Original Apple ‘i-Brand’ Creator Says Naming Convention ‘on its Last Legs’
Last week, The Guardian published a negative-sounding article by Ken Segall with the title “How Apple lost its way: Steve Jobs’ love of simplicity is gone”.
Ken Segall worked with Steve Jobs as his ad agency creative director for 12 years. In that time he led the team behind Apple’s famous ‘Think Different’ campaign, and helped Apple create its ‘i-brand’ with the naming of the iMac, therefore Segall’s overall evaluation of how the company has evolved since Jobs’ death is likely to be a point of interest to many.
Interestingly however, yesterday Segall criticized The Guardian for its choice of headline, which he says misrepresents his views and the subject matter of the article. Segall has now published the complete article on his own website with the original title, “Has Apple lost its simplicity?”, which he says is a question, not a conclusion, followed by thoughtful opinion.
Segall notes in the article that Apple’s product naming used to be extremely simple – computers were Macs and consumer products were i-devices. But now “the consumer products are offered as i-things and Apple-things (Apple Watch, Apple Pay, Apple Music),” writes Segall, who claims that “the i is obviously on its last legs, and a transition like this doesn’t happen overnight”.
The article also covers a number of other topics related to the idea of simplicity, including the differences between Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook, who “certainly knows how to make Apple run efficiently” but recognizes he “doesn’t have Steve’s many talents” and relies on the expertise of others in areas of product design and marketing.
Segall also compares simplicity versus complexity in Apple product lines, the challenge of finding simplicity in software (he calls Apple Music “bewildering” to use), the evolution of Apple’s marketing group (which has “changed dramatically” since Jobs’ leadership), and how he thinks the company currently fares in these areas.
Segall is the author of the books Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success and Think Simple: How Smart Leaders Defeat Complexity.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Acknowledges 13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Freezing Issue, Recommends Updating OS X and Flash
In recent months, 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro owners have been complaining of a bug that causes Safari to completely freeze up, requiring a full system restart. Apple addressed the problem in a new support document that was released on Friday.
Complaints about Safari freezing issue started popping up in March, following the launch of OS X 10.11.4, but the bug was also present during the beta testing period. 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro users appear to be primarily affected, but on the Apple Support Communities and the MacRumors forums, some users with other machines have experienced similar issues.
Luckily, Apple’s solution is a simple one, instructing customers to update to the latest version of OS X and upgrade to the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player web plug-in. The newest version of OS X is OS X 10.11.5, which includes a fix for the bug. OS X 10.11.5 was released to the public on May 16.
On the MacRumors forums, a number of users have confirmed that the OS X 10.11.5 update fixes the freezing problem.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Rises to #3 in Annual Fortune 500 Rankings
Apple rose to 3rd place in the annual Fortune 500 list of the top U.S. corporations based on gross revenue, trailing behind only Walmart and Exxon Mobil. Apple’s previous rankings include 5th place in 2015 and 2014, 6th place in 2013, 17th place in 2012, 35th place in 2011 and 56th place in 2010.
Other notable carriers, technology companies, and Apple suppliers on the list include AT&T (10th), Verizon (13th), Amazon.com (18th), HP (20th), Microsoft (25th), IBM (31st), Alphabet (36th), Intel (51st), Cisco Systems (54th), Oracle (77th), Qualcomm (110th), Facebook (157th), and Broadcom (331st).
Apple’s profile highlighted the company’s recent slowdown in iPhone and iPad sales, push into India, and the much-rumored Apple Car.
After more than a decade of solid growth fueled first by the iPod music player and then by the even more popular iPhone, Apple finally appeared to hit a wall. Still the most profitable publicly-traded company in the world, Apple’s iPhone 6S and 6S Plus upgrades barely outsold their predecessors after arriving on the market at the end of 2015, while sales of the iPad tablet computer continued to shrink throughout the year. In April 2015, the Apple Watch arrived to mixed reviews and modest sales. And though debate raged for a bit about the state of Apple’s sales in China amid a slowing economy there — including an unusual August 2015 email from CEO Tim Cook to CNBC host Jim Cramer claiming no summer slowdown — the year ended on a weak note for the company in Asia. Lately, hopes have turned to the next iPhone upgrade cycle and a push to focus on India, where Apple’s market share remains miniscule. Still, even with the growing concerns, Apple’s next big leap came into view in 2015. Dubbed Project Titan and staffed with hordes of former car industry experts, Apple’s effort to leapfrog the automobile market with an electric masterpiece likely won’t reach consumers for a few more years. But when it does, Cook and company could be riding high again.
Apple’s revenues topped $233.7 billion during the 2015 fiscal year, a 27.9 percent year-over-year increase. While Walmart and Exxon Mobil posted higher gross revenues of $482.1 billion and $246.2 billion respectively, note that Apple’s annual profits of $53.4 billion were more than both companies earned combined.
Tags: Apple, fortune.com, Fortune 500
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple Honors the Life of Muhammad Ali on its Homepage
Apple recently updated the homepage of its website with a tribute to legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who died on Friday at age 74. Ali was admitted to a hospital earlier in the week due to respiratory ailments, which were further complicated due to a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The tribute on Apple’s website includes a quote that reads, “The man who has no imagination has no wings.” Apple has been a long-time supporter and admirer of Ali, showcasing the boxer in one of its famous “Think Different” campaign videos back in 1997.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Rest in peace #MuhammadAli
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 4, 2016
Following the announcement of his death on Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a commemorative Tweet about Ali on his account, as did Phil Schiller. Ali’s family has also taken to Twitter to share more details about his passing and honor his life, including his daughter Hana.
Discuss this article in our forums
ASUS’ ZenBook 3 vs. the updated MacBook: Which packs more punch?
The 12-inch MacBook is attractive and compact, but not without compromises. When the original came out last spring, our reviewer Dana Wollman took issue with its lackluster performance and lack of ports outside of a USB-C connection. Still, the MacBook was good enough to warrant a refresh in 2016 that delivered more battery life and improved performance. Now, ASUS is getting in on the minimalist act with its new ZenBook 3. At a glance, the new MacBook and ZenBook 3 seem quite similar indeed, with small, lightweight designs and, well, not many ports. While we’ll certainly put the Zenbook 3 through its paces in a full review, a quick peek at the specs reveals two machines similar in profile, but with the potential for very different performance.
| Price | $999 / $1,499 / $1,999 | $1,299 / $1,599 |
| Dimensions | 296 x 191.2 x 11.9mm (11.65 x 7.53 x 0.47 inches) | 280 x 196.5 x 13.1mm (11.04 x 7.74 x 0.52 inches) |
| Weight | 910g (2 pounds) | 920g (2.03 pounds) |
| OS | Windows 10 | OS X El Capitan |
| Display | 12.5-inch LED-backlit LCD | 12-inch LED-backlit LCD with IPS |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 | 2,304 x 1,440 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 6200U or Core i7 6500U | Intel Core m3 (1.1GHz) or Core m5 (1.2GHz) |
| Memory | 16GB / 64GB | 8GB |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 520 | Intel HD Graphics 512 |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB SSD | 256GB / 512GB SSD |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| WiFi | 802.11ac with WIDI | 802.11ac |
| Battery | 40 WHr | 41.4 WHr |
The Wirecutter’s best deals: Save $300 on a Moto X / Moto 360 combo
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
Moto X Pure Edition 64GB + Moto 360 Sport Watch
Street price: $700; MSRP: $750; deal price: $400 with codes
This deal involves stacking two codes and results in a huge $300 savings. First, you’ll go to the Moto X Pure page and select the 64GB storage option. Once you add it to your cart, use the code CLASSOF2016. Then, you’ll add the Moto 360 Sport to your cart and use the code JUNEMOTO360. The final total should be $400. While the Moto 360 Sport wasn’t one of our top picks in our smartwatch guide, it’s certainly worth it in this combo deal.
The Moto X Pure Edition is our customizable phablet pick in our best Android phones guide. Ryan Whitwam said, “Motorola’s latest flagship phone offers a great Android 6.0 software experience with customization options that other phones simply can’t match. You can choose from different colors and materials for the back, pick a metallic accent color, and even customize the startup message. It’s more comfortable to hold than other phablets despite its big, 5.7-inch LCD, plus it has a slot for a microSD card. If you take a lot of selfies, we have still more good news: This phone has a front-facing flash paired with a wide-angle 5-megapixel camera.”
TomTom Spark Music GPS Watch
Street price: $190; MSRP: $200; deal price: $150
The best price we’ve seen on this watch, which we’ve never seen drop below $180 until this deal. This price is available on all sizes and colors.
The TomTom Spark Music is our music playback pick for the best GPS running watch. Jim McDannald said, “If you love listening to music on the run and want to leave your smartphone or mp3 player at home, the TomTom Spark Music could be worth the trade-off in accuracy, fit, and features. Along with gathering GPS data about your run, the Spark Music transmits your music wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones for playback.”
Apple Watch Stainless Steel
Street price: $450; MSRP: $550; deal price: $350
While we’ve avoided posting deals on the stainless steel model of the Apple Watch in the past due to the price, we felt this drop was low enough to post. It’s down to $350 for the first time, and while you’d still save a substantial amount buying the Sport, if you prefer the look and feel of the stainless steel, this is a significant savings over the street price.
The Apple Watch Sport is our favorite smartwatch for iPhone users. Dan Frakes and Kevin Purdy said, “the Sport’s fit and finish are impressive, and the watch is lightweight and comfortable. It can use any of Apple’s many watch bands, and it has the exact same features and components—including the same OLED display at the same resolutions—as the more expensive Apple Watch (stainless steel) and Apple Watch Edition (gold).”
Wren V5BT Bluetooth Speaker
Street price: $200; MSRP: $400; deal price: $160 with code DG16
Make sure to use the code DG16 to get this price. This is the best price we’ve seen on this particular speaker, though it’s only available on the bamboo finish.
The Wren V5BT is our alternate pick for a home Bluetooth speaker in our best gifts for audiophiles guide. We wrote this about the Airplay model, though it also applies to the Bluetooth one, “If your giftee prefers AirPlay over Bluetooth, the Wren V5AP is the AirPlay speaker that strikes the best balance between affordability and compactness, plus it sounds great for its $250 price. It gets our recommendation because it sounds as good as any AirPlay speaker we’ve heard under $400 and even better than some products in the $600 range.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Apple’s App Stores, Some iCloud Services Experiencing Temporary Outage
According to Apple’s system status page, multiple store services are currently experiencing an outage. The App Store, Apple TV App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes in the Cloud, and the Volume Purchase Program are unavailable for some users.
The outage started just after 12:30 p.m., and we have also heard reports of problems with Apple Music and Apple News, though those are not service outages currently listed on the system status page.
Apple is investigating the issue and will bring the services back online as soon as possible.
Update: Several more iCloud services are now experiencing issues, as seen on Apple’s system status page.
Discuss this article in our forums
T-Mobile leads the big four in customer satisfaction survey
T-Mobile has outranked the rest of the big four carriers in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), knocking Verizon off its throne. While prepaid company TracFone Wireless remains at the top of the wireless provider list, it only got a point higher than T-Mo, which has scored 74 out of 100. That’s six percent higher than its result last year, though Sprint has shown the most growth with an eight percent increase. T-Mobile became the third largest (un)carrier in mid-2015 and even gained 2.2 million new customers in the first quarter of this year. It has launched new no-contract options in recent years and expanded the features of its controversial Binge On offering.
AT&T and Verizon didn’t do poorly — the former got 71 percent, up from 70 last year, while Big Red got 71 percent like it did in 2015. However, it was Sprint’s and T-Mo’s scores that brought the average wireless provider satisfaction up by 1.4 percent from last year. When it comes to phone manufacturers, Apple is now at the top of the pile with 81 percent after spending a year tied with Samsung. The Korean company now comes in at a close second (80 percent). They’re followed by Motorola with 77 percent, HTC with 75 and LG and Microsoft, both with 74 percent.
ACSI also tracked cable TV companies and ISPs, as you’ll see in its report. But in all, wireless providers did a lot better than any of them. Despite getting higher scores than last year, for instance, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are still among the companies with the lowest customer satisfaction ratings.
Via: Ars Technica
Source: American Customer Satisfaction Index
2016 Internet Trends Report: Global Smartphone User Growth Slowing as Android Outpaces iOS
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers partner Mary Meeker recently shared her annual Internet Trends report for 2016, showcasing a presentation of 213 slides covering a range of topics from global life expectancy to the ongoing market battle between iOS and Android.
Concerning the specific battle between iOS and Android, Meeker notes that over the past six years iOS has seen just a two percentage point increase in market share, while Android has exploded from a 4 percent presence in the industry in 2009 to a massive 81 percent in 2015. The pattern is expected to continue, with Meeker projecting iOS will see a year-over-year loss of 11 percent in unit shipments as Android climbs another 7 percent in 2016.
Due to Apple’s introduction of the lower-cost iPhone SE — and the cheaper price tag of smartphones in the company’s expanding global markets — Meeker also expects Apple’s average selling price per unit to dip this year for the first time since 2012. In that year, ASP dropped only 4 percent (from $712 in 2011 to $686 in 2012), but now the company is predicted to see a 9 percent decline in ASP (dropping off from $717 in 2015 to $651 in 2016).
Unlike in years past, global smartphone unit shipments are slowing “dramatically,” for both Apple and Android-supported devices. Expansion for the smartphone market as a whole has stagnated, going from a peak in 2010 at nearly 80 percent year-over-year growth, to just about 15 percent in 2015.
Global smartphone user growth is seeing a similar slow-down; understandably, the largest markets with the least amount of smartphone proliferation have the biggest upticks in year-over-year increments. These include Asia-Pacific, which has seen a nearly 20-percentage-point increase in smartphone user share over the last seven years and now accounts for over half of the total market.
Apple has been attempting to gain a larger foothold in these countries, notably seeing strong performance in China in recent years and looking toward India as its next area of focus. Low-cost devices — and a larger number of potential customers without a smartphone — in areas like the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America also presumably helped those territories come out on top in the total rankings for global smartphone user growth.
Earlier in April, Apple reported its first year-over-year decline in revenue since 2003. The news led to a string of reports addressing the company’s declining stock value and various “peak iPhone” comments concerning its potential inability to continue to grow in certain markets, especially where its flagship smartphones see annual releases without much dramatic distinction between models.
Meeker’s tamped-down expectations for 2016 mirror these concerns, particularly regarding the increasing belief that the 2016 iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be iterative updates on the current iPhone 6s line, using a largely similar design but with new features like a dual-lens camera and Lightning-enabled headphone connector. An uptick is now projected for 2017’s “iPhone 8,” which is seeing rumors surrounding everything from a massively redesigned bezel-free display that features a dual-curve OLED screen to truly wireless charging.
Mary Meeker’s 2016 Internet Trends presentation, and a download of the full PDF, is available on KPCB’s website.
Discuss this article in our forums
Apple standalone 5K display might include its own graphics chip
To call Apple’s Thunderbolt Display long in the tooth would be an understatement. It’s so old that the first Retina display Macs were still a year away when it was new, and it’s now easy to get a 4K display for less. At last, though, it looks like Apple might be ready to give its standalone screen an upgrade… with an interesting twist, to boot. Sources for 9to5Mac understand that Apple is building a 5K display that includes its own graphics chipset. It’d be an odd move, but it would let many Macs use the display, not just high-end models. If your Mac’s onboard graphics weren’t fast enough, it’d automatically switch to the monitor’s GPU.
The tipsters don’t have full details, but it’s expected that the screen would use Thunderbolt 3 (which relies on a USB-C connector) to connect both the display and GPU. You probably wouldn’t need the multiple video cables of existing standalone 5K screens, then. Also, it’ll supposedly be “very similar” to the current-generation 5K iMac’s display, complete with movie-grade color accuracy.
There’s no mention of a firm release schedule. However, people have noticed that Thunderbolt Display stock is running low at Apple Stores around the world. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Apple unveiling a 5K monitor (and maybe a Mac built for it) at WWDC in mid-June, when many pro Mac users will be watching. If and when it shows up, it’ll arguably be overdue. Mac Pro users have been crying out for a higher-resolution Apple external display for years — after this, they wouldn’t have to consider switching to an iMac to make that happen.
Source: 9to5Mac
AIVAnet 