Cult of Mac

Apple is set to make 5 billion dollars less this quarter than it previously expected. That’s a pretty big deal, and it’s down to two major things. One was an “economic weakness in some emerging markets.” The other was that Apple said it sold “fewer iPhone upgrades than we had anticipated.”

That second one is very interesting. Why aren’t people upgrading? There are two possibilities. One is that they’re switching to Android. The other is that people are holding onto their old iPhones for much longer. Why’s that?

A 20-year-old Florida woman discovered the health benefits of owning an Apple Watch when it indirectly saved her life as her flipped car was filling with water.

Amanda Antonio told first responders in Hillsborough County, Fla., that she used her Apple Watch to locate her iPhone to call 9-1-1 after her car rolled in a ditch full of mud and water.

A Goldman Sachs analyst thinks Apple’s revised earnings guidance might be the start of a longer-term story. According to Rod Hall, Apple could slash numbers even further later in the year, due to lowered expectations about iPhone sales.

Hall goes on to liken Apple to Nokia, a fallen giant in the mobile game. The company ruled the market early on, only to run into problems.

Apple’s often baffling App Store ban hammer has fallen again.

Developer Rusty Lake has had all of its games pulled for supposedly being spam and “looking identical” — despite the fact that they are genuine (and popular) games. It has told fans that it hopes this is an automated removal and that its titles will be back soon.

Tim Cook elaborated on some of the reasons for Apple’s declining iPhone sales during an interview with CNBC Fast Money’s Josh Lipton.

Cook said that the shortfall on Apple’s part is entirely related to the iPhone, and primarily its performance (or lack thereof) in Greater China. However, he also touched on several other issues — including the challenges of Apple’s battery replacement program.

Tim Cook is reportedly hosting an all-hands meeting with every Apple employee today about the revelations regarding stalling iPhone sales.

The news caused Apple shares to plummet in after-hours trading, taking some Apple suppliers with it. As part of the meeting, Cook will spell out what the news means, and take questions from employees.

AAPL shares fell steeply in after-hours trading on Wednesday, after Tim Cook acknowledged that Apple’s earnings would underperform its own guidance for Q4 2018.

Shares fell by more than 7.4 percent, declining as low as $146.22. That’s the lowest that Apple has hit since July 12, 2017. It means that Apple has lost a massive 35.5 percent of its value in just three months.

iPhone sales may be hitting a road block, but there are plenty of stats that offer up reasons to be optimistic about Apple.

One of them? That the Apple Watch is now a much bigger business for Apple than the iPod ever was. While the iPod today may be pretty much nonexistent as a revenue stream for Apple, there was a time when it was far and away the company’s top earner.

Apple CEO Tim Cook warned investors today that weak iPhone sales could translate into revenue shortfalls in the billions of dollars.

Cook blames the expected revenue drop on fewer-than-expected iPhone upgrades and weakened demand in China.

Backyard puddles are rarely worth photographing.

Yet Josh Nukem managed to make a puddle picture with his iPhone 8 Plus that got a lot of people talking this week.

In parts one and two of this series, I talked about how I record podcasts on the iPad. In today’s third and final episode, we’ll learn about editing. For this, I use the awesome Ferrite Recording Studio, and Apple Pencil, and a pair of headphones. Let’s get started.

Iina is a brand-new video-playing app for the Mac. Like VLC, it can play pretty much any file, and has deep customization options, even in v1.0. Unlike VLC, it feels like a real Mac-first app, and has support for trackpad gestures and bowser extensions right out of the box.

The overall UI of iOS hasn’t changed too much since iOS 7 got rid of skeuomorphism, but an ex-Apple employee has come up with a brilliant UI concept that makes elements on your iPhone look like real-life objects.

Former Apple software engineer Bob Burrough posted a video of an environmentally-lit user interface he’s developing and even though it’s still very basic, it looks very promising. By using the iPhone’s front-facing camera, the iPhone’s UI shades objects based on the lighting in a room. It may not sound that exciting, but once you see it in action you’ll be wowed.

Check it out:

The iPhone camera is hands-down amazing, thanks almost entirely to the fact that it is hooked up to a pocket-size supercomputer. Initially, the iPhone used its computer smarts to overcome the limitations of phone cameras — the tiny sensor, for example. But over time, Apple added amazing features like Smart HDR and the incredible Portrait Mode, which simulates the out-of-focus background that occurs naturally with traditional high-end cameras.

This path is likely to continue. Computational photography, as it is called, is pushing the capabilities of cellphone cameras far ahead of regular “dumb” cameras. So what can we expect to see in future?

The Austrian government will announce plans this month to impose a levy on giant tech companies that make huge online profits that largely go untaxed.

Austria joins France to be among the first countries to tax internet and technology companies that shuttle profits to avoid higher taxes in each company.

Beats 1 anchor Ebro Darden has been given a New Year’s promotion, being made Apple’s new global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B. In the role, Darden will manage a team of editors in developing editorial strategies for promoting artists, albums, and song releases.

This will be in addition to his Monday to Friday role as a host on Beats 1 and the Hot 97 show, Ebro in the Morning.

Apple is kicking off 2019 with a massive movie sale on iTunes.

A long list of titles, including Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, and The Goonies, have been reduced to just $4.99 for a limited time. Other titles, including Deadpool, Suicide Squad, and The Equalizer, are now available for $7.99.

The Apple Watch may be the world’s top wearable device right now, but that doesn’t mean that Apple’s happy to stop there. According to a newly published patent, Apple has developed its very own fabric, made up of a ridged material to offer a “contrasting appearance.”

The patent is an ornamental one, covering the look of the fabric rather than a specific use case. However, given Apple’s history of investigation into smart fabrics, it’s possible that the material could be used for developing future smart, sensor-equipped clothing.

The more people interact with technology, the more need there is for UX and UI designers. So skills for designing the look and feel of apps and websites make a valuable addition to any resume.

Apple hasn’t traditionally been known for offering discounts on its products, but the company takes a different position in Japan. In the country, Apple offered a one-day New Year’s sale on a variety of devices.

It covered assorted iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, iMacs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more.

Fortnite updates have been on hold while the team at Epic Games took a well-deserved holiday break, but we still saw a brand new item added to Battle Royale this week.

The controversial Boom Box wipes out buildings and structures in no time at all — and you almost certainly won’t enjoy playing against it.

Wistron, one of Apple’s iPhone manufacturers, is ramping up its investment in India. According to a new report, the company has vastly increased its authorized capital expenditure in India to meet its future development plans.

This follows on from another recent report, suggesting that fellow manufacturer Foxconn is set to start building flagship iPhones in the country.

Largely thanks to Tim Cook’s operational wizardry, Apple has carved out a reputation as a master of manufacturing: able to deliver products in massive quantities, exactly when it says it will.

The notable exception to this rule? Apple’s AirPower wireless charger. Announced in late 2017, the next-gen charging mat was promised to ship some time in 2018. Needless to say, that hasn’t happened.

Growing concerns about how much companies are spying on us tops our list of the most significant tech trends of 2018. Also on the list are some big changes in applications, a trend in phone design, and a new type of device that became nearly ubiquitous. 

As the new year begins, let’s take a look back at what changed for Apple and the tech world over the past 12 months.

If your New Year’s resolution is to get fit with Apple Watch in 2019, maybe I can help. I know from personal experience that it’s never too late to get in shape.

I’m a middle-aged guy, and up until a few years ago, I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. I never exercised, I only ate junk food, and I was seriously overweight. Today, I have a six-pack, I run seven miles a day, and I even write about fitness for Cult of Mac.

The secret to my transformation is something I call “The Ratchet.” It’s a way of running that makes it so easy to get started that pretty much anyone who can walk can do it. All you need is your Apple Watch and a pair of running shoes.

So if you’re thinking about New Year’s resolutions for 2019, why not give The Ratchet a try? Here’s how.