Tag Archives: Apple

Apple reports 2010 Q1 earnings: $3.38b profit, Macs up 33%, iPods down 8%, iPhone sales double

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Apple recently announced their first quarter financial results and per usual, they made quite a hefty profit.  $3.38 billion to be exact (or $3.67 profit per share).  They brought in revenues of $15.68 billion.  Note that these numbers are up from last quarter’s profit of $2.26 billion on $11.88 billion in revenue.  More to the point, this is the best quarter they have ever had.  Let’s break it down by product: Apple sold 3.36 million Macs (representing a 33 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter), 8.7 million iPhones (representing 100 percent unit growth), and 21 million iPods (representing an eight percent unit decline).  No surprise there; iPod sales have been declining for some time now.  Note that this decline factors general iPod sales; iPod touch sales were up 55 percent.

According to the earnings PR, “The new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we’re really excited about.”  *Cough–Apple Tablet–cough.*  Sorry, I was just clearing my throat.  Might as well throw in a possibility of seeing the next iLife, iPhone OS 4.0, and maybe even witness AT&T’s iPhone exclusitivity fall by the wayside to Verizon.  Remember to check back here tomorrow night for all Apple announcements.

Every quarter seems to surpass the last financially for Apple.  With Steve Jobs at the helm, what else more could you expect?  The man is an inspiration, and his company is his vision.  “Apple at the core, its core value, is that we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better.”  Watch as Steve Jobs (in shorts!) motivates the industry in a video captured about ten years ago when he returned to Apple.

[Via Apple; Engadget; Gizmodo]

Apple invites us to see their “latest creation”

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Apple will be holding a special event Wednesday, January 27 at 10AM PST at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.  I think we all know what the big announcement will be: the oft-rumored Apple Tablet (aka iSlate aka Magic Slate aka iPad).  The latest speculation believes Steve Jobs may announce one or more of the following: the tablet, a new iPhone, iPhone OS 4.0, and the next iLife suite.  Obviously I have my money on the tablet announcement.  The recent slew of rumors surrounding the tablet (including talks of Verizon and various book and magazine publishers involvement) has me really excited about this event.  Be sure to check back here Wednesday evening for full coverage and a rundown of all pertinent announcements.

Happy New Year! Now watch this in its entirety.

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INSPIRATIONAL.  MOTIVATIONAL.

Those are just two words that instantly come to mind when I think back to this video.  In 2005 Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave the commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University.  In it he urges them “to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself.”  He harkens back to three pivotal moments in his life (when he dropped out of college, when he was fired from Apple, and when he was diagnosed with cancer) and shares the life lessons he learned from each of them.  This speech shook me at the core and I thought it’d be best to share it with all of you.  As we enter a brand new year and make those obligatory resolutions, take to heart what Jobs says here and think about your place and purpose in life.

“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.  And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

[Via TED]

This is not the Apple tablet, but I sure wish it was (will be?)

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This is a mock up of what shopping at an Ikea store with an Apple tablet could potentially be like.  And man is it slick.  The experience is smooth, quick, and intuitive, just like we have come to learn on the iPhone.  In fact, this device looks like a super-sized iPhone, and that is exactly what I expect the oft-rumored tablet to be.  Jobs, we are waiting…

[Via Gizmodo]

Apple: iTunes subscription based services, more iPhone/tablet rumors

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Let’s get right to it, shall we?  The Wall Street Journal reports that CBS and Walt Disney Company (among other major TV networks) are “consideringparticipating in Apple’s plan to offer television subscriptions over the Internet.”  CBS will offer shows from CBS and CW and Disney will offer selections from its ABC, Disney Channel, and ABC Family networks.  Though details are being kept under wraps, word has it that Apple will offer its iTunes customers a $30/month subscription to choose from the TV networks’ selection of shows.  This is all starting to make sense now that Apple has ate up streaming company Lala; they might just have a Hulu-esque TV streamingservice in the works.  Whatever it may be, “sources” claim that Apple could finalize licensing deals and switch on the service sometime in 2010.

The Financial Times delves further into this matter and regurgitates the followinginformation:  “Apple has contacted other broadcast and cable networks, including Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting System and Viacom, which have so far been unconvinced by Apple’s proposal. The computer maker has also courted the book publishing industry, sector executives say.”  This is all very interesting, to say the least.  Major publishers like the WSJ and the FT reporting on a potential iTunes subscription-based service can only mean that something is brewingat Apple HQ.  Talks with CBS (Viacom), Time Warner, and ABC are vital if Apple plans on making such a TV show subscription plan work.  And let’s not forget about their “court[ing] [of the] book publishing industry”…cue the Apple tablet/iPhone rumors.

Addional news comes from the Financial Times, and this time it’s about the impendingannouncement of the Apple tablet: “Apple is preparing an announcement next month that many anticipate will be the official unveiling of its tablet, but the company has so far declined to confirm the existence of the device. Wall Street analysts expect mass production of an Apple tablet to begin as early as February.”

To spread to the gaining hype around the tablet and the next-gen iPhone comes news today from a Silicon Alley Insider report: “Apple is preparing to show off a new, larger mobile device with a higher resolution display in January — probably a version of the Apple tablet we’ve been hearing about for months — according to a plugged-in source in the mobile industry.”  This source says that Apple has asked a select group of app developers to prepare their apps to support a full-screen resolution (rather than the fixed 320×480 rez the iPhone currently uses) and to demo on a “new, larger mobile device.”  In addition, the report says that the tablet will be demoed in January but not released into the market until a later date.  This matches up with the FT news posted above; Apple will unveil it in January, ramp up production in February, and have it ready for the public by March 2010.  And there’s more!  DigiTimes reports that the next-gen iPhone will be packed with a 5 megapixel camera sensor.

And that’s it for now.  Exhausting, huh?  I think Apple just needs to come out with it already and unveil this coveted (albeit non-existent) tablet to calm our nerves and get us excited for something that we at least know is real.  With Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster claiming that there’s a 75% chance that an Apple January event is coming and word that the tablet will be the main focus of the event I am waiting in much anticipation.  An overhaul of iTunes, the next-gen iPhone, the tablet…so many potential topics to discuss!  Here’s hoping that Apple hits at least one of them next month.

[Via Engadget, here & here; Gizmodo, here & here; Apple Insider]

Unreal Engine 3 running on iPhone/iPod touch (watch out PSP, DS)

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Thanks to the iPhone’s internal OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics capability, Epic has no reason to hold back from porting their Unreal Engine 3 (the same engine that runs mega-games BioShock, Gears of War and Mass Effect) to the iPhone 3Gs and iPod touch (3rd gen).  Do you know what this means!?  Soon Apple’s little genius devices will turn into real portable game machines.  Not that they aren’t already gaming machines; but the integration of such a powerful graphics engine backing future games should definitely give the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS a chill down their spines.  Check out the video above for a quick snippet of  Unreal gameplay and look forward to the iPhone and iPod touch becoming synonymous with “portable gaming machines.”

[Via Engadget; Gizmodo]

Apple tablet rumors are back; iPhone coming to Verizon next?

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We’ve been here before, so let’s do it again.  According to an Oppenheimer research note from analyst Yair Reiner, who apparently has no real connection to Apple, the oft-rumored Apple tablet will release around March or April with production starting as soon as February.  Reiner says that the tablet will feature a multitouch 10.1 inch screen, it will look similar to the iPhone, and will sell for $1,000.  He also says that Apple has approached book publishers in hopes of forming “a very attractive proposal” to distribute their content digitally.  Reiner: “As innovative as it is, we believe the [Amazon] Kindle has disgruntled the publishing industry (book, newspaper, and magazine) by demanding exclusivity, disallowing advertising, and demanding a wolfish cut of revenue.  The tablet is set to change that.”  According to Reiner, Apple has offered the publishers a revenue cut of 70% without requiring exclusivity.  Sure, this is interesting and all, but there has still been no word at all from Apple about this tablet device and Reiner’s information is not entirely substantiated with proper evidence.  Folks, take all of this with a grain of salt, would you?

In related Apple news, analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray says that the Verizon network with be “the next big feature” of the iPhone.  Munster: “We continue to believe there is a 70% chance that Apple will launch the iPhone with Verizon in mid-CY10.”  He also mentions that the next-gen iPhone may feature hardware support to read RFID chips, enabling swipe payments.  “The iPhone could feasibly become a full digital wallet,” says Munster.  News of a new iPhone comes from another direction with Eldar Murtazin, editor in chief of Mobile Review. Murtazin tweeted “Foxconn received order for next generation iphone.”  Engadget calls him “the ultimate insider” when it comes to mobile news, so maybe you can take his word of a manufacturer ramping production for a new iPhone with a smaller pinch of salt.

Whether these rumors about the tablet and next-gen iPhone are true or not, sompthin’ is a brewin’ at Apple and we can all smell it.

[Via Engadget, here & here; Reuters; AppleInsider]

Ustream finally gets the go-ahead for its Live Broadcasting app

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Ustream has had its Viewing Application available for iPhone users to download for some time now.  Unfortunately, Apple restricted this app from allowing Ustream users to broadcast live video from it to other iPhone Ustreamers and to web browsers on PCs.  Today Apple has finally lifted this restriction and is allowing these capabilities to flourish on both iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G (which, of course, do not have a video-supported camera).  The new Live Broadcaster Application allows users to stream live video from their iPhone over 3G or WiFi to other iPhones and to anyone with a browser directed to Ustream’s website.  Also, note that the application features a “local” record mode that seemingly allows iPhone 3G owners to record and store 320 x 240 video and upload it to YouTube, Facebook, etc.  In other words, it turns your iPhone 3G into a video camera–huzzah!  The app is available for free right now.

Note: I’ve tested the app and the live broadcast on the computer is very laggy.  If you happen to give it a try, share your experience with it in the comments below.

[Via Engadget; Gizmodo]

Apple buys streaming music service LaLa

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According to the New York Times, Apple has purchased LaLa, a four-year-old streaming music service.  LaLa allows its users to stream their music from the “cloud” rather than download copies as is iTunes’ current method.

The question remains, why has Apple purchased LaLa?  An Apple spokesman said the company “buys smaller technology companies all the time, and we generally do not comment on our purpose or plans.”  Interesting…

The NYT also says that LaLa went to Apple to be acquired and Apple has their sights set on the company’s engineers who are quite adept at the whole streaming-music-in-the-cloud processes.  My guess?  Apple is planning on entering the music streaming business; it’s simply another revenue stream iTunes can quickly dominate.  In the future…iTunes users will have the option to download physical music files to their computer or stream their music a la Pandora and the like.  We shall wait and see.

[Via Gizmodo; NYT]

Touch DJ turns your iPhone/iPod touch into a highly functional turntable

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Amidio has created the “world’s first” true DJ software for the iPhone and iPod touch with Touch DJ.  This app allows you to use your own MP3 or M4A files to create your own DJ mixes; this includes the ability to scratch and loop as well as manipulate positioning, equalization, effects, and pitch.  Very neat stuff.  Touch DJ is available in the App Store right now for $19.99.  Peek after the break for a demonstration.

[Via Engadget]

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