have left Apple Arcade, though it is the first time Apple’s given advanced notice. iDownloadBlog was among the sites highlighting a hard to find section of Apple Arcade labeled “Leaving Arcade Soon.” Not super hard to find, though I did have to scroll way down the page to locate it. 15 titles will be taking the long walk, though what happens next is still kind of a mystery. In its piece on the disappearing titles, Cult of Mac assumed that once you downloaded a game, the game would stay playable. But a piece from MacRumors says that site has heard otherwise. Oh, not officially. After talking to a secret someone, the site says it’s heard that “games that are removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌ won't be accessible under the ‌Apple Arcade‌ service.”

I will say, this literally makes sense if you take the name “Arcade” literally. If they took that awesome vector graphics “Star Trek” game out of your local coin-op arcade back in the day, you could no longer play it there. If you were lucky though, you could find it elsewhere, pay to play elsewhere, and play it. People didn’t pay $4.99-a-month to own “Dread Nautical.” They paid $4.99-a-month for access to “Dread Nautical,” plus however many other games Apple had in the Arcade.

It’s like when The Godfather left Netflix or when “Elizabeth R” left Netflix. Or when “Burger Time” left the West Meade Game Room.

Le sigh.

These games leaving Apple Arcade does not mean game over, man. It just means no more “free” play, which wasn’t actually free, but we’ve been over that. According to MacRumors:

Games can be re-added to the ‌App Store‌ on the same day that they're removed from ‌Apple Arcade‌, but the games will be uploaded with a new bundle ID. That means ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscribers can redownload the games, but they won't have access to the same game that was available through ‌Apple Arcade‌.

That site and others wonder what a title’s disappearing/reappearing nature will mean for saved progress - specifically, will in-game achievement be transferrable from the Apple Arcade version to whatever new version turns up (assuming new versions do turn up)? The answer seems to be, “we’ll find out when we do.” So far, no one seems to have said.

As for the games listed as leaving, they are:

• Projection: First Light

• Lifeslide

• Various Daylife

• EarthNight

• Atone: Heart of the Elder Tree

• Over the Alps

• Dread Nautical

• Cardpocalypse

• Towaga: Among Shadows

• Dead End Job

• Don’t Bug Me!

• Spelldrifter

• Spidersaurs

• Explottens

• BattleSky Brigade: Harpooner

“Swagger” and “Pachinko” Win AAFCA TV Honors

19 JULY 2022 - More awards for Apple TV+. Apple issued a press release Monday, announcing recognition for two of its shows by the African American Film Critics Association. According to the release, AAFCA TV Honors recognize “outstanding work in the television industry by identifying exceptional content and performances that offer profound and refreshing representations of the world in which we live.”

To that end, the series “Swagger” was given the award for Best Ensemble, while the series “Pachinko” was recognized with the Best International Production Award. Apple says the “winners of the 4th Annual AAFCA TV Honors will be celebrated at a luncheon in Los Angeles. That is set for Saturday 20 August.

Apple TV+ Announces Premier Date for Third Season of “Central Park”

Molly (voiced by Emmy Raver-Lampman) and Cole (voiced by Tituss Burgess) in “Central Park” season three, premiering September 9, 2022 on Apple TV+.

19 JULY 2022 - Apple TV+ is heading back to “Central Park.” Or, vice versa. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Monday announcing a premier date for season-three of the musical comedy animated series.

The third season sees Owen still trying to save the park and Bitsy still trying to turn it under for development. Meanwhile, Paige is pressing forward with her first book deal.

Returning voices include Josh Gad, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Emmy Raver-Lampman, and Stanley Tucci. Kristen Bell will voice the new character Abby, Paige’s little sister.

13-episodes in season-three. The first three hit Apple TV+ on Friday 9 September. They’ll follow one-a-week on successive Fridays through 18 November.

Apple TV+ Announces Trailer and Premier Date for “Surfside Girls”

Miya Cech, Spencer Hermes-Rebello and YaYa Gosselin in “Surfside Girls,” premiering August 19, 2022 on Apple TV+.

19 JULY 2022 - A premier date for a brand new Apple TV+ show. Apple’s video streaming service issued a press release Monday announcing a trailer and start-date for the kids and family series “Surfside Girls.” Based on a series of graphic novels from IDW, the release says:

…the live-action series follows best friends Sam and Jade as they solve supernatural mysteries in their sleepy California beach town. These best friends must combine their polar opposite strengths of imagination and logic in order to solve the supernatural mysteries that hide just beneath the surface…

The show hits Apple TV+ on Friday 19 August. You can catch the trailer below.

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidates of iOS/iPadOS 15.6

18 JULY 2022 - A gentle reminder that releases candidates are still just candidates. MacRumors ran a piece Friday saying that Apple had seeded second release candidates of iOS 15.6 and iPadOS 15.6 to both developers and public testers. According to Apple’s release notes:

iOS 15.6 includes enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.

- TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in-progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward

- Fixes an issue where Settings may continue to display that device storage is full even if it is available

- Fixes an issue that may cause braille devices to slow down or stop responding when navigating text in Mail

- Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert back to a previous page

Aside from going back in time on live sporting events, not a lot that’s new or exciting in the planned release. Of course, that’s to be expected this time of year. New and exciting will be reserved for iOS 16 and its contemporaries. Those are due out this fall.

Taiwan Accuses Chinese Apple Supplier of Stealing from Taiwanese Apple Supplier

18 JULY 2022 - Word of a whole different kind of problem in Apple’s supply chain. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac has authorities in Taiwan accusing China’s Luxshare of stealing know-how and workers from Taiwan’s Catcher Technology to win business from Apple. Both Catcher and Luxshare are Apple suppliers.

Citing a Reuters report, 9 to 5 Mac says:

…Taiwan wants to stop what it views as “underhand and illegal activities by Chinese firms to steal know-how and poach away talent in what Taipei’s government views as a threat to the island’s tech prowess.”

Authorities have charged 14 individuals after an investigation lasting a year-and-a-half. According to the report:

Luxshare “lured” Catcher’s China based research and development team with promises of high salaries and stole business secrets from the Taiwanese firm, causing them big losses, the prosecutors said in a statement.

Luxshare was doing this in order to be able to “quickly build factories and mass produce cases for iPhones, iPads and other products,” the statement said.

While one assumes Apple would not encourage Luxshare to do anything nefarious, the report suggests that the Chinese firm may have been reacting to pressure from the Cupertino-company. 9 to 5 Mac cites its own reporting from a couple of years ago that had Apple pressuring Luxshare to expand its know-how so that Apple could be less reliant on Foxconn.

Neither Apple nor Luxshare offered comment for the story. Catcher said it will continue to protect its “trade secrets and intellectual property rights, and will investigate anything that infringes on its rights and interests.” Prosecutors in Taiwan say their department:

…will do its best to investigate such cases to maintain the sound development of [Taiwan’s] enterprises and ensure the competitiveness of national industries…

Apparent NPE Sonrai Memory Brings Suit Against Apple

18 JULY 2022 - There may be a new patent troll on the scene. Apple Insider has word of a new patent infringement suit against Apple, targeting the Cupertino-company’s “A-series, M-series, and T-series chipsets.” Two patents are said by the plaintiff to be infringed: A 2005 patent titled “Chip multiprocessor with multiple operating systems,” and a 2004 patent called “Variable charge pump circuit with dynamic load.”

You know, that second one sounds like a porn title in a cyberpunk novel. But I digress.

The suit was brought by Sonrai Memory Limited. “Limited,” it seems, to suing people. Apple Insider says a few things mark the company as a non-practicing entity (aka - NPE, aka patent troll). Among the markers:

• The patents over which it’s suing were not applied for by Sonrai, but acquired - one from HP and one from the semiconductor firm Atmel

• It shares an address and board members with a number of known NPEs, according to the report

• It’s racking up the lawsuits, having brought charges against Google, LG, Lenovo, Samsung, and Western Digital since this time last year

It’s now looking for a cut from Apple. Filed in the patent-holder-friendly U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the Apple Insider piece says:

The filing demands damages, costs, expenses, interest, a judgment for ongoing licensing fees, and “reasonable attorneys' fees.” A trial by jury is also requested.

It’s kind of funny in a way. “We need a lot of money because going after you for a lot of money? It’s costing us a lot of money.”

Apple TV HD with First First-Gen Siri Remote Lands on Vintage Hardware List

18 JULY 2022 - A piece of Apple hardware has gone vintage, though figuring out which one might take a minute. A piece from MacRumors says the Apple TV HD with the original Siri remote has hit the list. This is one of Apple TV’s largely glass remotes. According to the report:

When the Apple TV HD was first released in 2015, it came with a first-generation Siri Remote without a white ring around the Menu button — only units that shipped with this ring-less remote are now considered vintage. Apple added a white ring to the Menu button in 2017 to make the button more prominent when picking up the remote.

What’s funny is, the one with the ring is also considered a first-generation Siri remote. And yet, Apple TVs with which it shipped have not landed on the vintage list.