Did you know Apple offers a bunch of information from iTunes and its Support section via RSS?
It’s a handy way to keeep up-to-date on stuff if it’s part of your job or keeps a nerd itch satisfied, even if they do get weird from time to time:
Hi there, kbase. https://t.co/SQhSda0Smb
— Stephen Hackett (@ismh) April 6, 2015
That’s one hell of a chart.
I guess we’ll all be hanging out online at 3AM EDT next Friday.
Honestly, it’s a lot simplier inside than I thought it would be.
Adam Lashinsky’s piece on Tim Cook is worth reading, even if there’s not a ton of new information about Apple’s CEO shared in it. 1
There, is however, a good bit about how Cook is handling his wealth that, as far as I know, is new:
He plans to give away all his wealth, after providing for the college education of his 10-year-old nephew. There should be plenty left over to fund philanthropic projects. Cook’s net worth, based on his holdings of Apple stock, is currently about $120 million. He also holds restricted stock worth $665 million if it were to be fully vested. Cook says that he has already begun donating money quietly, but that he plans to take time to develop a systematic approach to philanthropy rather than simply writing checks.
In a post titled “My Work Here is Done:”
So, I’m doing to focus on my family and friends, drop the demands of writing and get back to what it was before—just fun. I won’t be writing new stories, but will attempt to keep up with some of the list-type material on this Web site for reference.
I’ll miss Gary’s insight into Apple, as well as his obsessive love of detail. Over the years, we have traded emails several times, and he’s always been very kind and very helpful. Best of luck, friend.
Mark Gurman:
Apple is pushing for retail employees to initiate conversations that build trust, enabling the employee to serve as a valued fashion advisor during the purchase process, similarly to how traditional watches are sold. Apple Watch sales training programs will take place for Apple retail staff over the course of the next two weeks, teaching entirely new sales techniques to encourage iPhone upgrades, assist with gifting, and guide customers in watch and strap choices.
Joe Rossignol at MacRumors:
A new Apple wireless keyboard featuring backlight keys and a power button has been spotted on the Apple Online Store in Czech Republic and Hungary, with an identical Arabic version appearing on the U.S. storefront. The graphic render shows controls for adjusting the brightness of the backlight added to the F5 and F6 keys, as found on current MacBook models, while the eject key for CDs has been replaced with a power button.
Apple’s desktop line is far simpler than its notebook one, but there are still many considerations to make before purchasing something like a Mac mini or iMac. The company sells far more laptops than desktops, but for many companies, schools and stay-at-home workers, a desktop can make a lot more sense.
Apple’s smallest desktop machine, the Mac mini, is often heralded by the company as the perfect machine for a first-time Mac owner — it’s designed to be able to drop in to an existing setup of screen, keyboard and mouse and just go.
Good Morning America has a behind-the-scenes look at Apple’s health lab:
Apple engineers, managers and developers have been secretly volunteering for the past year in this state-of-the-art lab to participate in rowing, running, yoga and many more fitness activities in order to collect data for the Apple Watch’s inner workings.
I love the hands-on, throw-people-at-the-problem approach used by Apple in this case:
We know a little bit more what Apple’s going to do with the Stores and Apple Watch. Here’s Mark Gurman:
Each Apple Store will be provided with a special-hands on table filled with Apple Watch demo units, as Apple announced at its keynote earlier this month. Most stores will be provided one table with at least 10 surrounding Apple Watch try-on stations, while some Apple Stores will be given more tables to meet demand. Apple Stores will begin setting up the Apple Watch tables on April 9th and 10th during special overnight sessions for employees. Employees will also begin a few hours of more extensive Apple Watch training in the coming days, a follow-up to secretive training some employees received before the Spring Forward event at locations in Cupertino, Los Angeles, Austin, and Atlanta.
Clayton Morris:
Apple Watch won’t save us from shitty behavior but it will limit our distractions. Think of the Watch as a seive through which only the most relevant information lands on your wrist. Your interaction with that information is also whittled to nearly a few contact points: read, respond, or reachout.
On the surface the Apple Watch is limited and direct with the most useful information pushed to the top. A text comes in from one of my VIP contacts and I can immediately read it and respond without being dragged four layers deep inside my phone. To respond I can only use voice dictation or tap one of the prefilled fields such as “On my way”. An Uber notification that my car is two minutes away. Great, nothing more to see here. A Dark Sky notification that a massive thunderstorm is set to strike. I think I’ll head inside. A phone call from my wife, “Hello?”. No more fumbling for the phone inside the car, the backpack or pants pocket. My phone could even be plugged in three floors away, on the same WiFi network, and I can receive a call on my wrist.