Apple made $7.8 billion in profit last quarter. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple shocked investors with better than expected earnings for Q3 2016 today, despite some ominous signs that some analysts claimed signaled we’ve reached peak Tim Cook.
Thanks to the booming App Store business and other Services, Apple raked in an impressive $42.2 billion in revenue, which Tim Cook says, “was way better than we expected from so many different points of view.”
Here are the most important takeaways from today’s earnings call:
Will Apple reach its own targets for Q2? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
All eyes are on Apple this afternoon as the company is set to report its Q3 2016 earnings and Wall Street isn’t expecting anything great.
Apple CEO Tim Cook warned in March that the company will post declining revenues compared to a year ago, but with iPhone sales on the decline as customers wait to upgrade to the iPhone 7, the numbers could be a bit lower than investors are hoping for.
Today’s earnings call for Q3 2016 is set to kick off at 2 p.m. Pacific, when analysts from the top firms around the world will have a chance to ask Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri whether iPhone sales have finally bottomed out, or if things are still going to get worse before they get better.
Have iPhone sales finally bottomed out? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple is set to reveal its quarterly earnings this afternoon for the third fiscal quarter of 2016 and if the analysts are right, it could be even worse than Apple’s last disastrous quarter.
Investors were advised by Apple during the last earnings call that revenue will likely be down from what it was in the same quarter last year. Apple is hoping it can get a boost from the iPhone SE and the App Store to stay within expectations, however troubles in China and low iPhone demand could hurt the company more than expected.
Here’s what to watch for when Tim Cook and Luca Maestri talk to investors later this afternoon:
Ford today confirmed plans to put CarPlay and Android Auto into all of its 2017 cars, SUVs, electric vehicles, and light trucks. The platforms will become part of the company’s own Sync 3 system, allowing drivers to connect their iPhone or Android device.
The window to your soul will soon be the key to your iPhone. Photo: Bill Dickerson/Flickr
In the near future, you won’t even have to touch your iPhone to unlock it.
Smartphone manufacturers are racing to add new iris-scanning technology to devices, and Apple is also reportedly planning to join the battle by bringing the feature to iPhones in 2018.
Apple may announce billionth iPhone sold during tomorrow's earnings call. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Nobody’s expecting big things from Apple’s quarterly earnings call this Tuesday, but it is possible that we’ll hear one incredibly significant metric announced at the event: Apple’s sale of its billionth iPhone.
While it is likely that iPhone sales will continue to decline this quarter — with 40 million likely to be reported as the number for the past three months — the billionth sales mark would serve to underline once again just what an enormous success the iPhone has been for Apple.
Do you find it difficult to choose Apple products? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s product portfolio has expanded quickly since Tim Cook replaced Steve Jobs as CEO, what with the launch of larger iPhones, Apple Watch and the 12-inch Retina MacBook. But are things getting out of hand?
Some fans might argue Apple has too much on its plate, and that other products — particularly its software — are suffering as a result. Others might argue that Apple needs everything in its current lineup — and more! — to keep up with the competition.
So, who’s right? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we exchange insults and virtual blows over whether Apple desperately needs to streamline its product lineup.
At least they didn't cut his finger off. Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Instead of running to Apple to unlock iPhones involved in criminal case, cops may have found a new path to get past Touch ID’s security: 3D printing fingers.
Police officers asked for aid from the lab of professor Anil Jain at the University of Michigan this year to help them recreate a murder victim’s fingerprints by 3D printing each digit so they can attempt to unlock the device, which they think may contain clues that would help solve the case.
iOS 10 won’t make your iPhone water-resistant (so don’t believe the phony claims you’ll find on Facebook following its public release), but it will warn you when your device gets too wet.
Your iPhone could soon track your mood as well as your steps. Photo: Apple
Your Apple devices might be able to help you track steps, workouts and more, but as of yet no iPhone, Apple Watch (or, let’s face it, any other gadget out there) has been able to accurately measure mental and emotional conditions.
That could be changing due to the so-called “Mood Challenge” program from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program calls for researchers and technologists to come up with a way of convincingly tracking mood using an iPhone and ResearchKit — and it’s just announced its five semi-finalists.
Dropping the iPhone 7 might not be a disaster every time. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Breaking the screen on your next iPhone is going to be a little bit harder, if Apple goes with the next version of Corning’s Gorilla Glass.
The company debuted Gorilla Glass 5 today that is destined to arrive on smartphones later this year, offering better durability than any other version when its dropped from 5 feet or lower.
Get your hands on the new iOS 10 beta. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The second public beta of iOS 10 has been made available to testers today, coming just two days after Apple seeded the third beta to developers.
The final version of the update isn’t expected to launch until fall but Apple is getting eager fans a sneak peek of the new features coming to Siri, Messages, Notifications, Photos, Apple Music and much more.
If you haven’t already installed Apple’s latest round of software updates, go do it now.
A flaw in earlier versions of iOS, OS X, tvOS and watchOS makes it possible for hackers to remotely steal saved passwords from your Apple devices without your knowledge.
Niantic Pika-chooses to freeze out old iPhones and iPads. Photo: The Pokémon Company
The entire U.S. has contracted a serious case of Pokémon Go fever, with millions of would-be Pokémon trainers hitting the streets in hopes of becoming the very best like no one ever was.
Becoming a Pokémon Master ain’t easy, but if you know what you’re doing you don’t even have to leave the house to do stuff like hatch eggs, lure in Pokémon and toss a wicked curve ball.
Here are the Pokémon Go tips you need to know to dominate the hottest game in the world.
Tim Cook has been open about the fact that he views China as Apple’s future biggest customer, but right now it sure seems like the company can’t get too many breaks there.
Now is a good time to sign up for Apple Pay. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
The next time you make a purchase at your local Apple Store, expect to be asked if you want to buy your items with Apple Pay.
Apple is launching a new promotion for its contactless payment system this week that will emphasize paying with your iPhone or Apple Watch rather than busting out a credit card. And those that haven’t signed up for Apple Pay yet will get some free money.
Apple made a lot of improvements to iOS 10. Photo: Apple
Apple’s jam-packed iOS 10 update has gotten even better in its third beta, which brings a bunch of tiny new features that start to make iOS 10 feel like a polished product.
The list of changes in iOS 10 beta 3, which was seeded to developers this week, isn’t as long as the last update. But Apple has added some really nice tweaks to the lock screen, Apple Music, iCloud Drive and Messages, in addition to a ton of bug fixes and stability improvements.
Check out the most important new additions to Apple’s upcoming mobile OS, which is slated to launch on iPhones and iPads this fall:
Emergency SOS isn’t always useful. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When Apple launches watchOS 3 to the public later this fall, Apple Watch wearers will be able to automatically call for help if they find themselves in an emergency situation.
The new SOS feature in watchOS 3 will make Apple Watch even more of a lifesaver for wearers by placing a 911 call within 10 seconds, even if they don’t have their iPhone.
Here’s how it works:
Following the launch of three new beta builds this morning, Apple has now made a new beta of macOS Sierra beta 3 available to developers this afternoon.
The new beta is available for download directly from the Mac App Store and comes two weeks after Apple dropped the second beta build of macOS Sierra that brings a ton of new features, including Siri for Mac, auto-unlock with Apple Watch, Apple Pay, better iCloud integration and more.
This fix might stop Apple Music from garbling your library. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple Music’s matching software has a terrible history of replacing artists’ live songs with a studio version, but that will finally be a thing of the past, thanks the addition of audio fingerprints from iTunes Match.
A quiet rollout of the iTunes Match audio fingerprint to all Apple Music subscriber is currently underway, fixing the less accurate metadata version of iTunes Match that was currently used on Apple Music.
iOS 9.3.3 has arrived. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Along with seeding a batch of new beta builds for developers, Apple has a slew of new updates for the public this morning, bringing bug fixes and other software improvements to every single one of its platforms.
The public release of OS X El Capitan 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.3, watchOS 2.2.2 and tvOS 9.3.3 are now available to Apple users, after five beta builds were seeded to developers.
iPhone is now the Army's preferred device. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command is planning to tell Android to stand down.
Charged with overseeing the Army’s elite special forces operations, the command is reportedly making a switch to iPhone because Android is unstable compared to iOS.
ARM just sold for an arm and a leg. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
ARM Holdings, a.k.a. the company responsible for the mobile processor architecture which powers the iPhone and iPad, looks set to be bought by Japan’s SoftBank for an eye-watering (iWatering?) $32 billion, it has confirmed.
ARM’s board will recommend that shareholders accept the deal, which represents 43 percent over the company’s closing market value as per Friday. The news caused shares in ARM to leap up by 45 percent to 1,742.85p per share when the London Stock Exchange opened this morning.
Prepare to say goodbye to wires. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
To make up for killing the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, it appears that Apple is definitely planning to make some wireless earbuds of its own, based on some recently discovered trademark filings.