KGI: iPad 2 done and iPad 4 back in Q1, iPad Air with A8 + Touch ID in Q3, bigger iPad & new Mini unlikely in ’14

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo, who has a strong Apple product prediction track record, is out with a new report today with his expectations for the iPad line in 2014:

• The iPad 2 will be discontinued in Q1 2014, and this lines up with a report from earlier this week. The iPad 2 has been on sale since March of 2011 and it sports old technologies such as a non-Retina display, 30-pin dock connector, and A5 processor, making it due for discontinuation. The iPad 2 has, however, remained popular in the education market, so perhaps Apple will keep that model around as an educational-only version of the iPad.
• The fourth-generation iPad will go back into mass production in Q1 2014. Justlike Apple brought the iPhone 4 back (at least for some regions), Kuo says the iPad 4 will be making an encore. The reasoning is unclear (perhaps to replace the iPad 2), but the device’s technologies are still strong with the Retina display, Lightning connector, and A6X system-on-a-chip.
• The iPad Air will be updated in late Q3. Kuo says that this new iPad (unsurprisingly) will gain a more advanced processor (the A8 in all likelihood) and the Touch ID fingerprint reader from the iPhone 5s. A late Q3 launch would mean that the new iPad would arrive earlier than the October/November timeframe of last year’s models.
• Chances of a new iPad mini in 2014 are “slim,” according to Kuo due to the popularity of the iPad Air and Apple’s focus on developing other new products this year. The iPad mini was updated with the A7 chip and Retina display in late-2013, so the current technology is fairly stable, and this makes an update not truly necessary this year.
• Bigger iPad unlikely to launch this year. While Kuo says Apple is certainly developing a 12.9-inch version of the iPad to drive new applications, he says a 2014 launch is unlikely. If it happens this year, shipments will be limited. Why? Kuo says Apple’s software teams are focusing on finishing up the software for the impending iWatch, which is taking priority over the software enhancements necessary for a larger iPad display.

So, unlike in 2012 or 2013, Kuo is not expecting multiple new iPads this year. Instead, Apple will replace the aging iPad 2 with the faster iPad 4, keep the iPad mini at status quo, and beef up the popular iPad Air with the latest technologies.

- 9to5mac.com

KGI: iPad 2 done and iPad 4 back in Q1, iPad Air with A8 + Touch ID in Q3, bigger iPad & new Mini unlikely in ’14

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo, who has a strong Apple product prediction track record, is out with a new report today with his expectations for the iPad line in 2014:

• The iPad 2 will be discontinued in Q1 2014, and this lines up with a report from earlier this week. The iPad 2 has been on sale since March of 2011 and it sports old technologies such as a non-Retina display, 30-pin dock connector, and A5 processor, making it due for discontinuation. The iPad 2 has, however, remained popular in the education market, so perhaps Apple will keep that model around as an educational-only version of the iPad.
• The fourth-generation iPad will go back into mass production in Q1 2014. Justlike Apple brought the iPhone 4 back (at least for some regions), Kuo says the iPad 4 will be making an encore. The reasoning is unclear (perhaps to replace the iPad 2), but the device’s technologies are still strong with the Retina display, Lightning connector, and A6X system-on-a-chip.
• The iPad Air will be updated in late Q3. Kuo says that this new iPad (unsurprisingly) will gain a more advanced processor (the A8 in all likelihood) and the Touch ID fingerprint reader from the iPhone 5s. A late Q3 launch would mean that the new iPad would arrive earlier than the October/November timeframe of last year’s models.
• Chances of a new iPad mini in 2014 are “slim,” according to Kuo due to the popularity of the iPad Air and Apple’s focus on developing other new products this year. The iPad mini was updated with the A7 chip and Retina display in late-2013, so the current technology is fairly stable, and this makes an update not truly necessary this year.
• Bigger iPad unlikely to launch this year. While Kuo says Apple is certainly developing a 12.9-inch version of the iPad to drive new applications, he says a 2014 launch is unlikely. If it happens this year, shipments will be limited. Why? Kuo says Apple’s software teams are focusing on finishing up the software for the impending iWatch, which is taking priority over the software enhancements necessary for a larger iPad display.

So, unlike in 2012 or 2013, Kuo is not expecting multiple new iPads this year. Instead, Apple will replace the aging iPad 2 with the faster iPad 4, keep the iPad mini at status quo, and beef up the popular iPad Air with the latest technologies.

- 9to5mac.com

Apple releases iOS 7.0.6, iOS 6.1.6, & Apple TV 6.0.2 with fixes

After releasing iOS 7.0.5 at the end of last month to fix network errors for Chinese users, Apple has just released iOS 7.0.6 (Build 11B651) alongside iOS 6.1.6 (build 10b500) for the iPhone 3GS and 4th-gen iPod touch and Apple TV version 6.0.2 with a security fix related to SSL connection verification. 

Apple says iOS 7.0.6 is a security update that “provides a fix for SSL connection verification.” The update for Apple TV (version 6.0.2) and iOS 6.1.6 for older devices offer the same fix. The updates should be available to all supported iPhones, iPads, iPods and Apple TVs as over-the-air updates any minute.

iOS 7.0.6 yayınlandı. http://t.co/3kvKBGt2Sf

—
Mete Sadioglu (@metesadioglu) February 21, 2014

- 9to5mac.com

Apple aggressively pushing to take Arizona sapphire plant live in February for ‘critical’ product component

In November of last year, Apple announced that it would be opening up a new manufacturing plant in Mesa, Arizona. Since that time, little information has come out about the plant except that it would be utilized to manufacture sapphire crystal for future Apple devices. The plant will be operated by Apple in tandem with GT Advanced Technologies. Earlier this year, we learned via (now removed) Apple job listings that the plant would involve components for future iPhone and iPod product lines.

Now, we have tracked down documents (with the help of analyst Matt Margolis) showing correspondence between U.S. Foreign Trade Zone officials and Apple’s Deputy Director of Global Trade Compliance. The documents were made public today by the Foreign Trade Zones Board. The papers indicate the materials Apple will utilize to manufacture sapphire, share details about Apple’s “aggressive” plan to take the facility live, and provide a description of how the sapphire will be used in future Apple products…

While Apple CEO Tim Cook declined to tell ABC News when the factory would begin preparing sapphire glass components, these new documents reveal that Apple plans to take the plant live in February (next month). Interestingly, Apple’s James J. Patton describes the goal of meeting a February go-live timeline as “aggressive.” A February launch for the plant would indicate that Apple will begin producing sapphire for integration with Apple products as soon as later this year.

Speculation on how Apple will use this sapphire has ranged from displays for future iPhones, solar panels, and all the way to glass for future Apple wearable devices. Other possibilities include sapphire production for the existing Touch ID iPhone Home button and iPhone/iPod touch camera lens covers. But Apple’s explanation makes the sapphire crystal sound even more interesting than covers for buttons and camera lenses (emphasis ours):

Apple’s definition of a “critical new sub-component” is obviously vague, but the word “new” likely indicates that this is for a component never used in previous Apple products. Combined with reports from earlier this week of Apple and Foxconn conducting test runs of sapphire iPhone displays, it seems plausible that a purpose of the Mesa, Arizona plant is to actually produce the sapphire screens.

Sapphire-covered iPhone screens would make the smartphones less susceptible to screen scratches, and this could improve the overall user experience of owning an iPhone. Apple has patented a method of doing this, and it would not be a stretch to assume that similar sapphire screen technologies could make their way to other Apple devices such as iPads, iPods, and even… iWatches.

Apple has also patented pressure-sensitive touchscreens, as a means of allowing additional gestures and disregarding accidental input.

The documents also list some of the other components to be used at the Mesa facility (shown above). On the list: diamond cutting wire and alumina block. Alumina block and the heating equipment are components for manufacturing the actual sapphire crystal material. Diamond cutting wire has been utilized in manufacturing components of current Apple products, such as the bezels of the iPhone 5/5s, iPad Air/Mini, and, most recently, the Mac Pro.

The fact that this facility has diamond cutting wire is also interesting in light of the earlier mentioned job listings referring to this plant involving the design and engineering of iPhones and iPods.

The document also includes a map of the plant (shown above). We’ve previously posted spy shots of the construction of the plant. This map does not bring us many new pieces of information, but it is interesting to see the scope of the facility.

Full PDF:

- 9to5mac.com

Analyst says iPad tops other tablets in Q4, accounting for a third of all tablets sold in 2013

Strategy Analytics reported its tablet figures for 2013 and unsurprisingly, iPad remains in first place with 33.9% marketshare. Marketshare growth has dipped slightly, however, year-on-year as iPad accounted for 35.7% of tablet sales in Q4 2012.

In terms of unit growth, Apple rose 14% compared with the year-ago quarter. The second-place position goes to Samsung, with 17.7% marketshare (although this means annual growth was more than 80%). Apple sold just under double Samsung’s shipments for the period, so even though Apple’s growth has slowed, there is still a significant gap between first and second place.

Amazon’s share of the market remained pretty much constant with 6% of sales in last quarter, compared with 7% in Q4 2012. Lenovo and Acer both experienced triple-digit growth but sales are almost negligible in the context of the market, shipping just 4 million tablets between them.

“2013 was another extremely healthy year for the tablet market,” Matt Wilkins, director of tablets and wearables at Strategy Analytics, said in a statement. “While it may not be a three-figure growth rate like we have witnessed previously, it is still significant considering the market is now delivering in excess of 200 million units on an annual global basis.”

The firm said that, over the year, worldwide tablet shipments rose 33 percent to 227 million units, with 76.8 million of those sales coming from the holiday quarter alone.

- 9to5mac.com

Tim Cook discusses Google selling Motorola, says iPhone hasn’t hit a ceiling, and more from full WSJ interview

After posting excerpts last night, in which Tim Cook announced Apple’s share buyback of $14 billion in the last two weeks, The Wall Street Journal has now published the full interview with Apple’s CEO.

The interview repeats many of the comments Cook has made to investors in the past, reaffirming that new product categories under development, but does contain some new, interesting tidbits. For instance, Wakabayashi asked Cook about Google’s disposal of Motorola. Cook says he “wasn’t surprised” that Google sold it off, saying that software and hardware integration is what makes Apple unique as a company.

WSJ: What did you think of Google selling Motorola to Lenovo?

Cook: I wasn’t surprised. It seems like a logical transaction. Google gets rid of something that’s losing money, something that they’re not committed to. I think it’s really hard to do hardware, software and services and to link all those things together. That’s what makes Apple so special. It’s really hard, so I’m not surprised that they are not going to do that.

The Journal also pressed Cook on the share buyback program. Although snippets of Cook’s reply were in the article from last night, the full response puts Cook’s answers in better context.

We recognize that we have more money than we need to run our business and invest for the future and invest in new products and acquire new companies and invest in capex, etc. We fully recognized that. We even said after we more than doubled it that we’re going to look at this thing every year. And each time we do this, we go back out to shareholders and listen to them. They’re owners of the company. We’re looking at tax policy. It’s a fairly complex set of things to consider. It’s not a simple thing.

But we also wanted a program that’s flexible. We wanted to take advantage of opportunities that came our way. Those opportunities may be acquisitions. In the last 15 months, we’ve acquired 21 companies. We’re doing it low-key. We’re not making big announcements about these. It shows that we’re looking a lot. I think we’ve made smart purchases.

On bigger iPhones, Cook did not dismiss the idea. As before, Cook says that all aspects of smartphone screens need to be considered, not just the physical size. Regarding Apple’s product pipeline in 2014, Cook said that new products are under development, but stressed that they have not hit the ‘ceiling’ on their current products yet either. Clearly, Cook wants to set expectations that he does not see Apple at the end of the road for the current products. He said Apple can grow with “great improvements and new products on its existing category of products”.

He also reiterated his comments on ‘making the best, not making the most’, but qualified this by saying that market share is still a significant factor for Apple’s business.

I don’t view that as being satisfied with being small or however you want to define it. It’s not saying that market share is irrelevant or not important. I’ve never said that. I just always tried to say that the macro thing for us is to make a great product and we must do that.

Tim Cook again confirms $AAPL will launch new products in new categories (plural) this year. Wall Street apparently still not listening.

—
Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) February 07, 2014

- 9to5mac.com

Reports: A8 won’t feature integrated LTE yet, low yield rates pushing Samsung out of the process?

Image via iFixit

Two new reports out today are offering a bit of early insight into what to expect from Apple’s next A-series SoC, or system on a chip, that powers its iPhone and iPad devices.

The first tidbit from Fudzilla says Apple will once again rely on Qualcomm for LTE chips in the next round of iOS devices rather than an A8 chip with LTE integrated. So what does this mean? It’s probably safe to assume Apple will save a SoC which includes the LTE modem in a future iteration.

Generally, the fewer chips required in a mobile device, the better optimized for battery life the device is. Apple, of course, must strive to engineer battery life parity, if not improvements, as our devices get more powerful each generation.

The second bit of information once again suggests Samsung will not be involved in Apple’s system on a chip production, but not for the reasons you might suspect. Rather than parting ways due to political differences, production deficiencies on Samsung’s part could position TSMC as the only partner in manufacturing the A8, according to a report.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo released his report last week predicting Apple will replace the iPad 2 with the iPad 4, update the iPad Air with Touch ID, and keep the current A7-powered iPad mini with Retina display around for another year.

If Kuo’s predictions are on point, the A8 news could only apply to an updated iPhone and full size iPad this year.

- 9to5mac.com

Apple takes Your Verse iPad campaign to new heights with mountaineering feature

Apple’s Your Verse advertising and marketing campaign for the iPad, depicting some of the inspiring ways in which people are using iPads to help with everything from ice hockey coaching to concussion treatment, has been expanded to include mountaineering.

Elevating the expedition is a new addition to the Your Verse microsite illustrating the ways in which mountaineers Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington use iPads to assist them with preparing for a climb, navigating the route and live-blogging their experiences and photographs … 

While an iPad might be seen as something of a luxury on a mountaineering trip, the two describe it as a key part of their kit.

At each stage of the climb, Ballinger and Harrington reduce the gear in their packs. So as the climb becomes more difficult, they’re carrying only the most essential tools. And because it’s a crucial part of how they navigate the mountain safely, the iPad makes it all the way to the top.

Apple launched the Your Verse campaign with a 90-second TV ad with a Dead Poet Society themed narration, together with the accompanying microsite. The company followed up with two different 30-second variations on the ad, Light Verse and Sound Verse.

While response to the campaign has been mixed, our own poll found that 71 percent of 9to5Mac readers found it inspiring.

Apple is also promoting the campaign with an ad on The Verge, and likely plans to run it on other tech websites. Although not immediately obvious as an ad, the iPad graphic running across the full width of the site is a Your Verse video.

- 9to5mac.com

Tim Cook: Cellular iPad mini Coming to China in Late January

In an interview given to a Chinese media outlet, Apple CEO Tim Cook has indicated that the cellular version of the iPad mini is heading to the country later this month.

Cook is currently on a trip to China, a region of extreme significance to Apple from a growth standpoint, where he’s met the country’s government officials, China Mobile’s chairman and Apple fans.

The Wi-Fi iPad mini launched in China a month ago, and saw “insatiable demand” with stocks selling out in both Hong Kong and Chinese stores. The Wi-Fi+Cellular model of the iPad mini and the iPad 4 gained regulatory approval from Chinese authorities a few weeks ago, indicating an impending launch. The regulatory approval permits the cellular version of the iPad to run on China Unicom’s WDCDMA and China Telecom’s CDMA2000 networks.

In his interview, Tim Cook added that he hoped the time taken by Chinese authorities to give regulatory approvals would go down, so that Apple could cut down on the delay between the US and China launches of iOS devices. He says that the company is working with the Chinese government to make this happen.

Any guesses on how well the cellular iPad mini would do in China?

Via: Tencent, The Next Web

Posted by Rounak Jain on Jan 10, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Analysts Bet the Over-Under on How Many iPads Apple Sold Last Quarter

Q4 2012 (or Q1 2013 by Apple’s accounting) might have been another knockout quarter for iPad sales, but analysts are bouncing between double in 2012 compared to 2011 or just 3%. I think the safe bet is: a lot.

The intro to the Fortune article paints the right picture:

Sales of Apple’s (AAPL) iPad grew from zero to 7.3 million units in 2010 and doubled in 2011 to 15.4 million.

According to our most bullish independent analysts, they doubled again in calendar 2012.

According to the most bearish professional – Argus Research’s Jim Kelleher – they grew (once you factor out 2011’s extra week) only 3%.

Source: Fourtune.

Analysts estimates are, well, varied. But based on averaging data from 56 analysts (full chart below), Fortune comes up with this:

The median estimate among all the analysts we polled is 24 million. That represents 67% year-over-year growth if you factor out 2011 extra week and 55% if (for shame) you don’t.

I think the strong sales in China to wrap the year and strong sales of iPads and minis elsewhere Oct–Dec, make the >50% year over year estimate a solid bet.

Posted by Tris Hussey on Jan 12, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

iPads Outsold Surface RT Tablets 20 to 1 in Q4 2012

Microsoft needed a blockbuster hit with the Surface Tablet RT. Sad to say though, time and again sales estimates for the laplet (tab-book?) have been pushed down and down and down. Analysts first lowered Q4 2012 sales estimates to just 2 million, today, 1 million. To put that in perspective, Apple sold 20 iPads for each Surface Tablet.

It has to hurt when something you thought was going to buoy you into the Post PC Era is selling so poorly that even supporters like Samsung are taking a pass at releasing a Surface RT Tablet in the U.S..

Will the Surface Pro fair better? That has to be what Microsoft is wondering. With sales estimates like these, I’m betting we’re going to start seeing fire-sale clear outs of Surface Tablets just to get them in people’s hands. Remember when the HP TouchPad got the axe it flew off the shelves at its bargain price. Maybe that’s what Microsoft needs to do to boost install base numbers.

Heck, if the price is right, I’d consider picking on up, for no other reason than just to mess around with it.

There is one saving grace, teens supposedly think the Microsoft Surface is awesome. Pity teens don’t typically have $500+ to drop on a tablet. Betting that if left up to their parents, the safe bet is they’d get an iPad instead.

Via: Business Insider and TUAW.

Posted by Tris Hussey on Jan 15, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Cellular iPad mini And iPad 4 Goes On Sale in China This Friday

Apple has just announced that the Cellular+Wi-Fi models of iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad will be available in China this Friday, January 18.

From Apple’s press release:

Apple today announced the Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of iPad® mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina® display will be available in China on Friday, January 18. iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad are currently available in more than 100 countries worldwide including the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.

Apple had launched the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad in December.

It had also received approval for the Cellular model from the country’s telecom regulatory body last month and widely expected to launch the Cellular+Wi-Fi shortly.

Posted by iPhoneHacks on Jan 15, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Apple Sued Over Its Warranty Policies In Belgium

Apple is in trouble again over warranty policy for its products in Belgium. According to the EU law, Apple should ideally be offering customers a two-year warranty for its products, which includes its iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and iPod.

However, Apple offers warranty only for a year and offers AppleCare Protection Plan or AppleCare+ to customers who want coverage beyond one year.

Apple has been sued over its warranty policy by the Italian regulator as well. The Next Web reports that Belgian consumer protection organization Test-Aankoop has filed a lawsuit against Apple yesterday:

Test-Aankoop argues that this practice does not comply with local laws, and also asserts that Apple isn’t adequately informing consumers of their rights. Yesterday, the organization filed the suit with the Commercial Court of Brussels, arguing that Apple deliberately withholds information about an official EU directive, which automatically extends warranties on electronics to two years, in order to help sell AppleCare.

Though Apple was cleared in the AppleCare lawsuit in Italy after it made amendment to its policies, it was still fined for not complying with the local laws.

The report notes that Apple may also get pulled up by the Portugese consumer groups over its warranty policies, and other EU countries are likely to follow.

It’s strange that Apple hasn’t amended its policies  to comply with the EU laws after getting into trouble in Italy.

Via: The Next Web

Posted by iPhoneHacks on Jan 15, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Analyst’s Apple Product Roadmap Predictions For 2013: Two iPhone Models, Retina iPad mini, Thinner & Lighter iPad

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research report where he has made his predictions on what Apple will launch in 2013.

Unlike recent reports, which have indicated that Apple will launch the next generation iPad and iPad mini in March, followed by the early launch of the next generation iPhone in June, Kuo predicts that Apple will launch most of the new products in the third quarter of this year. 

Here’s a product wise breakdown of his predictions for 2013:

iPhone

• Kuo expects Apple to launch the next generation iPhone, which he calls iPhone 5S around July this year. According to him, iPhone 5S will look like the iPhone 5 but will come with features such as faster 28-nm A7 system-on-chip, a fingerprint sensor, smart flash LED flash and improved camera with f2.0 aperture. It will be available in 2 colors.
• Kuo also forecasts that Apple to launch a low-cost revamped iPhone 5 priced at $350 to $450, which will be slightly thicker than the current iPhone 5 (8.2 mm vs. the current 7.6 mm) and come with a plastic casing. It will be available in 6 colors.

iPad

• Kuo expects Apple to launch the next generation iPad and iPad mini in the third quarter of the year.
• He expects the next generation iPad mini to come with Retina Display.
• He predicts that the next generation iPad will be slimmer and lighter and adopt the thinner side bezels seen on the iPad mini.

iPod

• He predicts that Apple will discontinue the 4th generation iPod touch and instead launch a scaled-down version of the 5th generation iPod touch with 8 GB of storage and no rear camera for $199.

Apple TV

• He expects Apple to launch the next generation Apple TV with a minor improvements as soon as March.
• He also doesn’t expect Apple to launch its own branded Television in 2013. He notes that content issues and a lack of experience in the television set industry will push the launch to 2014.

MacBook

• He expects Apple to discontinue the non-Retina MacBook Pro line this year and drop the prices of the Retina MacBook Pros.
• He also expects Apple to tweak the design of the thinner Retina MacBook Pros.
• He doesn’t expect Apple to launch Retina MacBook Airs in 2013 as it is still a challenge to make them. He forecasts this year’s MacBook Air to be powered by Intel’s Haswell processors, which could be launched as early as June 2013.

iMac

• Kuo doesn’t expect iMac’s to come with Retina Display this year.
• He expects 2013 iMac and Mac mini powered by Intel’s Haswell processors to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Ming-Chi Kuo has a good track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s product plans. It remains to be seen, which of his predictions for 2013 will be accurate.

Via: MacRumors

Posted by iPhoneHacks on Jan 16, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Nexus 7 Beats Out the iPad as Most Popular Tablet in Japan

A recent survey by Japan’s BCN and published in the Nikkei pegs the market share of the Nexus 7 at 44.4% while the iPad came in just behind with 40.1%. According to the survey price was a big factor in the decision to buy a Nexus 7 over an iPad. But there’s an interesting wrinkle in the survey timing that might explain the drop in iPad marketshare.

Digital Trends reports the December survey came at an interesting time for iPad sales. While, sure, the iPad 4 is more that double the price of the Nexus 7, the iPad mini is pretty close. Could there have been something else tipping the scales towards the Nexus 7? Perhaps, not enough iPad minis to go around?

Also explored in the survey were the reasons consumers choose one device over the other. According o the data, one of the main reasons for choosing the Nexus 7 is the affordable price ($200, compared to $300 for the iPad Mini or $500 for the full-sized iPad). It is worth noting, however, that the iPad Mini was experiencing a stock shortage at the time of the survey. A supply shortage doesn’t negate consumers recognizing the Nexus 7 as a better deal, but it will certainly affect the number of units sold. That being said, take these figures with a little salt.

Via: Digital Trends

Certainly not to take anything away from the Nexus 7, by all accounts a great tablet, and if iPad minis were widely available the Nexus 7 might still have out sold the iPad mini, still as Digital Trends suggests we need to keep these data in perspective.

While the higher price of the iPad mini was one of the things critics initially complained about, that didn’t seem to dramatically affect sales.

Except maybe in Japan.

Over the next few months I’d expect to see more market share data come in for iDevices in general and it will be interesting to see how Apple devices match up in various countries and worldwide.

HT: CNET.

Posted by Tris Hussey on Jan 17, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

iPad mini Shipments On All Models Delayed Up to Two Weeks Around the World

If there was any question about how well the cellular version of the iPad mini would do in China, you should have your answer with this tip from Apple Store China—you’ll have to wait at least two weeks for an iPad mini of any kind. It’s not just China either, ship dates to customers for the iPad mini in the U.K. is two weeks as well and a week in the U.S. and Canada.

In contrast, in the U.S., Canadian, U.K., and Hong Kong Apple Stores the iPad 4 shows “In Stock” for all sizes and models.

It’s real-world data like these that cast doubt on the “Apple is doomed” comments based on changes to iPhone 5 parts orders or other market data that suggests softening demand for Apple products.

It strikes me like saying that a popular hot dog cart isn’t doing as well because the line up for food is only one block long compared to a block and a half the previous week. Sure you have to watch for declines and keep your eye on the ball, but still Apple is very successful and I think there is a long ways to go before saying that Apple is headed towards rough times.

People still want and buy lots of Apple products and if tight supply of the iPad mini is any indication, world-wide demand doesn’t appear to be waning at all.

Via: The Next Web

Posted by Tris Hussey on Jan 18, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Tim Cook On Cheaper iPhone, iPhone With Bigger Screen, Apple TV And More

During the earnings call earlier today, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook responded to a number of questions about Apple’s marketshare, iPhone with bigger screen, product pipeline, Apple TV etc.

Here’s are some excerpts from that call:

There have been rumors that Apple is planning to launch a cheaper iPhone to preserve its smartphone marketshare. So Tim Cook was asked about the importance of marketshare and whether holding on to the marketshare was a priority in 2013. While Tim Cook’s comments doesn’t rule out the possibility of a cheaper iPhone, he had this to say:

The most important thing to Apple is to make the best products in the world. We aren’t interested in revenue for revenue’s sake. We could put the Apple brand on a lot of things and sell a lot more stuff. We only want to make the best products. We’ve been able to build market share and have a great track record with iPod of doing different products at different price points. I wouldn’t view those as mutually exclusive as some might. We’re focused on making great products that enrich lives.

Last few days, there have also been rumors that Apple is planning to launch a larger iPhone with a 4.8-inch screen, to compete with similarly sized Android based smartphones. iMore reports that Tim Cook had this to say when he was asked if Apple had plans to launch an iPhone with bigger screen.

[Tim Cook] said Apple had already introduced the larger, 4-inch iPhone 5, and that it had the most advanced display in the industry (perhaps referring to its in-cell technology), and that no one else comes close in terms of quality. He also said that the way Apple went to 4-inches, which involved increasing the height but not the width, changing the previous 3:2 aspect ration to 16:9, preserved the iPhone’s one-handed ease of use. Cook said that Apple put a lot of thought into the iPhone’s screen size, and he believes they picked the right one.

As usual, Tim Cook also acknowledged that they are working on a number of new products:

We’re working on some incredible stuff. The pipeline is chock full. We feel great about what we’ve got in store.

Tim Cook also reiterated that Apple TV was an area of intense interest:

This is an area of intense interest for us and remains that. I tend to believe that there is a lot we can contribute in this space and we continue to pull the string and see where it leads us. Don’t want to be more specific.

Cook revealed that Apple had sold 2 million Apple TVs in the last quarter, a 60% growth year on year, which is quite impressive.

We can’t wait to find out what “incredible stuff” Apple plans to launch this year.

Via: MacRumors, iMore

 

Posted by iPhoneHacks on Jan 24, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Apple’s Q1 2013 Results: By The Numbers

Yesterday,  Apple posted record quarterly revenue of $54.5 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share in Q1 2013 (fourth calendar quarter), compared to revenue of $46.3 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $13.87 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

As expected, Apple revealed a lot of stats and numbers during the earnings call. We take a close look at those numbers.

iPhone:

• Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones, compared to 37 million iPhones in the year-ago quarter, up 29 percent over the year-ago quarter
• iPhone generated $30.66 billion in revenues for Apple (accounts for 54% of Apple’s revenues), an increase of 28 percent compared to same quarter last year
• Growth of over 100% year over year in greater China

iPad:

• Apple sold 22.86 million iPads, up 48 percent over the year-ago quarter.
• 4 to 6 weeks of channel inventory

iPod:

• Apple sold 12.7 million iPods, compared to 15.4 million iPods over the year-ago quarter, down 18% over the year-ago quarter
• iPod touch accounts for more than half of the iPod sales

iOS:

• More than 500 million cumulative iOS device sales
• 250 million iCloud customers
• More than 2 billion iMessages sent per day
• App Store is now available in over 155 countries. It has over 775,000 apps and 300,000 iPad apps
• 2 billion apps were downloaded in December alone
• $2.1 billion in revenues from iTunes Store
• iTunes Store was launched in 56 new countries in the last quarter
• Apple has paid out over $7 billion to developers so far

Mac:

• 4.06 million Macs were sold during the quarter, down 22% over the year-ago-quarter
• 3-4 Weeks of Mac Channel Inventory

Apple Stores:

• 396 Apple stores. 11 new stores including 4 new stores in Greater China. Relocated or expanded 14 stores that had outgrown their space.
• Store traffic was up by approximately 10%, 121 million visitors compared to 110 million visitors year-over-year
• 23,000 visitors per store per week
• Average revenue of $16.3 million per store
• 791,000 Macs were sold in retail sores

Financials:

• Apple posted revenue of $54.5 billion, compared to revenue of $35.97 billion over the year-ago quarter
• Apple posted profits of $13.1 billion, which is the same as year-ago quarter
• $13.81 per diluted share, compared to $13.87 per diluted share over the year-ago quarter
• Apple has $137.1 billion in cash at end of December quarter, up $16 billion from the last quarter.
• $94 billion in cash is offshore
• Dividend payout of $2.65 payable in February.

Those are some impressive set of numbers for a company that generates more than $100 billion in revenues in a year, however Wall Street isn’t impressed. Apple’s stock has got hammered in after market trading and is down by over 8% at the time of writing this post. Investors and analysts seem to be quite concerned about Apple’s growth prospects.

You can listen to the recording of Apple’s earning conference call here.

Via: MacRumors

Posted by iPhoneHacks on Jan 24, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

LA schools may halt iPad program because students bypass content restrictions

Los Angeles Unified School District is rethinking its plan to hand out iPads to all the students in the district. The reason for the possible change in policy — the students are cracking the security controls and doing what they want with the devices, says a report in The LA Times.

According to report, students were allowed to bring the devices home and that is when the trouble began. Students said  ”they couldn’t do anything with them” at home so they figured out how to unlock them by deleting the profile that was installed on the device. Once the profile was removed, the students were able to browse the internet, connect to social networks and stream music.

L.A. schools Superintendent John Deasy summarized it succinctly, “Outside of the district’s network … a user is free to download content and applications and browse the Internet without restriction.” L.A. Unified School District Police Chief Steven Zipperman allegedly recommended halting the distribution of the iPads until this situation can be brought under control.

The iPad program started this semester and Roosevelt High School in LA was one of the first campuses to receive the iPads. They have been in the hands of the students for about a week when the problem with securing the tablets emerged.

[Via The LA Times]

Posted by Julie on Sep 26, 2013 - iphonehacks.com

Martha Stewart shatters iPad from Steve Jobs, upsets Apple PR with tweets

Martha Stewart is on a roll. First, she takes on Lodsys in court, and then she takes on Apple in a series of amusing tweets about her broken iPad, her stolen iPhone and her inability to function without these tools.

Stewart kicked off her day by tweeting about her iPad, which was given to her by the late Steve Jobs. The iPad dropped to the floor and shattered two of the corners in the fall. She then amusingly asks if Apple will come to her house to pick it up and fix it. Those tweets then turn a bit more serious when she calls out Apple PR for being upset with her for tweeting about her broken iPad and getting it fixed.

You can check out the tweets below and let us know what you think about this silliness in the comments. If it was me in her shoes, I would call up ifixyouri.com and get that screen repaired tout de suite. Then I’d tell Apple PR to take a chill pill as the original tweets were done in jest.

I just dropped my iPad on the ground and shattered two glass corners. What to do?does one call Apple to come and pick it up or do I take it?

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 25, 2013

I am still waiting for an apple rep to come pick up my IPad. No action yey

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 26, 2013

Maybe I have had a good entrepreneurial idea? Apple Now? Like same day delivery from Amazon? I think I am on to something. Same day fixit!!!

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 26, 2013

So is it time to put out the fires and admit I was just pissed off at the fact my precious ipad shattered and I wanted to make light of it??

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 26, 2013

i cannot believe that Apple Public Relations is mad at me for tweeting about my Ipad and how to get it fixed! steve jobs gave it to me!

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 27, 2013

i wish i could explain everything here on twitter about the broken IPad, the stolen IPhone, the silly joke about repairs and my frustration!

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 27, 2013

but it is impossible so i will deal with it all silently and hope that apple will fix everything so i can function again with proper tools

— Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) September 27, 2013

Posted by Julie on Sep 27, 2013 - iphonehacks.com