Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Evercore raises Apple target price to $210
Monday, June 5, 2023 10:43 am
Apple stock hit a new all-time high in Monday morning trading and is in position to close at a record high early Monday as investors awaited the expected launch of a mixed-reality headset. Some analysts see the stock climbing even higher.
Callum Keown for Barron’s:
Anticipation ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled to begin Monday and run through Friday, is likely driving those gains. The company is expected to launch a virtual-reality and augmented-reality headset…
Investors will also be keen to hear anything the company has to say about AI, or its strategy around the technology, which has taken the market by storm in 2023.
Evercore ISI analysts see the stock climbing even higher, raising their target for the price to $210 from $190 after conducting a deep-dive research effort on the company. “Apple remains positioned to sustain mid-single digit sales and double-digit EPS (earnings per share) growth over [the] next several years with less volatility and high consistency,” they said, reiterating an Outperform rating.
They said they expect Apple’s VR/AR offering will contribute $10 billion in sales and 20 cents to earnings per share, or around 4%, annually in five years.
MacDailyNews Take: Let the frenzy feed itself!
https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/05/evercore-raises-apple-target-price-to-210/
MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote address
Monday, June 5, 2023 12:14 pm
Get ready for WWDC 2023, with a jam-packed, keynote address coming to you from Apple Park on June 6th at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT. You can watch Apple’s keynote address live, right on this page, below.
We will add our live notes on this page as well.
The 2023 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off with exciting reveals, inspiration, and new opportunities to continue creating the most innovative apps in the world. Join the worldwide developer community for an in-depth look at the future of Apple platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS — directly from Apple Park.
WWDC 2023 launches with a first look at groundbreaking updates coming to Apple platforms later this year. The keynote address will be available via apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, with on-demand playback available after the conclusion of the stream.
Watch Apple’s WWDC23 keynote address right here:
https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/05/macdailynews-presents-live-coverage-of-apples-wwdc-2023-keynote-address/
Open the video in another browser window or tab (video link), so that you can follow our live notes of Apple’s WWDC 2022 keynote address and comment on today’s news in real time below!
MacDailyNews WWDC 2022 Live Notes (in reverse chronological order):
• Mac Studio
• Starts at $,1299, 1,199 for education. 13-inch drops $100 to $1099 (available to order today, ships next week)
• Up to 24GB memory
• Fanless, silent design
• 12X faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air
• M2 chip
• Six speaker ausido system
• 1080p camera for video calls
• 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, up to 500 nits brightness
• Kate Bergeron: 11.5mm thin. The world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop, just over 3 pounds
• Apple reveals 15-inch MacBook Air
• John Ternus: 13-inch MacBook Air is the world’ best selling laptop
• Mac
• “Today we’re going to make some of our biggest announcements ever” – Cook
• 15th anniversary of the App Store this year
• Apple CEO Tim Cook appears via video
• Welcome to WWDC23 live coverage
• Developer video – idea bubble being chased
• Event begins
• AAPL holding steady for now
• AAPL: $184.60, +$3.65 (+2.01%) @ 12:56PM EDT
• AAPL: $184.54, +$3.60 (+1.99%) @ 12:14PM EDT
Apple plans to expand and revitalize its retail stores worldwide, push deep into China
Thursday, June 1, 2023 5:02 pm
Apple plans to expand and revitalize its worldwide chain of retail stores, pushing deeper into China and other parts of Asia while revitalizing established locations in America and Europe.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Through 2027, the iPhone maker is discussing opening 15 new stores across the Asia-Pacific region, five locations in Europe and the Middle East, and four additional outlets in the US and Canada, according to people with knowledge of the deliberations. The company is also aiming for six revamped or relocated stores in Asia, nine in Europe and 13 in North America, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. In total, the company is proposing 53 new, relocated or remodeled stores over the next four years.
Apple looks to bring fresh luster to its 22-year-old retail operation, which is one of the world’s most venerated chains but also has contended with pandemic woes, customer service problems and labor unrest in recent years. The idea is to build Apple’s brand in growth markets, such as India, while also giving consumers in the US and Europe a better experience…
Apple currently has more than 520 stores in 26 countries, with roughly half of them located in the US. The chain is famously lucrative on a square-footage basis, but the stores are often more about building Apple’s brand than selling goods. The company gets most of its revenue from other channels, including its e-commerce site. Still, the brick-and-mortar locations serve as a key place for customers to buy products on release days, get technical support and take classes.
MacDailyNews Take: Tons more info about Apple Store locations in full article here.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/01/apple-plans-to-expand-and-revitalize-its-retail-stores-worldwide-push-deep-into-china/
Zuckerberg panics, Osborne Effects Meta with rushed ‘Quest 3’ headset reveal
Thursday, June 1, 2023 12:00 pm
Four days before Apple is expected to enter, and likely redefine, the nascent mixed-reality (XR) headset market, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms pre-announced the latest version of its Quest mixed-reality headset, the “Quest 3” which will retail for $500.
Nick Turner for Bloomberg News:
The new Meta Quest 3 will cost $500 and ship in the fall, the company said in a blog post Thursday. Meta, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, said it will continue to sell the Quest 2 model at a lower price, $300, to help “even more people access the magic of VR.”
Meta is girding for a fight with Apple in the still-nascent world of mixed reality headsets, which meld augmented and virtual reality. Apple plans to introduce its first entry to the market on Monday at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Bloomberg has reported. That device is expected to be more powerful than the Meta product but also far more expensive, with an anticipated price of roughly $3,000.
Meta has struggled to build mainstream acceptance of the devices. It cut prices of its Quest Pro model earlier this year after demand was lower than expected.
MacDailyNews Take: Shades of Ballmer’s flop-sweat-submerged “reveal” of “HP slate” vaporware just ahead of Apple’s iPad unveiling.
Zuckerberg’s panic has, in one fell swoop, removed any reason for whatever potential buyers he had to buy Meta’s “Quest 2” headset (Osborne Effect) just as Apple is about to appropriate all of the planet’s AR/VR/XR air until Christmas and beyond. It was the absolute worst move he could have made and Apple, without a peep, pushed him into making it. ??
Enjoy your lead in the VR headset market, Meta, because it’s about to evaporate forever, just like your user-tracking advertising revenue.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/01/zuckerberg-panics-osborne-effects-meta-with-rushed-quest-3-headset-reveal/
Developers generated $1.1 trillion in total billings and sales in Apple’s App Store in 2022
Thursday, June 1, 2023 10:01 am
Apple this week announced the App Store ecosystem facilitated $1.1 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2022, building on developers’ track record of strong, resilient growth, an independent study by economists from Analysis Group found...
https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/01/developers-generated-1-1-trillion-in-total-billings-and-sales-in-apples-app-store-in-2022/
Hopefully, this will help:
North America Frac Sand, Inc. dba HRC Company
@HRCcoffee
·
21h
$NAFS Look out for our next corporate update release coming soon.
Gracias
https://twitter.com/HRCcoffee?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1661035444325474305%7Ctwgr%5E957eb8cf0336f77ac1cd212a7007840203370c33%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finvestorshub.advfn.com%2Fboards%2Fread_msg.aspx%3Fmessage_id%3D171973022
Canada’s largest pension buys 255,943 more Apple shares
Tuesday, May 30, 2023 11:03 am
Canada’s largest pension, CPP Investments, purchased 255,943 more Apple shares in the first quarter according to a new regulatory filing.
Ed Lin for Barron’s:
Canada’s largest public pension was more upbeat on iPhones than electric vehicles in the first few months of 2023.
Canada Pension Plan scooped up Apple stock, and slashed positions in EV makers Tesla, NIO, XPeng, and Li Autoin the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, known as CPP Investments, which manages the pension, disclosed the stock trades, among others, in a form it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CPP Investments bought 255,943 more Apple shares in the first quarter to lift its stake to 760,518 shares.
The pension slashed positions in EV makers Tesla, NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto to 454,055 shares, 1.6 million American depositary receipts, 61,000 ADRs, and zero ADRs, respectively, from 959,728 shares, 2.3 million ADRs, 621,300 ADRs, and 536,797 ADRs, respectively, at the end of 2022.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple stock rose 27% in the first quarter versus with a 7% rise in the S&P 500 index. In 2Q, shares are up 6.4% while the index is up 2.3%.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/30/canadas-largest-pension-buys-255943-more-apple-shares/
At WWDC, Apple will lay out the blueprint for mixed-reality ‘killer apps’
Saturday, May 27, 2023 5:04 pm
Apple’s oft-rumored mixed-reality headset, which the company is expected to reveal at WWDC on June 5th, “is likely to accelerate the adoption of augmented reality — and the broader phenomenon of ‘mixed reality,’ which encompasses full-immersion virtual-reality headsets that completely occlude a person’s vision,” Christopher Mims writes for The Wall Street Journal
Christopher Mims for The Wall Street Journal:
Just as personal computers and then smartphones were once exotic and now both teach and distract us daily, augmented reality is coming for how we interact with the digital and physical worlds.
Apple has a chance to succeed where others have failed… The key to Apple’s success — or failure — will be its ability to mobilize not just its fanatical, and growing, fan base, but also an army of developers, to make apps and services for its headset the way they have for its other devices.
Motivating those developers will require that Apple demonstrate what has so far been lacking for mixed reality: a blueprint for “killer apps” that will be so compelling that early adopters plunk down for this and future Apple headsets.
Organizing a file system spatially is just one idea, of course—there’s every reason to believe that, just as humans have learned to use charts, graphs, spreadsheets and countless other systems for displaying and manipulating information in two dimensions, we might someday feel just as at home accomplishing the same tasks in three.
MacDailyNews Take: Humans are born to perceive and operate in a three dimensional environment. That’s why we have two eyes, horizontally arranged, 62 millimeters apart on average. All of this 2D, flat on a display work is an adaptation due to limitations of the technology of the times. Give us a 3D way of doing things and there’s very little adaptation required, just slap on the headset — and, eventually, glasses; then contacts, then brain implants — and finally get to work naturally.
Apple’s smartgoggles will be cool, but it’s the subsequent Apple smartglasses that will change the world. – MacDailyNews, July 11, 2022
Augmented Reality is going to change everything. — MacDailyNews, July 21, 2017
Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we’ll look back at holding up slabs of metal and glass to access AR as unbelievably quaint. — MacDailyNews, July 28, 2017
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/27/at-wwdc-apple-will-lay-out-the-blueprint-for-mixed-reality-killer-apps/
Avid reportedly exploring sale of company
Saturday, May 27, 2023 12:53 pm
Avid Technology Inc, a provider of video and audio editing software and equipment to filmmakers and recording studios, is exploring a potential sale, Reuters reports citing “people familiar with the matter.”
Reuters:
The Burlington, Massachusetts-based company is working with Goldman Sachs Group on the sale process and has asked for binding offers from interested parties, the sources said.
Founded in 1987, Avid provides editing software and hardware primarily to entertainment industries. Its products, which have been used in the production of blockbuster movies such as ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, include Media Composer, MediaCentral and AirSpeed.
In its first-quarter earnings, Avid’s annual recurring revenue grew 8.1% to $228 million, while its active paid software subscriptions grew 22% year-on-year.
The company missed analysts’ expectations, however, and its shares have dropped, down almost 20% year-to-date.
Avid Chief Executive Jeffrey Rosica told analysts on the company’s earnings call that supply chain issues created “substantial and unexpected gross margin headwinds for audio hardware,” which eroded profitability.
MacDailyNews Take: Avid’s market cap is currently $1.06 billion. If they thought it of value, Apple wouldn’t even blink at that price plus whatever premium would be required to close the sale.
According to Enlyft, which tracks various audio and video editing products and technologies, Avid has less than 5% market share of the 159,361 companies tracked, 6th on the list after Adobe Premiere (23%), Apple Final Cut Pro (22%), TechSmith Camtasia (11%), Apple iLife (10%), and Adobe Audition (6%). Of course, in purely professional film/video editing, Avid has a significantly higher share.
Adobe Premiere is consumer-grade trash compared to both Avid’s Media Composer and Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
Related
Avid Technology plunges as Apple soaks up consumer enthusiast market
Friday, April 13, 2012
In "News"
Avid Technology feels serious heat from Apple Inc.
Friday, April 4, 2008
In "MacDailyNews"
TV producer Bunim/Murray Productions drops Apple’s Final Cut for Avid editing software
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
In "News"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/27/avid-reportedly-exploring-sale-of-company/
I agree with you! Thank you, Enjoy Memorial Day, too.
over the last week, when i check their website to see about ordering coffee, they always seem to be out of stock on the same (50% of their listed) products... I wonder if they keep selling out or are have supply chain issues! https://havanaroasters.com/
Apple shareholders heavily dominated by institutional owners
Friday, May 26, 2023 9:08 am
Significantly high institutional ownership implies that Apple’s stock price is sensitive to institutional trading with a total of 25 institutions having a majority stake in the company with ownership of some 40%.
Simply Wall St:
The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 54% to be precise, is institutions. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors.
Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Apple is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is The Vanguard Group, Inc. with 8.3% of shares outstanding. BlackRock, Inc. is the second largest shareholder owning 6.6% of common stock, and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. holds about 5.8% of the company stock.
Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company’s shares, meaning that the company’s shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder…
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 40% stake in Apple. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
MacDailyNews Take: Berkshire Hathaway, as opposed to Vanguard or BlackRock, gets the lion’s share of Apple stock-related coverage because of the celebrity of Warren Buffett.
Related
Apple stock, with 54% institutional ownership, is a favorite among the big guns
Monday, February 13, 2023
In "News"
Big investors increasing their stakes in Apple stock
Thursday, November 20, 2014
In "News"
Apple shares were dumped by institutional investors in Q213
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
In "News"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/26/apple-shareholders-heavily-dominated-by-institutional-owners/
China’s Apple loss is India’s gain
Thursday, May 25, 2023 4:32 pm
Apple added five new mainland Chinese suppliers while removing eight in mainland China in its latest financial year ended September 2022, after China’s strict Covid-19 controls disrupted iPhone production last holiday season, according to the latest supplier list published by the world’s most valuable company.
South China Morning Post:
Globally, Apple added 18 new suppliers while cutting 19, resulting in a small adjustment in its supply chain, but one that has made India a clear winner. The number of Apple production sites in the country increased to 14 last year compared with 11 in 2021, signalling the iPhone maker’s accelerated expansion in the country. It also opened its first two retail outlets in India this year.
Apple’s latest supplier list, which was published last week, accounts for 98 per cent of the company’s direct spending on materials, manufacturing and assembly worldwide. The tech giant’s supply chain is closely watched, as changes are seen as a sign of China’s shifting role in global manufacturing.
The bulk of Apple’s manufacturing remains in China, where 151 of its top 188 disclosed suppliers have facilities, compared with 150 in 2021. However, rising labour costs combined with geopolitical tensions with the US and three years of Covid restrictions that just ended this year have pushed foreign businesses to relocate more production to other countries in the region, particularly India and Vietnam.
MacDailyNews Take: Good start, but go faster to make up for being years late, Apple.
The CCP’s lunacy is India’s gain. – <MacDailyNews, March 3, 2023
The time to accelerate plans to move production out of China was November 9th 2016, but, hey, six years late is better than never! – MacDailyNews, December 4, 2022
Smart companies have finally woken up and are working to diversify their supply chains away from, and reduce risky reliance on, CCP-controlled authoritarian China. – MacDailyNews, October 21, 2022
Apple should have been diversifying production long ago to minimize risk, not to mention China’s human rights abuses, authoritarian censorship, and myriad other concerns, including “COVID” lockdowns. – MacDailyNews, June 1, 2022
It’s smart for both Apple and Foxconn to diversify assembly outside of China. There’s no sense having all of your eggs in one basket. — MacDailyNews, April 2, 2019
The real virus is the panic. – MacDailyNews, March 9, 2020
See also: Tim Cook firmly latched Apple onto China’s CCP teat. What’s his plan for weaning it off? – November 2, 2022
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/25/chinas-apple-loss-is-indias-gain/
Shares of Wearable Devices Ltd. triple after ‘Mudra’ Apple Watch band hits preorder stage
Thursday, May 25, 2023 3:43 pm
Shared of Wearable Devices Ltd. (WLDS) tripled in price to $1.48 each, after the company said its flagship consumer product, the $199 Mudra Band for Apple Watch, is now available for preorder.
Biopotentials are electric potentials (typically on a scale of micro-volts) produced by the electrochemical activity of excitable cells in the nervous system of the body.
The idea of measuring biopotential from the surface of the skin isn’t new – historically this phenomenon is used to diagnose various diseases, such as motoric injuries (EMG) and heart arrhythmias (ECG) using clinical sensors and systems. Wearable Devices based its unique wearable sensing system on this phenomenon.
Mudra Band uses patented SNC (Surface Nerve Conductance) sensors designed to sense the biopotentials emanating from the wrist by converting ionic electrical activity from the surface of the skin to electric voltage (Ionic exchange).
In contrast with EMG sensing acquired on the forearm, the wrist area does not contain major muscles groups, therefore the SNC sensors were specially designed to account for a very low SNR input.
Even subtle actions, such as slight finger movement or pressure between two fingers, are registered by the SNC sensors.
Mudra Band “listens” to the brain — nervous system — wrist conversation and translates it into a language we can understand.
The band digitizes the biopotential data and transmits it to the phone or watch, where our algorithms analyze and classify the fingers activity in real time. Wearable Devices tailors each user’s unique movement signatures to his\her physiology via a short calibration procedure.
With the Mudra Band for Apple Watch, users can experience the touch of the future with their iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs, and Macs.
MacDailyNews Take: If it works well enough, we’d want it mainly for Apple TV 4K to let us browse, select apps/channels, adjust volume, and play/pause content!
Related
IDC: Apple No.1 in Q418 worldwide wearables shipments with 16.2 million units, 10.4 million of which were Apple Watches
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
In "News"
Canalys: Apple Watch dominates North American wearables market
Thursday, August 15, 2019
In "News"
IDC: Apple dominates worldwide wearables market, posts 195.5% YOY growth
Monday, December 9, 2019
In "News"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/25/shares-of-wearable-devices-ltd-triple-after-mudra-apple-watch-band-hits-preorder-stage/
Yes, Maybe that is the reason, but I like your previous prediction:
"Should go current with attorney letter ."
https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=171918990
Thank you! As always, I appreciate your thoughts.
Secret Zurich lab may be key to development of Apple Car, Apple Headset, and more
Thursday, May 25, 2023 9:00 am
Macprime has been researching Apple’s efforts in Zurich, Switzerland for over four years, meticulously following Apple’s recruitment efforts and speaking with people involved. They’ve found that Apple is working on a wide range of projects in Zurich — machine learning, artificial intelligence, and much more — and it can be expected that there will be a lot of Switzerland in Apple’s widely expected mixed-reality headset.
Stefan Rechsteiner for Macprime (German to English via machine translation):
The major topic fields to which Apple is dedicated in Zurich are computer vision, machine learning (ML), robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI). The Zurich laboratory is understood in particular as an “interface between modern ML, robotics and data science” to promote artificial intelligences that will drive the “next generation of Apple products.”
The Zurich Vision Lab is an Apple center for Machine Learning and Computer Vision Research and Development. This laboratory accounts for a large part of Apple’s local research and development activities.
This includes various teams from the field of System Intelligent and Machine Learning, SIML for short. For example, branches of Apple’s “Human and Object Understanding” group, or “HOUr” for short, or the “Scene Understanding” team (“SUN”) are also in Zurich.
Above all, Apple’s ominous “Special Projects Group” in Zurich is omnipresent. All kinds of projects that are outside the classic Apple product families are generally attributed to this entity. This also includes future products such as the Apple car or Apple’s speculated headset, which are to be developed in this department. Many of Apple’s research efforts are also located in this area – including work on autonomous systems.
MacDailyNews Note: The full in-depth article – highly recommended – is here (in German).
Related
Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse Apple Store relocating on August 31st
Thursday, August 15, 2019
In "News"
Apple store in Zurich evacuated as iPhone battery overheats
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
In "News"
Apple to launch trio of retail stores in Switzerland
Thursday, September 4, 2008
In "All Sites"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/25/secret-zurich-lab-may-be-key-to-development-of-apple-car-apple-headset-and-more/
Thank you for sharing! It looks like this company is marketing their Cuban Gourmet Coffee in a positive way...Do you have any idea why they are still listed as pink limited on the OTC, after they have filed their financial information on 5/15/23 and then their Attorney letter on 5/19/23?
Warning! Limited Information
OTC Markets Group has confirmed that this company has limited disclosure or financial information publicly available, but meets a minimum requirement for public quoting under Rule 15c2-11. The Pink Limited Information tier may include companies that are delinquent in their filing obligations with the SEC, a foreign exchange or regulator, or under the Pink Disclosure Guidelines, as well as non-U.S. companies listed on a foreign exchange that does not require English disclosure and do not certify their compliance with SEC Rule 12g3-2(b).
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NAFS/overview
BofA analyst: Apple’s WWDC 2023 could be a ‘game-changing’ event
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 6:01 pm
Apple is expected to debut a mixed-reality headset at WWDC 2023 on June 5th, and while initial sales are expected to be limited, a BofA analyst says the launch could be a “game-changing” event.
Emily Bary for MarketWatch:
Yes, Apple’s rumored mixed-reality headset is expected to set you back $3,000, and projections for initial sales aren’t particularly high. But the prospect of a splashy new device launch has BofA Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan asking whether the upcoming WWDC developer conference will be a “game-changing one.”
“Although the lackluster uptake of the AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality) market and the transitory enthusiasm about the metaverse create a backdrop of challenges, it is instructive to remember that Apple invents entire new categories that have the potential to disrupt existing markets (e.g., AirPods) and create entirely new markets,” he wrote in a Wednesday note to clients.
Apple is expected to put a hefty price tag on the debut Reality Pro headset, but “it’s important to recognize that the headset version three years from now will be cheaper, faster and have many more use cases,” Mohan explained.
MacDailyNews Take: If Apple is successful, Mohan wrote to clients, the device and its successors could contribute a third of App Store revenue by 2026.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/24/bofa-analyst-apples-wwdc-2023-could-be-a-game-changing-event/
With its $3,000 ‘Reality Pro’ headset, will Apple succeed where others have failed?
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 10:42 am
Apple hasn’t made a major product introduction since it rolled out the Apple Watch in 2015, but with its “Reality Pro” mixed-reality headset, expected to retail for $3,000, the company will be entering into a market that has so far failed to catch on with mainstream consumers.
Emily Bary for MarketWatch:
Apple has a history, though, of turning technology categories into trends, and a team of Goldman Sachs analysts says the company might be able to work its magic again with the Reality Pro headset.
“Although we recognize that the [augmented/virtual reality] industry as a whole has generally been disappointing, we believe that Apple’s potential AR/VR headset can succeed where others may have not, given Apple’s points of differentiation relative to competing headset manufacturers,” wrote the analysts led by Michael Ng.
One advantage for Apple is that it has an installed base of more than 1.1 billion active iPhone users who are potential consumers for the new headset. The company can also lean on its large developer base to create compelling content for the device, while itself translating crucial first-party apps like Facetime, Apple TV+ and Apple Music to mixed reality.
“Notably, non-gaming use cases should serve as a point of differentiation for Apple, where we believe that Apple is even more competitively advantaged relative to incumbent virtual reality headsets and ecosystems,” the Goldman team wrote.
The analysts give the example of potential “immersive sports” experiences making use of Apple’s deals for MLB Friday Night Baseball and MLS Season Pass.
MacDailyNews Take: Earlier this month, our Little birdie told us that one selling point of Apple’s mixed-reality headset will be attending live and recorded concerts remotely. Buy a ticket, for significantly less than in-person, and the headset will “as much as possible, be like being there – with extras like changing seat positions.” Apple’s launch last week of new concert discovery and set lists features on Apple Maps and Apple Music lays part of the foundation.
Goldman analysts estimate the “Reality Pro” and successors will contribute $11 billion – $20 billion to Apple’s annual revenue between fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2028.
Related
Apple’s mixed-reality headset said to run hundreds of thousands of apps at launch
Monday, April 24, 2023
In "News"
Apple expected to unveil its $3,000 mixed-reality headset on June 5th
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
In "News"
Apple’s mixed-reality headset faces much skepticism ahead of unveiling
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
In "News"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/23/with-its-3000-reality-pro-headset-will-apple-succeed-where-others-have-failed/
Apple inks multibillion-dollar deal with Broadcom for components made in the USA
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 9:36 am
Today Apple announced a new multiyear, multibillion-dollar agreement with Broadcom, a leading U.S. technology and advanced manufacturing company. Through this collaboration, Broadcom will develop 5G radio frequency components — including FBAR filters — and cutting-edge wireless connectivity components. The FBAR filters will be designed and built in several key American manufacturing and technology hubs, including Fort Collins, Colorado, where Broadcom has a major facility.
“We’re thrilled to make commitments that harness the ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit of American manufacturing,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “All of Apple’s products depend on technology engineered and built here in the United States, and we’ll continue to deepen our investments in the U.S. economy because we have an unshakable belief in America’s future.”
Apple already helps support more than 1,100 jobs in Broadcom’s Fort Collins FBAR filter manufacturing facility, and the partnership will enable Broadcom to continue to invest in critical automation projects and upskilling with technicians and engineers. Across the country, Apple supports more than 2.7 million jobs through direct employment, developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy, and spending with more than 9,000 U.S. suppliers and manufacturers of all sizes in all 50 states across dozens of sectors.
5G technology is shaping the future of next-generation consumer electronics — and Apple is spending tens of billions of dollars to develop this field in America.
Following the introduction of 5G technology to Apple devices in 2020, Apple has helped expand and expedite 5G adoption across the country, driving innovation and job growth among companies that support 5G innovation and infrastructure. 5G coverage and performance also continue to expand around the world, and more users are benefitting from faster connectivity as they upgrade to 5G-capable products.
MacDailyNews Note: These investments are part of the commitment Apple made in 2021 to invest $430 billion in the U.S. economy over five years. In January 2020, Apple and Broadcom signed chip-supply deals worth $15 billion.
Related
Apple supplier Broadcom forecasts sales surge ahead of ‘iPhone 7’ launch
Friday, June 3, 2016
In "News"
Apple hires two more senior RF engineers from Broadcom amid reports of new in-house baseband team
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
In "News"
Will Apple finally buy Broadcom’s cellular business?
Monday, June 9, 2014
In "Opinion"
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/23/apple-inks-multibillion-dollar-deal-with-broadcom-for-components-made-in-the-usa/
EU appeal seeks to force Apple to pay $14.3 billion tax clawback
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 9:08 am
Competition regulators on Tuesday appealed to European Union’s highest court to override a lower tribunal and force Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in an Irish tax clawback.
Reuters:
The case, which has far-reaching implications for corporate tax bills, is the most high-profile of EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s campaign against sweetheart deals between multinationals and European Union states.
The European Commission in a 2016 decision said two Irish tax rulings had for more than two decades artificially reduced Apple’s tax burden, which was as low as 0.005% in 2014. The General Court in 2020 said regulators had not met the legal standard to show Apple had enjoyed an unfair advantage.
Apple refuted the Commission’s arguments, saying it had paid its fair share of taxes in the appropriate country. “The profits we are talking about – the profits the Commission said should be attributed to these branches in Ireland – those profits were in fact subject to the U.S. tax regime,” Daniel Beard told the Court. “Apple built up reserves for the payment of those U.S. taxes and is paying around 20 billion euros in tax in the U.S. on those very same profits that the Commission says should have been taxed by Ireland,” he said. “Apple has paid the taxes that were due under the Irish tax code.”
MacDailyNews Take: The EU’s appeal deserves to fail.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/23/eu-appeal-seeks-to-force-apple-to-pay-14-3-billion-tax-clawback/
Apple reportedly filed for ‘xrProOS’ trademark via shell company
Monday, May 22, 2023 9:37 am
Just weeks away from its prerecorded WWDC 2023 keynote address on June 5th, it appears that Apple has secretly applied for “xrProOS”‘ and other trademarks related to its widely expected mixed-reality headset.
Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
Delaware-based shell company “Deep Dive LLC” submitted a trademark application for “xrProOS” stylized in Apple’s SF Pro font on May 18 in Argentina, Turkey, and the Phillippines, according to online records. The same company applied for an “xrOS” trademark in SF Pro in New Zealand earlier this month, and it is very likely that Apple is behind both filings as the company moves early to protect its headset-related intellectual property.
Deep Dive LLC also applied for xrProOS in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK on May 18, but without SF Pro styling. The company first applied for the trademark in Jamaica on April 27, according to the records. Jamaica is often where Apple first applies for trademarks related to future products, as the country lacks a searchable online trademark database, helping the company to maintain secrecy.
This is the first time that the xrProOS name has been reported, and it’s unclear how Apple plans to use the name, if at all. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple’s headset operating system will be named xrOS, so it remains to be seen how the xrProOS name might fit into Apple’s plans.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s next revolution looms!
Apple has the custom silicon. Apple has the installed base. Apple has the ecosystem. Apple has the services. Apple will have the profitable portion of the mixed-reality headset market. And then, a few years later, Apple will take the profitable portion of the smartglasses (AR) market, too.
And some people will slap their foreheads and lament, “I could’ve bought Apple shares under $140!” – MacDailyNews, May 24, 2022
Apple’s smartgoggles will be cool, but it’s the subsequent Apple smartglasses that will change the world. – MacDailyNews, July 11, 2022
Augmented Reality is going to change everything. — MacDailyNews, July 21, 2017
Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we’ll look back at holding up slabs of metal and glass to access AR as unbelievably quaint. — MacDailyNews, July 28, 2017
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/22/apple-reportedly-filed-for-xrproos-trademark-via-shell-company/
Apple posts number of job listings seeking generative AI talent
Monday, May 22, 2023 10:46 am
Apple has recently posted at least a dozen job ads on its career page seeking experts in generative AI. Specifically, it’s looking for machine learning specialists “passionate about building extraordinary autonomous systems” in the field.
Jagmeet Singh for TechCrunch:
The job ads (some of which seem to cover the same role, or are calling for multiple applicants) first started appearing April 27, with the most recent of them getting published earlier this week…
[M]ore third-party apps are bringing in generative AI elements — it was only yesterday that OpenAI released its own ChatGPT iOS app — and Apple is reportedly working on its own generative AI products, according to the WSJ. Hiring more generative AI experts could well be in aid of serving either, or both, of those ends.
The openings are in teams that include Integrated System Experience, Input Experience NLP, Machine Learning R&D and the Technology Development Group located across San Diego, the Bay Area and Seattle…
Apple being Apple, no doubt it will be looking to bring its own approach to the table. Much of the work that it’s been doing so far with, for example, visual AI technology has been focused on on-device processing and privacy and building developer tools in aid of that.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple CEO Tim Cook during the company’s May 4th conference call with analysts regarding generative AI:
As you know, we don’t comment on product roadmaps. I do think it’s very important to be deliberate and thoughtful in how you approach these things. And there’s a number of issues that need to be sorted, as is being talked about in a number of different places. But the potential is certainly very interesting. And we’ve obviously made enormous progress integrating AI and machine learning throughout our ecosystem and we weaved it into products and features for many years as you probably know. You can see that in things like fall detection and crash detection and ECG, these things are not only great features, they’re saving people’s lives out there. And so it’s absolutely remarkable. And so we are, we view AI as huge and we’ll continue weaving it in our products on a very thoughtful basis.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/22/apple-posts-number-of-job-listings-seeking-generative-ai-talent/
As Apple pushes deeper into financial services, PayPal and other fintechs should be scared
Friday, May 19, 2023 11:01 am
Apple in mid-April launched a new Savings account with a 4.15% yield, 10 times the national average for banks. “We are very pleased with the initial response,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts in early May.
Carleton English for Barron’s:
Apple doesn’t aspire to be a bank, but it’s pushing deeper into financial services, aiming to generate extra income while keeping its one billion-plus iPhone users hooked on the Apple ecosystem. The company is expanding into payments with its Apple Pay service. It has built a credit-card business with Goldman Sachs Group, its partner for the savings accounts, and it’s muscling into buy now, pay later, facing off against companies like Affirm, Block, and PayPal Holdings…
[I]f Apple succeeds in building a full-scale digital wallet, it could also be another killer app embedded in the company’s two billion installed devices, keeping consumers buying more hardware, software, and other services through the sheer convenience of having it all in one place.
None of this bodes well for PayPal, Block, and other rivals in financial technology, known as fintech. “A lot of companies in the fintech space are frenemies, but every player views Apple as a threat,” one analyst told Barron’s, requesting anonymity due to investments in the arena.
MacDailyNews Take: As English notes, shares of PayPal, Block, and Affirm are each off more than 75% from 2021 highs.
With Apple Pay Later here, Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna, and the other BNPL outfits should be very worried. – MacDailyNews, March 29, 2023
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/19/as-apple-pushes-deeper-into-financial-services-paypal-and-other-fintechs-should-be-scared/
Apple Shares Close at 52-Week High
May 18 2023 - 05:36PM
Dow Jones News
By Denny Jacob
Apple closed at its highest price in more than a year on Thursday, a day that saw technology giants gain.
The Cupertino, Calif., company closed at $175.05, a gain of 1.4%. The stock hit its highest close since April 5, 2022, when it closed at $175.06.
Apple shares are up nearly 35% year to date.
Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 18, 2023 17:21 ET (21:21 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/NASDAQ/apple-AAPL/stock-news/91109381/apple-shares-close-at-52-week-high
Apple launches Apple Store online in Vietnam
May 17 2023 - 10:00PM
Business Wire
Apple® today announced the expansion of the Apple Store® online into Vietnam. Customers throughout the country can now shop direct with Apple and receive exceptional service, delivered by our talented team members who are ready to share their expertise in Vietnamese.
“Customers are always at the center of everything we do, and we’re thrilled to bring the Apple Store online to Vietnam,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail. “With today’s expansion, we’re proud to offer customers an incredible new way to discover and shop for our amazing products and services, connect with our knowledgable team members, and experience the best of Apple.”
Personalized Shopping
Through the Apple Store online and the Apple Store app, customers can discover and shop the iPhone® 14 lineup, with incredible camera capabilities, amazing battery life, and a groundbreaking suite of health and safety features. Customers can also connect with Apple’s team of experts for help finding the device that’s right for them.
Customers have the opportunity to personalize their devices by choosing their preferred case and band combination to create a look that is uniquely their own through the Apple Watch Studio®, exclusively on apple.com/vn.
With configure-to-order options available through Apple, Mac® customers can select and customize the device to their desired specifications.
To add that extra-special touch, engraving is available for free only on apple.com/vn. Customers can personalize iPad®, AirTag™, AirPods®, and Apple Pencil® with a mix of emoji, text, and numbers.
Retail Services
With the support of online experts, customers can now take advantage of Apple’s many retail services — including Apple Trade In, safe data transfer, and switching to iOS, making it easy for customers to safely and securely migrate their data from an old device.
With the Apple Trade In program, customers in Vietnam can trade in their old device and receive credit toward a new one. If their device is not eligible for a credit, Apple will recycle it for free, diverting electronic waste from landfills and saving precious materials in Apple’s quest to take less from the earth.
The Apple Store online offers a range of affordability options, including up to 24 months of financing for iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch® with MoMo. Additionally, students can shop for a Mac or iPad with special pricing, and receive discounts on accessories as well as AppleCare+®.
With AppleCare+, available on iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch, customers get trusted service and support from the people who know Apple products best. AppleCare+ provides customers with two years of priority support and service, priority access to experts, and protection for their devices.
The Apple Store online is the best place to shop for Apple products in Vietnam. For all the latest information on Apple’s lineup of innovative products and services, customers can visit apple.com/vn.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom (www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at media.help@apple.com.
© 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Store, iPhone, Apple Watch Studio, Mac, iPad, AirTag, AirPods, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch and AppleCare+ are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230517005860/en/
Brian Bumbery
Apple
bumbery@apple.com
Pia Fontes
Apple
pia_fontes@apple.com
Apple Media Helpline
media.help@apple.com
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/NASDAQ/apple-AAPL/stock-news/91098738/apple-launches-apple-store-online-in-vietnam
Vanguard and Merrill.
Most of the larger brokerages that i use, will not allow anyone to buy a stock until it at least hits one cent (.01). Maybe when this company is not "pink limited information" and starts increasing the marketing of their quality coffee products, sales and its respective stock price will increase, so the majority of investors can actually buy it...
Mother of two uses Apple AirTags to track her children
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 12:00 pm
A mother of two has revealed that she uses Apple AirTags to track her children’s location. Vada Stevens, who lives in North Carolina, recently went viral when she shared that she keeps track of her two young daughters using an Apple AirTag bracelet.
Meredith Clark for The Independent:
Stevens, who’s expecting her third child, posted a TikTok video in which her daughters Stella and Serena could be seen responding to the AirTag’s beeping noise.
“I saw a TikTok about a mom who puts Apple AirTags in bracelets on her kids and thought it was the coolest thing,” she wrote over the clip, showing a close-up of her daughters’ tracking devices tucked inside a bracelet. “You can find them on Amazon and you can track them and make a beeping noise.”
“And you can train your kids to come when they hear the beeping noise,” she added, before showing a clip of her daughters practicing using the AirTags. The two children came running from the other room after Stevens had pressed a button, which prompted the sound of the AirTag alert.
“You beeped for us,” one daughter said in the TikTok. “What did you need?”
MacDailyNews Take: This sounds like an excellent idea for grocery shopping, travel, amusement parks, etc.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/17/mother-of-two-uses-apple-airtags-to-track-her-children/
India launches $2 billion incentive plan to court laptop, tablet makers like Apple
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 8:55 am
India is unveiling a 170 billion rupee (US$2 billion) incentive plan to woo makers of laptops, tablets, and other hardware such as Apple to the South Asian nation as companies look to diversify supply chains beyond China.
Sankalp Phartiyal for Bloomberg News:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is capitalizing on the early success of Apple Inc.’s local assembly operations — which have helped the US company produce about 7% of its global iPhone output — to pitch the country as a viable global manufacturing hub. New Delhi wants to bring more tech production to India after China’s trade war with the US and its strict Covid policies prompted companies to weigh other options.
Apple has yet to begin making iPads or MacBook laptops in India, but fresh incentives could push the Cupertino, California-based company to consider such moves. Other manufacturers who could take advantage of the new measures include Dell Technologies Inc., HP Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc.
MacDailyNews Take: Small, but a step in the right direction.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/17/india-launches-2-billion-incentive-plan-to-court-laptop-tablet-makers-like-apple/
Apple is now worth more than the entire Russell 2000
Monday, May 15, 2023 5:46 pm
The market value of Apple, the world’s most valuable company, has surpassed that of the entire Russell 2000 for two weeks, the longest stretch on record, according to Bloomberg data.
The Russell 2000 Index is a small-cap U.S. stock market index that makes up the smallest 2,000 stocks in the Russell 3000 Index. It was started by the Frank Russell Company in 1984. The Russell 2000 is by far the most common benchmark for mutual funds that identify themselves as “small-cap” as opposed to the S&P 500 index which is used primarily for large cap stocks. The top stock by index weight in the S&P 500 is, of course, Apple with an index weighting around 7.28% (Microsoft is second at 6.60%, Amazon is a distant third at 2.68%.
Joseph Adinolfi for MarketWatch:
Apple’s market capitalization, which measures how much the company is worth based on the value of all its outstanding stock, surpassed that of the Russell 2000 on April 27 and has held higher through Monday. The only other time that occurred was Sept. 1, 2020, when Apple’s valuation passed that of the small-cap index for only a day.
With a market capitalization of roughly $2.7 trillion, Apple is now worth roughly $100 billion more than the combined value of all 2,000 stocks in the Russell 2000, according to Bloomberg data shared with MarketWatch.
A team of stock-market analysts from Bespoke Investment Group illustrated the trend in a chart shared on Twitter Monday.
MacDailyNews Take: Only Apple.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/15/apple-is-now-worth-more-than-the-entire-russell-2000/
Looks interesting! What do you think?
Annual Report - NAFS - YEAR END 2022 FINANCIAL REPORT 05/15/2023
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/NAFS/overview
Item 4: Issuer’s Business, Products and Services
A. Business Operations: North America Frac Sand, Inc. (OTC: NAFS) North America Frac Sand Inc, dba HRC Company; (www.havanaroasters.com) Some of the key features of the company include its growth potential, its focus on building coffee related businesses, which includes our two primary base roasts available in whole bean, ground, single serve K-Cups, and coming soon Nespresso Compatibles.
Our primary Cuban Style gourmet roast; “Espresso Supreme” blend is roasted to a deep, dark, color with abundant flavor. This authentic Cuban-style roast is a perfect combination of the world’s best Arabica and Robust beans sourced from Africa, Central & South America cutting down on both acidity and bitterness. The texture is oily, and the flavor has hints of caramel and smoke, reminiscent of the full-bodied "sabor" or taste, known and loved worldwide. Our Americano Blend is as deliciously unforgettable as our Cuban Espresso Supreme. Our rich, strong American style coffee is blended mostly from Arabica/Robusto beans. We are very proud that our roasters have mastered a bold yet smooth taste that delivers more than a “regular” cup of coffee.
Inspired by our rich Cuban heritage, our roasting technique creates a taste and sensation that is truly memorable. Our handcrafted Cuban style roast is full of deep and rich flavor.
Available online at our store www.havanaroasters.com,www.Walmart.com, www.bedbath.com, www.homedepot.com, www.officedepot.com and through national distributors KeHE , UNFI ,other regional distributors , independent groceries , supermarket’s and specialty retailer.
North America Frac Sand, Inc. is a Wyoming corporation. The
Company is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida
GM is blowing it by barring Apple CarPlay from new electric vehicles
Monday, May 15, 2023 9:22 am
General Motors is blowing it by barring the widely-used Apple CarPlay (and Google’s derivative Android Auto) that allow drivers to bypass vehicle’s infotainment systems, shifting instead to an built-in infotainment system, Google Automotive, for future electric vehicles.
John Gapper for Financial Times:
Surely I am not the only one to groan at this prospect: many people prefer their smartphone software to their vehicles’ inbuilt displays. As Benedetto Vigna, Ferrari’s chief executive, remarked at the FT’s Future of the Car event this week, “For a car company to become a tech company is not easy?.?.?.?We are used to the operating systems we have in our pocket.”
It is hard enough to adapt to the regular updates to Apple iOS or Android, let alone tackle a different set of swipes, symbols and habits for the limited periods that most of us spend driving. I am not entirely sure how my car’s air conditioning works, or what the wiper settings mean: spare me from learning new technology for each brand.
“We feel that we need to have control over the experience,” Nick Festa, GM’s director of digital business, told me this week… Software also offers the prospect of making money. When so many aspects of the connected car can be altered or upgraded with software updates, it is natural for carmakers to get a case of Apple envy. They also want to sell software and services on a platform they operate…
Customers are not accustomed to buying cars and then being told that they will have to pay a fee or subscription for the heated seats to be activated, or for the acceleration to be boosted. In theory, a software upgrade is equivalent to better hardware; in practice, it can feel exploitative.
MacDailyNews Take: For us, and many, many others, General Motors simply moves even further out of consideration for future purchases (GM never really was in consideration anyway).
If GM sticks to this stupidity, it deserves its fate.
See also: Vehicle buyers consider Ford, Toyota, after GM announces Apple CarPlay phaseout – April 14, 2023
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/15/gm-is-blowing-it-by-barring-apple-carplay-from-new-electric-vehicles/
Apple assembler Foxconn to invest $500 million in India’s Telangana state, create 25,000 jobs
Monday, May 15, 2023 8:45 am
Major Apple assembler Foxconn will invest $500 million to set up manufacturing plants in the southern Indian state of Telangana, the state’s IT minister said on Monday.
Reuters:
The investment will create 25,000 jobs in the first phase, K. T. Rama Rao said in a tweet.
Apple has been shifting production away from China, where prior COVID restrictions disrupted the manufacturing of new iPhones and other devices. The tech company is also looking to avoid a hit to its business due to tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Foxconn in late March received approval from the Karnataka government for a $968 million investment in the state.
MacDailyNews Take: The CCP’s “zero COVID” lunacy was the straw that broke the camel’s back and, clearly, India is well-positioned to take advantage.
MacDailyNews Note: iPhone models are currently assembled in India by Foxconn and Pegatron in Tamil Nadu and Wistron in Karnataka.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/15/apple-assembler-foxconn-to-invest-500-million-in-indias-telangana-state-create-25000-jobs/
Apple expected to soon reveal its most experimental, unconventional product ever
Friday, May 12, 2023 9:47 am
At WWDC 2023, on June 5th, Apple is expected to unveil what is perhaps the most experimental, unconventional product in its history: a mixed-reality (AR/VR) headset that resembles a pair of ski goggles and comes with an external, tethered battery pack.
Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie for The Wall Street Journal:
Apple’s launch plans break many of its traditions and rules about new products that have become the industry gold standard. Unlike other Apple products, the device is debuting in a still-experimental mode. Apple predicts slower adoption for the headset compared with the Apple Watch or the iPhone, both of which quickly became consumer must-haves. Taking seven years in development before hitting the market, it will be one of the most complex consumer products any company has ever sold.
The Apple headset will combine both augmented and virtual reality into a single device—a term the industry calls mixed reality. Users wearing the headset, for instance game players, will be able to experience their virtual worlds through the screen in the goggles, but also be able to simultaneously see the physical world around them thanks to outward facing cameras, said people familiar with the project.
Company engineers and executives have spent months preparing presentations with a demo version of the device for Apple’s upcoming annual software conference in June. But it isn’t expected to be delivered for most users until the fall at the earliest, people familiar with the supply chain said…
Many in the industry think that the market for this technology still has a long way to go before it reaches its full potential: a regular-looking pair of glasses that could fully immerse someone in a digital world. The necessary technologies to bring such a product to fruition—including computing hardware that is small and energy-efficient enough to fit into eyeglasses—are still likely around a decade away, according to industry officials.
MacDailyNews Take: It’ll be interesting, to say the least!
Apple’s smartgoggles will be cool, but it’s the subsequent Apple smartglasses that will change the world. – MacDailyNews, July 11, 2022
Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we’ll look back at holding up slabs of metal and glass to access AR as unbelievably quaint. — MacDailyNews, July 28, 2017
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/12/apple-expected-to-soon-reveal-its-most-experimental-unconventional-product-ever/
Apple to launch online store in Vietnam next week
Friday, May 12, 2023 8:58 am
Apple will launch its online store in Vietnam next week on May 18th, as the company doubles down on emerging markets where it’s seen much recent success.
We set an all-time record for Services and a March quarter record for iPhone. We were particularly pleased with the performance we saw in emerging markets and achieved all-time records in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, as well as a number of March quarter records, including in Brazil, Malaysia and India… On other emerging markets, we had a stellar quarter in emerging markets overall, as I had mentioned, with records set in a number of different places, including Indonesia and Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, and then quarterly records in Brazil, India and Malaysia. And so it was a great quarter for emerging markets in general, despite the headwinds of the currency… And so we’re putting efforts in a number of these markets and really see, particularly given our low share and the dynamics of the demographics, et cetera, a great opportunity for us in those markets. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, May 4, 2023
Reuters:
Apple did not say when it plans to open physical stores in Vietnam, which has a population of 100 million people.
“We’re proud to be expanding in Vietnam,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of retail.
Online stores often precede the opening of retail stores. Apple already sells products in Vietnam via licensed vendors and has multiple suppliers that assemble its gadgets in the country for export.
MacDailyNews Take: More growth ahead for Apple!
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/12/apple-to-launch-online-store-in-vietnam-next-week/
Steve Jobs signed check sells for $106,985 at auction
Thursday, May 11, 2023 1:13 pm
A check signed by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has sold for $106,985, over 400% of the original $25,000 estimate, at RR Auction.
RR Auction:
Pristine Apple Computer check signed by Steve Jobs in 1976—the year of the company’s founding
Choice Apple Computer Company business check, 6 x 3, filled out in type and signed by Jobs, “steven jobs,” payable to Crampton, Remke & Miller, Inc. for $175, July 8, 1976. Headed “Apple Computer Company,” the check uses Apple’s first official address at “770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto”—the location of an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage. In fine to very fine condition.
Crampton, Remke & Miller was a management consulting firm in Palo Alto that provided business process consulting to a wide range of high tech companies in Northern California. In addition to the fledgling Apple Computer, the firm’s clients included Atari, Memorex, National Semiconductor, and Xerox. Jobs’s hiring of such a firm during Apple’s earliest stages demonstrates his eye toward long-term growth. During this period, the company had recently developed the Apple-1, secured its first big order, and set about trying to fulfill it. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had to secure parts and components on credit, build the computers, and deliver them to retailers and individuals. A highly desirable, essentially flawless check from a central moment in the history of modern tech.
MacDailyNews Note: In March, a standard Apple Computer business card of Steve Jobs, 3.5? x 2?, listing him as “Steven Jobs, Chairman Board of Directors” (circa 1983) sold via RR Auction for $6,188.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/11/steve-jobs-signed-check-sells-for-106985-at-auction/
Small developers on Apple’s App Store grew revenue by 71 percent over the past two years
Thursday, May 11, 2023 9:48 am
An independent study conducted by economists at Analysis Group found that small developers on Apple’s App Store grew their businesses and reached more customers around the world, even outpacing larger developers. With the support of a wide range of App Store tools and initiatives, small developers globally — defined as those earning up to $1 million a year and with fewer than 1 million annual downloads — grew revenue 71 percent between 2020 and 2022. In the U.S., those developers saw an above-average increase of 83 percent in earnings during the same period.
Entrepreneurs Find New Possibilities and Global Growth
In a new study titled “Small Business Developers and App Creators on the App Store in 2022,” Analysis Group economists found that revenue growth for small developers active on the storefront since 2020 exceeded that of large developers as these entrepreneurs identified new ways to tap into the needs of their users. Small developers — who comprise more than 90 percent of all developers on the App Store — saw earnings increase across all app categories; health and fitness, sports, and lifestyle apps from small developers in particular more than doubled their earnings in the last two years.
Developers of all sizes have built successful businesses while benefiting from the App Store’s global reach in 175 countries and over 40 languages, and Apple’s installed base of over 2 billion active devices around the world. In 2022, nearly 80 percent of small developers were active on multiple storefronts and about 40 percent of total app downloads from all small developers came from users outside of each developer’s home country. Additionally, the economists found that developers who monetize their apps by selling digital goods and services on multiple storefronts have earnings from users on more than 40 storefronts on average.
The research also found the App Store has helped developers grow beyond small teams to scale their businesses to establish a worldwide reach. Many developers who sold digital goods and services on the App Store and earned more than $1 million in 2022 were previously small developers. Of these global developers, 40 percent were either not on the App Store or had less than $10,000 in earnings just five years ago.
Analysis Group economists also found that thousands of new developers and entrepreneurs joined the App Store in 2022 from all over the world. Of this set of new developers, approximately 25 percent came from Europe, 23 percent from China, 14 percent from the U.S., 4 percent from Japan, and 35 percent from other regions including South Korea, India, and Brazil.
Developer Resources Are Growing
Developers of all sizes have built successful businesses while benefiting from the App Store’s global reach. Apple provides a number of initiatives to support small developers on the App Store, including the App Store Small Business Program, Apple Entrepreneur Camp, App Accelerators, and Apple Developer Academies. Additionally, ongoing informational series like App Store Sessions, Ask Apple, and Tech Talks offer developers even more opportunities to connect directly with Apple experts year-round for insight, support, and feedback on the latest features and technologies available.
An extensive suite of free tools and frameworks — including software development kits (SDKs) and developer services with more than 250,000 APIs — support developers building apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. These tools enable developers to add new functionalities to their apps easily and quickly, and harness powerful capabilities like machine learning, augmented reality, and many more. The Swift Student Challenge, as well as open access tools like Everyone Can Code and Swift Playgrounds, ensure the power of coding technology is accessible and inclusive.
MacDailyNews Note: See more in the full report, “Small Business Developers and
App Creators on the App Store in 2022,” here.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/11/small-developers-on-apples-app-store-grew-revenue-by-71-percent-over-the-past-two-years/
What Apple’s cash ‘problem’ means for AAPL investors
Thursday, May 11, 2023 3:22 pm
Apple has a problem that most of us would love: It has too much cash. For AAPL investors, that means massive buybacks and healthy dividends for years to come.
Apple’s operating cash flow totaled $28.6 billion in its latest fiscal second quarter (ended April 1, 2023) during which the company spent $19.1 billion buying back 129 million AAPL shares and paid out $3.7 billion in dividends to investors.
Sandy Ward for Morningstar:
On the one hand, it’s good to be cash-rich because it gives a company plenty of flexibility to manage its businesses in the best of times by investing in innovation and staying competitive… On the other hand, having an ever-growing pile of cash on a company’s balance sheet, just collecting interest, is often seen by investors as an inefficient use of capital.
In 2018, Apple set an ambitious goal to reach a “net-cash neutral” position, in which any excess cash is balanced by its total debt. While whittling down its cash hoard through stock buybacks and dividends payouts presents a windfall for owners of Apple stock along the way, it could mean an eventual paring back of buybacks.
For now, however, Apple’s businesses are gushing cash.
At quarter’s end, Apple had a stash of $166 billion of cash on its balance sheet. After accounting for about $110 billion in debt, net cash totaled $57 billion.
Owners of Apple stock have been the biggest beneficiaries of its happy cash conundrum. The company has returned nearly $732 billion to its investors through share buybacks and dividends since the start of 2013. In that time frame its stock price has soared 952.5%, compared with 180.4% for the Morningstar US Market Index.
MacDailyNews Note: Last week, Apple’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.24 per AAPL share, an increase of 4 percent, payable on May 18, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 15, 2023. The board of directors also authorized an additional program to repurchase up to $90 billion of the company’s common stock.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/11/what-apples-cash-problem-means-for-aapl-investors/
EU antitrust bureaucrats seeking more info on Apple Pay
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 5:00 pm
EU antitrust bureaucrats are seeking more information on Apple Pay, the company’s mobile payment system, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
Reuters:
The EU competition watchdog last year accused Apple of restricting rivals’ access to its tap-and-go technology, Near-Field Communication (NFC), used for mobile wallets, making it difficult for them to develop rival services on Apple devices.
“We can confirm the sending of requests for information,” a commission spokesperson said, while declining to provide details.
The commission’s request for information to rivals and retailers is unusual as it comes three months after Apple defended itself at a Feb. 14 hearing.
The regulator, which can fine Apple up to 10% of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching antitrust rules, typically issues decisions after such hearings.
MacDailyNews Take: This latest EU bureaucratic meddling could eventually affect what happens when an iPhone or Apple Watch is brought near an NFC reader where, currently, the Apple Pay and Apple Wallet interface automatically appears. Now, Apple may need to add a setting to allow to users to set this to allow third party contactless payment systems instead.
https://macdailynews.com/2023/05/10/eu-antitrust-bureaucrats-seeking-more-info-on-apple-pay/