By Graham K. Rogers
At 2pm Pacific Time, Apple was announced its Q3 2016 results. You should be able to find the published information online in several places, including Apple's own Investor Relations pages (http://investor.apple.com).
The significant contents of the Apple Press release are here:
The Company posted quarterly revenue of $42.4 billion and quarterly net income of $7.8 billion, or $1.42 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $49.6 billion and net income of $10.7 billion, or $1.85 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 38 percent compared to 39.7 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 63 percent of the quarter's revenue.
Apple declared a cash dividend of $.57 per share of the Company's common stock payable on August 11, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 8, 2016.
More information will be revealed in the Conference Call.
I recently looked at ways to create Art on iOS devices, and made particular comment on the free app Prisma. Changes are in line for the developer of this app with an Android version. There is also a video version in the pipeline. A further rumour at the weekend suggests that Facebook may be adding Prisma to its armoury.
These devices are not just for creating, but also for display of Art, particularly the larger screens of the iPad range and the AppleTV. Several galleries have their own apps, such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York). As well as an app for viewing Art, MoMA has an app for the Books in its collections and another designed for teaching Art forms.
An Art app, MoMA AB EX NY allows users to view some of the expressionist works available as well as other artist- and Museum-related information. Some of the information, such as videos has to be downloaded so internet is needed.
The Guggenheim Museum also has its own app and this has a good selection of the art on display at the famous New York museum as well as acting as an interactive guide. There is also the Guggenheim Bilbao and other related apps.
Getty has several free apps. These include Byzantium at the Getty which, as well as images of the beautiful artefacts of the period, has text and sound descriptions of exhibits. There is also a historic perspective with a wide selection of photographs, videos, maps and information outlining the significance of the period.
Other Getty collections have dedicated apps and there is also a Visitors Guide and The Life of Art: an app that explains how objects end up in museums. This has good educational value. Its vivid images allow a good understanding. Some of the Getty apps may not have seen updates in a while, but the content is timeless. There is a Getty Images app that is also available on the AppleTV.
Although the Apple TV has fewer apps for Thai users than in other countries, the Art Channel app shows a good collection of some of the best Art available. The selections are in several categories, such as Impressionists, Landscapes and Botticelli. Each has a number of famous artworks and the user may display these on a television either individually or by selecting the slideshow feature.
Although Sotheby's is perceived as a high-end auctioneer, dealing in Art sold for millions of dollars, there is much sold that is accessible for those of us at the lower end. When I was in London a few years back I picked up some Japanese prints for under £50 each. As well as displaying information on upcoming sales, the Sotheby's app on AppleTV displays the items in several categories and users are able to learn about them. There are apps for AppleTV available in other countries, which Thai users do not have access to (or I have been unable to find), such as Loupe, Art Gallery Party and Art Legacy.
A new form of Art that is often reasonably priced, is limited edition digital Art. The app I use for this is Sedition which is available for certain Samsung TVs but not for the Apple TV. On a Mac a browser is used. There is an app for iOS devices, and I use AirPlay to show the items in my collection on the AppleTV. I could also connect the device using an adapter and HDTV cable. I sometimes use another adapter to connect to a projector to show items I have in a classroom.
Sedition (www.seditionart.com) has grown considerably and now has several famous artists on its books, including Damien Hirst, Tracy Ermin and Ryoichi Kurokawa. Most of the art available now is in video style, although some static images, like Hirst's Xylosidase are on sale.
I particularly like the way some items transform quite slowly so that the viewer is able to watch a visual evolution over several minutes. With a large collection (I now have 25 works), the entire Vault can be shown as a continuing series of slide shows. There is also an option to download an item as wallpaper.
There is another side to this form of collecting, which mirrors the real Art World. The digital works are sold as limited issue, with the issue of a numbered certificate as proof of ownership. As the editions are sold out, they can then be offered for sale.
Although only one of those I have can be sold at the moment, several have increased their original prices (some quite significantly), so if I were so disposed (and waited long enough), I might make something out of this new form of Art. I probably will not as the works I have give me a unique form of pleasure.
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. He is now continuing that in the Bangkok Post supplement, Life. He can be followed on Twitter (@extensions_th)
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