50,000,000 Fans Can Still Be Wrong
“Launcher iOS 16” Image via Google Play Store
22 AUGUST 2022 - A question for any Android users listening: Are you sure you don’t just want an iPhone? Cult of Mac has word of some interesting app download numbers from the Google Play Store. The apps highlighted are called “Launcher iOS 16” and “Phone 13 Launcher, OS 15.” They make the screens of Android phones look like iPhones and they have been downloaded over 50-million times each.
They’re free to download - in that they don’t cost money. However one contains ads while the other contains ads and in app purchases. I’ve never heard of either developer. I don’t know anything about their privacy policies nor data collection practices…
I am all for people who like Android using Android. But if you want that iPhone look and feel… I have a suggestion.
Apple Marks 20th Anniversary of Shazam
22 AUGUST 2022 - Though I knew and used the audio recognition app Shazam long before Apple bought it, I had no idea how long before Shazam had been a thing. Quite a while, it turns out. Apple issued a press release Friday, celebrating the service’s 20th anniversary. According to that:
August 2002: Shazam launches as a text message service based in the UK. At the time, users could identify songs by dialing “2580” on their phone and holding it up as a song played. They were then sent an SMS message telling them the song title and the name of the artist.
That sounds both crazy amazing and crazy primitive. Other points of note on the Shazam timeline:
The iOS version of the Shazam app launches in July 2008
The Android version launches in October 2008
Apple buys Shazam in September 2018
The app hits one-billion uses per month in June 2021
Shazam hits two-billion installations in May 2022
Shazam turns 20 in August 2022 - hitting 70 billion all-time Shazams.
The release features a list of historical facts - first song ever Shazamed, first song Shazamed through the iOS app and so on. They’ve also curated a playlist of the most Shazamed song each year for the past 20. You can find all of that and more in Apple’s online newsroom.
Jennifer Garner and Apple TV+ Out of Bad Robot’s “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends”
22 AUGUST 2022 - Jennifer Garner is out of the Apple TV+ series “My Glory Was I Had Such Friends,” and so - apparently - is Apple. I first brought you news of this series in December 2018 - before Apple had even announced Apple TV+. Back then, a piece from MacRumors said the series,” based on the 2017 book by Amy Silverstein, would “follow a group of women who supported Silverstein as she waited for a second life-saving heart transplant…”
It still might, by the way - just not with Garner nor Apple. According to a piece from Deadline, Warner Brothers Television and JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot are still into the project. They’ve reportedly got a small writers’ room working on scripts for a more complete show to shop around. Apple, Bad Robot, Garner, and WBTV all declined to comment for the Deadline report.
Apple TV+ Launches “See” Promotions Headed Into Show’s Final Season
22 AUGUST 2022 - One of Apple’s flagship series is coming to an end - and Apple is leaning into the send off. The final season of the Jason Momoa series “See” starts this Friday 26 August, and The Mac Observer says the Cupertino-streamer has offered a first look for it. It comes in the form of a ~2-minute video. You can catch that below.
A trailer for what’s to come isn’t all Apple has to see for “See.” A piece from Apple Insider says the Cupertino-company is also making the show’s first season available to watch for free.
The show’s official Twitter account posted on Friday, “The entire first season of #SEE is available to watch for free for a limited time, where available, now until August 29th on Apple TV+.” That was followed by a link to the free season and the message, “Don’t miss the Season 3 premiere on August 26th.”
Won’t people following the “See” Twitter account have already seen the show? Promoting to the choir, maybe - but there you go.
Apple Computer-A Sells at Auction for $677K
Image via RR Auction
22 AUGUST 2022 - While it didn’t come close to a million, that “controversial Apple-1” that had been up for auction went well past half-a-million. You probably remember the one I’m talking about. Advertised as being the Apple computer Steve Jobs used to sell The Byte Shop on the machine, that provenance was called into question by a couple of people who might have known. But the problem was they only might have known - could not say for sure. While later investigation seems to have confirmed the prototype assertion, bidding on the machine stalled at a little over $407,000. Stalled, but did not stop. The live portion of the auction hit last Thursday 18 August - and people found a little more money to throw at the kit. A piece from Apple Insider says the busted up machine sold for $677,196.
Sam Sung Apple Business Card and T-Shirt to Be Auctioned for Charity
Sam Struan (formerly Sam Sung) - Image via eBay
22 AUGUST 2022 - While not nearly as historic as the computer that may have started Apple on its way, there’s word of a quirky Apple auction on eBay, with proceeds going to charity. Sam Struan used to go by the name Sam Sung. Sam Sung used to work for Apple and Sam Sung used to have Apple business cards. Apple Insider says he sold one of those several years ago, raising over $2,500 for Children's Wish BC & Yukon.
Now, a relative of his has found one of his old business cards. And so, they’re doing the charity auction thing again, though they’ve added a bit this time. The current auction includes a framed employee t-shirt, a lanyard, and - of course - the Sam Sung card. Proceeds for this auction will benefit the Downtown Eastside Women's Center of Vancouver. At the time of the Apple Insider piece bidding stood at CAD $620 (~US$477). Checking Sunday evening, bids had jumped quite a bit - just over CAD $1,100 (a bit less than US$870). The auction is live on eBay. Bidding closes at 1:58PM PDT/4:58PM EDT tomorrow - Tuesday 23 August.
TF International: Mid-September iPhone Launch May Be Hedge Against Recession
19 AUGUST 2022 - Yesterday we talked about the belief of Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that Apple will announce the new round of iPhones and Apple Watches on Wednesday 7 September - likely lining up the release of the devices on Friday 16 September. If you’re wondering whether he’s correct, you’re apparently in the minority. Maybe it’s his track record, maybe it’s just the time of year. Whatever the reason, his assertion seems to be accepted as fact at this point. From headlines like “Apple Planning to Hold iPhone 14 Event on September 7” to a couple of Twitter posts from TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo saying here’s the reason why - it sounds like everyone’s a go, even if Apple hasn’t said so. Let’s check in with Young MC. According to the first post:
The iPhone 14 announcement/shipping date may be earlier than iPhone 13/12, which could be one of the reasons why Apple offered a positive outlook for 3Q22 from the last earnings call.
The reason why, according to the second post:
The global recession risk is still growing and unpredictable, so announcing/shipping the iPhone as soon as possible may minimize the impact of recession risk on demand.
It’s hard to know whether that’s the reason Apple’s targeting a mid-September launch (assuming it is targeting that timeframe). Either way - if the timing’s right, it would give something of a boost to iPhone sales at the end of the September-quarter.
Apple Watch and MacBook and Nikkei and Ming-Chi Kuo
19 AUGUST 2022 - From quietly contemplative over the iPhone launch to downright argumentative over Apple Watch. Nikkei Asia ran a report mid-week on Vietnam making Apple Watch and MacBook “for first time ever.” So said the headline - “for first time ever.”
TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo Tweets to differ. We’ll start with the Nikkei piece. Quoting the first two paragraphs:
Apple is in talks to make Apple Watches and MacBooks in Vietnam for the first time, marking a further win for the Southeast Asian country as the U.S. tech giant looks to diversify production away from China.
Apple suppliers Luxshare Precision Industry and Foxconn have started test production of the Apple Watch in northern Vietnam with the aim of producing the device outside of China for the very first time, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Nikkei Asia.
To be clear, the TF International analyst isn’t arguing over whether Apple will build the devices in Vietnam. Quite the contrary. He says Apple has been producing Apple Watch there already. To the Twitterverse we go, where Young MC says:
The media reported that Apple Watch would start mass production in Vietnam. But it's already shipping, as I know. Luxshare ICT, Apple Watch's major assembler, has production lines in China and Vietnam and has shipped from Vietnam since Apple Watch 7.
Not that there’s no news. In a follow-up Twitter post the analyst said:
I estimate the shipment proportion of Apple Watch 8 from Vietnam will significantly increase to 60-70%. Luxshare is the leader in building production lines in non-China countries among Chinese Apple suppliers.
As for the MacBook angle, the Nikkei piece says Apple is looking to test production of the laptop in Vietnam. While the machine is said to be easier to build outside of China these days than it was just a few years ago, getting the parts to Vietnam and doing so economically still present challenges for manufacturers.
Commercial Times: Apple to Get 3nm Chips from TSMC This Year
19 AUGUST 2022 - TSMC’s 3nm production process may not be as far off as previously thought. A machine translation of an article from Taiwan’s Commercial Times indicates that despite talk of pushing such production to 2023, not only will it start by the end of this year, Apple will be TSMC’s first customer for 3nm chips. According to the report:
Apple is a priority customer of TSMC's advanced process. According to equipment manufacturers and Apple production chain operators, Apple will adopt TSMC 3nm projection for the first time in the second half of the year. The first product may be the M2 Pro processor, and next year it will include the new iPhone-specific A17 application processor, as well as M2 and M3.
In this case - less is more. Moving from 5nm to 3nm should/would mean better performance and better power efficiency, which could/should lead to better battery life.
While TSMC going full steam ahead may seem surprising in #TheseTimesInWhichWeLive, Commercial Times says historically, it’s what companies do. While investors may worry over consumer appetite for devices in an uncertain economy, the report says “recession usually allows semiconductor operators to accelerate the development of new chips.”
Kind of makes sense. Give people a real reason to part with whatever money they have. Also - 3nm is the future for TSMC. The Commercial Times report says, “TSMC is confident that the 3-nm family will become another large-scale and long-term process technology.”
Apple Releases Security-Focused Safari 15.6.1 for Big Sur and Catalina
19 AUGUST 2022 - I kind of saw this coming, though I wish we’d seen it sooner. I told you yesterday that Apple had patched a couple of serious vulnerabilities dealing with the Kernel and WebKit. They were serious for a couple of reasons - first, if exploited, they could allow bad guys or gals to completely take over a device. The second reason makes it more serious. In its security notes Apple said that it had heard word that the vulnerabilities were being actively exploited.
In an attempt to clamp down, Apple released updated versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. I talked about the issue a little more in-depth on this weeks’ edition of “The Checklist by SecureMac.” It was there I noted that Apple had not released updates addressing the vulnerabilities for macOS Big Sur and macOS Catalina. I wish we’d seen this sooner - a piece from MacRumors on Thursday said that Apple had released Safari 15.6.1 for those previous Mac operating systems. It addresses the WebKit vulnerability, which makes sense what with Safari being a web browser.
Checked “The Checklist” Lately?
If you’ll allow me, it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned “The Checklist by SecureMac” here. This week’s show was fun. In addition to the mid-week updates, the show also hit a truly stupid seeming luggage thief and an alert about the Emergency Alert system. Took me back to my radio days. The episode is Checklist 292 - This is (Probably) a Test - You should be able to find it on the Checklist site. It’s definitely available on Apple Podcasts. And hey! Try other podcast apps as well. Why not?
UK’s EE Adds Apple One to Revamped “Full Works for iPhone” Plan
19 AUGUST 2022 - Apple One as incentive. A piece from The Mac Observer says the UK carrier EE is adding the Apple One individual tier to one of its wireless plans. The revamped “Full Works for iPhone” plan includes subscriptions to Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade, as well as 50GB of iCloud Storage on the Apple side. Additionally, customers get a Roam Abroad Pass. That lets them use their plan in Australia, Canada, the EU, Mexico, New Zealand, and the U.S. the same way they would in the UK.
The offer goes live on 31 August. TMO says the EE move makes it the first carrier to offer an Apple One bundle as an incentive for subscribers.
Apple Card Issuers Goldman Sachs Takes Top Honors with J.D. Power
19 AUGUST 2022 - News of another award for Apple - specifically Apple Card. Apple Insider says the Goldman Sachs-issued, totally tech credit card “has ranked first in customer satisfaction in a J.D. Power survey for the second year in a row.”
I mean - not technically, but pretty much. Technically, the piece says:
Among midsize issuers, Goldman Sachs topped the charts with a customer satisfaction rating of 843 in the J.D. Power U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study…
That said, Apple Card is one of only two-cards to which Goldman is tied, the other being a “co-branded card with General Motors. As such,” the piece says, “customer satisfaction ratings are likely heavily influenced by consumer experience with the Apple Card.” Certainly Apple seems to think so. They put out a press release about it.
Good news is good news, and Apple and Goldman must have been happy to hear this. The last headlines tied to the bank’s consumer credit side came a couple of weeks ago. That’s when Goldman Sachs disclosed that its “credit-card business is being investigated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a range of billing and payments practices.”
Apple Podcasts Adds Charts fro Top Paid Shows and Top Paid Channels
19 AUGUST 2022 - Is it a boost for podcasts or a boost for Apple Services? Trick question! It’s both. TechCrunch says Apple on Thursday launched two new Top Charts for paid podcasts. According to the piece:
The “Top Subscriber Shows” list includes 100 paid shows and the “Top Subscriber Channels” list has 100 paid channels with two or more shows.
The piece says the two new charts will be available to users in Australia, Canada, the U.K., and the U.S. You’ve gotta be kind of current on your operating systems, though. TechCrunch says the charts will turn up in Apple Podcasts on iPhones and iPads running v15.6 or later of their software, as well as Macs running macOS 12.5 or later.
Apple Adds Katy Perry and Seventeen Remix Sessions to GarageBand
19 AUGUST 2022 - If there’s a musician in you dying to get out… I hate the visual. Let’s try again. If there’s a musician in you… nope… I’m stuck with it. If there’s a musician in you dying to get out, go and update GarageBand.
iDownloadBlog says Apple this week “launched a pair of new GarageBand remix sessions featuring K-pop supergroup Seventeen as well as American singer and songwriter Katy Perry.” It’s pretty much what it sounds like - letting users remix the Perry song “Harleys in Hawaii” or the Seventeen song “Darl+ing” to sound like what you what you what you want. I assume that includes raising, lowering, and modifying what’s already in the song. Additionally, Apple’s press release on the addition says:
Using GarageBand’s popular Live Loops interface to remix, anyone can quickly rearrange and add new elements to the songs, while keeping everything in sync with tempo and key — no music theory expertise required. Remix FX allows even greater variety with filters, repeaters, and more to create the ultimate drop. Whether it’s a complete flip from house to hip-hop, or a mashup of multiple genres, GarageBand users can let their creativity run wild.
Sorry. That’s probably more than you needed. But I’m an amateur audio nerd and that sounds like fun. Here’s what else is fun: The remix sessions are free and, iDownloadBlog says, they come with step-by-step video instruction. To remix the tunes, the piece says you simply need to “update GarageBand on your device to the most recent version, then go to the Sound Library section to download the new remixes free of charge.”
Also, free that inner musician. You’re gonna give me nightmares.
Bloomberg’s Gurman Expects iPhone 14 Event on 7 September
18 AUGUST 2022 - If we thought people were traveling for it, I might say nay - but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple plans to hold its next product event on Wednesday 7 September - just under three weeks from now. Gurman said last week that Apple was planning another virtual product launch, thanks to the dreaded virus. Now MacRumors has Gurmy Gurm saying the event on the seventh is when Apple will announce iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8, with other watch models anticipated. According to the piece:
Gurman says that Apple has told some retail employees to prepare for a new product release on Friday, September 16, which suggests the new iPhone and Apple Watch models could see a release on that date.
Sure, I guess. I mean… I don’t see why not, I guess.
We’ll see what happens.
Credit Suisse’s Cross Outlines Apple Strengths
18 AUGUST 2022 - Word today on the new Apple price target from Credit Suisse analyst Shannon Cross. I told you yesterday of the former indie’s new post, and of her over $200 price target for the shares. Now Barron’s (via Apple 3.0) has Cross listing four big reasons for her high price target. They include:
Apple’s 1.8 billion device installed base, their stickiness, and the willingness of device owners to slide easily into Apple services
There are the high profit margins for Apple’s growing Services segment
There are the not quite as high but still really high profit margins for the rest of Apple’s business
Finally, there’s Apple’s money. With ~$192 billion in cash, Apple can do whatever it wants to drive returns, from returning cash to shareholders to spending big on R&D to spending big on acquisitions.
Cross initiated her Apple coverage for Credit Suisse with an “Overweight” rating. Her price target on the shares is $201.
iPhone 14 Strength and Services Strength Drive Apple Target Up at Wedbush
18 AUGUST 2022 - Saying hold my guac-infested, tequila-soaked crudités to the $201 Credit Suisse price target is Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives. Apple 3.0 had the Wedbullish analyst upping his price target on Apple shares Wednesday - after months at $200.
In a note to clients, the analyst says the ramp-up for iPhone 14 seems to be running smoothly. He still likes talk of 90-million iPhones ordered for launch, showing no weakening of demand versus the iPhone 13 launch despite macroeconomic uncertainty. “In particular,” the analyst says he and his team:
…believe Apple is expecting another heavy iPhone Pro and Pro Max mix shift which is a clear positive for ASPs heading into FY23. While the base iPhone will stay at the same price we believe a $100 price increase on the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max is likely in store given component price increases as well as added functionality on this new release.
Also, there’s his belief that ~240 million iPhones are due for an upgrade (having not been upgraded in three-and-a-half-years). And - have you heard the Apple Services story? Well it’s a good story. Ives thinks Apple Services revenue will hit roughly $90B in FY23 and pass $100B in FY24. “In a nutshell,” concludes the note:
…we believe Apple's growth story remains well intact with clear momentum around iPhone 14 around the corner despite the shaky macro. Apple remains our favorite tech name.
With that, Mr. Ives maintains an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. He’s upped his price target on the shares from his age-old $200 to what looks to be a Street high $220.
Apple Hits with Important Updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Apple Watch Series 3
18 AUGUST 2022 - Three important updates from Apple about which to tell you - four if you’re rockin’ an Apple Watch Series 3. Let’s start with that one.
A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says Apple has released watchOS 8.7.1. This one’s made specifically for the Series 3 chronometer. That’s because it does one thing only: “fixes a bug that could cause the Apple Watch Series 3 to reboot unexpectedly for some users.”
Mostly users using an Apple Watch Series 3.
No security fixes for the watchOS update, making it something of an outlier Wednesday. The other three updates from Apple were entirely security focused. A piece from Cult of Mac says Apple on Wednesday also released iOS 15.6.1, iPadOS 15.6.1, and macOS Monterey 12.5.1. All three updates address the same two issues - one tied to the Kernel and another tied to WebKit. Not only could both vulnerabilities allow arbitrary code execution, Apple says of both that it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”
So, apparently no proof that they’re in the wild, but talk that they may well be. The updates are all free and easy - at least they have been for me. Each is available in Settings on a given machine - the watchOS update not included. That one still hits through the Watch app on an associated iPhone.
Apple Sells Out of “Kim K” Beats Fit Pro (But Amazon Still Has Them)
18 AUGUST 2022 - If you’re looking for a pair of Beats Fit Pro Kim K Edition - it appears to be Amazon or bust. Apple Insider ran a report midday Wednesday saying the “Beats Fit Pro ‘Kim K’ edition [was] no longer available in the US, though certain color configurations” were still available internationally. Online in the states, the special edition earbuds sold out on Tuesday, though they were due to hit select Apple Retail locations on Wednesday. While it’s possible that some US stores will have stock on-hand,” the piece says officially, “Apple is saying that in-store pickup is no longer available.”
The Apple Insider piece said Wednesday that the stoppers were still available through Amazon. Checking Wednesday night/Thursday morning I was surprised to find that they still were. The lighter colored Moon and darker colored Earth both showed next day delivery. The mid-tone Dune pair showed delivery on Sunday.
Curious to see how long they’ll stay in stock.
Apple to Pay Tax on Streaming Services in Chicago
Image by Joe Jensen from Pixabay
18 AUGUST 2022 - Some Apple services are about to be taxed in Chicago, though it’s unclear who will pay it. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says the Cupertino-company will start paying tax on a few of its streaming subscriptions in the Windy City beginning next month. According to the piece:
The tax for streaming services in Chicago was actually a “reinterpretation” of a previous tax program that already established a city tax on tickets for recreational activities and concerts that are “delivered electronically.” The latest change to the tax program took effect in 2015. Other companies like Netflix and Spotify were also affected.
Apple and other streamers had sued to fight the tax, though they’ve backed off that. The fear seems to have been, if they lost, other cities would follow suit, citing Chicago’s victory as precedent for taxes of their own. So, Apple settled and agreed to start paying the tax. 9 to 5 Mac says Apple services set to be taxed include Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade. Apple News+ will not be subject to the tax, according to the report.
“According to local Chicago regulations,” the piece says, “streaming video, music, and gaming services are required to pay a 9% municipal tax.” While Apple will pay, 9 to 5 Mac says it’s unknown whether Apple will pass the tax on to consumers.