I’ve seen a couple machines in the last month or so just start showing symptoms of this hardware failure. I’m glad to see Apple extending this past what most repair extension programs get.
Category: Apple
A look at Apple’s chipmaking division⇢
Bloomberg Businessweek has a great profile of Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president for hardware technologies:
Srouji runs what is probably the most important and least understood division inside the world’s most profitable company. Since 2010, when his team produced the A4 chip for the original iPad, Apple has immersed itself in the costly and complex science of silicon.
It’s bigger than a single phone⇢
As we’ve learned from national hero Edward Snowden and, well, almost every other high-profile action taken by law enforcement recently, this most likely has very little to do with the specific crime or iPhone that the FBI is citing in this case.
It’s their excuse to establish precedent and permanent backdoors for themselves so they can illegally spy on anyone’s data whenever they please.
This is the most dangerous kind of slippery slope in today’s world: one that starts under the guise of security in the face of terrorism.
Tim Cook: ‘We oppose this order’⇢
The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.
This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.
If you haven’t read this, go read it.
Thoughts on an iPad Air 3 Smart Keyboard
With an iPad Air 3 rumored to be right around the corner, there’s been a lot of discussion about the new 9.7-inch iPad. Will it gain Pencil support? What about the Smart Connector?
I think the Pencil is probably a no-brainer for this device. The iPad Pro is great — I’m typing this on mine, actually — but it is big. An iPad Air with a Pencil more closely mimics keeping a paper notebook tucked under you arm if you’re just going out to sketch. I think putting the Pencil in the hands of more users is only good for the platform.
My Notebook Dilemma
Currently, I’m using a Mid 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. It has an 2.5 Ghz i7, 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB of SSD storage. It’s the fastest, most capable Mac I’ve ever owned.
I bought it right before going independent with Relay FM. I knew that I’d have a desk at home as well as space at an office I share with my brother’s non-profit.
I went with the 15-inch because I thought I’d be using it as a notebook way more than I actually do. Both of my desks have external displays, keyboards and mice. I simply show up, plug my computer in and hit the ground running with whatever I need to get done. I’m carrying a 15-inch laptop that lives most of its life as a desktop replacement. At home, the MacBook Pro doesn’t even get to be opened; I have it perched in a BookArc: 
Apple opens REP for Mac Pro⇢
Apple has determined that graphics cards in some late 2013 Mac Pros, manufactured between February 8, 2015 and April 11, 2015, may cause distorted video, no video, system instability, freezing, restarts, shut downs, or may prevent system start up.
Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will repair eligible Mac Pro models affected by the video issues free of charge. Customers can book an appointment with the Genius Bar at an Apple Store or visit an Apple Authorized Service Provider to determine if their Mac Pro is eligible for coverage.
Apple launches broken iPhone upgrade program⇢
The Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone trade-in program currently allows a customer to bring in an older iPhone model and trade it in for credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone model. The main exception since the launch of the program is that this does not apply toward older iPhones with cracked displays, or broken cameras and buttons. That’s about to change …
Starting this week, the updated program will allow Apple Stores to give credit for iPhone 5s and iPhone 6/6 Plus units with damaged displays, cameras, and buttons within reason. Apple believes that this new program will encourage new iPhone upgrades versus a standard iPhone screen repair.
‘This darkest of narratives’⇢
I’d like to say that the iPad will settle in at an average rate of 12 million units per quarter, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I suspect iPad sales will be down for at least one more quarter, and then may stabilize as people upgrade to the iPad Air 3.
But I have to admit, that’s my optimism talking. I’ve come to love the iPad and I don’t think Apple will abandon it. In fact, the company now seems committed to improving it at a pitch that was lacking during its first few years of existence. Perhaps this couple of years in the doldrums will end up being the thing that turns the iPad around.
Shot on iPhone 6s⇢
I was thrilled to see my friend Erin Brooks in this list of photographers. They say the best camera you have is the one with you, and Erin and these other artists really prove it.
The case against Control Center
With iOS 5, Apple introduced Notification Center, the pull-down shade that houses missed notifications and messages all in one place.
With iOS 7, Apple added Today, a section of Notification Center that users can fill with first- and third-party widgets, as well as Control Center, a quick way to get at commonly-used utilities with a flick up from the bottom of the display.
I don’t think this has aged very well, unfortunately, and it’s mostly Control Center’s fault. In addition to it being confusing to have a hidden panel at the top of the screen, having one at the bottom too is a lot to handle for some users. But there’s a bigger problem in my mind: Control Center just does way too many things.
Apple publishes Q1 2016 results⇢
Today, Apple announced its first quarter results:
The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $75.9 billion and record quarterly net income of $18.4 billion, or $3.28 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $74.6 billion and net income of $18 billion, or $3.06 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.1 percent compared to 39.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue.