LTE-Enabled Watch Rumored ⇢

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Mark Gurman, Scott Moritz and Ian King:

Apple Inc. is planning to release a version of its smartwatch later this year that can connect directly to cellular networks, a move designed to reduce the device’s reliance on the iPhone, people familiar with the matter said.

Currently, Apple requires its smartwatch to be connected wirelessly to an iPhone to stream music, download directions in maps, and send messages while on the go. Equipped with LTE chips, at least some new Apple Watch models, planned for release by the end of the year, will be able to conduct many tasks without an iPhone in range, the people said. For example, a user would be able to download new songs and use apps and leave their smartphone at home.

Sitting pricing — and cellular plans — aside, this is a product I am definitely interested in. I go for bike rides on a regular basis1 and always take my iPhone 7 Plus with me. While having music and podcasts stream from my phone is much easier than the watch, safety is the primary reason. I don’t go anywhere I can’t be reached by my loved ones, and on a bike, having the ability to call 911 can become a very real thing in a heartbeat.

A cellular Apple Watch would be great in this scenario. The Plus is a giant pain the ass to take with me, and I’d love to leave it behind.

Oh, and then there’s this, by John Gruber:

It’s hard to overstate just how big a deal this could be. No mention in Businessweek’s report, though, of the all-new form factor that I’ve heard is coming for this year’s new watches. That tidbit came from an unconfirmed little birdie, though, so I wouldn’t bet the house on it.

I’d dig a thinner, lighter Watch, but I’d take more battery life and LTE first, and cramming those things into a smaller chassis would be really impressive.

  1. And runs on a very irregular basis. ↩

Another iPhone SE Rumor ⇢

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Mitchel Broussard at Macrumors:

Apple supplier Wistron is preparing to expand its India-based iPhone manufacturing, with production geared towards the next-generation iPhone SE, according to local sources (via Focus Taiwan). Apple is hoping to build its share of the Indian smartphone market by giving Wistron the majority of the orders for the new iPhone SE, which is said to ship in the first quarter of 2018.

I think Spring 2018 is the make-or-break it spot for the SE. I have trouble seeing Apple letting it go longer than two years without an update — if it’s going to be updated at all.

A New Home for the iMacs

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Early last year, I tweeted that I wanted to collect every color of iMac.

A month later, I had all 13 colors of iMac G3 in my office. I took a bunch of photos and made a video of the process. I then went on a summer-long tear writing about every generation and permutation of the CRT iMac. This work then morphed into an ebook about the iMac and the road from the classic Mac OS to Mac OS X.

When I was done with the project, I realized I had a problem. After moving into my at-home studio, I just didn’t have space for all 13 of the iMacs.

I was torn on what to do. I could have sold some of them, but I knew that having the whole set was something special. I didn’t want to stick them in storage and have them slowly rot away, either.

I reached out to Kristen Gallerneaux, the Curator of Communications and Information Technology at The Henry Ford Museum. I interviewed her in 2016 for the Apple I’s 40th anniversary, and we really hit it off. I sent her a note, hoping The Henry Ford would be interested in the set.

Turns out, they were, and several months ago, the iMacs were packed up and sent on their way to Dearborn.

I miss having the iMacs in my office, but I am thrilled to have them in the Museum’s collection. All 13 will remain in the possession, together, as part of its permanent collection.

To those of you who sent me your iMacs, thank you. The project was incredibly fun, and your desire to have your machines enjoy a good home is more true now than ever.

2018 Update

I got to go see my iMacs in Detroit!

Steve Jobs and the iPod nano ⇢

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Steve Levy, writing at Wired, recounting a conversation with Steve Jobs the day Apple announced the iPod nano:

“This is a huge bet,” he said, describing how once or twice a year he gathered the top 100 people at the company—“not the top 100 in the org chart but if you were going to have 100 people on a rowboat with you, who would you want?”—to figure out big strategic issues. The previous year, he said, he had opened the meeting with a speech: “Our revenues have doubled in the last two years,” he told his team. “And our stock price is high and our shareholders are happy. We have a lot of momentum. And a lot of people think, ‘It’s really great, we’ve got a lot to lose, let’s play it safe.’ That’s the most dangerous thing we can do. We have to get bolder, because we have world class competitors now and we just can’t stand still.” The bold move was the Nano, replacing the wildly popular iPod mini with an even tinier, full-featured, color-screened successor. “We call this a heart transplant—stop one production line, start another. It’s amazing, and the team has done brilliantly and pulled it off.”

Kbase Article of the Week: How to Force Restart your iPod shuffle ⇢

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This article was last updated back in May:

If your iPod shuffle doesn’t respond when you press the buttons, you can force restart your device:

  1. Unplug your iPod shuffle from its charger and from your computer.
  2. Use the power switch to turn off your iPod shuffle. If you see green by the switch, your device is on. (Can’t find the power switch?)
  3. Wait for ten seconds. Then turn on your iPod shuffle again.

It even includes this charming illustration of iPod shuffle power buttons:

Connected #153: Top-Notch Phone ⇢

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This time on Connected:

Stephen is sad about iPods. Federico is happy about iPads. Someone at Apple is probably unhappy about accidental leaks. Just another week.

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Apple Posts Q3 2017 Results ⇢

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Apple has posted its Q3 2017 results:

“With revenue up 7 percent year-over-year, we’re happy to report our third consecutive quarter of accelerating growth and an all-time quarterly record for Services revenue,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We hosted an incredibly successful Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and we’re very excited about the advances in iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS coming this fall.”

Here are some details from the results and the call:

  • International sales accounted for 61 percent of the quarter’s revenue. 75% of Apple Pay transactions take place outside of the U.S.
  • Revenue in China slipped 10%, continuing a slowing in that market.
  • Cook was asked about Trump claiming Apple was building plants in the U.S. He quoted the fact that Apple has created 2 million jobs, and says they are creating more every day and dodged the question about manufacturing. Sooooo…
  • This marks the first year-over-year growth the iPad has seen since Q1 2013/Q1 2014. Over 1 million units were sold to educational institutions this quarter.
  • This is the biggest quarter for Apple’s “Services” division, while “Other Products” keeps chugging along. Q4 will be the first quarter without iPod shuffle and iPod nano revenue. I expect to see no change in the number, lol/crying.
  • Speaking of “Other,” Apple Watch sales are “up 50%,” but no concrete numbers were given.
  • Apple still struggling to catch up with AirPod demand, but devices have “98% customer satisfaction.”
  • ARKit was praised by Tim Cook, who thinks it’ll make a difference across education, entertainment, the enterprise and more. iOS 11 will make iOS the world’s “largest AR platform.”
  • Apple Pay continuing to roll out to new countries this year.
  • Cook blamed the rumor cycle for the “pause” in iPhone growth.
  • Mac sales are flat year-over-year. Can we blame the lack of Mac mini updates? Probably not, but it is always fun to link to this page.
  • AAPL is at an all-time high.

Revenue

Profit

iPhone Sales

iPad Sales

Mac Sales

Services Revenue

“Other Products” Revenue