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.
Citi gives five reasons to buy Apple stock
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:35 pm
“Despite macro woes, we continue to see several positive drivers for Apple’s products/services,” Citi analyst Jim Suva writes in a research note to clients this week.
Sabrina Escobar for Barron’s:
Suva outlined five reasons investors should look past the stock’s recent lagging performance.
For one, he believes an iPhone 14 model could still be on track for a September release, which could be a short-term catalyst for the stock. Other product launches, such as the long-awaited artificial reality headsets and the Apple Car, could energize investors. Those products could be ready for market as early as 2025, Suva added.
In the long run, Apple (ticker: AAPL) will benefit from a consumer shift away from lower-priced competitors toward mid-end and premium products, such as the ones Apple offers, Suva wrote. The company also could capitalize on expanding its services segment, which has the potential for stickier, more regular revenue, he added.
Apple’s current share repurchase program — which totals $90 billion, or about 4% of the company’s market capitalization — will continue lending support to the stock’s value, he added.
MacDailyNews Note: Suva adjusted his Apple price target to $175 from $200 while maintaining a “Buy” rating. 74% of analysts rate AAPL a “Buy” and 23% rating them a “Hold,” according to FactSet. Escobar notes that only one analyst, or 2.3%, rate AAPL as “Underweight.”
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/13/citi-gives-five-reasons-to-buy-apple-stock/
Apple supplier Foxconn backs top China chipmaker after $9 billion rescue
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 3:53 pm
A Shanghai-listed arm of Apple supplier Foxconn Technology Group acquired a stake in China’s top chipmaker during its $9 billion bailout, the latest in a series of investments the Taiwanese-run firm has made in the Chinese semiconductor industry, Bloomberg News reports citing “people familiar with the matter.”
Bloomberg News:
Foxconn Industrial Internet Co. invested in state-backed Tsinghua Unigroup through a fund it set up with investment house Wise Road Capital, according to people familiar with the deal. The fund paid about 5.3 billion yuan ($788 million) for a minority stake in Unigroup, one of the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private deal.
The investment by the unit of Apple Inc.’s main iPhone assembler, known also as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., could raise eyebrows as tensions rise between Beijing and Taipei over issues including technology and supply chain security. The deal requires a green light from Taiwan’s investment commission, which oversees sensitive deals, but Foxconn hasn’t submitted an application for approval, an official with Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs told Bloomberg News by phone.
Apple is considering new sources for the memory chips that go into iPhones, including its first Chinese producer of the critical component, to limit supply disruptions, Bloomberg News has reported. This year, it tested sample NAND flash storage made by Hubei-based Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., which is owned by Unigroup.
Memory is typically a gateway to more complex chipmaking because it requires production capabilities and heavy investment rather than the intricate designs needed for advanced processors and other logic chips. Washington is now considering leveling sanctions on Yangtze Memory, The Information has reported.
MacDailyNews Take: Oh what a tangled web we weave.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/13/apple-supplier-foxconn-backs-top-china-chipmaker-after-9-billion-rescue/
Apple could build a $20 billion advertising business by 2026 – analyst
Thursday, July 14, 2022 4:21 pm
Bank of America analysts are the latest on Wall Street to suggest the Apple could earn billions from advertising in Maps and Apple TV+ streaming.
Eric J. Savitz for Barron’s:
In a research note Thursday, BofA Global Research analyst Wamsi Mohan explores the potential for Apple to build a more substantial ad business. He estimates that Apple in the September 2022 fiscal year will rake in about $5.3 billion in revenue from search ads in the App Store, and he sees the total reaching $9.8 billion in fiscal year 2024.
But that’s just the start: Mohan says Apple can generate additional revenue by creating its own ad platform, which in theory would allow other mobile apps on the iOS platform to sell ads. He also thinks the company could sell ads on Apple Maps and offer an ad-supported version of the Apple TV+ streaming service.
Mohan asserts that Apple’s biggest asset is its large installed base—there are about 1.8 billion devices in around the world, which he sees as potential conduits for advertisers to reach a large population. By moving beyond the App Store, Apple could build a $20 billion advertising business by 2026, he estimates.
MacDailyNews Take: In his note, Mohan notes that Apple can preserve user privacy even while building out a profitable advertising business:
Apple, having access to both the hardware and software, is in the unique position to allow for targeted advertising, while also maintaining user privacy,” Mohan writes. “Apple devices have information about what websites a user visits, what apps the user opens, what music or video the user listens to or watches, where the user travels. Based on this info, a profile of the user can be created and stored on the device itself, perhaps encrypted. — Wamsi Mohan
A free* ad-supported version of the Apple TV+ would do wonders for the reach of the service (and, via halo effect, for selling Apple devices) as $4.99/month (or less via Apple One) is a pittance for those who’d rather have an ad-free service; the vast majority of subscribers wouldn’t be dropping their subscriptions. A free ad-supported Apple TV+ tier would add new viewers, not convert subscribers to free users.
*It’s not really free. Those who use ad-supported tiers trade the monthly fee for their time / attention.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/14/apple-could-build-a-20-billion-advertising-business-by-2026-analyst/
Apple’s 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max production is behind schedule – analyst
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 1:18 pm
Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) CEO Ross Young reported today that production of the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max is behind schedule.
Chance Miller for 9to5Mac:
According to Young, panel shipments for the iPhone 14 Max are still lagging far behind the iPhone 14 Pro Max. In a post on Twitter today, Young said that panel shipments are still “way behind” where they should be. Young’s data is based on supply chain information through the month of August.
Young went on to say that supply volumes for the iPhone 14 Pro Max are more than three times higher than volumes for the iPhone 14 Max.
The iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max will share a screen size, but the panels themselves will be different. This is because the iPhone 14 Max will lack support for ProMotion, Apple’s adaptive refresh rate technology that is exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Whether or not this means the iPhone 14 Max will be delayed remains to be seen.
MacDailyNews Take: In another difference, the iPhone 14 Max display will continue to sport the inelegant kludge (notch), but the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will offer the pill and hole punch design which Apple has reserved for Pro models only this year:
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/12/apples-6-7-inch-iphone-14-max-production-is-behind-schedule-analyst/
‘Apple Car’ reportedly has ‘no steering wheel or brake pedal’
Monday, July 11, 2022 11:00 am
The Information‘s Wayne Ma on Monday published a report which claims that Apple is aiming to gain exemptions from the U.S.’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to release a vehicle “Apple Car” without a steering wheel and brake pedal.
Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
The latest design of the vehicle is said to feature four seats that face inward, allowing passengers to have face-to-face conversations with one another, along with a curved ceiling that resembles the roof on a Volkswagen Beetle.
Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive has remained involved with the project as a consultant, according to the report. Ive, who left Apple in 2019 to start an independent design firm named LoveFrom, apparently advised the Apple Car team that they “should lean into the weirdness of the vehicle’s design and not try to hide its sensors.”
Interestingly, the report claims that Apple has even discussed allowing passengers to lie flat and sleep in the vehicle.
MacDailyNews Take: Seems like a difficult sell unless somehow proven in actual real-life practice, by real customers on real roads, to be extremely safe and reliable. We can see the Doonesbury strip already.
If Apple ever gets around to releasing the first iteration of their vehicle with “no steering wheel or brake pedal,” they should name that model “Boondoggle.”
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/11/apple-car-reportedly-has-no-steering-wheel-or-brake-pedal/
Self-driving ‘Apple Car’ reportedly ‘smacked into curbs, veered out of lanes, nearly hit jogger’
Monday, July 11, 2022 2:04 pm
Apple’s self-driving cars had trouble navigating streets, frequently bumped into curbs and veered out of lanes in the middle of intersections during test drives near the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, according to a Monday report by The Information.
Ariel Zilber for the New York Post:
Apple’s self-driving cars had trouble navigating streets, frequently bumped into curbs and veered out of lanes in the middle of intersections during test drives near the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, according to a report…
Engineers at the iPhone maker were dismayed when the test vehicles struggled to conduct basic navigation maneuvers on city streets near the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
According to The Information, the cars slammed into curbs and often had trouble staying in their lanes after crossing intersections.
A source told The Information that a local jogger was nearly hit by one of Project Titan’s cars as the runner was crossing the street. The car apparently did not recognize that the jogger had the right of way.
Apple’s self-driving car would differ from those being developed by rivals such as Google-backed Waymo, General Motors’ Cruise, and Amazon’s Zoox since it would have no steering wheel and pedals, with interiors designed around hands-off driving.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, the vehicle and systems are still in testing, so errors are to be expected (and test drivers are onboard to grab the wheel and/or slam on the brakes). That said, regarding a first-release vehicle without a steering wheel or brake pedal, as we wrote earlier this morning:
We can see the Doonesbury strip already.
If Apple ever gets around to releasing the first iteration of their vehicle with “no steering wheel or brake pedal,” they should name that model “Boondoggle.”
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/11/self-driving-apple-car-reportedly-smacked-into-curbs-veered-out-of-lanes-nearly-hit-jogger/
Apple Watch set to go ‘Pro’ with ruggedized case made of ‘premium, non-aluminum metal material’
Monday, July 11, 2022 8:54 am
The next generation of Apple Watch (Series 8) is set to go “Pro” with ruggedized case made of “premium, non-aluminum metal material,” Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg News in his weekly newsletter “Power On.”
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Whether it will be called the Apple Watch Extreme, Apple Watch Max, Apple Watch Explorer Edition or the Apple Watch Pro, Apple Inc. is set to give the Apple Watch its “Pro” tier.
That expansion into a higher-end Apple Watch that sits above the standard model follows a long history of Apple widening its product portfolio with pro models. The MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone Pro and AirPods Pro are just a few examples. In the case of the Pro products, except the earbuds, Apple differentiates with better performance and screens plus, of course, a higher price.
For the new more-expensive Apple Watch coming this fall, which I detailed this past week, the pro features will be a larger and more shatter-resistant display, enhanced hiking and swim tracking, longer battery life and a heftier and rugged case made from a premium, non-aluminum metal material…
Given that the new high-end Apple Watch will pack in a slightly larger display, new sensors and higher-end materials, I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts closer to $900 to $999, the starting price of an iPhone 13 Pro.
MacDailyNews Take: “Apple Watch Extreme” would be too good of a name, so Apple will never use it, but hope springs eternal, so maybe they’ll go that route and sell millions more simply due to proper naming.
Now, about this “premium, non-aluminum metal material” which Gurman parenthetically guesses is “probably titanium given it’s much more durable than steel.”
We’ve seen titanium Apple Watches before. Yes, they’re strong, but they’re nothing new. Apple’s selling them right now. They’re not tagged “Extreme,” or even “Pro.” But Apple might finally have the potential to offer an Apple Watch with a metal case that’s 2.5X stronger than titanium:
If ever there was a time for Liquidmetal to finally appear in an Apple product beyond an iPhone SIM ejector, this would be it. That said, cost (and manufacturing capacity) may be an issue, so we’ll have to wait and see. Even if the “Apple Watch Extreme” uses titanium, it will be a costly model. Currently, the 45mm Titanium Apple Watch Series 7 costs $849. The 50mm “Apple Watch Extreme” would seem to slot in around $999 in Titanium. Your guess is as good as ours how much it would cost in a Liquidmetal case, but a relatively high price might be well worth it as such a case (2.5X stronger than titanium) would likely prove to be pretty near indestructible. — MacDailyNews, July 6, 2022
See also:
• Apple Watch patent applications cover use of Liquidmetal and polymers – March 27, 2020
• Apple patent describes Liquidmetal housing for electronic devices – January 27, 2017
• Apple’s exclusive Liquidmetal pact could see future Apple products encased in metallic glass – August 11, 2010
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/11/apple-watch-set-to-go-pro-with-ruggedized-case-made-of-premium-non-aluminum-metal-material/
Ethereum 2.0 stakers face a 36.5% larger loss than ETH spot investors — Report
YASHU GOLA
JUL 07, 2022
The Ether losses risk becoming steeper due to unfavorable technical and macroeconomic indicators.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-2-0-stakers-face-a-36-5-larger-loss-than-eth-spot-investors-report
Brave Search passes 2.5 billion queries in its first year, and debuts Goggles feature that allows users to choose their own search rankings
Private, independent search engine exits beta phase on its first anniversary, with innovative features that help users de-Google their search
One year ago, we launched Brave Search to give everyone online a real choice over Big Tech: a privacy-protecting, unbiased alternative to Google and Bing, and a truly independent alternative to providers—such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage—that rely on Big Tech to run.
Today, Brave Search is exiting its beta phase. It’s the default search engine for most new Brave browser users, and any user can search privately using Brave Search in their favorite browser by going to search.brave.com. It’s had rapid user growth, released a slew of innovative features, and challenged the Big Tech monopolies head on. All while staying true to core principles:
* Independence: We serve results from our own built-from-scratch index of the Web
* Privacy: We don’t track you, your searches, or your clicks
* User-first: We put you first, not the advertising or data industries
* Transparency: We don’t censor, bias, filter, or downrank results (unless legally required to)
* Seamlessness: Brave can offer a best-in-class integration between the browser and search—from personalization to instant results as you type—without compromising privacy
To celebrate this one-year anniversary, we’d like to take a moment to highlight growth, give a sneak peek of Goggles, and review other innovative features of Brave Search.
Unparalleled growth
Brave Search has grown faster than any search provider since Bing. Some numbers:
* 2.5 billion queries in the past 365 days
* A high of 14.1 million queries per day
* 5 billion queries annualized (projection based on current monthly totals)
For comparison, it took Google more than a year to reach 2.5 billion queries, and DuckDuckGo more than 4 years.
While we’ll never stop improving, in many regions Brave Search already has a level of quality that competes with other established search engines such as Google and Bing. Thanks to this quality, growth, new features, and continued rise in global independence scores, we’re pleased to announce that we’re removing the “beta” label from Brave Search.
“Since launching one year ago, Brave Search has prioritized independence and innovation in order to give users the privacy they deserve. The Web is changing, and our incredible growth shows that there is demand for a new player that puts users first,” said Josep M. Pujol, Chief of Search at Brave. “Today we’re releasing Goggles to alter the way search has traditionally been done and to put users in charge at last. The world is too diverse for a single ranking, so Goggles opens search ranking and filtering transparently for everyone to use, share, and improve.”
Search without limits: Goggles beta release
We’re excited to announce the long-awaited beta release of an innovative new Brave Search feature: Goggles. Goggles will enable anyone, or any community of people, to create sets of rules and filters to constrain the searchable space and / or alter the ordering of search results. Anyone could then choose to apply a Goggle—or extend it—to their view of Brave Search results. Essentially, Goggles will act as a re-ranking option on top of the Brave Search index.
This means that, instead of a single ranking, Brave Search can offer an almost limitless number of ranking options, enabling search use-cases that could be too specific for a general purpose search engine. While Brave Search doesn’t have editorial biases, all search engines have some level of intrinsic bias. Goggles allows for users to counter any intrinsic biases in the algorithm.
Brave Search is committed to openness in search. It does not manipulate its algorithm to bias, filter, or down-rank results (unless it’s compelled by law to do so). Contrast this with the world’s two largest search providers—Google and Bing—who openly manipulate their rankings based on political leanings or other factors.
Goggles takes this commitment to openness a step further by allowing users to choose, alter, or extend the ranking of Brave Search results. In the sample query “search engine” below, you’ll see the power of Goggles in action. You can see that a simple query that would normally favor more common news outlets instead here shows results from individual bloggers.
Goggles can work much the same way for any topic, any media, any website. With Goggles, users can search without Big Tech’s bias—they can search without limits.
* To get started with the Goggles beta, simply conduct a search at search.brave.com and click the Goggles tab on the results page.
* Anybody can make Goggles, use ones created by others, and see the source code for already existing Goggles—and extend it—by visiting the Github repository.
* Read the full Goggles white paper.
* The Goggles available at launch (listed below) are demos, created by Brave for educational purposes only, and to showcase the Goggles' syntax and their simplicity. They’re meant as examples so users can understand the impact and potential for new Goggles, and developers can extend or fork them. Brave will not actively maintain or extend those Goggles, and will delete these specific Goggles once the community has begun building their own.
* Tech blogs—Rerank results to boost content found on technical blogs.
* Hacker News—Prioritizes domains popular with the Hacker News community, minus those that would rank among the top 1000 most-viewed websites.
* No Pinterest—Rerank results to remove pages / threads hosted on Pinterest.
* Rust programming—Rerank results to boost content related to the Rust programming language.
* Copycats removal—Rerank results to remove “copycat” content (e.g. StackOverflow threads or GitHub translations).
* 1k short—Rerank results to remove pages found on the top 1,000 most-viewed websites.
* The lists of tech blogs are drawn from multiple sources, including blogsurf.io and refined.blog, and not vetted by Brave. The list of top sites in the “1k short” Goggle are drawn from tranco-list.eu. Newly up-ranked sites are not vetted by Brave.
* Community engagement with Goggles has already started. The team at Allsides has built Goggles based on their knowledge of political biases in the media. Note that Brave is not affiliated with any of the Goggles' independent creators.
* Left-leaning sources—Rerank results to boost content from left-leaning sources.
* Right-leaning sources—Rerank results to boost content from right-leaning
sources.
Discussions
Brave Search isn’t just about offering a newer, more private alternative to the same old search. We’re also adding brand new features to improve search results.
In addition to Goggles, in April, 2022 we announced Discussions. With Discussions, search results on Brave Search are augmented with actual conversations related to the query, pulled from popular forum sites including Reddit. This allows users to easily see what various communities are saying about a topic, rather than just reading content curated by websites.
Discussions bring multiple points of view to search, and a readymade method—upvotes and likes—to measure an answer’s quality. They also allow Brave Search to combat the so-called “SEO spam” that’s become so prominent on Google. Brave Search is already better than other search engines at handling SEO content—with Discussions, we’re enhancing results even more to bring real human conversations (and answers) right to the search results page.
How we’ve grown
Of course privacy, independence, and innovation are nice. But search lives and dies on accuracy. From the beginning, we set out to build a search engine that delivers the quality, nuance, and depth that people expect from Google or Bing. And we set ourselves that mission all while committing to stay true to our principles.
So Brave Search then became an enormous engineering challenge: How to build the index—and the ranking algorithm—without collecting user data? We came up with a handful of ways:
* The Web Discovery Project: A privacy-preserving way for users to anonymously contribute browsing data, and thus improve the coverage and quality of Brave Search.
* Fallback mixing: An anonymous way for Brave to check Google in cases where our index isn’t complete or refined enough (especially for “long-tail” queries), and “mix” the results for you.
* Anonymous local results: A way for Brave Search to serve localized search results (e.g. for the query “restaurants near me”) without knowing your physical location or broadcasting your IP address.
* Listening to your feedback: We have a strong community of Brave Search users who provide feedback, requests, and suggestions on everything from results, features, infoboxes and widgets, and more. And we act on as much of this feedback as we can.
Independence scores
Together, the above show it is possible to thread the needle: to both improve the index for all users, and preserve their privacy and anonymity online. In addition to the rapid growth Brave has seen, we’re also checking another metric to measure the success of this mission: the independence score.
In isolation, this score—shown for both individuals and users globally—is a measure of the percentage of our results served directly from the Brave Search index. But it also does something much more important: It ensures free access to information, without Big Tech’s manipulation. Search engines that depend too much, or exclusively, on Big Tech are subject to their censorship, biases, and editorial decisions. The Web needs multiple search providers—without choice there’s no freedom.
Brave is building an alternative to what already exists, not window dressing the same old thing.
* The global independence score for all Brave Search users is 92%
* This is up from 87% when Brave Search first launched one year ago
Let me de-Google that for you (LMDGTFY)
When Brave first acquired the Tailcat team and began to lay the foundation for Brave Search, we knew what we were up against: The monolith of Google. It was audacious enough to take on a global brand that dominates 85% of search volume and over 60% of desktop browser usage worldwide. Doing so in a way that preserved user privacy and relied on an independently built index of the Web was a huge challenge. But it was consistent with Brave’s mission of putting users first and fixing the Web.
Coupled with our privacy browser, Brave now provides the first truly viable, private browser+search alternative to the Big Tech platforms. We’re making it seamless for users to browse and search with guaranteed privacy, all while fighting the censorship and overreach of Big Tech companies. And, rather than just offer a privacy-first copy of Google, we’re continuing to innovate with features such as Discussions and Goggles.
Ever hear the phrase “Let me Google that for you?” How about letting Brave de-Google that for you instead?
https://brave.com/search-anniversary/
Hong Kong securities regulator CEO to lead UK financial watchdog
TURNER WRIGHT
3 HOURS AGO
Ashley Alder said the FCA would help “chart the U.K.’s post-Brexit future as a global financial centre, which continues to support innovation and competition."
Ashley Alder, the CEO of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission, will become the next chair of the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority.
In a Friday announcement, the U.K. Treasury said it had appointed Alder to chair the country’s financial watchdog starting in January 2023. He will succeed interim FCA chair Richard Lloyd, who took office following Charles Randell’s departure in May.
Alder has led the Hong Kong securities regulator since 2011 and also chaired the International Organization of Securities Commissions, or IOSCO. In a March report from the IOSCO, Adler said decentralized finance was “a novel and fast-growing area of financial services” but posed potential risks as the industry grew.
In his acceptance to chair the FCA, Alder said the financial watchdog would help “chart the U.K.’s post-Brexit future as a global financial centre which continues to support innovation and competition through its own world-leading regulatory standards.” The U.K. regulator monitors roughly 51,000 financial services firms and financial markets across the country.
Alder’s appointment came amid the FCA announcing the hiring of 500 additional staff members in 2022 as part of a three-year strategy, which includes “proactively [shaping] the digitalization of financial services through developing our regulatory approaches to digital markets.” Matthew Long of the National Crime Agency will become director of the FCA’s payments and digital assets unit starting in October.
The U.K. government experienced mass resignations in the last seven days amid reports Prime Minister Boris Johnson promoted former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher to a senior position while knowing about allegations of groping. Johnson resigned on Thursday following notices of departure from more than 50 members of parliament including Chancellor of the Exchequer for the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen.
Nadhim Zahaw has taken over for Sunak as chancellor of the Exchequer, while Reuters reported on Friday that MP Richard Fuller had been appointed the next U.K. economic secretary.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/hong-kong-securities-regulator-ceo-to-lead-uk-financial-watchdog
Much-improved Apple Maps roll out to France, Monaco, and New Zealand
Friday, July 8, 2022 2:09 pm
According to Apple Maps tracker Justin O’Beirne, the much-improved, more detailed Apple Maps experience has rolled out this week to three new countries – France, Monaco, and New Zealand.
Justin O’Beirne:
After thirty-nine days of public testing, Apple’s new map data was expanded to France, Monaco, and New Zealand on July 7, 2022.
This is the fifteenth time that Apple has expanded its new map data since its public launch in September 2018 and France, Monaco, and New Zealand are the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth countries to receive it.
Covering 70.4 million people, this is also Apple’s fourth largest expansion to date, in terms of population covered.
After almost four years of expansions—and eight years of data collecting—Apple’s new map data now covers 19.0% of Earth’s land area and 9.4% of the global population (i.e., 743 million people worldwide).
MacDailyNews Take: See all of the maps in the full article here.
https://www.justinobeirne.com/new-apple-maps-france-monaco-new-zealand
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/08/much-improved-apple-maps-roll-out-to-france-monaco-and-new-zealand/
Apple supplier TSMC’s sales surge 44%
Friday, July 8, 2022 9:16 am
Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported better-than-expected quarterly revenue, posting NT$534.1 billion ($17.9 billion) of revenue for the second quarter versus the average analysts’ estimate of NT$519 billion.
Debbie Wu for Bloomberg News:
The results from Apple Inc.’s most important chipmaker may allay investors’ worst fears about the impact of weakening demand and soaring costs on the $550 billion semiconductor industry.
TSMC may be able to exceed its goal of growing sales by 30% in US dollar terms this year, said Jeff Pu, an analyst with Haitong International Securities… “The company’s third quarter revenue may outperform consensus, aided by its price hike and Apple’s new product launch.”
TSMC, the world’s most advanced maker of silicon chips, has benefited from its most important customer. Over the past year and a half, Apple has launched five types of Mac chips.
MacDailyNews Take: Good news leading into Apple’s fiscal Q322 earnings report, due after market close on July 28th.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/08/apple-supplier-tsmcs-sales-surge-44/
5-Star analyst reiterates ‘Buy’ rating on Apple with $210 price target
Friday, July 8, 2022 1:07 pm
Tigress Financial 5-star analyst Ivan Feinseth has reiterated his “Buy” rating on Apple shares and maintained his $210 price target on AAPL.
TipRanks:
Tigress 5-star analyst Ivan Feinseth recently reiterated a Buy rating on Apple shares, while maintaining a Street-high target of $210. This suggests the stock will be changing hands for a 48% premium a year from now.
Feinseth’s upbeat take is heavily based on the latest product introductions, and a number of “breakthrough announcements” made at the recent WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference). According to the analyst, these should “continue to drive strong sales momentum.”
So… what does the rest of the Street think lies in Apple store? Based on 22 Buys and 6 Holds, the stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating. The $186.09 average target might not be quite as high as Feinseth’s objective but could still generate returns of 31% over the one-year timeframe.
MacDailyNews Take: From Feinseth’s lips to Mr. Market’s ears.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/07/08/5-star-analyst-reiterates-buy-rating-on-apple-with-210-price-target/
Apple preps deluge of new Macs, HomePod, iPhones, iPads, mixed-reality headset, more
Monday, June 27, 2022 8:57 am
Apple is prepping “one the most ambitious periods of new products in its history – with the deluge coming between the fall of 2022 and first half of 2023,” Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg News.
The deluge will include several new Macs (with M2 and M3 chips), four new iPhone models, three Apple Watch variations, an all-new AR/VR mixed-reality headset, multiple new iPads, a next-gen AirPods Pro, a new HomePod, and a new Apple TV.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The Pro phones, code-named D73 and D74, will be the big iPhone story this year, with the non-Pro iPhone 14 models—D27 and D28—generating less excitement. The lower-end phones will stick with the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13, though the 5.4-inch mini size will be replaced with a 6.7-inch model…
I expect Apple to release new 11-inch and 12.9-inch models with M2 chips later this year… I also expect Apple to release an iPad with a bigger display sometime in the next year or two—between 14 and 15 inches…
Here are the M2 Macs I’m told to expect beyond the first two:
• an M2 Mac mini.
• an M2 Pro Mac mini.
• M2 Pro and M2 Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.
• the M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme Mac Pro.
Outside of the Mac and iPad Pro, there’s another place I expect the M2 to appear: Apple’s mixed-reality headset. I’m told the latest internal incarnations of the device run the base M2 chip along with 16 gigabytes of RAM.
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait for the last Mac – the Mac Pro – to finally dump hot, inefficient Intel into the dumpster where it belong!
As for the M3, Gurman expects new M3 Macs “as early as next year” with updates to the 13-inch MacBook Air code-named J513, a 15-inch MacBook Air known as J515, a new iMac code-named J433, and possibly a 12-inch MacBook / MacBook Air.
So, get ready! Apple is about to begin unleashing a slew of new and updated products after the dog days of summer!
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/27/apple-preps-deluge-of-new-macs-homepod-iphones-ipads-mixed-reality-headset-more/
I wonder how this went last week? I see that Javier Diaz also spoke on June 22nd, please see below:
THURSDAY JUNE 23
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM EDT
Oxsys & Aingura IoT: Digital Twins and the Structural Integrity of Bridges
Clifford Emmons, CEO, IIoT-Oxys Javier Diaz, CTO, Aingura IIoT
WEDNESDAY JUNE 22
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
Digital Twins for Airport Baggage Inspection System Maintenance
Javier Diaz, CTO, Aingura IIoT
https://www.digitaltwinconsortium.org/events/q2-2022/
Apple iPhone dominates premium smartphone market with 62% global share
Thursday, June 23, 2022 10:45 am
Apple’s revolutionary iPhone continues to dominate the premium smartphone market with 62% share worldwide in Q1 2022, up five percentage points year over year.
According to Counterpoint Research’s Market Pulse Service, this is the eighth consecutive quarter in which the premium market has outperformed overall smartphone market growth.
Apple continued to lead the premium market, exceeding 60% share for the second consecutive quarter. This was driven by the iPhone 13 series. The iPhone 13 has been the best-selling model globally each month since October 2021. This was also the highest first quarter share for Apple in the premium segment since Q1 2017.
Apple’s flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max and the iPhone 13 Pro together captured over two-thirds of sales volume within the ultra-premium price segment. This was driven by strong volume growth in the US, China, and Western Europe. In China, the sales in the >US$1000 price segment grew 176% YoY in Q1 2022. The segment alone captured over one-fifth of China’s smartphone market value during the quarter.
MacDailyNews Note: In a statement, Counterpoint expects that smartphone makers will continue to try to gain share in the Apple-dominated premium segment. With global inflation rising, Counterpoint expects the entry-level and lower price band segments are likely to be harder hit as those consumers will most feel the crush of inflation.
Counterpoint posits that only through a rise in sales in higher price bands will manufacturers be able to offset some of the resulting revenue declines. While developed markets dominate the premium market sales, Counterpoint adds that the segment is also becoming important in emerging markets like India and Latin America, as consumers continue to upgrade.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/23/apple-iphone-dominates-premium-smartphone-market-with-62-global-share/
Result of Annual General Meeting
Press Release | 06/23/2022
June 23, 2022
OTC Disclosure & News Service
London, ENG, United Kingdom —
This release includes additional documents. Select the link(s) below to view.
Result of Annual General Meeting.pdf
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BLLYF/news/Result-of-Annual-General-Meeting?id=362423
iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, and iPhone 14 Pro models said to get bigger batteries
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 12:06 pm
A post on the Chinese social media Baidu replayed via twitter by ShrimpApplePro, expects the battery size for each of the new iPhone 14 models, except for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, to increase.
José Adorno for 9to5Mac:
Although you should take this post with a grant of salt, it’s interesting to see that Apple could be increasing the size of the battery for two iPhone 14 models, and slightly decreasing the size of one of the versions compared to the current generation.
According to the Baidu post, the regular iPhone 14 could feature a 3,279 mAh battery compared to the iPhone 13, 3,227 mAh. The 14 Pro could use a 3,200 mAh battery, compared to the iPhone 13 Pro, 3,095 mAh. On the other hand, the 14 Pro Max would have a slightly smaller battery, with 4,323 mAh compared to the 13 Pro Max with 4,352 mAh.
The only model that can’t be compared is the rumored iPhone 14 Plus/Max, which is expected to have the bigger battery in this generation, 4,325 mAh.
MacDailyNews Take: Battery life is consistently a big selling point and longer battery life is always near the top of the list for iPhone feature requests.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/22/iphone-14-iphone-14-max-and-iphone-14-pro-models-said-to-get-bigger-batteries/
Kangerluarsuk Survey Programme Scheduled
Press Release | 06/21/2022
June 21, 2022
OTC Disclosure & News Service
London, ENG, United Kingdom —
This release includes additional documents. Select the link(s) below to view.
Kangerluarsuk Survey Programme Scheduled.pdf
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BLLYF/news/Kangerluarsuk-Survey-Programme-Scheduled?id=361855
Disko Exploration Limited - Proposed Demerger
Press Release | 06/13/2022
June 13, 2022
OTC Disclosure & News Service
London, ENG, United Kingdom —
This release includes additional documents. Select the link(s) below to view.
Disko Corporate Update FINAL.pdf
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/BLLYF/news/Disko-Exploration-Limited---Proposed-Demerger?id=360872
Apple TV+ makes major gain in U.K. streaming market
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 9:38 am
Apple TV+ made major gains during the first quarter in the U.K. subscription video on demand (SVOD) market, a survey from BARB, the country’s television audience measurement currency, has found.
Naman Ramachandran for Variety:
BARB’s establishment survey for the first quarter of the year reports that the number of U.K. households with access to a streaming service reached 19.57 million U.K. homes (68.5% of households), in the first quarter of the year, an increase of almost 500,000 homes since the fourth quarter of 2021. Of these, 1.57 million homes had access to Apple TV+, up 27% from 1.24 million the previous quarter and 6.53 million homes had access to Disney+, a quarterly increase of 19% from 5.49 million in Q4 2021.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Sky’s Now TV saw smaller quarterly gains with 17.29 million homes having access to Netflix in Q1 2022, up 3% from 16.79 million the previous quarter; 13.35 million homes having access to Amazon Prime Video, a growth of 6% from 12.57 million in Q4 2021; and 2.13 million homes with Now TV, an increase of 4% from 2.06 million the previous quarter.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV+’s strategy of focusing on quality while consistently building quantity is paying off.
“As the quantity of award-winning features and series piles up, so too will Apple TV+ subscribers.” – MacDailyNews, March 25, 2022
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/22/apple-tv-makes-major-gain-in-u-k-streaming-market/
Will Apple’s $2.5 billion deal transform Major League Soccer?
Thursday, June 16, 2022 4:39 pm
Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) on Tuesday announced that the Apple TV app will be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match beginning in 2023. This partnership is a historic first for a major professional sports league, and will allow fans around the world to watch all MLS, Leagues Cup,1 and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT matches in one place — without any local broadcast blackouts or the need for a traditional pay TV bundle.
From early 2023 through 2032, fans can get every live MLS match by subscribing to a new MLS streaming service, available exclusively through the Apple TV app. In addition to all of the match content, the service will provide fans a new weekly live match whip-around show so they never miss an exciting goal or save, and also game replays, highlights, analysis, and other original programming. This live and on-demand MLS content will provide in-depth, behind-the-scenes views of the players and clubs that fans love. A broad selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including some of the biggest matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches available for free. As an added benefit to fans, access to the new MLS streaming service will be included as part of MLS full-season ticket packages.
The MLS live and on-demand content on the Apple TV app will be available to anyone with internet access across all devices where the app can be found, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, and Apple TV HD; Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, TCL, VIZIO, and other smart TVs; Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; Chromecast with Google TV; and Comcast Xfinity. Fans can also watch on tv.apple.com.
Graham Ruthven for The Guardian:
One wonders if anyone at Major League Soccer had the famous 1984 commercial for the Apple Macintosh playing through their mind as the league penned a $2.5bn deal to stream its games on Apple TV for the next 10 years. Indeed, the image of a sledgehammer crashing into a giant TV screen is a rather apt one to illustrate what the league has done with its new deal.
Fans will notice a difference. All matches will be played on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Local broadcasts will be a thing of the past. So too will blackouts – every single match will be available in every state (and every country) on Apple TV. Matches will be broadcast in 1080p (many of the current broadcasts are in 720p and 1080i) and will come with a local radio audio option.
While Apple has an agreement with MLB to show Friday Night Baseball, its new MLS deal is the biggest live sports deal the company has ever struck. Live MLS games will form an important part of Apple TV’s content strategy. Indeed, Apple may be counting on benefiting from the ‘World Cup bump’ that is anticipated in 2026, when Canada, Mexico and the USA co-host the tournament. It may also be anticipating the rumoured arrival of Lionel Messi in MLS at some point in the future. Whatever the working behind the equation, Apple clearly believes MLS will boost the value of its streaming service. That says something about the league’s standing in the North American sports landscape.
MacDailyNews Take: The answer to the headline is: “Yes!”
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/16/will-apples-2-5-billion-deal-transform-major-league-soccer/
Cable takes substantial hit: Major sports league will stream exclusively on Apple TV app
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 11:58 pm
Cable television took a major hit on Tuesday as Apple and Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that the Apple TV app will be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match beginning in 2023. This partnership is a historic first for a major professional sports league, and will allow fans around the world to watch all MLS, Leagues Cup (an annual association football competition between clubs from Major League Soccer and Liga MX in North America), and select MLS NEXT Pro and MLS NEXT (youth and developmental leagues) matches in one place — without any local broadcast blackouts or the need for a traditional pay TV bundle.
From early 2023 through 2032, fans can get every live MLS match by subscribing to a new MLS streaming service, available exclusively through the Apple TV app. A broad selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including some of the biggest matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a limited number of matches available for free.
The MLS live and on-demand content on the Apple TV app will be available to anyone with internet access across all devices where the app can be found, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, and Apple TV HD; Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, TCL, VIZIO, and other smart TVs; Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices; PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles; Chromecast with Google TV; and Comcast Xfinity. Fans can also watch on tv.apple.com.
Samuel Axon and Eric Bangeman for Ars Technica:
Major League Soccer dwells just outside the rarified popular sports neighborhood occupied by the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and college football and basketball. But even with MLS’s relative lack of popularity compared to the other leagues, this announcement from Apple is a Very Big Deal.
Live sports is by far the top reason millions of people have yet to cut the cord, severing their ties to cable companies and satellite TV providers. That’s merely because the easiest way to follow your hometown team—outside of the NFL, which has all of its games free to air in local markets — is to subscribe to your local cable company or a satellite provider. Those are the folks who carry the regional sports network that has the rights to broadcast your local teams…
For the first time, an MLS fan can watch all of their favorite team’s matches without a cable subscription. That’s huge because this is the first time this has been the case for any major American sports league.
MacDailyNews Take: This Apple + MLS deal is a tectonic shift in sports media landscape. Other major sports leagues will follow, cutting out cable in some form or another. (There’s no word yet on how much this MLS subscription will cost. Expect that news to come later.)
Alex Silverman and John Ourand for Sports Business Journal:
Survey data indicates the average MLS fan is 39.6 years old and that Generation Z and Millennials account for 58% of its fan base. Apple’s MLS deal will start next season, coinciding with a restructuring of the MLS schedule that will see most regular-season matches played on Saturday nights. Having a series of matches on Saturday nights with staggered start times will allow the league to offer a whip-around show akin to NFL Red Zone through its new streaming service and Apple TV+…
MLS execs said that Apple is not paying a straight rights fee for the package of rights. Rather, Apple is paying a minimum guarantee that sources say is worth $250M per year starting in ‘23. MLS will start to bring in more revenue as Apple sell subscriptions for a newly launched MLS subscription offering. “What’s different here is traditionally media companies pay rights fees, and you sell ads,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “This is a partnership. And that partnership’s core is a subscription business that we’re going to build together, and we’re going to get a guarantee against the revenues that will be achieved on the subscription business. Then, we go over those guarantees, we’ll have the opportunity to make more money, which is really unique in sports media.”
MacDailyNews Take: Prior to this blockbuster deal, MLS was hoping for a $300 million/year TV rights deal (up from the current $90 million deal).
Instead, MLS got a guaranteed $250M/yr. for a decade (base, could be more depending on subscriptions, and certainly not bad vs. $90M/yr.) and Apple dramatically altered yet another market’s landscape yet again. Sports universe dented.
Apple can invest $2.5 billion per decade until the Tuesday after infinity without even noticing.
More, please!
Cook should consider bidding for and winning NFL Sunday Ticket away from Direct TV, buying rights to Premiere League and La Liga games, etc. and making them Apple TV exclusives. Go directly to the sports leagues with boatloads of cash. — MacDailyNews, May 6, 2014
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/14/cable-takes-substantial-hit-major-sports-league-will-stream-exclusively-on-apple-tv-app/
Analysts: Apple is still the best bet in a tech spending slowdown
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 10:55 am
In the increasingly likely event of a slowdown in consumer spending on tech hardware amid rampant U.S. inflation, Apple is still the best bet, analysts say.
Jack Denton for Barron’s:
With inflation at 40-year highs, “consumer spending intentions are turning more cautious, even for high-end consumer,” wrote [Morgan Stanley] analysts led by Erik Woodring in a note.
The team at the bank said that low- and mid-range consumer spending has been deteriorating for months, but that so far high-end spend has held up. That’s crucial because the top 20% of earners in the U.S. make up 40% of spending. But with the S&P 500 in a bear market, consumer confidence at a decade low, and inflation on everyone’s minds, “the risks of a pullback at even the high-end consumer are rising,” the analysts said.
Morgan Stanley sees the companies that make discretionary products and benefitted from the pandemic as at the greatest risk, but no one is spared: The bank has cut estimates for 2023 revenue in the sector by 5%, on average.
The last stock standing was Apple. While the tech giant and iPhone maker’s stock price was reduced to $185 from $195, the company remains the single stock in the sector rated at Overweight by Morgan Stanley.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s demographic advantage (well-heeled customers) make the company more likely to hold up during times steeped in malaise.
The price tags on and features of Apple’s products are an IQ test. They are a filter that Apple uses to skim off the desirable customers and leave the leftovers to the knockoff peddlers. — MacDailyNews, October 18, 2013
Apple targets high-value consumers. Apple separates the wheat from the chaff with their value proposition. – MacDailyNews, November 13, 2013
Unit sales do not equal profit share. Unit sales most certainly do not equal customer quality. 1,000 cheapskates who buy nothing do not equal one quality customer who participates routinely in a vibrant ecosystem. — MacDailyNews, December 2, 2013
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/15/analysts-apple-is-still-the-best-bet-in-a-tech-spending-slowdown/
I agree with you. Unfortunately certain retired software company billionaires think that they are the experts on vaccines, climate change and now Bitcoin...
A Fool's Game: Bill Gates criticizes the intangible value of NFTs
TOM FARREN
4 HOURS AGO
Speaking at a conference on climate change, Gates affirmed his apprehension about the asset class, stating that it is "100% based on greater fool theory."
Tech billionaire, and currently the world’s fourth-richest person, Bill Gates, spoke at the TechCrunch Climate Change conference Tuesday about the progress society has made in supporting the climate movement, his assessment of current global economics, alongside his skepticism of nonfungible tokens (NFTs).
The NFT market has closely correlated the tumultuous financial decline of cryptocurrencies over the past few months, as previously sought-after collections resort in the vicinity of 60%–80% reductions in value. As a result, cynical attitudes have emerged to dominate the industry narrative.
In his interview, Gates singled out the market's most popular collection, Bored Ape Yacht Club, sarcastically stating, “Obviously, expensive digital images of monkeys are going to improve the world immensely,” adding, “We all agree on that.”
“I’m used to asset classes where like a farm they have output, or a company where they make products. Having an asset class that’s 100% based on […] greater fool theory that somebody is going to pay more [for] [...] it than I do — and where it has at its heart this sort of anonymity that you avoid taxation or any sort of government rules about kidnapping fees or things [...] I’m not involved in that. I’m not long or short, or any of those things.”
In financial terms, the greater fool theory refers to the inflated valuation of assets — whether that be stocks, real estate or indeed NFTs — distributed between the hands of foolish willing participants.
Microsoft's inaugural affiliation with NFTs came while Gates occupied a seat on the board in December 2019 with the launch of Azure Heroes, an Ethereum-based digital collectible on the Azure cloud platform designed to promote and reward inclusive behaviors between developers.
The beaver avatars ascend in rarity level determined by the difficulty of attainment, with the learner being the entry-level asset, and the prized possessions being the Mentor and Maker Badgers.
Just over two years later, Microsoft released “Azure Space Mystery” a digital game in partnership with Enjin and interoperable with Minecraft that educates players on prominent female scientists throughout history.
Related: Xbox head Phil Spencer is skeptical about NFTs in video games
As for Gates, he has consistently advocated for cryptocurrency investors to adopt cautious discretion when investing in the market, most recently in February declaring that "I do think people get drawn into these manias who may not have as much money to spare," and that "I’m not bullish on Bitcoin".
https://cointelegraph.com/news/a-fool-s-game-bill-gates-criticizes-the-intangible-value-of-nfts
Working Apple-1 signed by Woz sells for $340,100
Monday, June 13, 2022 4:20 pm
A rare, working Apple-1, signed by Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak, has sold for more than $340,100 via eBay.
Oliver Haslam for iMore:
Sold by The AAPL Collection out of Dubai, the working Apple-1 is 42 years old — older than many reading this — and is a work of art. That’s presumably what the person who won this eBay auction also believes, having agreed to hand over $340,100 to get their hands on it.
The original Apple-1 was sold without a case, power supply, keyboard, or monitor which might make it a very early Mac mini of sorts, although even that comes with a couple of those parts in the box. The seller says that this example is “one of the few remaining that has all period components” and that it comes with “all the typical period accessories.”
While the name of the buyer hasn’t been made public, the seller does say that they are “an experienced vintage computer collector and Apple aficionado in the United States.
MacDailyNews Take: It’d be great if it turned out that Woz himself bought it (back).
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/13/working-apple-1-signed-by-woz-sells-for-340100/
Apple Fitness+ annual revenue could hit $3.6 billion by 2025 -J.P. Morgan
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 10:23 am
J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee estimates that the annual revenue of Apple Fitness+ could hit $3.6 billion by 2025.
Mike Peterson for AppleInsider:
In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee notes that the global virtual fitness industry received a boost during the pandemic but is still positioned to grow over the long term.
The market ballooned to $11 billion in 2021, up from $6 billion in 2021. JP Morgan expects more than half of consumers to stick with virtual fitness, which could allow the industry to grow to $70 billion by 2026 when combined with other tailwinds.
Compared to other focused fitness offerings, Chatterjee also thinks that Apple Fitness+ can appeal to a wider demographic because of the broad range of fitness activities.
The analyst believes that Apple Fitness+ revenue can grow to reach $3.6 billion by 2025, up from $300 million in 2021.
MacDailyNews Take: We like Apple Fitness+, but we’d love to be able to search workouts more granularly. For example, we’d like to be able to find running workouts by using tags such as “intervals,” “hills,” “speed,” etc. We’d also love some better tools for organizing workouts, too.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/14/apple-fitness-annual-revenue-could-hit-3-6-billion-by-2025-j-p-morgan/
Ethereum difficulty bomb delayed but network adoption still growing
BRIAN NEWAR
14 HOURS AGO
The difficulty bomb is designed to make mining profitability plummet in order to disincentivize miners ahead of the long-awaited Merge.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-difficulty-bomb-delayed-but-network-adoption-still-growing
Apple Watch gets FDA clearance to track Parkinson’s symptoms
Monday, June 13, 2022 12:02 pm
In February 2021, Matthew Gavidia reported for the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC) that an Apple Watch app designed to remotely monitor fluctuations of resting tremor and dyskinesia in persons with Parkinson disease was shown to match in-clinic evaluations of these symptoms and capture symptom changes in response to treatment for 94% of participants. Now, San Francisco-based startup Rune Labs on Monday said it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use the Apple Watch to monitor tremors and other common symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Rune Labs, a precision neurology company, today announced its StrivePD software ecosystem for Parkinson’s disease has been granted 510(k) clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect patient symptom data through measurements made by Apple Watch. By combining powerful wearable technology and self-reported symptom information with brain imaging, electrophysiology, genetic and other clinical data, StrivePD enables a data-driven approach to care management and clinical trial design for Parkinson’s.
With this clearance, the Rune Labs’ StrivePD app enables precision clinical care and trial participation for tens of thousands of Parkinson’s patients who already use these devices in their daily lives. For patients who also use Medtronic’s Percept™ PC Deep Brain Stimulation device, this clearance for the StrivePD app will enhance clinicians’ ability to make brain-sensing data from these devices useful, as part of Rune Labs’ and Medtronic’s existing partnership. This clearance also sets the stage for leveraging StrivePD to reach a significant number of potential prodromal Parkinson’s patients.
Additionally, StrivePD on Apple Watch makes it easy for people with Parkinson’s to track and log their symptoms, enabling patients to have more control over their care.
“Being able to show my neurologist how my motor symptoms were fluctuating, thanks to StrivePD, was the impetus for me to get surgery for a deep brain stimulation device,” said Aura Oslapas, who drew from her first-hand experience with Parkinson’s to create the StrivePD mobile app, in a statement. Since Rune Labs’ acquisition of the StrivePD ecosystem in 2019, Oslapas has worked with the company to evolve the StrivePD user experience, and also recently joined its Patient Advisory Board.
“When people with Parkinson’s are prescribed new medications, adjusting how much to take and when to take it until they find something that works can be a lengthy process. StrivePD helps people to track their symptoms and improvements, accelerating the time to an optimal medication schedule – and with today’s clearance, more people will have access to this life-changing technology,” Oslapas said. “StrivePD on Apple Watch is the long-awaited union of quantitative and qualitative data that encourages better care and communication between patients and clinicians, while also empowering people with Parkinson’s who are striving to live better every day.”
“As we have seen in oncology, the introduction of large quantities of real-world data has the power to transform drug development and fundamentally change disease prognosis. This clearance is a major step towards building a similar paradigm in neurology,” said Brian Pepin, CEO and Founder of Rune Labs, in a statement. “With all of the data we will collect and the patients we will reach through this clearance, we will make sure the right participants enroll in trials, and help our pharma and medtech partners run more efficient trials with higher quality outcomes data, thereby enabling more therapies to come to market quickly to help those suffering from Parkinson’s.”
Until now, clinicians and researchers have made decisions surrounding patient care based on limited information and data. Rune Labs is bringing together novel multimodal data that will radically transform what it means to be a patient with Parkinson’s. Having visibility into this data will accelerate drug development, using higher resolution metrics to inform trial design, endpoint selection and patient stratification, as well as whether a treatment effect is detected.
The StrivePD ecosystem draws data directly from Apple’s Movement Disorder API, which provides a power-efficient approach to measuring and recording tremors and dyskinetic symptoms common in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Rune Labs values users’ personal information and privacy and takes appropriate steps to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, or destruction. Users’ personal information and privacy is protected and governed by Rune Labs’ Information Security Management System.
MacDailyNews Note: More info about Rune Labs here.
https://www.runelabs.io/
More info about the StrivePD app via Apple’s App Store here.
https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/strivepd/id1275051699?platform=appleWatch
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/13/apple-watch-gets-fda-clearance-to-track-parkinsons-symptoms/
Apple Music, Apple Arcade to generate over $8 billion in revenue by 2025 – J.P. Morgan
Monday, June 13, 2022 12:55 pm
Apple’s revenue from its Apple Arcade and Apple Music services is expected to jump 36% to $8.2 billion by 2025, J.P.Morgan said on Monday, as Apple taps its 1.8 billion and growing user base to drive subscription services.
Reuters:
The two services are likely to have a combined subscriber base of about 180 million by 2025 – 110 million for music and 70 million for gaming – boosted by the rapid spread of the internet and a booming gaming industry, according to JPM analysts, led by Samik Chatterjee.
Apple Music, which was launched in 2015 and is the second-biggest music-streaming service after Spotify Technology, is expected to account for a bigger chunk of that revenue, raking in about $7 billion by 2025, the brokerage said.
Apple Arcade, the gaming subscription service launched in 2019, is estimated to pull in $1.2 billion.
The company does not give a sales breakup for gaming and music services but the overall segment, which includes App Store, Apple TV+, Arcade and Apple Music, reported revenue of $19.82 billion for the March quarter. The business is seen as Apple’s engine for expansion.
MacDailyNews Take: For some perspective, if they were a separate company with $8.2 billion in combined revenue, Apple Music + Apple Arcade alone, would rank No.423 on this year’s Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/13/apple-music-apple-arcade-to-generate-over-8-billion-in-revenue-by-2025-j-p-morgan/
Apple’s Safari tops North America mobile browser market with 50% share
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 10:29 am
According to Bankless Times’ analysis, Apple’s Safari Browser commands the North American mobile browser market with a market share of 50%. Its closest challenger Google Chrome holds 43.91%.
Elizabeth Kerr for Bankless Times:
Several other players are trying to get a piece of this pie, including Samsung Internet, which has a market share of 3.94%. Meanwhile, Firefox has a 1.22% share, while Opera and Edge have 0.45% and 0.23%, respectively.
“Safari has earned this dominance by keeping up with the evolution of the internet,” says Jonathan Merry, BanklessTimes’ CEO. He continued, “The browser has adapted itself to meet changing user demands and expectations. It has several stand-out features that endear it to many users.”
Safari is one of the most secure browsers available today. It derives that quality from Apple’s pro-privacy stance. The firm has integrated privacy and security features in all browsers enabling users to stop data trackers.
Another factor working for Safari is its integration with Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The browser comes as the default internet search app in all Apple’s products. iPhone remains most Americans’ (up to 55% according to some estimates) phone of choice, explaining Safari’s dominance in the mobile internet market.
Further, Safari owes its success to its speed compared with other browsers. It uses fewer memory resources and doesn’t slow down your device’s performance… Finally, its intuitive browsing experience and iCloud sync functionality have been important pull factors.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s a two horse race and it will be for quite some time, which Safari slowly pulling away in North America as more upgrade from Android phones to real iPhones than those who downgrade from real iPhones to Android phones (which we ascribe to severe head injuries).
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/08/apples-safari-tops-north-america-mobile-browser-market-with-50-share/
Apple’s next-gen CarPlay aims to remake your vehicle’s instrument cluster
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 1:13 pm
During Apple’s WWDC22 keynote presentation, the company offered a “sneak peek” of the “next generation” of CarPlay, which will allow iPhone users to control and view iPhone-based apps through their car’s dashboard while going even further into the realm of the whole-car interface, controlling climate, customizing instruments, and much more.
Jeff Dunn for Ars Technica:
This takeover will allow you to do things like adjust climate controls, activate a seat heater, or tune the radio directly through CarPlay without having to leave Apple’s UI. Apple says the software will take over a car’s instrument cluster, so you can see your current speed, fuel and battery levels, RPMs, navigation details, and other common bits of information in a more unified, highly Apple-esque design.
The revamp will provide a range of themes and layouts to customize the look of a car’s instrument cluster, too. Apart from various background colors and dial treatments, for instance, one option displayed speed, gear, and fuel details on top of a street-level navigation view from Apple Maps…
Apple didn’t go too deep into the specifics of how the new functionality works during its keynote, merely saying that a connected iPhone will “communicate with your vehicle’s real-time systems in an on-device, privacy-friendly way.” The company noted that it will share more information on the revamped CarPlay “in the future” and that it will start to announce compatible vehicles in late 2023. A slide during Apple’s keynote, however, did list Ford, Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche, Land Rover, Audi, Acura, Honda, Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo, Renault, Polestar, and Infiniti as car manufacturers that plan to support this “new vision of CarPlay.”
MacDailyNews Take: Well, we’ll see how it works in practice, but we remain rather amazed that automobile makers would sign up to hand Apple so much control of the “look and feel” inside their vehicles.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/07/apples-next-gen-carplay-aims-to-remake-your-vehicles-instrument-cluster/
What’s coming in tvOS 16?
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 11:23 am
Hello, tvOS? Wherefore were thou on Monday? During the WWDC 2022 keynote, Apple covers iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura, and watchOS 9, but tvOS 16 didn’t come up in polite canned video conversation.
José Adorno for 9to5Mac:
Apple is making it very tricky to gather information about tvOS 16. While other operating systems have their own preview page, Apple TV’s software doesn’t. This is what we could find thanks to the release notes, developers, and more.
• Nintendo Switch controllers compatibility
• HomePod Software 16 public beta testing
• HDR10+ support
• Video-forward featuring on the Apple TV+ tab
• Matter support
• Apple Fitness+ workout metrics
• New Remote Control app
MacDailyNews Note: Each of the bullet points are fleshed out in the full article here. https://9to5mac.com/2022/06/07/tvos-16-new-features/
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/07/whats-coming-in-tvos-16/
Current Report Filing (8-k)
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/USOTC/iiot-oxys-pk-ITOX/stock-news/88296553/current-report-filing-8-k
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On June 6, 2022, Cliff Emmons, the CEO of IIOT-OXYS, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), gave an interview which can be found at the following link and is incorporated herein by reference:
Apple’s AirPods, Beats lead worldwide TWS shipments with 14% annual growth
Monday, June 6, 2022 10:05 am
Global TWS (true wireless stereo) shipments grew 17% in Q1 2022 to reach 68.2 million units, according to the latest Canalys data. Market leader Apple’s TWS shipments were up 14%. Apple’s AirPods line grew 3% to reach 19.3 million units, while Beats by Dre, Apple’s audio sub-brand, contributed more significant growth, increasing 553% to reach 2.4 million units. Beats’ strong performance was driven by the popularity of its Studio Buds and the recently launched Fit Pro.
Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi retained their top three positions from the previous quarter, but only Apple grew shipments. Among the top five TWS vendors, Skullcandy and Edifier, both audio players, gained market share while the top three lost it. Since Q3 2021, TWS remains the only growing category, leading to the overall 4% growth in the worldwide smart personal audio market.
“Vendors are using audio names with strong brand equity in sound to expand their total addressable markets,” said Jason Low, Canalys Principal Analyst, in a statement. “Unlike Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds ranges, devices from sub-brands can depart from the vendors’ core design philosophy and develop their own unique styles and niches. Options for variety and personalization are vital in a market where design and feature homogenization are common.” Samsung saw a similar trend, as its Galaxy Buds TWS line fell 13%, while shipments from its Harman subsidiary, JBL, grew 31%.
Canalys estimates show that the average selling price (ASP) of the top five TWS vendors fell to US$144 in Q1 2022, from US$153 in Q1 2021. “Players such as Skullcandy, Edifier and JBL attained greater scale after doubling down on the sub-US$50 segment, contributing to the ASP decline,” said Canalys Research Analyst Sherry Jin in a statement. “But highly commoditized items, such as budget TWS devices, are likely to bear the brunt of rising costs and inflation. The uncertain global market outlook will hamper consumer confidence and weaken demand. On top of waning demand, a crowded entry-level segment, rising costs and supply constraints also add to vendors’ problems.”
“Lower prices and value-for-money devices will not immediately translate to better market performances,” Low added. “Vendors must now explore niches, such as TWS for mobile gaming, work and fitness use cases. These are key areas where vendors can create new sub-categories that only a few brands can own and make an impression in a crowded market. This strategy will bode well for the post-pandemic world, where users will continue extending their listening habits into their daily lives and hybrid working environments.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s dual-pronged attack in the TWS market with AirPods at the top and Beats in the middle is obviously working well.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/06/apples-airpods-beats-lead-worldwide-tws-shipments-with-14-annual-growth/
Apple Watch new ‘Afib History Feature’ approved by U.S. FDA ahead of WWDC
Monday, June 6, 2022 11:29 am
Apple received U.S. FDA approval for a new “Afib History Feature” that is likely coming to your Apple Watch this fall (or sooner for watchOS 9 beta testers). The Apple Watch will now be able to keep track of Atrial Fibrillation history.
Niel Smith for MyHealthyApple:
The new filing has been made available today. Users should be able to check their Afib history and more.
AFib is the most common form of serious arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm. If you receive an AFib classification and you have not been diagnosed with AFib, you should talk to your doctor.
According to Apple, the ability of the ECG app to accurately classify an ECG recording into AFib and sinus rhythm was tested in a clinical trial of approximately 600 subjects, and demonstrated 99.6% specificity with respect to sinus rhythm classification and 98.3% sensitivity for AFib classification for the classifiable results.
Its unclear when this new feature will be released by Apple. It is very much possible that the next watchOS, watchOS 9 to be showcased today will probably address the details around this new feature.
MacDailyNews Take: Less than two hours to go until the WWDC22 keynote address video rolls! Expect the watchOS 9 segment to highlight the new “Afib History Feature” for Apple Watch.
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/06/apple-watch-new-afib-history-feature-approved-by-u-s-fda-ahead-of-wwdc/
Vitalik shows support for Optimism’s governance structure and OP gas proposal
BRIAN QUARMBY
9 HOURS AGO
The Ethereum co-founder has often advocated for projects to move away from coin voting in DeFi and DeGov, as it will enable smaller holders to participate in governance.
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/COIN/ETHUSD/crypto-news/88279850/vitalik-shows-support-for-optimism-s-governance-s
https://cointelegraph.com/news/vitalik-shows-support-for-optimism-s-governance-structure-and-op-gas-proposal
Will Apple surprise with a new hardware product at WWDC 2022?
Friday, June 3, 2022 10:50 am
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2022) kicks off on Monday, June 6th. While the event is traditionally a software-centric affair, Apple has been known to unveil new hardware at the event, notably multiple Mac Pro models, the original HomePod, and even iPhones (iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4). Will Apple surprise with a new hardware product at WWDC 2022?
Recent rumor mill chatter has focused strongly on an all-new MacBook Air powered by an as-yet-unreleased Apple M2 SoC.
Daniel Kuhn and Katherine Ross for TheStreet:
Chris Versace, co-portfolio manager of Action Alerts PLUS, said given concerns with iPhone production, it is increasingly important that Apple show it has the next consumer obsession coming down the line.
“Apple is going to need to debut something new,” Versace said.
Versace said potential surprises could include a new MacBook Air or signs that Apple’s long-awaited augmented reality goggles are coming down the line.
MacDailyNews Take: In terms of hardware, an all-new M2 MacBook Air is most probable for WWDC 2022. Hopefully, some major virtual and augmented reality hints are dropped that presage Apple’s mixed-reality headset, too!
https://macdailynews.com/2022/06/03/will-apple-surprise-with-a-new-hardware-product-at-wwdc-2022/
Will you please provide links to all the information you share, that other people write?
Not only is the ethical thing to do, but many sites care about giving credit to articles and writers, from a legal standpoint!
US energy company opens crypto mining facility in Middle East to use stranded natural gas
DAVID ATTLEE
13 HOURS AGO
Denver-based Crusoe Energy will help the Middle East nation to cut the gas flaring with the pilot project scheduled for the end of 2022.
As the heated up discussion around the ethical aspects of using fossil fuels in crypto mining remains one of the key topics for the industry, an unexpected partnership between a Denver-based mining company and the government of a gas-rich Middle Eastern country sets a horizon for a positive role of crypto in cutting the fossil fuels waste.
On Wednesday, June 1, Bloomberg reported that Crusoe Energy, an operator repurposing wasted fuel energy to the computational power of crypto mining, would start its work in Oman, a nation that exports 21% of its gas production and seeks zero gas flaring by 2030.
The American company will open an office in the capital city of Muscat, and install its equipment for capturing gas waste at well sites. It already held a workshop with Oman's largest energy producers, OQ SAOC and Petroleum Development Oman. The first pilot project will be launched by the end of this year or in early 2023, according to Crusoe’s CEO Chase Lochmiller.
The government of Oman’s interest in the partnership is driven by an aim to cut the country’s gas flaring — burning off the excessive flammable gas in the process of extraction. Together with Algeria, Iraq, Lybia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Oman accounts for 90% of flaring in the Arab region, while the region itself accounts for 38% of global flaring. In 2018, by the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia estimate, 10% of all the gas consumption in Oman went for flaring.
Related: Go green or die? Bitcoin miners aim for carbon neutrality by mining near data centers
In an official statement, Lochmiller emphasized his company’s mission to set a presence in the Middle East and Northern Africa to help local governments in their fight with flaring:
“Having the buy-in from nations that are actively trying to solve the flaring issues is what we are looking for.”
In March, media reported that Exxon Mobil partnered with Crusoe to run a pilot project of Bitcoin mining at the Bakken shale basin in North Dakota. However, this information wasn’t confirmed by the companies.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-energy-company-opens-crypto-mining-facility-in-middle-east-to-use-stranded-natural-gas
Brace For Impact: Bitcoin Miners Have Begun Dumping Their Holdings
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/COIN/BTCUSD/crypto-news/88278935/brace-for-impact-bitcoin-miners-have-begun-dumpin
Head of George Soros’ Family Office Predicts Ethereum (ETH) Will Gain Traction Over Bitcoin (BTC):Report
Daily Hodl Staff June 2, 2022 BITCOIN, ETHEREUM
The CEO of an investment management firm founded by George Soros says cryptos have passed the test when it comes to appealing to traditional investors.
In an interview with Bloomberg Wealth, Dawn Fitzpatrick of Soros Fund Management (SFM) tells host David Rubenstein that among the top two crypto assets, she believes Ethereum (ETH) will grab more market share from Bitcoin (BTC) due to environmental concerns.
“It’s here to stay and it’s gone mainstream with Fidelity just announcing you can put it in your 401(k).
The one caveat I would say is, first of all, climate impact is going to become increasingly in focus, and in that context, Ethereum is likely to gain some more traction over Bitcoin.”
Fitzpatrick, who also serves as the firm’s chief investment officer, goes on to say many crypto projects with trillions or even quadrillions of tokens might lead to instability, but overall the blockchain concept seems destined for use-case success.
“When we look at companies in the blockchain and crypto space, they all have massive treasury accounts with a lot of coins in them. And to me, that creates a little bit of near-term vulnerability.
But that said, I think blockchain technology is going to have some great applications.”
Soros Fund Management opened as a hedge fund back in 1970. It currently operates as a family office and as of the first quarter of 2022 held over $6.5 billion in assets.
Back in March of 2021, Fitzpatrick revealed that SFM has invested in cryptocurrencies, also noting that Bitcoin is now seen as an asset to hedge against inflation.
“When it comes to crypto, generally, I think we’re at a really important moment in time in that something like Bitcoin might have stayed a fringe asset but for the fact that over the last 12 months we’ve increased the money supply in the US by 25%, so there’s a real fear of debasing of fiat currencies.”
https://dailyhodl.com/2022/06/02/head-of-george-soros-family-office-predicts-ethereum-eth-will-gain-traction-over-bitcoin-btc-report/