Apple on OpTe.ch

Apple's Rumored Home Automation Solution is Already in Most Homes

Tue, 27 May 2014 08:09:23 -0700

\[Note: Sorry for the duplicate post, I really didn't like that first title.\]

News broke (subscription required) over the holiday weekend that Apple is rumored to announce a home automation solution and/or platform at WWDC this year. Of course, rumors like this are to be taken with a grain of salt, but John Gruber’s reply of “I’m pretty excited for next week.” is classic Gruber-speak (albeit not a sure thing) for “this is happening.”

Apple's Rumored Home Automation Solution is Already In Most Homes

Tue, 27 May 2014 07:54:42 -0700

\[Update: Changed title to better reflect the article. Will re-post with new link, but keep this link active.\]

Excluding Part of OS X Package from Backblaze and Time Machine Backups to Save Tens/Hundreds of GB

Sat, 17 May 2014 09:27:33 -0700

Time Machine and Backblaze team up to make a really robust backup configuration for any Mac user. They offer features to exclude particular directories from the backups, but what happens when those directories are inside of a “package” such as your iMovie or iPhoto library? If you use the UI to do this, you’ll never be able to omit a subdirectory of a package, but luckily there is a very easy solution.

Large Questions Loom on News of Apple's Acquisition of Beats

Fri, 09 May 2014 07:21:21 -0700

I wrote a piece yesterday after news broke that Apple is near closing on a deal that would make them owners of Beats for a bit of spare change, $3.2 billion. I highlighted a few reasons why this doesn’t seem to add up, and those are still valid.

Reports seem to be hinting more and more strongly that this is legit, but it still isn’t quite settling right for me. In one camp, you’ve got those that believe the headphones are the primary driver for the deal (Ben Thompson for one). In another (perhaps larger) camp, you’ve got those that think it is for the music streaming service.

Doesn't Add Up: Rumors of Apple Purchasing Beats

Thu, 08 May 2014 16:54:03 -0700

As reported by the Financial Times (subscription required; MacRumors link for those without) Apple is allegedly in talks to purchase Beats for $3.2 billion. Beats makes headphones and recently launched a music service to go head-to-head with Spotify.

Apple could use some help with iTunes Radio, though for those simply looking for radio it isn’t too shabby; Apple certainly loves nice hardware and hardware design and it is no secret that Apple’s EarPods, though improved, could stand to be improved upon. However, this still doesn’t add up. It isn’t the money, it’s the principle.

Why Apple, Despite Low Profit Opportunity, Might Announce Mobile Payments at WWDC 2014

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 07:21:32 -0700

The first, and by far the strongest, reason that Apple might not be in a rush to deploy a mobile payment/wallet solution is that the margins are extremely low. They’re even lower if you’re paying with a credit card since those companies already take a cut.

Google Wallet hasn’t exactly taken off. Square is growing in larger cities, but it is far from ubiquitous. So why would Apple bother? If there isn’t much money to be made and previous attempts are less than successful, what’s to be gained?

How Successful Will A New Apple Product Need to be to Considered Successful?

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 06:56:28 -0700

The iPod, iPhone, and iPad are unequivocally considered to be profound and world-changing technological breakthroughs that forever changed the world we live in. They sell by the millions and account for staggering quarterly revenues.

The funny thing is, none of them really sold well on the first generation. The first iPod is barely a blip on the sales radar coming in well under a quarter million units.

Additional Considerations for Gassée's Conclusion for Declining iPad Growth

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:55:18 -0700

To proclaim understanding of such a young tablet market is a fool’s errand, but I think there are some additional considerations to be made beyond Gassée’s article where he concludes that the iPad is a tease and it cannot fulfill the duties it promised to fulfill.

To evaluate the tablet, it is worthwhile to consider smartphones. Smartphones replaced their predecessors entirely, and with ease. It wasn’t a “good enough” solution and the way we use phones didn’t have to change. Sure we got all sorts of new ways to use phones, but the same old ability to make calls and send SMS usage was fundamentally still there. All of the things people needed to do, they could do.

Heisler: A spoiled generation of tech observers yearn for Apple innovations on-demand

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 10:41:12 -0700

This piece by Yoni Heisler is the most refreshing thing I’ve read in a very long time. Do yourself a favor and go read it (and don’t miss the embedded Louis CK video - so accurate).

Apple does one thing, and it does it very well. In Yoni’s words:

Apple may be an immensely private company, but its modus operandi is hardly a well-kept secret. The company releases finished products that it believes will fundamentally have a positive impact on the way people interact with technology, and in the process, make them truckloads of money.

Evaluating If and How Apple's Strategy is Still Like a Startup

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 07:42:35 -0700

Apple has famously flown a pirate flag, dismissed conventional business practices, and run the company in nontraditional ways. It seems to be working so far. This isn’t an argument that Apple is exactly like a startup, but there are some key indicators that highlight how Apple is run differently when compared to any other multibillion dollar technology company such as Google, IBM, or Microsoft.

The $475B Startup(ish) #

Focus #

The number of technology product categories that Apple participates in in shockingly small for a company that size. It could be argued that Apple’s focus on their products has never been better. Their newer products are selling in record numbers with their older products outpacing their respective industries. This focus is far more aligned with a startup mentality - “If we can just do this one thing perfectly…” The focus is very apparent, even to a fault in some cases.

Apple-Comcast Negotiations Could Open the Flood Gates Like Apple-AT&T did in 2007

Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:30:05 -0700

UPDATE: Updated the title to be more representative of the content of the piece, will leave the link so previous links aren’t broken.

I’ve written previously that the current television market is antiquated and that no progress on the Apple TV (whether literally a television set or just a new set top box with far advanced capabilities) can be made until that changes. I strongly believe this to be the case and, if I had to guess, is the only reason we haven’t seen a new Apple TV that goes from being “just a hobby” to another leg on the Apple product “stool”.

There is no iWatch [Updated]

Thu, 20 Mar 2014 07:45:38 -0700

Make no mistake, Apple has evaluated, designed, and strongly considered variations of a smart watch, but the tech media is blowing up with absolute certainty that “the iWatch” will be released. It won’t. The is no iWatch. I’m not saying it will never be released, but not in 2014, and likely not for at least a handful of years after that, if ever.

There have been compelling discussions on this. One by Craig Hockenberry at Furbo, and another by Ben Bajarin at Techpinions - both are excellent reads. Craig’s highlights a multitude of serious concerns for entering the wearable space and poses the quintessential question for Apple:

iPad Pro Plans Shelved - I Hate to Say "I Told You So..."

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:06:29 -0700

Just like I, and most tech writers/bloggers with dignity that seek content quality over clicks, have been saying all along - the iPad Pro that was so highly reported as “certainly” coming out in 2014 has been shelved. Apple works with a plethora of screen sizes, always has. There might be a bigger iPad one day, but that day is not soon.

Why Tesla and CarPlay Matter to Everyone

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 08:12:56 -0700

Tesla, along with Apple’s recently announced CarPlay, are positioned to have a major influence for everyone planning to be driving a car in the foreseeable future. This is independent of whether or not you’re driving a Tesla or a car equipped with CarPlay.

Stuck in the (Technology) Dark Ages #

The auto industry has managed to remain uniquely positioned with respect to technology. Low to middle-end cars are the worst offenders, but in this class cost almost always comes first. Higher end cars are still behind, but not as far. You could argue that Ford has had their voice control service for a while now, other companies are on a similar trajectory, but the offerings are entirely underwhelming at best.

Reality Check: Disrupting the TV Industry

Mon, 24 Feb 2014 08:19:37 -0700

There is pessimism, then there is reality. This is the latter. I dream of a revitalized television experience, I’d pay top dollar for it, and I think it will happen… eventually. The major technology media outlets have taken hold of this idea and run with it far beyond reason. You’ve got business men and women theorizing and then just assuming “the engineers will figure out the details.”

Consider this: the engineering side of it has been figured out for a while - brilliant smooth UIs, voice control, motion sensors, Bluetooth remotes, unified search, all of these exist today. That isn’t the problem. There are two major issues where the tech media has praised solutions yet I strongly disagree with their viability; when I say “major” I mean fundamentally damning to the entire notion.

On Rumors of Apple Buying Telsa

Tue, 18 Feb 2014 08:27:07 -0700

There has been no shortage of speculation since news broke that Apple’s M&A representative spoke with Elon Musk about acquiring the increasingly famous auto maker. Josh Ong has made a great case for why it might make sense, so I won’t duplicate that.

The whole issue has some red flags that stand out to me as pretty major reasons an acquisition wouldn’t happen.

The auto industry is a low margin industry, especially on the low end. Tesla is not yet competing in the lower end market, so their margins are likely much closer to Apple’s than Hyundai’s, but Tesla has plans to expand into the $30,000 arena where there is simply no way to have Apple-like margins.
The whole situation seems Google-y. Apple’s wheelhouse is making beautiful and simple computing devices. An entry into the auto industry, despite Jobs’ reported desire to do so, is un-Apple-like. With that being said, the auto industry is so slow to adopt new technology that it would be quite easy to disrupt.
Setting aside the magnitude of the purchase being vastly beyond anything Apple has purchased before, the fact that they couldn’t make this purchase quietly is worth mentioning. Apple tries to keep those as quiet as they can, this one would be making headlines around the world.

Analysts Backpedaling on a 2014 iPad Pro... Shocker...

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 10:09:21 -0700

No surprises here. The rumors of the 2014 iPad Pro were unfounded when they started, and I called them out as such. Now, only a few months later and half a year before the originally projected launch, analysts (in this case Kuo, but he hasn’t been the only one barking up this tree) are backing off of the notion that Apple will be releasing a 12" iPad this year.

It is well known that Apple tries a huge number of technologies, sizes, and materials as part of their standard R&D. It is certain Apple has experimented with a larger iPad, probably even has some pretty late-stage devices., but that doesn’t mean they’re releasing one soon.

Thoughts on Viticci's iPad Pro Scenarios

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 09:25:38 -0700

The discussion on The Prompt last week (episode 31) sparked a series of thoughts for me regarding whether or not Apple is even considering an iPad Pro (12.9") and what exactly the device would be. Despite being an unlikely product for the near term, it is an interesting discussion.

Federico gives three scenarios: #

Just a larger iPad. Same iOS, same hardware features, larger (12.9") screen.
iPad Pro with substantial hardware and software feature changes.
Hybrid device, or “convertible” as Intel calls them.

Let’s be clear here, Federico isn’t making the case for any of the three options, this is merely a game of “what if” that we’re playing. I think it is also important to preface this analysis with an immensely relevant comment from the podcast -

Happy Birthday, Mac!

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0700

30 years, a lot of progress. The Mac sold for $5,594 in today’s dollars and had 400KB of storage.

Reports of Apple Testing New Screen Sizes... Yawn

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 08:54:08 -0700

If we reported on every screen size, material, product, and mold shape that Apple has tried, it would be like drinking from a fire hose. I’m not saying new screen sizes won’t appear in new devices eventually, but let’s be realistic.

iPad “Pro” - Nope*.
Larger iPhone - likely in the next 2 years. I would expect an announcement related to vector-izing graphics in the OS to be part of this.
Smart “Watch” - I don’t see what Apple has to gain here. I think Gruber’s idea of a new iPod with a watch strap is more likely, but even that isn’t something I’d bet on. Once battery technology improves, I think this could change. Right now the batteries needed are far too large for a device worthy of the Apple brand.

*The time frame on the “nope” projection is 2-3 years. Not happening.

Tech Bloggers Giving CES the Apple Treatment

Sun, 12 Jan 2014 10:48:46 -0700

In this article by Mat Honan from Wired, he highlights a major problem with technology journalism today - people are bored with just about everything. These are just TVs, this is just another tablet, that iPhone is hardly any different from the last one… blah blah blah.

This year the CES coverage seemed to be more pessimistic than previous years. The latest iPhone release seemed to be received as more disappointing than previous years. The anti-Apple folks say that Apple has peaked and can’t keep up their momentum without Steve Jobs. The rest of the tech bloggers think that CES has lost its shine. These aren’t two separate things, there is one explanation - everyone has gotten used to insanely brilliant, beautiful, and incredible technology. Many believe it is bland and boring because we’re surrounded by it.

How Much Does Design Matter for Wearable Tech?

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 08:11:00 -0700

John Gruber posted an interesting tweet yesterday regarding how important the aesthetic design of a product is:

We’ve always judged cell phones by how they look, and we keep them in our pockets. Wearables — glasses, watches, anything — can’t be ugly.

— John Gruber (@gruber) January 6, 2014

Of course, some folks aren’t interested in the design of a product, but in general it holds true. Some of the appeal of the iPhone is how stunning it is to look at. Part of the appeal of the Moto X is how clean and simple the design is while still being highly customizable.

Stop With the Bigger iPad "Rumors"

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 07:56:59 -0700

The “rumors” of a bigger iPad are a joke, but they’re spreading like wildfire. If you need proof why it isn’t happening (anytime in the next few years at least), just take a look at Samsung’s newest 12.2" abomination.

Comments on the tablet from the report:

“Simply isn’t designed for optimum portability”
“too awkward to hold for long periods of time”
“we were hard-pressed to find any variation between the 12.2-incher and the Note 10.1 2014 edition”

Personally, I’m holding out for the 12.2" phone version.

Ahrendts at Apple

Mon, 06 Jan 2014 13:56:57 -0700

We are getting closer to Angela Ahrendts’ start date at Apple (this Spring) and MacRumors has posted this nice overview of how she will fit in at Apple, and more importantly what she brings to the table.

I’m very excited about this hire and think Ahrendts has a lot to offer. I expect her style, coupled with iBeacon technology, to completely reshape the retail experience and give the whole thing more of a ‘premium brand’ feel.

Apple Didn't Know About NSA's DROPOUTJEEP

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:07:25 -0700

Apple has declined to have any knowledge of the newest NSA leak regarding the DROPOUTJEEP program. I am inclined to believe them for one main reason - they aren’t stupid. At the rate the leaks are coming, it is obvious we’re not finished. Neither the NSA nor Apple knows how much more will be leaked, so for them to deny knowledge now would guarantee their demise should the truth come out any differently.

Misplaced Negative Reviews

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:52:18 -0700

Apple has a tradition where they release a 12 Days of Gifts app then each day around Christmas they give people a free version of some paid content - apps, music, books, or videos. You’d think people would be grateful.

Many people are grateful, presumably. However, there is an increasing number of people that are leaving one star reviews on apps, movies, etc. if the free content of the day isn’t an app they personally wanted. Angry people leaving one star on a children’s game because they don’t play it sounds absurd, but sadly, is a reality.

Marco Arment on Apple's Increasingly Ignored Software Products

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:42:56 -0700

Apple is so close to knocking it out of the park with several of their software products, but I agree with Marco’s comments. iPhoto is a great example; it is the near the top of the list of reasons to own a Mac, but it isn’t perfect and hasn’t seen a meaningful update in a while.

Apple seems to be faced with an interesting dilemma - these software products seem like unfinished versions of how Apple envisions this type of product to look on their platform. They seem unfinished because they’re “good enough” (generally speaking) and don’t make headlines or money to warrant being any better. That’s acceptable from a lot of companies, but it is very un-Apple-like.

On Rumors of a Bigger iPad

Mon, 23 Dec 2013 07:25:30 -0700

I’m not saying it’ll never happen (though at this point I don’t see why they would), but this 2014 bigger iPad rumor is laughable. Not happening.

Regarding the larger iPhone… I see this being more of a potential, but the screen resolution situation would be a mess. I think if they do this, they’ll also introduce some API to make apps render with vectored graphics or something.

Marco's Math

Fri, 20 Dec 2013 13:07:52 -0700

An interesting stream of tweets from Marco (@marcoarment) yesterday. Apple products are expensive, but one could argue they’re not overpriced.

@marcoarment with some interesting numbers on “equivalent” HP and Dell machines.

Outdated

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 10:56:24 -0700

This graphic to show which smartphones are capable of having which OS on them is eye-opening. I don’t think “average people” (in the tech savviness sense) care about this, which is unfortunate to me.

They're Coming... iBeacons

Fri, 06 Dec 2013 07:03:41 -0700

TechCrunch: Apple Turning on iBeacons at all 254 US Stores

I’m pretty convinced this is the largest feature Apple has slipped in under the radar in recent history.

An iOS User's Thoughts on Using Android

Thu, 05 Dec 2013 08:39:07 -0700

Link to the article by Richard Gaywood .

2013 Nexus 7 Wiki for reference.

Richard draws some great conclusions and keeps a very open mind while explaining his biased starting point as an iOS user. A few key items for me:

Pros: #

Emulators, app data sharing, inter-app-erability (you heard it here first… err second) open the door to complex and interesting apps and use cases.
Changing defaults (mail, browser, keyboard) really allows the device to be tailored to fit the user.
Voice recognition:

“It’s like night and day compared to Apple’s offering. If you’ve never seen it, find someone with an Android phone and try it out – then think about how much more often you’d reach for Siri if it was this good."