What to Expect From Apple’s Third Quarter Earnings Results Today
Apple today will release its fiscal third quarter earnings results, reflecting a three-month period that ended in late June, and the consensus among analysts is that the company will report a second consecutive decline in iPhone sales and overall revenue. That same scenario played out last quarter for the first time since 2003.
In fact, some analysts have forecasted that iPhone sales may be as low as 38 million to 40 million units, a decline of up to 20 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. If the estimates prove to be accurate, it would mark Apple’s worst quarter of iPhone growth ever in the smartphone’s nine-year history.
Apple itself provided guidance of between $41 billion and $43 billion in revenue, which would be up to 18 percent lower than the $49.6 billion in revenue it posted in the year-ago quarter. Wall Street expects revenue to be around the $42.1 billion mark, with earnings of $1.39 a share — one analyst has EPS as low as $1.35.
iPhone accounts for around two-thirds of Apple’s revenue, and an even greater portion of its profits, so the device’s recent slide is concerning for investors — reflected in the price of Apple shares, down around 21 percent from a 52-week high of $123.91. The good news for Apple is that many analysts believe it will “bottom out” in the June quarter and return to iPhone and revenue growth by the 2017 fiscal year.
But, until then, the bleeding is expected to continue. iPad sales are forecasted to decline for a tenth consecutive quarter, while market research firm IDC’s estimated Apple Watch sales of 1.6 million in the June quarter would be 55 percent lower than the year-ago launch quarter. Mac sales are also projected to decline by up to 10 percent as buyers await a 2016 MacBook Pro and other new models.
As emphasized by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the recent decline in Apple’s hardware sales has been offset by growth in the company’s expanding services category, including the likes of Apple Music, Apple Pay, AppleCare, and licensing. That trend looks set to continue, as Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart forecasts service revenue was $6.1 billion in the June quarter for 20 percent year-over-year growth.
Beyond the third quarter, attention has turned to tempered expectations surrounding the upcoming iPhone 7. The consensus among analysts is that a perceived lack of new features coming to the next-generation smartphone could result in a “mega upgrade cycle” for the so-called iPhone 8 rumored for 2017. Next year’s model is already rumored to feature a new design with an OLED display and glass casing.
Apple will publish its third quarter earnings report at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time), and we will share the results shortly thereafter. MacRumors will then provide live coverage of the ensuing conference call with Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time).
Tags: earnings, AAPL
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Future Apple Pencil Could Include Motion Sensors and Magic Trackpad Compatibility
The United States Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent for a “Stylus with inertial sensor,” equating to an advanced version of the Apple Pencil that could potentially function with the company’s iMac-compatible Magic Trackpad (via Patently Apple). The patent was originally filed in November 2014, but was only recently published in May of 2016.
The patent briefly mentions the combination of the Apple Pencil and Magic Trackpad (or “electronic equipment”), which would receive “electromagnetic signals from electrodes at the first end of the stylus” and translate a user’s drawing into a compatible iMac program. The potential integration could bring artistic drawings and programs to Apple’s desktop line, similar to the boom such apps saw with the release of the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro last year.
Overall, the new patent details a next-generation Apple Pencil with a far greater technological reach than the current version of the stylus. The proposed update could bring in-air gestures in order to let users control Keynote slides or rotate objects on an iMac screen, turn the accessory into a joystick for games, or even use the Apple Pencil as “an air mouse” in lieu of the Magic Trackpad itself.
Apple Pencil used as a joystick for interacting with 3D objects (left) and air mouse (right)
Although Apple was granted the patent today, as with other patents, it’s a good idea to remain wary as to how long it will take the company to announce, reveal, and release such a device like the Apple Pencil described here, if it ever will. All the same, it would appear a safe bet that a new version of the stylus could pack in some of these motion-sensing features, even if it’s still limited to the iPad line.
Tags: Apple Pencil, Magic Trackpad 2
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Adobe Lightroom Launches on Apple TV
Adobe today released a Lightroom app for Apple TV, enabling users to share their Creative Cloud photos in a slideshow on the big screen.
The viewing-only app features the ability to browse through your synchronized photo collections, including photos uploaded via Lightroom CC on the desktop, Lightroom on mobile, or Lightroom on the web.
When scrolling through all of the photos in your Creative Cloud account, users can stop and zoom in to highlight details within individual photos. However, photos cannot be edited within Lightroom for Apple TV.
Lightroom requires a fourth-generation Apple TV as well as a Creative Cloud subscription to login. The app can be downloaded for free from the tvOS App Store on Apple TV, and is available right now.
Tags: Adobe, Adobe Lightroom
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Make your iPhone read aloud to you – CNET
You don’t need to pay for an Audible subscription to have your iPhone read books to you. By enabling an accessibility setting, you can make your iPhone read the text of whatever it is you have open, from a book in iBooks to an article you have open in Safari or another app. This setting is also available on iPads.
It’s not a perfect replacement for Audible, though, since AI does the reading instead of an actual living, breathing human. You do have options, however, for the type of voice and language you’d like to hear. It could prove useful if you have poor eyesight or impaired vision, obviously, but it could also come in handy for times when you’re just tired of staring at your iPhone screen, whether you are reading in a dark room and can’t dim your screen enough, attempting to walk and read at the same time, or are getting jostled on the subway and can’t keep your phone steady enough to read comfortably.
To enable the setting, head to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech and toggle the switch on for Speak Screen.
Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
With this setting enabled, you can swipe down with two fingers from the top edge of your screen and a voice will begin reading whatever text is on the screen. A small control panel appears that lets you pause the speaking voice, skip slightly forward and back, and speed up or slow down the speaking rate.
In testing, the Speak Screen setting worked with both iBooks and Kindle apps. It began reading at the top of the current page and when it reached the end of the page, it turned to the next and kept reading. It also continued speaking with my iPhone locked with the screen off.
It also worked with Safari, Chrome and the Google search app, but the every word on the screen gets read, from headlines and bylines to photo captions and time stamps. I found the same to be true with the Huffington Post app, but not with NYTimes app. With the Times app, Speak Screen skipped the headline, byline and date stamp and started in at the beginning of the article.
Matt Elliott/CNET
If you want a different style speaking voice or another language altogether, head back to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech and tap Voices to select among 27 languages, each of which offers a handful of voice styles.
I wouldn’t want to listen to an entire novel in this manner, but I might use it for a chapter here and there. Or to get the news while giving my eyes a break.
(Via WonderHowTo)
2016 Chrysler 300 Limited AWD review – Roadshow
The Good The 2016 Chrysler 300 looks good, drives smooth and packs the always excellent Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system.
The Bad Fuel economy is not great, and mediocre interior materials make certain parts creak and groan while other parts look old straight from the factory.
The Bottom Line The Chrysler 300 gives you a uniquely stylish look, combined with a comfortable cabin and driving demeanor, but it lags behind the competition in fuel economy and interior fit and finish.
Ever since the Chrysler 300 appeared on the scene in 2004, it provided sharp-looking big-body cruising, without breaking the bank. More than a decade later, it still occupies that same spot, albeit with a flashier wrapper and nicer equipment.
Trouble is, while the 300 was rolling down the boulevard, several new challengers appeared — a refreshed Toyota Avalon, an all-new Nissan Maxima and even a refreshed platform-mate, the Dodge Charger. The 300 hasn’t gotten worse over time, others have risen up around it. But in the face of all these new, uh, faces, the 300 remains a competent machine.
Looks and feels
If it’s good enough for Heisenberg…
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
The 300 has never not been handsome. It’s a blocky car, punctuated by strong fenders and the appearance of a low roofline. It looks mean, which might explain its brief appearance as Walter White’s wheels in “Breaking Bad.” It’s a more restrained, conservative look than the overly stylized Maxima, the musclebound Charger or the Avalon, which looks like the visual embodiment of a lullaby.
Inside, large and commanding front seats lend a feeling of executive-style appointment, and while an all-black interior may add a bit of drabness, it’s never unattractive.
While the look is fine, I had some issues with the fit and finish. Whereas the leather is surprisingly supple, the plastics throughout are anything but. The softest plastic lies atop the dashboard, but looks like it’s fading straight from the factory. My car’s faux-wood trim was attractive, but the storage cubby door on the center stack creaked like a 100-year-old house’s stairs.
There’s also the matter of the shift knob. The rotary dial is love-it-or-hate-it. I don’t mind it, but it’s made of a very cheap looking plastic. The gauges are also a bit in your face for a car that’s more on the demure side — neon blue lighting and sportily arranged numbers make for a strange juxtaposition.
Tech-forward, but not leading the charge
The 300’s Uconnect system is excellent as always, but its 3G telematics is a bit behind the times.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
If there is one thing I absolutely adore in a Chrysler, it’s the infotainment system. Uconnect is snappy, well laid out and easy to get used to, all of which earn high praise from me. The associated information display between the gauges is easy to navigate, and I like just how much it’s capable of displaying, from engine oil temperature to individual tire pressures to one of the best looking fuel economy gauges in the industry.
Bear in mind, not all 300s feature this system. With a 300 in base trim, you will need to add the $2,395 Premium group to get the 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect system. The Anniversary Edition 300 I drove came with the system as standard, but with a $2,995 premium over the base price.
Additional apps are available in the system, such as Pandora, iHeartRadio and Slacker Radio, but they require the Uconnect Access phone app. There’s a Wi-Fi hotspot with an embedded modem that also powers some of Uconnect’s apps, like Yelp, but its 3G speeds are a bit behind the curve. Nevertheless, the 300’s two USB ports in the back, complementing the one up front, let passengers keep their phones charged on longer hauls.
In its effort to innovate, Chrysler integrates the windshield wipers and turn signals into a single stalk on the left side. If you’re not used to Chrysler vehicles, this will be as annoying as it is confusing. Changing a very traditional configuration may be a bridge too far.
SamsungOne is Samsung’s new in-house developed font
Samsung has crafted the company’s own typeface called SamsungOne. The company will deploy this new font across its product and service catalogue to provide a consistent and universal experience for consumers. The move shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who is familiar with similar endeavours undertaken by other big brands like Google (Roboto), Apple (San Francisco) and Microsoft (Segoe).
Consumers who purchase Samsung products can expect to see the typeface on anything from smartphones to TVs and household appliances to advertising campaigns. The font itself will support 400 different languages through the deployment of more than 25,000 characters. Samsung approached its new typeface using five core typography principles and characteristics:
- Humanist
- Distinctive
- Universal
- Expert
- Legible/Scalable
It’s not currently known when we’ll start seeing Samsung’s new typeface in products, but we imagine the company will want to start using SamsungOne sooner rather than later to help differentiate itself.
OxygenOS 3.2.2 brings Doze improvements and more to the OnePlus 3
OnePlus has started pushing out OxygenOS 3.2.2 for the OnePlus 3. The update brings a number of fixes to the phone, including improvements for Doze, updated security patches and other optimizations. There has been some controversy surrounding how the OnePlus 3 was working with Doze, and hopefully this update will address those concerns and more.
OnePlus details the update, noting the following changes:
- Improved notification management in doze.
- Addressed alert slider/silent mode issue.
- Disabled fingerprint sensor while in pocket.
- Added NFC toggle in quick settings.
- Improved noise cancellation in video recording.
- Updated 4K video recording codec.
- Added latest security patches and various optimizations.
As with most OxygenOS updates, OnePlus will push this out incrementally over the next few days. When you receive the update, be sure to let us know if it has fixed your issues. Don’t already have a OnePlus 3? Hit the link below to grab one for yourself.
See at OnePlus
OnePlus 3
- OnePlus 3 review: Finally, all grown up
- OnePlus 3 specs
- OnePlus 3 vs. the flagship competition
- Latest OnePlus 3 news
- Discuss OnePlus 3 in the forums
OnePlus
BlackBerry’s upcoming second Android phone shown in new images
The official BlackBerry website briefly posted new images and specifications for its second Android smartphone, “Neon”, before the company took them down.
As revealed on our sister site CrackBerry, the BlackBerry ‘Neon’, also known as the DTEK50, will have a full touchscreen with no hardware keyboard, unlike their first Android smartphone, the Priv. The specifications also confirmed previous reports that the new phone will have a 5.2-inch, 1920×1080 display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor. 3GB of RAM, and 16GB of expandable storage. It will also have a 13 megapixel rear camera, an 8MP front-facing camera and a 2610 mAh non-removable battery with Quick Charge 2.0 support. The images show that the phone strongly resembles the Alcatel Idol 4 in its design.
We may learn more about BlackBerry’s Android smartphone plans later this week, according to recent comments from the company’s CEO John Chen.
Learn more at CrackBerry.com
T-Mobile adds 16 more providers to Binge On, bringing the total to over 100
T-Mobile has announced the U.S. carrier is adding a further 16 providers to its Binge On program, which essentially enables subscribers to enjoy select services and streaming platforms without using up any data on their plan. The company boasts more than 100 services on this program, allowing customers to enjoy 765 million hours of video for free so far.
Here’s the full list of newly added providers:
- ABC
- Apple Music
- Big Ten Network
- CEEK VR
- DISH Anywhere
- Disney Channel
- Disney Jr.
- Disney XD
- D-PAN.TV
- DramaFever
- FOX NOW
- FXNOW
- NAT GEO TV
- Shalom World
- Sioeye
- Tubi TV
Interested to learn more about Binge On? Be sure to check out the official T-Mobile website.
The PC-based Remix OS gets migrated to Android Marshmallow
Jide Technology’s Remix OS, which forks Android so it can work on PC desktops and notebooks, has been migrated to Marshmallow with its latest update.
Along with the Marshmallow upgrade, Jide stated the Remix OS has added support for over 12 more PCs with this new version, along with “system stability improved over previous versions” and improved user experience on multiple windows and other key features”. Jide launched the first public alpha of Remix OS in early 2016.
Downloa Remix OS for free
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