eXtensions - Monday 28 October 2024
By Graham K. Rogers
Indonesia has stopped sales and use of the iPhone 16 in the country, while India plans to tax devices imported by Apple and others at higher rates. We expect updates to Apple's operating systems imminently, with new Macs drip-fed day by day; and Q4 2024 financial results near the end of the week. eBay changed its search page. I did not like the new style and I guess I was not alone as the display went back to the original after a few days.
According to a report by Michael Burkhardt in Apple Insider, it is now illegal to import, buy or use the Apple iPhone 16 (and the Apple Watch 10) in Indonesia. This apparently also affects tourists coming into the country the report confirms. This is because Apple made promises to the Indonesian government about investments and has failed to fulfill its side of the agreement. Burkhardt writes, "Apple apparently pledged $109 million USD ($1.71 trillion rupiah) for investments in Indonesia's infrastructure and local sourcing, but has come up short on their promise, at roughly $95 million USD"
In terms of revenue and profit, this is a drop in the ocean, but is not good PR. Other countries might also consider putting this sort of pressure on Apple (see India, below). A total ban is unusual, although Russia has tried, but regimes change, sometimes overnight, and there are always those in out of the way places (and the EU) willing to make a fuss. I expect that this storm in a teacup (or kendi) will be smoothed over quickly and both sides will recognize that there had been a misunderstanding, saving face all round.
India is reported to be planning to limit the import of certain Apple devices come 1 January. The government there wants Apple to manufacture more within the country and, as Dennis Sellers (AppleWorld Today) outlines, they tried this before, but had put it on the back burner after many tech companies made strong representations. Having invested several billion dollars in plant and the other needs of opening manufacturing sites in the country, as well as a new flagship Apple Store, India wanted to levy taxes on devices imported by Apple and all the other companies. That would probably have reduced sales considerably in the country. Although they stopped any immediate plans then, the Indian authorities did make it clear they were re-examining the situation. Now they have.
We are on the cusp of a new period in Apple's history as the next updates (iOS and iPadOS 18.1, plus macOS 15.1) are to be rolled out later today (Tuesday morning here) although the AI features will not be available to all users. The AI rollout will initially only be for US users (officially) and that means changing the settings on at least one device to US English then requesting Apple for permission to use the new features. I am unsure if the Language & Region setting also needs to be changed to USA although that is probable. Online comments have not been clear and I am worried about time changes.
The updates coincide with several reports on M4 Macs that have been expected for a while. While these rumors have some evidence (such as online benchmarks), they were almost confirmed last week by Greg Joswiak (Jos) who sent out a message on X confirming that there will be a number of releases this week: "Mac . . . your calendars! We have an exciting week of announcements ahead, starting on Monday morning. Stay tuned..."
Note that OS updates are normally released in the later part of the day, so this would appear to be a reference to hardware, and as the "Mac [sic] your calendars. . ." implies this supports what rumors have suggested since the iPad Pro was updated with the M4 chip in April. I suppose it is an M4 and not a move to M5? . . . Monday morning is also unusual, so with a week of potential updates, and no invitations having been sent out, this (and the others) is more likely to be a Press Release update with YouTube support. As well as notebook computers, there have been strong rumors about an updated Mac mini with more USB-C ports, which has a smaller footprint. Comparisons have been made to the current AppleTV.
AppleTV has kept me entertained by two magnetic series this week: Disclaimer (Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline and Sasha Baron Cohen); and Before, with Billy Crystal in a surprisingly strong performance as a child psychologist, facing his own inner demons (sort of standard for this type of drama). Disclaimer, also includes Kodi Smith-McPhee as the troubled son of the main couple, and Louise Partridge as the dead youth whom Blanchett's character met years before, and who reappears in flashbacks as the story builds.
There are several ethical problems here: in the way Blanchett denies ever knowing the youth until finally caught out; and the way she is caught out by Kline's character who publishes then distributes a book written by his dead wife, including copies of risqué photographs that the dead son took of the encounter. Kline's character also catfishes the the Blanchett character's son, leading to a drug-addled decline. There have also been a umber of reports concerning Sasha Baron Cohen's ethics concerning support by US and Israeli intelligence services (Alan Macleod, Mint Press News [et al]). There are a couple of factual and procedural problems, but the whole thing is gripping. The last episode is, Only Death is Irrevocable, and I am waiting to view that next Friday. But whose death?
Over on Netflix I was pleased to see that the notes on the fascinating, 3 Body Problem, report that another season is coming. Season 2 of the Diplomat - season 1 ended with a bang (literally) - is about to appear: 31 October, Thursday. Although Netflix has several good movies and series available here, it is only a small proportion of what is listed in the USA. Occasionally, it falls flat as we wait for another good one to drop. I am running through House bit by bit when there are gaps. Doc Martin which I prefer takes the same approach of an abrasive yet skilled doctor solving problems week by week, although the final season is still to arrive. So much good television from Britain never turns up here, while there may be one (or two series) and the final ones never appear (Doc Martin, Happy Valley, Line of Duty 6 (seasons 1-4 are now unavailable here too). I think I might as well watch Breaking Bad for a 3rd time.
Negative reports about Apple always appear as we approach every quarterly report of the finances; and Q4 2024 is coming this week (31 October). Although some analysts expect this to be another good quarter, there are reports that Apple is cutting orders for the Vision Pro and the iPhone 16 (Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider). Note that the source for the story, which has been followed slavishly by most sources, is the Information: this is not noted for being pro-Apple. This was just after Tim Cook was interviewed by Dua Lipa for WSJ in a discussion that covered a wide range of areas, in which he did say the Vision Pro was not a consumer device [my italics]; it was for those at the high end who want the experience. That must include the surgeons who are making good use of this too, an area in which the Microsoft HoloLens and the Google glasses have fallen short, partly due to the output quality. Owen provides some useful figures and the article suggests that this may lead to an end in production in late 2024, making room for a cheaper version, but not till 2026.
As ever, Ming-Chi Kuo uses his supply chain contacts to report that orders for the iPhone 16 have fallen by 10 million in the quarter and "through the first half of 2025" (Dennis Sellers, AppleWorld Today). Q4 2024, which is the quarter before holiday season sales are expected, is on 31 October. 2025 comes after 2024 and we are not there yet, so with the holiday season, Apple might revise orders. Kuo's report is clearly aimed at upcoming quarters so this would tend to push the share price down, perhaps hoping for a rebound.
It took a little over a week, during which time I stopped using the eBay app, apart from a cursory look each day at the new Search display. I had found this difficult to use. With thumbnails at the side and a larger display when one item was selected, this slowed me down when I had been more comfortable with a full screen display of some 8 items that I could scroll down, giving me a better idea of the items available.
I did post a comment to eBay about this, and I guess I was not alone. The app was updated here on Sunday morning and a check later in the day showed a return to the old display, which is far easier on the eye, and the brain. If it ain't broke, don't fix it: a lesson that Apple could also learn at times.
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. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on X (@extensions_th). The RSS feed for the articles is http://www.extensions.in.th/ext_link.xml - copy and paste into your feed reader.
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