Apple’s iPhone sales are still down, but Wall Street is happy anyway
After seeing Apple struggle through 2016, Wall Street set its sights pretty low for the company’s Q3 earnings report. Those financial results just dropped, and while they’re still not amazing for the folks in Cupertino, Apple did well enough to allay some nagging fears and get its flagging stock price up a bit in after-hours trading.
First, the biggest surprise: Apple shipped 40.4 million iPhones this past quarter, down from 51.2 million over the three months prior and from the 47.5 million shipped this time last year. Some outlets expected this to be the single worst quarter of iPhone sales growth since the iPhone first hit the scene in 2007, but that wasn’t meant to be — though another consecutive down quarter certainly isn’t fun to deal with. We’ve got the iPhone SE to thank for that, at least partially. This was the first full quarter of SE sales on the books, and Apple CEO Tim Cook said the device was popular in both “developing and emerging markets.” I’m not surprised: it’s a damned good little phone.
Since iPhones make up a big slice of Apple’s overall financial pie, it’s perhaps not surprising to see the company bring in more money than expected, too. Apple raked in a total of $42.4 billion in Q3, down from $49.6 billion this time last year. That’s a yearly dip of 15 percent. Again, not a terribly great turn, but it was still enough to appease investors, bolster stock prices and bring some value back to Cupertino. At time of publication, Apple’s share price is up nearly 7 percent.
While revenue and iPhone sales were down for a second straight quarter, there were other bright spots to be found in Apple’s documents. The company sold just shy of 10 million iPads — better than some had hoped — which help offset disappointing Mac sales. App Store revenue hit an all-time high, too, and Apple’s Services business as a whole surged 20 percent over last year. Those successes aside, it’s pretty clear Apple isn’t the juggernaut of growth it once was. You can’t keep up that kind of momentum forever.
Things would’ve looked a little better if Apple still had one of it major strongholds to lean on. For a long time there, Apple could consistently count on strong iPhone performance in China to help boost the bottom line. Faith in that seemingly sure thing was shaken last April, though, as sales in the greater China region (that’s China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) dipped nearly 26 percent. That accounted for more than half of the company’s overall revenue dip last quarter, and things aren’t much better this time around — we’re looking at a revenue drop of 33 percent since last year. Apple’s going to have to look elsewhere (like India) for another major growth engine. Cook said he sees “huge potential in that vibrant country,” but we’ll see how devices like the iPhone SE fare against low-cost competitors that currently dominate the market.
Professional pundits and armchair analysts say Apple’s best days are in the past, and if this were a normal year, that would sound a little premature. After all, the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2014 carried the company to new financial heights. Right now, though, leaks and rumors suggest the new iPhones that’ll be unveiled in September won’t be dramatically redesigned — we’re sure to get the usual performance bumps, a better camera and we might lose that decades-old headphone jack, but overall the hype train has been much quieter than usual. Throw in persistent reports that Apple is switching to a three-year product cycle, and you’ve got to wonder if the company’s financial course will ever swing back into insanely great territory.
Apple Music signs up ‘Carpool Karaoke’ as a new show
On The Late Late Show with James Corden the “Carpool Karaoke” segment has seen visits from a number of celebrities, and now Apple wants in. It’s signed an exclusive deal with CBS to produce a 16 episode series where celebrity guests ride along with the host (still TBA), visit “meaningful” places, sing songs and surprise fans. This is apparently the kind of thing Eddy Cue meant when he said Apple was only interested in developing content that could be complementary to Apple Music.
The segment will continue to appear on Corden’s show but it has been a viral hit online, thanks to guests like Justin Bieber, Adele — the clip embedded above is its most-viewed ever with over 119 million views — and most recently First Lade of the US Michelle Obama. Apple seems to think this kind of exclusive content will be enough to wrangle a few more months of music subscriptions that could otherwise go to competitors like Spotify, Google Play Music or Tidal. Hey, speaking of Tidal…
Source: CBS
Google Maps Gets Cleaner Look and Orange ‘Areas of Interest’ Hotspots
Google Maps developers yesterday introduced some visual changes and subtle navigation aids for both desktop and iOS that aim to make it easier for users to explore the world around them.
The most immediately obvious visual changes include the removal of road outlines to make traffic and transit routes easier to delineate, as well as clearer typography for street names, points of interest, transit stations, and so on, making them more distinguishable.
Another, less obvious but significant change is the way Google Maps represents high density areas of interest – restaurants, bars, shops, and so on – which now appear as orange shaded hotspots on the map. As the video above demonstrates, zooming into an orange area brings more details into focus, allowing users to tap them for more information.
The new Maps also gains a more subtle and balanced color scheme to help users differentiate between man-made and natural topographic features, as well as identify places like hospitals, schools and highways more easily.
Google Maps is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Apple picks a well-known executive to lead its electric car team
There’s been a lot of talk about Apple’s not-so-secret Project Titan electric car project, but… who runs it? We now have an idea. Wall Street Journal sources understand that Apple has picked Bob Mansfield, one of the company’s better-known executives, to helm its EV efforts. He’d effectively left the company in 2013 and only made a partial return after Apple scrambled to keep him (the Apple Watch is partly his baby), but he’s reportedly back in the swing of things now that Titan is ramping up — all senior managers in the car initiative have to report to him.
Neither Apple nor Mansfield are commenting on the apparent leak.
If accurate, the move might inspire some confidence. You may only remember Mansfield as the man who dove into technical details in Apple promo videos, but he led the hardware engineering behind some of the company’s biggest hits, such as early iPads, the iMac and the MacBook Air. He may not be an automotive expert, but he has a knack for making the company’s hardware visions become reality. That’s particularly important when Apple is entering an unfamiliar field and needs every bit of help it can get.
Source: Wall Street Journal
All 2017 Ford vehicles are getting CarPlay and Android Auto
Ford has confirmed that all of its 2017 models — every single car, SUV, light truck and EV — are smartphone-ready. They all come loaded with Ford’s Sync 3 entertainment system and are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Those who’ve snapped any of the currently available 2017 models, such as the latest Escape, Fusion, Mustang and Explorer, can already enjoy the in-car technologies. They can use their iPhones (5 or newer) or their Android Lollipop (or higher) devices to access maps, music, messages and even third-party apps on their vehicles’ screens. Both systems give them access to voice commands, as well.
Ford also assures those interested in buying the upcoming F-150, Focus, Edge and all-new 2017 Super Duty when they come out later this year that they’ll have access to Google’s and Apple’s in-car tech. “Ford is not taking the traditional approach of introducing Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto on a few piecemeal models or as an expensive option on luxury vehicles only,” said Jeffrey Hannah from automotive technology research firm SBD. “The guesswork for consumers is over — if you buy any 2017 Ford vehicle with SYNC 3, you drive off the lot with both of these innovative technologies ready to go.”
Source: Ford
New in our buyer’s guide: All the phones (just the good ones)
It took us a while, but now that we’ve reviewed the Moto Z, we think we’re done testing flagship phones until the iPhone 7 or next Galaxy Note come out (whichever arrives first). With that in mind, we can now confidently say that the following phones belong in our buyer’s guide: the Samsung Galaxy S7, the HTC 10 and the iPhone SE. (Sorry, LG, maybe next year.) While we were at it, we also inducted the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets, since we likely them more or less equally. And, in the less-expensive realm, we added the Roku Streaming Stick in the A/V category. Head over to our buyer’s guide hub for all the details on these and many more. That’s it for now, but stay tuned — who knows what we’ll add after the next gadget-reviewing frenzy.
Source: Engadget Buyer’s Guide
Security bugs put Apple devices running iOS and Mac OS X at risk
Multiple security vulnerabilities were revealed by Cisco’s Talos security team earlier this week, identifying areas at risk of possible exploits in iOS devices and Mac OS X. Some experts believe the exploits to be complex to pull off and likely not worth the time to attack. Regardless, the bugs have already been fixed in the latest versions of both operating systems.
In its post, Talos described five particular vulnerabilities that would allow someone to insert malicious code that would activate when OS X processes certain image file formats: TIFF, OpenEXR, Digital Asset Exchange and BMP. The security team found the first exploit to have the most potential danger as it could be triggered by many applications like iMessages that automatically render that file format when received or present multiple images in tiled arrangement.
While the exploits appear similar to the Stagefright Android bug revealed last year, the comparison isn’t totally sound. For one, Apple devices and computers run far fewer versions of its operating systems and thus fewer are left behind in the updating cycle. But several of the attack vectors via MMS and iMessage proposed by Talos remain hypothetical, and even those they successfully simulated in OS X and Safari have a lower reward profile than multimedia messaging, reports Macworld. Dan Guido, CEO of security firm Trail of Bits, further dismantles the Stagefright comparison and points out on Reddit that crafting an exploit for iOS, tvOS or watchOS could take as much as six months.
Apple declined to comment, but the latest versions fixing the vulnerabilities for both OS X El Capitan and iOS 9.3.3 were released on Monday, July 18th — the day before Talos’ report was released.
Via: Wired
Source: Talos
Review: AyeGear’s J25 Jacket Holds a MacBook, Two iPhones, Two iPads, and More
One of the realities of living in Toronto, Canada, about a two-hour drive from the nearest American city when traffic cooperates, is experiencing a distinctly four-season climate. Winter lives up to the stereotype of being bitterly cold, before giving way to a mild and rainy spring, and eventually a hot and humid summer. The warmth lasts for no more than three to four months, however, before the leaves turn orange in October and Starbucks brings out the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
For the past three months, I have been testing the AyeGear J25 Jacket to see how it holds up to those Canadian extremes, starting with a below-freezing, snowy day in early April to a comparatively sweltering 90º day in mid July. In addition to wearing the jacket around Toronto, I brought it with me on a recent trip to San Francisco, allowing me to test its convenience going through airport security and away from home in general. Ahead, find out if the jacket lived up to the task.
Fashion and Functionality
The jacket has over 25 separate compartments for storing portable devices, valuables, travel essentials, and general items, including six credit card and ID holders, two hand pockets, two chest pockets, two sleeve pockets, two smartphone pockets, two tablet pockets, two pen holders, two coin holders, two memory stick holders, two SD card holders, one back laptop pocket, and one passport holder.
There is also a Velcro-based earphone routing system along the neck of the jacket, an elastic strap that can hold a drink bottle, and an in-pocket retractable reel for securing your keys — or anything with a carabiner clip.
On my trip to San Francisco, I packed a tableful of items into the jacket with ease, including a 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple Watch, two iPhones, two SD cards, EarPods, Lightning-to-USB cable, wall charger, pack of chewing gum, car keys, sunglasses, passport, boarding pass, charging case, portable battery pack, wallet, and loose change. In addition to all of that, the jacket could hold two iPads.
My immediate reaction after putting on the jacket was that, perhaps as to be expected, it was rather heavy. It almost feels like wearing a lead apron at a dentist office during teeth X-rays. Walking around with all of your electronics and personal belongings strapped to your body obviously hunkers you down somewhat, and wearing this jacket for an extended period of time can become rather uncomfortable.
The weight might be a worthy tradeoff for frequent flyers, however, as the jacket makes airport security a much less frustrating experience. Anyone that has stood in line at the TSA checkpoint knows it can be a tedious, albeit important, process: take your shoes off, take your laptop out of its bag, and place all of your individual belongings in the bins before proceeding through the metal detector.
When wearing the jacket, however, all you have to do is quickly take it off with your shoes, much to the delight of those waiting behind you.
AyeGear’s J25 Jacket is built to last in all weather conditions. It is made from a mixture of cotton (67 percent) and nylon (33 percent) that proved to be waterproof — water drops bead off — and wrinkle free. The jacket also has an adjustable rollaway zipped hood, a breathable lining, and removable sleeves to turn the jacket into a vest, making it useful for hiking trips or similar activities in warmer weather.
In terms of fashion, the AyeGear J25 is not an incredibly stylish jacket — but it’s not ugly either. As a 20-something who typically wears skinny jeans and a slim v-neck crew shirt, I found the jacket to be baggier than ones I normally wear. To be fair, however, the jacket serves a specific purpose that inherently prevents it from being more of a formfitting jacket that I might purchase from a fashion retailer like H&M.
It also looks much nicer as a vest, in my opinion, so give it a go without the sleeves and hood when possible or consider the cheaper V26 Vest instead.
Value
One knock against the AyeGear J25 is its price: £149.99, which is $198.75 in the U.S. or around $260 in Canada and Australia based on current exchange rates — and that’s after the British pound’s recent post-Brexit vote decline. The jacket is certainly convenient, but whether it is worth dropping two bills on is debatable.
As is often the case, a better deal can be found on Amazon, where the jacket sells for between $149.99 and $190. Prices vary depending on the size selected.
Bottom Line
AyeGear’s J25 Jacket is a convenient, multipurpose jacket that fills a niche, particularly for the outdoorsman or frequent flyers, but its drawbacks of being somewhat heavy and expensive should be duly considered. For most people, it may be wiser to save your money and stick with a traditional jacket and backpack combo.
How to Buy
The J25 Jacket can be purchased on AyeGear’s website (~$198) or Amazon ($149.99-$190) in small, medium, large, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, or 5XL. Free delivery is offered within the U.K., while worldwide shipping is available.
Note: AyeGear provided the J5 Jacket to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
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A new iOS 10 feature warns against open WiFi networks
We all know it’s generally a bad idea to access unsecured networks via WiFi, but it’s not every day your phone warns against it. According to Florida-based Apple beta tester Jeb Stuart, iOS 10 will do exactly that.
After connecting to an open network, iOS 10 will display a “Security Recommendation” notification beneath the network’s name in the WiFi menu settings. When a user opens up the Security Recommendation, they’re greeted with a notification that “open networks provide no security and expose all network traffic.” There’s also a recommendation to configure your router to use AES encryption for the network.
It seems like a missed opportunity, as Stuart notes, to warn users after they’ve already connected, but it’s an important step forward in keeping users safe and ensuring they understand why what they’re doing carries important implications.
Via: iOS Hacker
Source: Jeb Stuart
Olympic-themed Apple Watch bands are only available in Rio
To celebrate the Olympic games, the Apple Watch is getting a series of commemorative straps that match the flags of 14 participating countries. GQ got the exclusive, saying that each model will set you back $49, and match the colors of the respective flags, such as the USA, Great Britain and New Zealand. Sprinter Trayvon Bromell (pictured) got his Team USA band a little earlier than everyone else, but it won’t be that easy to imitate him. That’s because the straps are only going to be sold in one Apple Store — the Barra da Tijuca location in West Rio de Janeiro through the month of August. Yeah.
It’s not the first time that Apple has produced ultra-rare nylon straps for its market-leading wearable. To celebrate Pride, the company gave participating employees a rainbow watch band. TNW suspected that the bands would soon make their way to eBay at a hefty premium, although we can’t find any available right now. It looks like limited-edition bands to celebrate special events is going to be one way that Apple keeps loyalists happy, and those who don’t fancy flying to Brazil to get that sweet Japan band quite miserable.
Via: AppleInsider
Source: GQ
AIVAnet 