BusinessWeek and iSuppli partnered to analyze the costs of the AppleTV. Somewhat surprisingly, the $300 gadget was found to cost nearly $237, which yields a significantly lower margin than the iPod or iPhone.
Even more interestingly, the analysis shows that Apple makes significantly more money on each $400 AppleTV they sell, as the cost to upgrade the drive is much higher than the difference in raw cost to Apple. It is uncharacteristic for Apple to make this little of anything they sell. Anyone think this might be the source of Steve’s calling the device “a hobby”?
Thanks, Bill!

Technorati Tags: appleTV, margins, profit

Hey there, college seniors! Looking for a great first job in beautiful Austin, Texas? Know a lot about phones and iPods? Apple is looking for you! Yes, the signs are out that the iPhone is really almost here: Apple is hiring iPhone tech support representatives, and you could get in on the ground floor. It looks like a typical tech support job for Apple, but I found this quite funny:

Preferred Qualifications:

“¢ Experience with Microsoft applications such as Office or Outlook
“¢ Ability to navigate in the Windows environment –œ such as getting basic system information, explorer navigation
“¢ Basic understanding of hardware configurations –œ such as USB vs. Firewire
“¢ Knowledge of Device manager –œ( Knowing when something is connected/mounted)
“¢ Knowledge of program files and system files in Windows
“¢ Experience with troubleshooting external devices in Windows
“¢ Understanding specific media file types used by iTunes/iPod/iPhone –œ AAC, Mp3, Wav, mpeg4
“¢ Basic installation and removal of application in Windows.
“¢ Experience with iTunes in Windows
“¢ Must act independently and be self-motivated
“¢ Excellent interpersonal skills
“¢ Must act independently and be self-motivated
“¢ Ability to work in dynamic situations

Now, one interpretation of the bolded line items is that Apple recognizes that many, if not most of its iPhone customers will be Windows users, not Mac people. I prefer to believe that Apple understands that Windows users won’t be able to figure out how to troubleshoot their own problems. The Mac folks will be fine. Please note, by the way: It’s doubly important to act independently and be self-motivated for this job!

AfterCollege – Entry Level Jobs & Internships
Via Digg.

Technorati Tags: apple, Jobs, Steve Jobs

A cool, colorful Apple Watch concept that borrows the design language of the original iMac is drawing raves on Instagram.

The instantly recognizable design features translucent plastic in the bright shades of the nonconformist computers that saved Apple’s bacon in the late 1990s.

You can adjust the background blur of a Portrait mode photo on iPhone and Mac — even after you’ve taken the picture.

Because the iPhone stores the depth data that it uses to create the blur effect along with the image itself, you can adjust how blurry or clear the background looks. It’s super-easy to get just the right amount of aesthetically pleasing background blur, aka bokeh, to make your images look perfect.

Why would you want to tweak the background blur on your iPhone photo? A blurrier background, under the right conditions, can make for a very dramatic picture. It can effectively emphasize the subject of your shot. Or, you might want to turn up the blur to intentionally hide details behind you. On the other hand, if you’re in a photogenic location, you might want to decrease the blur so you can see more of the gorgeous background scenery.

Either way, I’ll show you how to edit Portrait mode’s background blur in photos on iPhone and Mac.

You can soon express your true feelings by sending someone a pickle. A pickle emoji, anyway. It’s one of nine proposed new emoji that will likely come to iPhone in late 2026.

It’ll be joined by a squinting face, a new butterfly, a lighthouse and more.

Apple has spent years and millions of dollars trying to crack one of wearable technology’s biggest health challenges: noninvasive blood glucose monitoring for Apple Watch. Now, a promising new gadget at CES 2026 — the PreEvnt Isaac Non-Invasive Glucose Monitor — might offer a roadmap for how this long-awaited feature could finally arrive.

January 8, 2004: The clumsily named iPod+HP, a Hewlett-Packard-branded iPod, debuts at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Shown off by Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, the prototype device is blue, the color used for HP’s branding. By the time it arrives on the market later that year, however, the digital music player is the same shade of white as the regular iPod. The device doesn’t hang around for long, either.

Only a tiny percentage of iPhone users have installed iOS 26, according to data from a web analytics service. The adoption rate is far less than previous iOS versions at this same point months after their releases.

The data only reveals how few iPhone users run Apple’s latest operating system upgrade, not why they’ve chosen to avoid it. But the most likely candidate is the new Liquid Glass look of the update.

OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a health companion with ChatGPT Health. This is a dedicated, privacy-focused experience designed to help you better understand your health and wellness data over time.

For iPhone users, ChatGPT Health can pull your health information from Apple Health to help make sense of your medical reports.

Goldman Sachs is out as the bank behind the Apple Card. Apple announced Wednesday that Chase will become the new issuer of the credit card.

The tech giant and the bank promise that features — including up to 3% unlimited Daily Cash back on purchases — will not change, even though Goldman Sachs will no longer issue the Apple Card.