Apple Inc.

[yourusualkid]

A tad strange when HTC sold it for 265 million 9 months ago. Perhaps they are looking at Beats Music rather than the headphones line.

[specuvestor]

Began with iPod?

http://slumz.boxden.com/f87/the-story-of...m-1691064/

[CityFarmer]

The article gave a good overview on the online digital music market. The same should also apply to other online digital medias, both globally and Singapore...

Apple strikes a new chord in the future of music

LOS ANGELES — More than a decade ago, the late Steve Jobs pulled one of his trademark reality distorting manoeuvres, browbeating music label executives into selling songs on Apple’s then-nascent iTunes digital store for a mere S$1.28 apiece.

Now, the tables have turned and it’s Apple that is being forced into a deal that is far from a sure-fire winner.

The iPod and iPhone maker is expected to announce as early as this week a US$3.2 billion (S$4 billion) agreement to buy Beats Electronics, the music streaming service and headphone maker founded by legendary music producer Jimmy Iovine and rapper Dr Dre, according to three sources familiar with Apple’s thinking.

The deal would come after Pandora Media and Spotify have already claimed the vanguard of the music streaming revolution, while Apple’s riposte — the eight-month-old iTunes Radio — is stumbling.

“Apple is about two years late, behind Spotify,” said Mr David Pakman, a digital music investor with Venrock Capital and a co-creator of Apple’s Music Group. “They need a streaming offering.”

With digital music downloads in decline, record labels have put pressure on Apple to get its act together on streaming, according to two of the three sources. The record labels hope Apple can turn Beats Music into a strong competitor with Spotify and other streaming services, the sources said.

“The labels wanted Apple to build a premium service,” said one of the sources, who like the others were not authorized to speak about the matter on the record. “They wanted ... to make money through the stream.”

In recent months, the major labels had grown dissatisfied with the performance of iTunes Radio, the source said. Streaming subscriptions are now the fastest-growing revenue source for the music industry, but Apple has not made a dent.

Streaming subscriptions jumped 51 per cent last year to US$1.1 billion, out of a US$15 billion total spent on music, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Meanwhile, digital downloads slipped 2.1 per cent.

Per-user spending is higher with streaming services than for music downloads. A good customer spends US$25 to US$35 a year on music purchases, but a subscriber spends US$9 or more a month — or more than US$100 a year, according to one source.

Labels earn royalties of a fraction of a cent for every stream, which the source said works out to a higher revenue per user than pure digital sales.

Apple, Beats and record labels Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment declined to comment for this story. A spokeswoman for Universal Music Group did not respond to requests for comment.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/appl...epage=true

[CityFarmer]

The partnership will help Apple penetrating corporate market...

(not vested)

Apple, IBM set aside rivalry to boost each other’s businesses

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple and International Business Machines (IBM) are setting aside a three-decade-old rivalry that started at the dawn of the personal-computing era to work together to get more businesses to embrace iPhones and iPads.

The deal gives Apple access to an IBM sales force that will recommend Apple’s devices to customers in industries such as health care and banking, which have never been priorities for the consumer-focused iPhone maker.

IBM gets a boost in a long-running effort to sell software and services to companies seeking to manage workers’ smartphones and tablets. “We really recognised almost simultaneously that we could be uniquely helpful to one another’s strategy and that there was literally no overlap,” said Ms Bridget Van Kralingen, IBM’s senior vice-president of global business services.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-ib...businesses

[CityFarmer]

New stuffs from Apple...

Larger iPhones, Apple Watch unveiled

CUPERTINO (California) — For the first time in years, Apple’s iPhones weren’t the star of the show. Apple unveiled a smartwatch on Tuesday (early Wednesday morning, Singapore time), a wearable device that marked the company’s first major entry in a new product category since the iPad’s debut in 2010.

The move is significant because of recent questions about whether Apple still has a knack for innovating following the 2011 death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

The device’s introduction upstaged the company’s two new, larger iPhones, which won’t just have bigger screens —They’ll have a new, horizontal viewing mode to take advantage of the larger display.

Apple also introduced a system for using the phone to make credit card payments at retail stores.

Apple turned to the past as it laid out its future. The company held the event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts, the same venue where Jobs unveiled the industry-shifting Mac computer 25 years ago. The Cupertino, California, venue is near Apple’s headquarters.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/larger-i...h-unveiled

[CityFarmer]

What your take? I will say nothing impressive, and disappointing as Apple new launch...

(not vested)

The Apple Watch: Amazing or disappointing?

CALIFORNIA - Apple has finally announced its first wearable, a device that's simply called the Apple Watch. Early reactions have ranged across the spectrum - here’s my list of reasons why the Watch is the most divisive device Apple has announced yet.

WHY IT’S AMAZING

It looks good: Even though it won’t be for sale till early 2015, the pre-production iteration of the Apple Watch already looks like a very sexy piece of kit with its sapphire crystal panel and premium-looking metal finishes. The snazzy user interface comes with smooth animations that I have not quite seen on any other wearable device. It’s pretty impressive for a first-generation product.
High degree of customisation: Watches are even more personal than smartphones, so Apple has created three “collections” catered for a multitude of different customers. You can also customise the face of the onscreen display with custom watchfaces. There’s a bevy of wristbands from Apple you can match it with and you can be sure that there will be a plethora of third-party accessories available once it ships.
There will be an App Store: Just like the iPhone and iPad, the Watch will have its own App Store so third-party developers can develop apps for the wearable. It is essentially an Internet-connected miniaturised computer on your wrist and might be the next big software platform, after smartphones and tablets.
Apple Pay: In Apple-fashion, a seamless digital way to pay without whipping out your credit cards. What’s not to like? That it’s only available in the US, for now.
All-in-one fitness band: It still needs an iPhone to track your location via GPS or altitude but it already has quite a set of health sensors, including a heart-rate monitor, that can give a comprehensive overview of your fitness.
WHY IT COULD BE DISAPPOINTING

Limited shelf-life: It will be hard to sway those who treat their timepieces as status symbols or a sentimental belonging. The Apple Watch might have a limited shelf-life too, because of its tech innards, even the most premium model that comes with an 18-karat yellow or rose gold body will be obsolete once the next iteration makes its debut. People usually expect their watches to last a few years as well, not something they might need to upgrade every year or two.
Its looks won't appeal to everyone: Its space-age curves might be appealing but it also might appear boxy and inelegant to some. Despite the different finishes and wristbands available, Apple’s one-size-fits-all look seems limited compared to the different sizes and form factors available from Android-based smartwatches from the likes of Samsung, Motorola or LG.
It needs an iPhone: Yes, you will still need to tether it to an iPhone. The wearable cannot make calls, send messages or figure out your location via GPS unless it’s connected. And it’s exclusive to the iPhone, so you might need to look elsewhere if you’re adamant on sticking with an Android or Windows smartphone.
Battery life: No word on battery life yet from Apple. But with such a slick and sharp user interface and always-on connectivity, the device could prove to be a power hog. Puts a whole different spin on running out of time, doesn’t it?
No killer apps: Despite the potential of the Apple Watch becoming a software platform, there was no killer app that demonstrated during Apple’s announcement that makes it a compelling device to covet yet.
Gimmicky way of communication? Sending your heartbeats, remotely sending taps and vibrations and doodling on the Apple Watch seems gimmicky. Only time will tell if it catches on and becomes a genuine mode of communication.
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-wa...appointing

[CityFarmer]

There are other similar service provided in the past, convenience, but perceived as unsafe. The Apple's new service is both convenience and safe (by Apple finger print security feature). I reckon Apple might make it the next killing...

(not vested)

Will Apple’s digital wallet kill the card swipe?

NEW YORK - Apple wants the plastic credit card to become as rare as the paper check.

On Tuesday, the company announced Apple Pay, a digital payment system that lets people pay for retail store purchases using their phones rather than cash or credit cards. The service, which will work both with iPhones and Apple’s new Watch, is backed by a host of big retailers, along with most major banks and credit card issuers, including Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

So-called contactless payment isn’t new. Starbucks, McDonald’s, PayPal, Google and Square offer their own services, but only a small portion of customers use them. Some experts believe Apple Pay - with its presence on millions of iPhones and its advanced security features- could be the service that leads to widespread adoption of the digital wallet.
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http://www.todayonline.com/tech/will-app...card-swipe

[CityFarmer]

It seems the new iPhone models are "right" again...

Apple iPhone 6 pre-orders hit record 4 million on first day

Apple Inc said many customers will need to wait until next month for their new iPhones after a record 4 million first-day pre-orders were logged, double the number for the iPhone 5 two years ago.

The company said demand had outstripped supply of the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which feature larger screens and longer battery life. Deliveries of pre-orders will begin on Friday and will continue through October.

Bumper first-day pre-orders point to first-weekend sales of up to 10 million units, analysts estimated.

"Assuming preorders are similar to the 40 percent of first weekend sales for the iPhone 5, this would imply iPhone 6/6Plus first weekend sales could be around 10 million," Wells Fargo Securities analysts wrote in a note.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/business/appl...ew-iphones

[CityFarmer]

What's new on the new iPads?

Apple ‘to unveil two new iPads in mid-Oct’

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple will unveil the next generation of iPad tablets around the middle of next month, a person with knowledge of the plans said, as the firm bolsters its product line-up ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Chief executive officer Tim Cook is working to shake up the iPad line as sales of the tablets, Apple’s second-biggest product by revenue, have declined for two straight quarters. The company has not introduced a new iPad since October last year and consumers have instead been shifting to smartphones with bigger screens.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...ds-mid-oct

[CityFarmer]

A disastrous? May be a tech glitch is more suitable. Software update roll-back is a major event, but not a disastrous, if the roll-back is orderly done.

(not vested)

Disastrous start for record-selling iPhone 6

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook called the introduction of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over the weekend the “best launch ever”. He may have spoken too soon.

Just three days after announcing that Apple had sold a record 10 million new iPhones over the opening weekend, the new devices have run into multiple snafus as users complained that a new software update blocked their calls, while a widely circulated video showed the larger of the two new models is vulnerable to bending.

A software update Apple sent on Wednesday did the opposite of what the company had intended, disabling cellphone service on untold numbers of iPhones, among other problems.

Twitter and technology news sites quickly overflowed with reports of people who encountered the troubles after downloading and installing the update, iOS 8.0.1, which was intended to fix various bugs in the operating system for Apple’s mobile devices. Apple responded by withdrawing the update.

This is not the first time a software update from Apple has caused, rather than fixed, problems on devices.

But it appears to be one of the first times the company has withdrawn such an update.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...g-iphone-6