With a market capitalization of $751 billion (and possibly a trillion in a few years), Apple attracts attention every time it launches something… anything, really.

The past year was very positive for the Cupertino behemoth. With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus dominating the news before and after launch, it was a year of strong financial performance and increasing market momentum.

When I look at Apple overall, I see a company that has been able to grow its brand and market share by marrying software, ease of use, and elegant design – but ultimately by selling hardware. The nice shiny objects are what get consumers’ attention. This can be seen by looking at the level of replacement sales that Apple’s iPhone upgrades have generated. In years where improved software and services were introduced alongside changes in design, replacement sales have been greater. With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple played the “larger screen” card that many have been waiting for, and the mix of replacement cycles from previous iPhone models, as well as conversion from Android, have been amazing. This upgrade cycle technique has worked well for them, but it’s a strategy with a finite horizon, since all hardware – even Apple hardware – is subject to eventual commoditization. It’s an unavoidable truth for any manufacturer.

Apple certainly understands this and, on top of delivering value through the ecosystem and software, is planning for growth in other areas with different revenue opportunities. Apple Pay is at the top of their list. Another important new area will be a music pay-for-service (as opposed to a live-stream service) that would leverage the 2014 acquisition of Beats Music and Beats Electronics.

It’s an approach that asks, more urgently than ever: “How do we add value to the hardware – value that doesn’t necessarily come from the hardware itself?”

This impacts the consumer decision matrix when considering the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Will a person buy the iPhone 6 because of Apple Pay? Perhaps not today, but in a year’s time – when Apple Pay is everywhere, when the consumer better understands the value and perceives the convenience – absolutely. This will cement the relationship that people have with Apple, and drive revenue to Apple from sources other than the consumer.

I believe that Apple will continue to build value into their platforms – and consumers will perceive that value coming not only from cool hardware, but from the full range of great services that run on a seamless platform, regardless of which one of their portfolio of Apple devices they may be using. This is how Apple will continue to drive increasing user loyalty.

Through their partnership with IBM, Apple is also moving in a more distinct way into the enterprise. While Apple’s products have been used in the enterprise for years, most of them make their way there through the backdoor of “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD). With IBM, Apple can more effectively penetrate IT departments without having to compromise their “consumer first” focus. Rather than trying to do it alone, Apple looked for a well-established brand in the enterprise market that has the trust of many CIOs. Moving deeper into the enterprise will increase sales volumes, with less seasonal influence and price sensitivity, and also increase the amount of time users spend on their devices.

In the midst of all this, there is the wearables-unknown represented by the Apple Watch. While today’s consumers might say they are not interested in wearables, we know that Apple can create new markets. Both with the iPhone and iPad, Apple reinvented markets that existed previously in smartphones and tablet PCs. Apple has been clever in emphasizing the design of the Apple Watch. This will allow for a wider addressable market than focusing on tech alone. It also aligns nicely with Apple’s ability to deliver technology in a seamless way, making its gadgets more appealing to consumer segments that are not “into” technology, per se. For example, consider the adoption of the iPad by customers over 50. While the attention is on sales, and the crystal balls are out as we determine volumes and replacement cycles, I would argue that what Apple Watch will do for Apple, beyond additional revenue, is much more interesting and will have longer impact. The Apple Watch should:

• Lock in the most valuable consumers more securely.
• Help Apple understand more about these consumers by spending almost 24 hours a day with them. The battery charge time is about the only time you will not wear it. As Mr. Cook recently stated, he takes it into the shower with him!
• Make Apple Pay even easier, driving usage.
• Offer more revenue opportunity to developers, solidifying Apple’s leadership in the app store business.
• Give Apple a hook into the ecosystem for users who might have a smartphone on a different OS, but want Apple Watch. In France, for instance, 63% of consumers on an Android smartphone would change their OS for a wearable device. Yet, our study says only 16% of French iOS users are willing to leave the Apple ecosystem.
• Apple Watch might also become a “hero” product for Apple, allowing more flexibility on the iPhone pricing, especially in emerging markets. This way, Apple could have its cake and eat it, by maintaining the prestige of the brand while driving iPhone into even more pockets.

Do I expect Apple to actually make a car? I don’t. It won’t go that far. But I do think they want to be in our cars, and they are presently working toward that goal. While CarPlay hasn’t taken off as fast as some expected, do I believe Apple will control my dashboard? Absolutely.

Apple is all about my user experience. As their customer, Apple wants to further expand that connection with me into my car, home, work, and leisure and learn more about what I do. With that new understanding, they can perfect the devices and services they offer. That’s the core difference between Apple and Google. Google wants to know more about me so they can perfect their search and advertising technologies. That’s not what Apple does. Apple uses knowledge about me to make and sell more and better devices to me, to perfect the software and services that motivate me to use the products I have, and to expand my portfolio of their products.

Unlike its competitors, Apple OS doesn’t exist in a vacuum, but has long been an integral part of the consumer platform mix. They haven’t merged iOS and MacOS – some say they will, and some say they won’t. They’re making it very simple for consumers to move painlessly from one to the other. All consumers care about is that the experience they get – phone, tablet, Mac – is very similar. It’s enriched and takes advantage of the unique design elements of the different products, but rarely requires me to learn something that feels foreign.

Apple has always sought to sell more devices to the same household, rather than one thing to everyone. They don’t want to become a mass-market brand, but they do want to sell me as many pieces of the platform as I will buy – the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. This has made for a very loyal, committed, and engaged customer base. It’s a customer base that drives multiple kinds of revenue and produces excellent ROI. It also distinguishes Apple from virtually every one of their competitors, although others are trying to adopt some of the same strategies. This allows them to deliver value through software and services, and not just hardware. While this approach is a harder sell for the mass-market consumer, the higher-end consumer appreciates and values it.

Apple continues to confound pretenders to the throne. No other technology company has ever built a more valuable, more engaged set of customers.

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In a new interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about a wide range of topics, including the Apple Watch, Apple’s new campus, and Steve Jobs’ legacy.

Cook talked about Apple’s work on the Apple Watch, and the world that it will be released in. Comparing it to the iPhone, Cook notes how important developers have been to the success of that device, and thinks they’ll play a similar role in the success of the watch. He also talked about expectations for the watch, and addressed criticisms about the device’s lack of purpose.

From Fast Company:

Yes, but people didn’t realize they had to have an iPod, and they really didn’t realize they had to have the iPhone. And the iPad was totally panned. Critics asked, “Why do you need this?” Honestly, I don’t think anything revolutionary that we have done was predicted to be a hit when released. It was only in retrospect that people could see its value. Maybe this will be received the same way.

On Apple’s upcoming Campus 2, Cook said that it’s important for Apple employees to be together, and how critical that is to the company culture of informality:

It’s critical that Apple do everything it can to stay informal. And one of the ways that you stay informal is to be together. One of the ways that you ensure collaboration is to make sure people run into each other—not just at the meetings that are scheduled on your calendar, but all the serendipitous stuff that happens every day in the cafeteria and walking around.

He also talked about the legacy of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and the importance of change:

We change every day. We changed every day when he was here, and we’ve been changing every day since he’s not been here. But the core, the values in the core remain the same as they were in ’98, as they were in ’05, as they were in ’10. I don’t think the values should change. But everything else can change.

You can read the entire interview over at Fast Company.

Source: Fast Company

The official Audible app for Windows Phone has been updated to version 9.0.1. No, we’re not in April. This release is a fairly substantial update to the app by Amazon, bundling a bunch of improvements to enhance the audio book experience.

Yes, this does seem to be the previously discovered beta release merged into the official Store version.

Microsoft displayed a chart at today’s WinHEC conference in China showing all of the update paths for Windows 10, which confirms that Windows RT devices like the Surface RT and Surface 2 are being denied a way to get the company’s next operating system.

If you’re having trouble deciding between the 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch sizes, Apple has made a way for you to try them on — virtually!

In-store try ons will start on April 10, but if you want to get a sense of how both Apple Watch cases look on your wrist right now, today, you can do just that using the Apple Store app. It’s not obvious how to get there, but once you know where it is, you can switch between both collections and sizes and see how aluminum, steel, and gold, in 38mm and 48mm, fit.

• Free – Apple Store app – Download now

How to “try on” an Apple Watch with the Apple Store app

1. Launch the Apple Store app from your iPhone Home screen.
2. Tap on an Apple Watch collection you want to “try on” from the Featured section.
3. Tap on View Pricing at the top right.
4. Tap on Compare case sizes in the middle.
5. Toggle between 38mm or 42mm.
6. Put your iPhone on your wrist and see how it looks!

I’ve tried both Apple Watch sizes on in person and the Apple Store app does a surprisingly good job of simulating the way they look on your wrist. If you like both sizes, however, and still can’t decide which one is for you, check out our complete Apple Watch buyers guide:

• Read our breakdown on who should get the 38mm and who should get the 42mm Apple Watch

Happy sizing!

White, blue, green, pink, or black — the Apple Watch Sport collection offers five pairs of vibrant fluoroelastomer sport bands for you to choose from.

Molded out of high-performance, fluorocarbon-based synthetic rubber, the Apple Watch Sport bands are meant for exactly what the name implies — active lifestyles. That means they’re tough enough to survive runs in the sun, workouts in the gym, and hikes in the woods. Form-fitting and skin-friendly with a pin-and-tuck-closure, the Apple Watch Sport band is what ships with every case in the Apple Watch Sport collection. There are several bright, fun colors to choose from, however, and that can make the choice more difficult. If you’re having trouble deciding, here’s some help!

Five bands, two cases

The Apple Watch Sport collection pairs five different band colors with two different case colors. The silver aluminum case comes with your choice of white, blue, green, or pink bands. The space gray aluminum case, however, only comes with black.

You’ll be able to get other bands later, but if you want to make sure you get your favorite right away, or you want a particular case color, just note that it will restrict your initial band colors to four for silver, one for space gray.

Dirt and damage

Light colors show dirt and discoloration and dark colors show dust and scratches. It’s just a fact of life. Looking back at the iPhone 5c and the cases which came with it — not coincidentally in colors very similar to the sport bands — it’s evident Apple has put a lot of time and effort into making high-quality materials, but even high-quality materials can get dirty sometimes.

Until the Apple Watch Sport bands have been on the market for a while, it’s impossible to know just how wear-and-tear resistant they’ll truly turn out to be. Since the color seems to go all the way through, scratching the surface probably won’t do much more than reveal additional surface. Likewise, Apple has long since figured out how to make colors stay colorful even after prologued exposure to sunlight and other elements.

That said, watch bands will be on your wrists, near your hands. Think about your lifestyle, what you wear now, and which colors have held up best under your daily activities. The same will likely hold true for the sport bands.

Band swapping

Apple will be selling additional Sport bands for $49 each in the same white, blue, green, pink, and black that come in the collections. That means if you have your heart set on more than one color, or if you buy a color and later change your mind, you’re not going to have to pay a lot to switch things up.

Who should get the white sport band?

White is the presence of all colors in light, and the absence of all colors in print. White is worn for weddings in the west and passings in the east. In other words, white enjoys tremendous range. That’s probably why it’s so divisive. For some, it’s nothing they want anything to do with, for others, it’s the only thing they want.

Since there’s no silver in the sport collection, however, if you want something bright yet neutral, you’ll want white.

Who should get the blue sport band?

Blue is the color of the sky and the sea. It’s the canvas our world is set against, but very little in the world is set in blue. That’s why sapphires and jays stand out. Although blue is often associated with boys, blankets, and super-suits, Apple chose a light, bright shade of blue for the sport band that can really suit anyone.

If you want your Apple Watch sport band to be bold and auspicious, you want it to be blue.

Who should get the green sport band?

Green is the color of spring, of grass, and of leaves. The Apple Watch’s green Sport band is light and bright and appears closer towards yellow-green than blue-green. It’s a very natural, healthy, active, prosperous green.

If you want your Apple Watch sport band to be bright but fussy, colorful but natural, green is a great choice.

Who should get the pink sport band?

In the west, reds are typically associated with danger and prohibition, but in the east red is the color of luck and good fortune. In both it’s attention-getting; the color of roses and race cars. That’s probably why Apple went with a more coral shade of pink for the Sport band. Often — but not only — associated with women, ‘pink’ has its own name in English (unlike light blue, green, or yellow), which shows just how unique a place it has in the culture.

If you want your Apple Watch sport band to stand out from across the room, maybe across the street, you’ll want to go with the power of pink.

Who should get the black sport band?

Little black dress. Black tie. As a shade, black represents timeless elegance — the something that goes with everything. With Apple Watch Sport, the black Sport band comes only with the space gray case, so if that’s the case you want, this is the band you’re going to get. Sold separately, however, it’ll look just as good with the silver case, if in contrast rather than complement.

If you want the blacked out look, you’ll want the blacked out sport band.

Still undecided?

At the end of the day, the only real answer is get the color you like best. Everything else is manufactured anxiety. Just close your eyes, picture your Apple Watch on your wrist, and picture the color. Then buy that. And if you later change your mind, you can always pick up an extra band in a different color.

Apple’s latest App Store distribution numbers show that iOS 8 has now been installed on 77% of all compatible devices as of March 16, 2015.

iOS 7 now stands at 20%, with all the older versions claiming a total of 3% of installs. While the new stats represent a 5% gain compared to the iOS 8 adoption numbers from February 2, 2015, they are still behind the installs of iOS 7 for close to the same time period a year ago. In early April 2014, Apple showed that iOS 7 was installed in 87% of all supported devices.

Apple launched iOS 8 in September 2014. Rival Google launched Android 5.0 Lollipop in November, but its current adoption numbers showed that it is installed on just 3.3% of all Android devices. The older Android 4.4 KitKat now has a 40.9% adoption rate.

Source: Apple

While Microsoft no doubt wants each and every one of us to upgrade to Windows 10 and stay there, in practice we all need a way back. We do of course have that, but at the WinHEC conference out in Shenzhen, China, Microsoft has shown off a super easy way to uninstall Windows 10 and roll back to whatever you had before.