eXtensions - Saturday 3 August 2024
By Graham K. Rogers
Apple announced another record quarter this week. Intel to cut 15,000 from its workforce. Apple released updates to its operating systems this week. Beta releases included AI components. An Apple video of its Underdogs based in Thailand saw online criticism and has been withdrawn. Find My is not available in South Korea, while Tim Sweeney (Epic) to some derision claims it is creepy. It is time for Apple to update its Airport Wifi: the core of a home network.
There were rumors the evening before the 1 August announcement (Friday morning here) of the Q3 2024 results that Apple had managed to beat the street: those guesstimates that Wall Street analysts put out without the information that Tim Cook and Luca Maestri have access to. Indeed, the street was beaten - not by much - although the figures were another record. Apple's statement is below, followed by some useful links:
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2024 third quarter ended June 29, 2024. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $85.8 billion, up 5 percent year over year, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $1.40, up 11 percent year over year.
"Today Apple is reporting a new June quarter revenue record of $85.8 billion, up 5 percent from a year ago," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "During the quarter, we were excited to announce incredible updates to our software platforms at our Worldwide Developers Conference, including Apple Intelligence, a breakthrough personal intelligence system that puts powerful, private generative AI models at the core of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. We very much look forward to sharing these tools with our users, and we continue to invest significantly in the innovations that will enrich our customers' lives, while leading with the values that drive our work."
"During the quarter, our record business performance generated EPS growth of 11 percent and nearly $29 billion in operating cash flow, allowing us to return over $32 billion to shareholders," said Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO. "We are also very pleased that our installed base of active devices reached a new all-time high in all geographic segments, thanks to very high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty."
In his address, Tim Cook noted that, Apple had "set quarterly revenue records in more than two dozen countries" including Thailand. Services ($24.2 billion) saw growth of 14%, while iPad sales ($7.2 billion) were up 24% and Mac sales increased by 2%. The iPhone was down by 1%. I think Apple will survive.
The order for the links depends on the time they appeared in my early morning reading list:
Some of the questions focused on Apple Intelligence, although the answers for a couple were already out there; however one analyst asked about regulators: specifically EU and China. Tim Cook was reserved but did say there have to be discussions. Apple (and Meta) have already warned that a lack of firm answers particularly regarding EU legislation, means that there may be doubt if these features could be made available.
While Apple is still breaking records, Intel's woes are increasing. The company has been slow to move to new types technology. It is not just the arrival of Apple silicon of course, but the arrival of AI chips that Intel has fallen behind on and it is bleeding cash. Maxwell Zeff, TechCrunch, reports that Intel is to load off 15,000 workers in an attempt "to reduce spending by $10 billion in 2025". Ryan Smith (AnandTech) also comments on the changes at Intel noting that investor dividends will not be paid for an indefinite period from Q4 onwards.
On Tuesday morning this week, my breakfast was interrupted when I read in email that macOS had been updated to version 14.6. This had been expected, but it also meant that there were probably other updates. Sure enough, the iPad mini showed an update to iPadOS 17.6 and the iPhone had an update to the equivalent iOS 17.6. I checked that each of the devices had been backed up, running two backups for the Mac as one of the disks was scheduled to be rotated to the office. There were no significant changes to the installations, although Howard Oakley (Eclectic Light Company) reported that some of the Apple apps had been updated, with "a large build increment" to Photos. That appears to have cured my RAW image export problem on the Mac Book Pro.
I initially forgot to check for an update to Apple Watch, but saw that would be available for later (done); and I always update the Apple TV late (Friday - all OK). After installing the updates there were no problems, although the iPhone seemed to be a bit heavy on the battery. I shall monitor that for a day or two to see if anything has changed or if this is just the normal settling down as the update is optimized [It settled back to more acceptable charging]. I also notice that the Watch keeps needing its passcode for a couple of days, but that now seems to have gone way. I experienced that a few months ago too.
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There was, however, one change following the macOS update that will be welcomed by users of the M3 14" MacBook Pro. Juli Clover (MacRumors) reports that it is now possible to run this specific device in clamshell mode (lid closed), using two external displays.
As had been rumored, there are indeed two beta versions of iOS, but the AI component has some strings attached. iOS 18 and iOS 18.1 along with beta versions of iPadOS and macOS with AI were released early Tuesday (here). Juli Clover (MacRumors) outlining the releases writes that "These new betas will be in testing alongside the current" beta versions. Selected developers could opt for the AI features and iOS 18.1, but only if they were in the USA.
There was another filter in that those interested had to submit a request to be added to a waitlist and wait for Apple to approve. Connor Jewiss (iMore) also outlines the features and what is not included, mentioning that this limited currently to those in the USA, but then including a workaround. He also adds that "It seems Apple doesn't want those outside the US using Apple Intelligence for the time being."
A couple of weeks ago, I saw that Apple had released a new video in its Underdogs series of advertisements. As I watched, I rolled my eyes at the setting in a Thailand I did not recognize. It seemed to have some flavor of the late 1970s, but not of the modern Thailand I know, with its tower blocks, fairly good highway system and modern metro lines that are still being expanded. To be fair, TV, movies and advertising here sometimes also take the same approach. But, Apple.
Despite the vintage-looking images, the participants used the latest Apple products to finish the task. The video was filmed using subdued colors adding to the seedy look. I thought of writing about this, but just filed it away as a misguided production. This week, after comments online and by authorities, Apple has withdrawn the video with an apology. I guess someone at the local offices, which are quite large and staffed by well-educated persons from Thailand and other countries, thought it was funny. That misplaced humor has backfired. Despite several articles about the removal of the video (e.g. Tammy Rogers, iMore), I had not seen any of these negative online comments beforehand, although the online reports cite one or two residents, so the "backlash from the entire nation of Thailand" may be hyperbole. There have been more since the backlash was reported than before.
Although Apple has withdrawn the video, there are now several comments that have clips from the original Underdogs (Out of the Office - OOO) video. I took screen shots from one commentary (in Thai). In the first, the type of hotel depicted is something of a rarity these days, unless you visit certain parts of Bangkok (and other towns). In the second screenshot, in which the whole group is on a tuk-tuk, which are still used, although taxis and limousine services are widely available, note the elevated highway in the background.
No one at work, including my students, had mentioned this. Similar output has been produced here before. Tim Cook has been here and seen what Thailand has to offer, while the company (like several others) has used local manufacturers to produce parts, so would be aware of the capabilities. It was meant to be humor, but what one person thinks is funny may not work with others.
I was surprised to learn from an item on Patently Apple that Find My, the app that helps users track lost or stolen Apple products, is not available in South Korea. That has upset a number of users in the country who are demanding that Apple right this wrong and are putting together a petition to force the company's hand. They need 50,000 signatures for the issue to be "delegated to dedicated committee for further discussion", but so far only have 5,300.
I presumed that there was some odd government regulation that had prevented the use of Find My (for 15 years we are told), but the Korea Communications Commission, has made it clear that there is no such regulation. When asked, Apple commented vaguely that "it is due to company's internal regulation" which needs some clarification.
Tim Sweeney (Epic CEO) who is not known as a fan of Apple, replying to an AppleInsider message on X, claims that Find My is "super creepy", even though it found his Mac that had been stolen from his car (Juli Clover, MacRumors). He comments that the tech is tracking the person and not the device, so there is an expectation of privacy: like expecting that the Mac in your car will remain un-stolen? Find My did exactly what it was designed to do, despite the passage of years. Reader comments following the article are interesting. Sweeney has apparently turned off the feature on his devices. Let us hope that none of his devices are stolen in the future.
I had seen some items about individual series and movies on AppleTV+, like Silo, Severance and Slow Horses, but this week MacWorld produced a long list showing future programming which has a couple of surprises. I had noted earlier that a German series was about to arrive (Wanda), but there is also a Spanish series due soon (Midnight Family), while Netflix has a good collection of European offerings, there has been far less non-English-speaking content so far on AppleTV+.
Drops of God, set in Japan, France (and a small scene in Thailand) was masterful and I look forward to more quality like this. Pachinko (2) is arriving soon, and a Mexican police series (Women in Blue) arrived this week. I find a lot of the content on the service is meh as if aimed at a limited California audience, although some keeps me riveted. There is a section close to the end of the MacWorld report with a number of projects that are in production or planned; but oddly, I see no mention in this listing of series 3 of the brilliant Foundation that is rumored to be in production following earlier delays.
Apple has had some hits and misses over the years, including two of may favorite Macs: the Cube, and the Trash Can Mac Pro. They both looked good but were unsuccessful for technical reasons. On his return, Steve Jobs killed the Newton which had a good following, but was not wildly successful although its development paved the way for other PDAs (the personal digital assistant) eventually leading to smartphones.
Some of the technology developed for the Newton, for example handwriting recognition, found its way into other devices. One that I always regret is the loss of the Airport WiFi router. Apple wanted to focus on consumer devices and the Airport which was one of the best consumer devices had to go.
I still run the last Airport router I bought, despite having switched to WiFi 6 for a while. The (nameless) WiFi 6 router was not easy to set up, needing an iPad app which was hard to cope with, although I did later find a browser-based setup page. Despite help from the company I was never able to change the password from the default. When I saw a series of articles on the particular manufacturer's router security problems, I pulled the plug and re-connected the Airport: up and running within a couple of minutes. The unused WiFi 6 router still sits on top of a cupboard gathering dust.
A while back MacWorld made a case for Apple to develop a more up to date version of the Airport as these are still needed: almost everyone I know has a router and these are made by a variety of manufacturers, with a mix of security levels. What attracts me to Apple products is the ease of integration; and the Airport was part of that, so a modern version would be welcome. It is core to the successful operation of a home network.
This week, Dennis Sellers (AppleWorld Today) also made a case for Apple to bring this WiFi router back with WiFi 6E support, reminding me that I have been running that Airport router for 8 years.
Apple has issued a paper on its training of AI models. Kyle Wiggers (TechCrunch) had some observations on this. There had been some allegations concerning the source of some input which Apple addresses. There is a link to the report in the TechCrunch article, which I downloaded and have half-read. Although I am used to editing academic papers I am finding it heavy going. Despite noting the way Apple details how sources were found and used (licensed in some cases), Wiggers cannot resist a cheap shot: "The technical paper . . . was sourced in a "responsible" way - or responsible by Apple's definition, at least" [my italics].
Those who read my output regularly will know that I enjoy photography: digital and analog. I own several older cameras, but I mostly use a Hasselblad 500c/m or a Rolleiflex. Both take 120 (medium format) film. I have tried several films in my cameras, but most often use Ilford black and white films from Harman in the UK. I used these films as a kid. I did try the same company's Harman Phoenix color film in a 35mm Nikon I have but would prefer that this were in 120 format. There is no news about that, but this week, Harman announced an expansion, which is somewhat positive regarding the future availability of film.
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It is reported by Jaron Schneider (Petapixel) that Harman is to make "a multimillion-pound investment into its film manufacturing capabilities". This includes "two new converting machines which are the first to be produced since before 2000." The company aims "to pioneer new ways to manufacture, produce and develop film - both black and white and color." That is more than encouraging as it confirms that Harman's experiment with Phoenix was "hugely successful." The new equipment will also help other film makers who reply on Harman's manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
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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