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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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

How to use Prisma for Android

What is Prisma and how does it work?

These days, it’s not enough to make a simple photo effects app. To stand out, companies need to create effects using complicated machine learning algorithms that create creative and unique pieces of art in the style of Munk, Picasso and Van Gogh. At least that’s what the team behind Prisma believes.

What is Prisma?

Prisma is a photo effects app whose workflow mimics that of popular photo sharing apps like Instagram and EyeEm. At its core is a simple viewfinder that takes square images to which you can apply around 30 filters, many of which are modelled in the style of famous painters like Van Gogh and Picasso.

Once those filters are applied, you can then choose to save it to your phone, share with with Facebook or Instagram, or, using Android’s Share button, to any number of other apps.

Download: Prisma (free)

What’s so special about Prisma over other similar photo apps?

Prisma is by no means the first app to produce beautiful, fantastical, and psychedelic photos using filters, but the consensus around the internet is that it does it the best. The secret sauce is AI — yes, artificial intelligence — that processes each photo differently depending on the filter. The app reportedly learns and adapts the way it implements these filters over time, using the data it gets from each person’s photos.

So that means Prisma can see all my photos?

Yes, because Prisma uses A.I. and machine learning to dynamically change each photo, the app requires an internet connection to work properly. That also means that Prisma, as per its terms and conditions, gets to use the photos you upload for its own purposes, though you continue to own the photos indefinitely.

“Prisma does not claim ownership of any Content that you post on or through the Service. Instead, you hereby grant to Prisma a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you stylize on or through the Service.”

What about my privacy? How much data does Prisma collect?

Like many free, ad-based services, Prisma collects a decent amount of data about you that it anonymizes and shares with third-party marketing companies and advertisers to better target you with ads. While right now the app is fairly basic, and ad-free, we’re already seeing a business model in the form of sponsored filters, and the company’s privacy policy specifies that it will use information about your Android device to share with affiliates and third-party advertisers.

We may share User Content and your information (including but not limited to, information from cookies, log files, device identifiers, location data, and usage data) with businesses that are legally part of the same group of companies that Prisma is part of, or that become part of that group (“Affiliates”).

At this point, Prisma’s terms and privacy policy is boilerplate stuff, but it’s worth keeping note of.

How do you use Prisma?

Prisma is easy to use. When you first open the app, you’ll see a square viewfinder with a virtual shutter button.

Taking a new photo in Prisma

Open the Prisma app.
Locate a subject you want to photograph. The higher the contrast between the subject and background, the better.
Tap on shutter button.

Select a filter from the horizontal list. Wait for it to process.

Select effect intensity by sliding finger horizontally across photo (if desired).
Choose a destination to save or share the photo to.

Using an existing photo in Prisma

Open the Prisma app.
Select the Gallery thumbnail on the bottom right.

Choose a photo for filtering.

Select a filter from the horizontal list. Wait for it to process.
Select effect intensity by sliding finger horizontally across photo (if desired).
Choose a destination to save or share the photo to.

Thanks, but I keep seeing a Prisma logo at the bottom right of my photos

That’s a feature Prisma turns on by default to spread the brand through Instagram and Facebook as the app gains traction. Thankfully it’s easy to turn off.

How to remove the Prisma logo watermark from your photos

I can’t connect to Prisma right now, it keeps telling me it’s over capacity!

Prisma is really popular, and because the app relies on the remote processing to generate all those amazing effects, sometimes the servers are overloaded. That’s OK, though, because we have some ways to get you back to being Prismatic, fast.

Prisma app over capacity or slow? Help, tips and tricks for quicker artworks

I love this app! How do I share my creations with the world?

Well, millions of people are sharing their Prisma creations on social networks like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #prisma, but we’ve also got a great place to share them — Android Central’s forums!

Share your Prisma pics on the Android Central forums!

Anything else I need to know?

Prisma on Android is still in its infancy, and there are some bugs to be worked out. Some people are still getting errors when generating photos, or seeing strange notifications. Give it some time, and the company will likely work out those issues.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: What’s the rumoured difference?

BlackBerry is rumoured to be announcing three smartphones over the next 12 months, one of which is claimed to be the Neon.

The Neon has also been codenamed Hamburg and more recently DTEK50, but we will be calling it Neon for the sake of this feature. Rumours claim it will be a high to mid-tiered, entirely touchscreen device.

We’ve put the BlackBerry’s Neon’s rumoured specs up against the flagship Priv to see how they compare, based on the speculation.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Design

The BlackBerry Neon is rumoured to measure 147 x 72.5 x 7.4mm and weigh just 135g, which would make it smaller, slimmer and lighter than the BlackBerry Priv.

The Priv by comparison measures 147 x 77.2 x 9.4mm and weighs 192g. It features SmartSlide technology that reveals a QWERTY keyboard however, while the Neon appears to be touchscreen only with no physical keyboard.

In fact, the Neon looks more like a standard Android smartphone, much like the Alcatel Idol 4. It is distinguished only by the BlackBerry logo on the rear and the textured-looking finish. Neither the Neon or the Priv have or are reported to have a fingerprint sensor.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Display

The BlackBerry Neon is reported to offer a 5.2-inch display that features a Full HD resolution resulting in a pixel density of 424ppi.

The BlackBerry Priv has a slightly larger display at 5.4-inches and it also offers double the resolution at 2560 x 1440 pixels for a pixel density of 540ppi.

If the rumours are accurate, the Priv will theoretically feature slightly sharper images and more detail than the Neon thanks to the extra pixels per inch.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Cameras

According to the rumours, the BlackBerry Neon will arrive with a 13-megapixel rear camera featuring an aperture of f/2.2, optical image stabilisation and phase detection auto focus.

It’s been claimed, the Neon will have a dual-LED flash on board and be capable of 1080p video recording from its rear camera. The front-facing snapper is said to be 8-megapixels with a f/2.2 aperture, 1080p recording and a selfie flash.

The BlackBerry Priv has a higher resolution rear camera at 18-megapixels and it too has an aperture of f/2.2, OIS, PDAF and a dual-LED flash on board.

The rear camera is capable of 4K video recording, while the front-facing 2-megapixel camera only manages 720p. There is no selfie flash on the Priv and the aperture sits at f/2.8, meaning the Neon should deliver better selfies in low light conditions.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Hardware

The BlackBerry Neon is reported to be coming with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 617 processor, coupled with Adreno 405 graphics and 3GB of RAM.

There will apparently be 16GB of flash memory that can be expanded via microSD and the battery capacity is rumoured to be 2610mAh.

The BlackBerry Priv has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 chip with Adreno 418 graphics and it too is supported by 3GB of RAM.

The Priv has double the storage though at 32GB, also expandable via microSD and its battery capacity is quite a bit larger at 3410mAh.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Software

The BlackBerry Neon should arrive on Android Marshmallow and feature a number of BlackBerry apps pre-loaded, including the company’s DTEK security software.

The BlackBerry Priv also runs on Android and it too has BlackBerry apps pre-loaded so expect a similar software experience on both devices being compared here, if and when the Neon launches.

BlackBerry Neon/Hamburg vs BlackBerry Priv: Conclusion

Based on the leaks, it looks like the BlackBerry Neon will be a smaller, lighter device compared to the Priv, but it will be a full-touch controlled smartphone, with no physical QWERTY keyboard. It is also likely to be cheaper with a sub-£300 price tag rumoured.

A slower processor appears to be on board the Neon, as well as a smaller battery and less storage. It does have a higher resolution front camera than the Priv based on the rumours though, even if it has a lower resolution rear camera and display.

This is all based on speculation at the moment but we will update this feature when Neon’s official details and name are announced. For now, you can read our Hamburg/Neon rumour round up for more details.