Apple TV+ Drops Trailer for Third Season of “Central Park”
25 AUGUST 2022 - The PR machine for the Apple TV+ animated musical series “Central Park” is gearing up. The show kicks off its third-season in a little over two-weeks, and Apple Insider says that season has a new trailer. According to the piece:
Season 3 picks up with rich hotel mogul Bitsy Brandenham continuing her schemes to buy Central Park and turn it into a sea of skyscrapers. The Tillerman family contends with new challenges as Paige's little sister, Abby, looks to become a famous actor.
Returning voice talent includes Josh Gad, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Digs, Leslie Odom Jr., Stanley Tucci, and many more. Perhaps one of the most interesting returns is that of Kristen Bell. She voiced Tillerman daughter Molly in season one. But Molly’s a person of color, Kristen Bell is white, and that’s not really cool. After a season away, she’s back as a new character for season three.
The third trip around “Central Park” starts Friday 9 September. Between now and then, you can catch the trailer below.
Canalys: Apple and Samsung See Growth in Shrinking N.A. Smartphone Market
24 AUGUST 2022 - The June-quarter was a rough quarter for smartphones in North America - Apple and Samsung not included. Over halfway through the third-quarter, market tracker Canalys is out with numbers for the second-quarter of 2022.
“Apple and Samsung models dominate the top 10 shipped models in North America in Q2 2022” - so says the wording on a Canalys chart. I feel like that’s being really generous to Samsung though. Six of the top-ten phones on the list are iPhones, while only three bear a Samsung logo. The last name on the list (above one iPhone and two Samsung phones) is Motorola. Apple ended the quarter with 52% of the June-quarter smartphone shipments in the U.S. That was followed by Samsung’s 26%, Motorola’s 9%, TCL’s 5%, Google’s 2%, and a tepid mass of others making up 6% of the shipments. With numbers like that, I’d have captioned the chart, “Apple dominates, Samsung’s a distant though respectable second, and who let Motorola in?”
As for what went wrong - do you really need to ask? According to one analyst with Canalys:
A combination of high inflation, decreasing consumer confidence, and an economic slowdown is shrinking demand in North America, which was previously the world's most resilient market. Vendors are responding quickly to falling demand and are focused on reducing the risk of oversupply as they prepare for new launches in the second half of 2022.
Where the firm sees smartphone strength in North America is at the bottom of the price ladder and at the top. Indications are that phones under $250 are selling well, as are phones over $600. Meanwhile, Mister-in-between’s getting squeezed. Even iPhone SE (starting price $429) underperformed Canalys expectations, seeing well under half the shipments of first-place iPhone 13. That said, the SE was the second best in North America by the firm’s reckoning, though iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro each saw nearly as many shipments as their more budget conscious cousin.
Bloomberg: India to Start iPhone 14 Production in About Two Months
24 AUGUST 2022 - India will start producing iPhone 14 earlier than it might have in the past, though later than some had expected. That’s the latest word from Bloomberg. Back at the beginning of August, TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo heard that India would “ship the new 6.1” iPhone 14 almost simultaneously with China for the first time” this year. In the past, the analyst explained, production in India has lagged production in China by a quarter or more.
It won’t be that long, but it won’t be day-of according to Bloomberg. Apple 3.0 ran part of the Bloomberg post. According to that:
Apple Inc. plans to begin manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India about two months after the product’s initial release out of China, narrowing the gap between the two countries but not closing it completely as some had anticipated…
As for the reason for the delay, the report puts the blame at Apple’s feet - specifically the Cupertino-company’s penchant for secrecy. Then again, the same Bloomberg piece points out that:
Assembling iPhones often entails coordination between hundreds of suppliers and meeting Apple’s infamously tight deadlines and quality controls.
In short, who knows why? Or even if, to be honest. Secret people said to know something about something. So… there you go.
Apple to Skip iPadOS 16, Release iPadOS 16.1 "Late"
24 AUGUST 2022 - The route for Apple’s beta software parade has taken an odd turn. On Tuesday, reports from MacRumors say, members of Apple’s developer program got access to the seventh beta of iOS 16, the seventh beta of watchOS 9, the seventh beta of tvOS 16, and the first beta of iPadOS 16.1.
Huh?
In a statement issued to TechCrunch, the Cupertino-company said:
This is an especially big year for iPadOS. As its own platform with features specifically designed for iPad, we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule. This Fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS, as version 16.1 in a free software update.
You know - when the rumor hit a few weeks ago that Apple was delaying the release of iPadOS 16, I argued (in a sort of snarky way) that you couldn’t say Apple was delaying the release. That was because all they’d said was it would be out “this fall.” Pushing from September to October (what was the rumored delay) meant pushing it from the fall to the fall. Technically, I guess that’s still true. Then again, Apple said the public would get iPadOS 16 in the fall, which it will not. Points to the rumor crew, I guess.
Report: iOS 16.1 May Allow Removal of Wallet App
24 AUGUST 2022 - What’s funny about Apple’s insistence that iPadOS is “its own platform…” is… well… you know… it’s just funny. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says we may have learned about a change coming to iOS 16.1 based on code In iPadOS 16.1 - despite it being its own platform. According to that piece, it looks like users will be able to delete the Wallet app when iOS 16.1 rolls out.
Currently, the piece points out, the Wallet app is pre-installed in iOS and cannot be uninstalled. However, after spelunking in this week’s iPadOS 16.1 update, the report says:
Code seen by 9 to 5 Mac makes it clear that the Wallet app has become “deletable” with iOS 16.1. Unsurprisingly, some features like Apple Pay won’t work without the Wallet app. In this case, users will see a message telling them to “Download the Wallet app from the App Store.”
9 to 5 Mac figures the move is meant to head off various antitrust complaints and lawsuits. The 9 to 5 Mac piece says betas of iOS have let users delete the pre-installed apps Clock, Find My, and Health.
IAM-CORE Quizzes Towson Crew on Union Bargaining Priorities
Apple Towson Town Center - Image via Apple
24 AUGUST 2022 - As the Apple Towson Town Center union prepares to collectively bargain, employees are mulling one big question: What are we bargaining for? A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says employees at the Maryland outlet have been issued surveys by the union asking “what they would like to be the priorities when it comes to negotiating with [Apple].”
The report says Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman got a copy of the survey and posted it on Twitter. “Members are asked to choose up to three issues from a list of eight,” according to 9 to 5 Mac. Those include:
Wage increases
Improvements to health & welfare benefits
Medical costs containment
Retirement (i.e., 401(k), pension)
Scheduling issues
Improved paid time off (i.e., vacation, holidays, sick leave)
Respect from employer
Increase staffing
That’s followed by a really long list of issues that workers are meant to rate on a range from “Not important” to “Essential.” That covers everything from adding a cost-of-living adjustment to overtime procedures to improving pet insurance coverage.
Honestly, the first question on the survey is probably the most important: How secure do you believe your job is today?
No indication in the story nor on Gurman’s post regarding when the surveys are due in.
Apple TV+ Series “Gutsy” Gets a Trailer and Release Date
24 AUGUST 2022 - Apple TV+ is getting “Gutsy,” and you can see a trailer for it. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Tuesday, announcing a release date and a trailer for the Hillary and Chelsea Clinton docuseries. Based on the New York Times bestseller, The Book of Gutsy Women, the eight-episode trip follows the two on a journey “to speak with pioneering women artists, activists, community leaders and everyday heroes…”
The show premiers on Friday 9 September. You can catch the trailer below.
Apple/Sam Sung Auction Raises $880 for Charity
Sam Struan (formerly Sam Sung) - Image via eBay
24 AUGUST 2022 - The Apple/Sam Sung charity auction has ended. Offering the quickest of reminders: Sam Struan (formerly Sam Sung) used to work for Apple and used to have business cards with his name and Apple’s name on them. Looking to turn that novelty into a good deed, he auctioned one of those cards, plus an employee t-shirt and lanyard. The auction ended Tuesday, raising CAD $1,152 (~US$883) for Canada’s Downtown Eastside Women's Center of Vancouver.
Cook, Ive, and Powell Jobs Hitting Code 2022 Conference in September
24 AUGUST 2022 - What do Laurene Powell Jobs, Jony Ive, and Tim Cook all have in common? While “Steve Jobs” is an acceptable answer, we’re going for something a bit more current here. A piece from MacRumors says the latest thing they have in common - all three are speaking at Vox Media’s Code 2022 conference next month in LA.
They are, of course, not the only ones. It wouldn’t be much of a conference with only three people. Other featured players include Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, California governor Gavin Newsom, and the list goes on. MacRumors says:
The discussions will be hosted by veteran journalist Kara Swisher, who will be “grilling the biggest names in industry on everything from cryptocurrency to climate change…”
Code 2022 is set to run Tuesday 6 September through Thursday 8 September. It’ll be interesting to see what (if anything) that does to speculation around Apple’s next media event. Rumor has Apple introducing iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 8, and who knows what else on Wednesday 7 September.
Apple Employees Push Back Against Back-to-Office Mandate
23 AUGUST 2022 - Apple corporate employees are due back in the office in a couple of weeks, and some are pushing back against it. Last week Bloomberg (via Yahoo Finance) ran a short report saying Apple had:
…set a Sept. 5 deadline for corporate employees to be in the office at least three days a week after delaying its return plans several times due to Covid-19 spikes.
The plan calls for workers to be in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and one other regular day set by individual teams. And at least some individuals are not into it.
The Financial Times ran a report Monday on a petition circulating among once and (perhaps) future Apple office folk. Apple Together, a group that formed during the pandemic, says some of its members are “happier and more productive” working away from the office, that they have done “exceptional work” away from the office, and they’d like to stay away from the office. “…location flexible work” is what they’re said to be requesting. On the company’s behalf, Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he wants to see people back on campus to preserve the “in-person collaboration” the he sees as “essential to [Apple’s] culture.”
While the Financial Times has seen the petition, Apple corporate has not - not officially, anyway. One of the Apple employees organizing the petition told the paper:
At this juncture we will not be releasing any specific names of individuals publicly or to exec leadership to protect our colleagues, especially in light of retail union busting and recent reports of allegations of retaliation from HR...
The Financial Times says “Apple declined to comment” for the report.
Apple Together Australia Employees Plan Third Union-Focused Zoom Meeting
23 AUGUST 2022 - Union talk for Apple Retail is apparently growing down under. 9 to 5 Mac says the group Apple Together Australia has a third Zoom meeting planned this week for retail employees with an interest in “industrial action.” Drawing on the expertise of Australia’s Retail and Fast Food Workers Union, the report has organizer’s saying:
This meeting will take workers through how industrial action works, the steps needed to make action protected and lawful, how industrial action might influence Apple’s bargaining, and answer questions from workers.
The meeting is set for Thursday 25 August, according to the report.
Report: Display Production for iPhone 14 Max Lags Other Models
23 AUGUST 2022 - Some interesting “but what does it mean?” news around the next round of iPhones. A piece from MacRumors has display analyst Ross Young saying that production of displays for iPhone 14 Max is lagging the rest of Apple’s models.
Okay - two questions, I guess: “but what does it mean?” and “but what is iPhone 14 Max?” While rumors have had Apple killing the mini end of the iPhone line this year, the company is still thought to be hitting with a four-model range. That would/will apparently be iPhone 14, a bigger iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and a bigger iPhone 14 Pro Max.
According to Mr. Young, display output is skewing toward the biggest and highest end. By his reckoning:
Display output for iPhone 14 Pro Max accounts for 28%
Display output for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro accounts for 26% each
Display output for iPhone 14 Max currently only accounts for 19%
Great expectations for Apple’s most expensive phone? Could be that, though the MacRumors report makes it sound more like production problems somewhere in the 14 Max line. The report has Young saying that those panel shipments will “make up a lot of ground in September.” They could be behind because of display issues. Then again, it might have been an issue with the phone itself. “During the iPhone 14 development cycle,” the report says there were rumors that the iPhone 14 Max “was behind schedule due to lockdowns and production issues.” TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated then “that suppliers would work overtime to catch up” and that the world would see “little impact on device availability.” Between that assertion and Young’s prediction of display makers making up a lot of ground in September, MacRumors figures “any initial supply issues at launch should clear up quickly.”
Foxconn Expanding Manufacturing in Vietnam
23 AUGUST 2022 - Foxconn is growing its manufacturing capacity in Vietnam. Apple Insider says Apple’s manufacturing partner and the world’s largest contract manufacturer is dropping $300 million on an existing facility in Kinh Bac City.
While the report says the expansion will add 30,000 jobs in the area, it’s unknown what - if anything - it means for Apple. There’s plenty of reason to think it will mean more manufacturing of Apple kit there, though. Apple is believed to want to move some manufacturing out of China. That’s thanks in part to the havoc COVID has played with manufacturing in the Middle Kingdom. Then there’s the ongoing political tension between China and the U.S.
While Apple and Foxconn are ramping iPhone production in India, talk of manufacturing in Vietnam has turned up a few times over the past several months. That’s run the gamut from talk last week of Apple Watch and MacBook production there to reports in June of some iPad production moving to Vietnam to the Prime Minister of Vietnam visiting Apple Park in the spring telling Tim Cook how great it would be if Apple had more stuff made in Vietnam.
Apple Adds M1 Laptops to Self Repair Program
23 AUGUST 2022 - Good news, do-it-yourselfers! Apple has added a few MacBooks to the list of machines in its Self Service Repair program. The Cupertino-company issued a press release Monday, outlining what’s in store. Starting today - Tuesday 23 August - MacBook Air and MacBook Pro units powered by Apple’s M1 processors are in the program, with “repair manuals and genuine Apple parts and tools [available] through the Apple Self Service Repair Store.” Additionally, the release says:
Apple will offer rental [repair] kits for $49, so that customers who do not want to purchase tools for a single repair still have access to these professional repair tools.
If you don’t know what you’re doing though, Apple suggests you not. “For the vast majority of customers who do not have experience repairing electronic devices,” the company says, “visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair.”
But… you’re bigger than it, so… you know… muck around and mind out.
Ming-Chi Kuo: Next MacBook Pros to Use 5nm Processors, Not 3nm
23 AUGUST 2022 - New MacBook Pros coming soon - That’s the word from TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Young MC took to Twitter on Monday saying:
New 14" and 16" MacBook Pro with new processors will enter mass production in 4Q22. Given TSMC's guidance that the 3nm will contribute revenue starting in 1H23, processors of 14" and 16" MacBook Pro models may still adopt the 5nm advanced node.
And like a balloon let go before being tied off, excitement over the new machines shrivels. The analyst’s Tweet flies in the face of a report last week from Commercial Times out of Taiwan. That had Apple as first in line for 3nm processors - possibly for some flavor of M2 - by the end of this year. That report was surprising, though. Earlier talk had had the 3nm processors hitting sometime in 2023.
Apple Issues Bug-Fixing Update for Boot Camp
23 AUGUST 2022 - If you’re a Boot Camp user, there’s an update out about which to know. For the forgetful among us, Boot Camp is the software that lets Intel-based Macs run Windows. While that’s starting to feel long in the tooth, MacRumors says it did get an update this week. According to the report:
Boot Camp 6.1.16 is a bug fix update that addresses minor issues, and it is replacing the prior 6.1.12 update that fixed stability issues with Bluetooth and WiFi drivers.
Apple/Sam Sung Charity Auction Closes Today
Sam Struan (formerly Sam Sung) - Image via eBay
23 AUGUST 2022 - That Apple/Sam Sung charity auction I told you about Monday has inched up a tiny bit. You probably remember this one: Sam Struan (formerly Sam Sung) used to work for Apple and used to have business cards with his name and Apple’s name on them. He auctioned one off several years ago for charity, raising $2,500. Now, he’s auctioning another along with an employee t-shirt and lanyard, raising money for Canada’s Downtown Eastside Women's Center of Vancouver. Compared to last time, this time’s a steal. As of late Monday bidding stood at CAD $1,152 (~US$883).
The auction closes just before 2PM Pacific/5PM Eastern today (Tuesday 23 August).
Apple Celebrates US National Park Service with Activity Challenge, Donations, and More
23 AUGUST 2022 - Apple has made its next Apple Watch Activity Challenge official. I told you last week of a report that had folks doing a one-mile workout on Saturday 27 August to earn virtual stickers and a virtual medallion. While centered around exercise, the activity (and associated assets) would reportedly celebrate National Parks.
Now, a press release from the Cupertino-company says the company is doing that and a lot more, celebrating the 106th anniversary of the US National Park Service. Among the offerings:
The company has launched a new guide in Apple Maps. The release says the Parks that Honor Native American History Guide lets users “learn more about national parks celebrating Indigenous history and heritage.”
On the podcast side, Apple says:
…listeners can check out a collection of episodes centering Indigenous voices, including the “Yellowstone” episode of “Parks,” an Indigenous-led podcast about the people who lived on US public lands before colonists arrived.
Well… thanks for the park… I guess…
Likely the biggest thing Apple is doing is donating money. The release says Apple will make a $10 donation “to the National Park Foundation for every Apple Pay purchase made with Apple through August 28.” Those will be capped at $1,000,000, according to the release’s fine print.
Apple Extends Repair Program for iPhone 12/12 Pro Units with Earpiece Issues
22 AUGUST 2022 - If your iPhone 12 has an earpiece problem, you’ve got more time to get it fixed. MacRumors says Apple has extended the time to take care of 12 and 12 Pro problems tied to the listening bit. According to the report:
Apple launched the service program in August 2021 after the company determined that a “very small percentage” of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices may experience sound issues due to a component that might fail on the earpiece module…
“Fail” as in “won’t make noise.” Users had had up to two-years after “the first retail sale of the device.” That has now been upped to three-years. The program is only applicable to 12 and 12 Pro units manufactured between October 2020 and April 2021. No 12 minis nor 12 Pro Max units suffer the same problem. More info is available on Apple’s site.
Employees Say Anti-Union Rhetoric Persists at Apple Retail
Apple Towson Town Center - Image via Apple
22 AUGUST 2022 - Apple seems to have an interesting plan of action on union moves in retail: If you can’t beat ‘em - keep trying to beat ‘em. Apple Insider says the Cupertino-company is continuing its anti-unionization push. That apparently includes continuing to denigrate unionization to employees at Apple Towson Town Center - the Maryland location that successfully unionized earlier this year. The Twitter account of an apparent Apple Genius outlines recent talking points during a start of staff meeting. Over a series of Twitter posts [1, 2, 3] the genius said employees are said to have heard:
How nothing has changed for the store since unionization
How changing schedules is more difficult and takes more time with union involvement
How “they didn't bargain to negotiate when it came to merit increases”
That recent pay hikes were NOT a reaction to unionization moves
How people who voted against a union at a unionized store still have to join the union
How they are allowed to talk about unions and are welcome to bring any questions to management
One thing that makes all of this kind of weird: The employee misspelled Towson. Kept calling it Townsend. Of course that could have been an autocorrect issue and besides, Apple Insider says it was able to confirm the talking points at the Towson store as listed. And it’s not just happening there. The report says:
…about 70 miles down I-95, Apple has also been holding anti-union meetings at Apple Reston in Virginia, one staffer told AppleInsider in an email. The employee said Apple Market Leaders came to the store and used the closure of recent unionized Starbucks stores as a negative example of union pushes.
Sort of saying the quiet part loud there, aren’t you? Also - is Apple really going to close a retail store? Really? And have people believe that it’s because employees wanted to unionize? Because that is likely what people would believe. And yes, in case you’re wondering, Apple Insider says it was also able to confirm the Reston meeting through other sources.