PhilSchiller
Latest
With the iPhone XR, Apple broadens its 'best'
The iPhone XR might be the most interesting phone Apple has made in years. Think about it: Apple just released its flagship XS and XS Max to a chorus of positive reviews, and now here it is, a month later, preparing to launch another smartphone that packs many of the same features found in those really expensive ones. For Apple, this is all a little unheard of. To add to the curiosity of it all, the R doesn't mean much either. Phil Schiller, gingerly gripping a cup of coffee across from me, said the letters Apple uses never stand for something specific. But then his voice softened a little as he started to tell me about what the letters mean to him. "I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special," he said with a smile. That's not exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I'm not sure what I should've expected from a) Apple's SVP of global marketing and b) a longtime fan of Porsches and Audis. Of course, Schiller's is just one interpretation, and the iPhone XR lends itself to many. It's the cheap iPhone. It's the depressing iPhone. It's, in my case, the fascinating iPhone. That's all right though: Apple was intent on building the right iPhone for as many people as possible, no matter their outlook. These years of work have led Apple to build one of its best smartphones ever, even if it's a little misunderstood.
Apple iMac Pro goes on sale December 14th
Apple vowed to ship the iMac Pro in December, and it's making good on that promise. The company has confirmed that its workstation-grade all-in-one will be available on December 14th. It has yet to reveal the exact configuration options, but the $4,999 'starter' model ships with an 8-core Xeon processor, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of solid-state storage and a Radeon Vega Pro graphics chipset with 8GB of RAM. You can option it with up to an 18-core Xeon, 128GB of RAM, a 4TB SSD and a 16GB Vega chipset, although video creator Marques Brownlee notes that you'll have to wait until the new year for that 18-core beast.
Apple is making an iMac with pros in mind
When you think "pro desktop," you probably don't think of the iMac. You can get one with a pro-quality display and a high-end (consumer) processor that will do the job for many tasks, but you likely wouldn't buy one for massive 3D modeling or video projects. However, Apple might have you changing your mind before long. As part of a roundtable on the future of Mac desktops, the company's Phil Schiller has promised that there will be iMac configurations made "specifically with the pro customer in mind" later in 2017. And before you ask: no, this doesn't mean a touchscreen-centric design akin to Microsoft's Surface Studio.
Relive Apple's iPhone 7 event right here
If you were busy at work yesterday and couldn't watch Apple's iPhone 7 stream unfold live, you can fix that. As is tradition, the Cupertino company has uploaded the whole shebang to YouTube so you can relive seeing Shigeru Miyamoto introduce Super Mario Run, VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller saying that removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 took "courage" and Sia's end-of-show performance depressing the hell out of (almost) everyone. Don't have two hours? Well, you could always watch our 15 minute version.
Courage is not how you sell iPhones
Today, during the annual iPhone event, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller said Apple was ditching the headphone jack found in pretty much every audio device ever made because of "courage." Yeah, not so much.
Apple's App Store is changing, starting with subscriptions
At next week's WWDC, Apple is set to unveil some major changes to the way developers and users interact with the App Store. According to Apple's senior VP of Worldwide Marketing (and perennial WWDC keynote presence) Phil Schiller, Apple is working to improve everything from the app review experience to the discovery process. But the most notable change is a shift in the business models to allow for subscriptions from any kind of app.
Apple names Jeff Williams as its first COO since Tim Cook
Apple has just named its first Chief Operating Officer since Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011. Longtime Apple veteran Jeff Williams (who joined the company in 1998) is now COO, reporting directly to Cook. Additionally, senior VP of marketing Phil Schiller has seen his duties expand, as well -- he's now the leader of the App Store, a responsibility that was previously under the purview of Eddy Cue.
Mac Pro launches in December for $3,000: 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU, 12GB RAM, 256GB SSD
Apple's latest Mac Pro rolls off United States assembly lines and into consumers hands in December for $3,000. The base model features a 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU ("with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz"), 12GB DRAM, two AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, and a 256GB SSD. Apple senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller announced as much during an event this morning on the company's Cupertino, CA. campus, where he went into some finer details about the upcoming cylindrical computer. For one, the machine starts at the above configuration, but expands to 64GB DRAM and 1TB flash storage. Should you prefer the whole cloth route, there's a $4,000 option with a 3.5 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon E5 processor ("with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz"), dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs with 3GB of VRAM each, 16GB of memory, and 256GB of PCIe-based flash storage. Considering Apple's touting this as the computer you'll have for "the next 10 years," perhaps some expansion beyond the base model is worth a thought. The machine is apparently as quiet as a Mac Mini -- perhaps owing to its single fan design -- and leaves a light carbon footprint as well (it uses 70 percent less energy than the previous generation Mac Pro, Schiller said). As promised, the new Mac Pro is being assembled and designed in the United States. Schiller ended today's Mac Pro section of the talk with a video showing the new machine in production in American factories. We've got our own video for you just beyond the break going eyes-on with the new Mac Pro back at WWDC 2013 if you'd like to join us!
Phil Schiller slams Android in WSJ interview hours before new handsets are to be introduced
In another unusual move for Apple marketing: Phil Schiller slammed Google's Android OS as a "fragmented" system in a Wall Street Journal interview. The interview came just 24 hours before Samsung is set to unveil their new smartphone. The new comments also come less than a week after Phil Schiller tweeted that Android users should "Be safe out there." That tweet was in response to a report from F-Secure, which highlighted a number of security and malware issues in the Android operating system. Schiller told the Wall Street Journal that Android users are often running old operating systems and that the fragmentation among Android devices was "plain and simple." He also added that "Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone." Additionally, he brought up Apple's strong ecosystem as a benefit to users over what Android offers, something the company started touting with the introduction of the iPod 12 years ago. "When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with. They don't work seamlessly together." The Wall Street Journal characterized Schiller's comments as defensive. Samsung is widely expected to launch the Galaxy S 4 later today.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: Apple's Phil Schiller needles Android's fragmentation, user experience (update: more!)
In an interview curiously timed just ahead of Samsung's Galaxy S 4 shindig tomorrow, Apple senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller took time out to tell the Wall Street Journal exactly where he believes his company's product outpaces its Android competition. There's no mention of the Korean company or its flagship product by name, but he took care aim at a frequent target of Android foes: fragmentation. Android is often given a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone. When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with...They don't work seamlessly together According to the WSJ, he also shared company data indicating four times as many customers had switched to iPhone from Android during Q4 as the reverse. We'd be interested in seeing what those numbers look like in the quarter of the next Galaxy's release just to follow up, but owners of either product can find more (predictable) talking points at the source link. Update: Had enough? Apparently Phil hasn't, continuing his media tour to Reuters -- did he lose our number? -- rattling the fragmentation saber again, and this time pointing it squarely at rival Samsung. Citing Google's own Android Dashboard data, he pointed out that only 16 percent of users are on Jelly Bean despite it being out for a year. Also called on the carpet is the Galaxy S 4 ahead of its launch, as he said customers will wait for an update yet again after it ships with last year's software. Your move, Samsung.
Phil Schiller tweets followers: "Be safe out there"
Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller isn't known for using Twitter all that much, but he tweeted a link today and warned his followers to "Be safe out there." What was the link? It was to a Mobile Threat Report (PDF) from F-Secure, which highlighted a number of security and malware issues in the Android operating system. Apple's own iOS mobile operating system was only mentioned in passing in the report. The report shows that in 2012, Android accounted for 79 percent of all mobile threats, while iOS barely registered with only 0.7 percent of threats. Jordan Golson of MacRumors suggests that Schiller's tweet could be part of a move by Apple's PR group to paint the company in a more favorable light.
Phil Schiller: No cheap iPhone in the works (Updated)
We've been hearing rumors of a cheaper iPhone for longer than we'd care to remember, and while everyone from the Wall Street Journal to Bloomberg is trumpeting the budget iPhone horn, Apple's own Phil Schiller is doing his best to put an end to it. TNW reports that in an interview with China's Shanghai Evening News, Apple's SVP of Worldwide Marketing adamantly denies that the company is considering an iPhone with a lower price point. "Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple's products," Schiller bluntly states. "In fact, although Apple's market share of smartphones is just about 20 percent, we own the 75 percent of the profit." And that's what it really comes down to: profit. The iPhone 5 sold more than 5 million units in the first weekend of availability. That doesn't sound like a product line in need of an economy-minded addition. The iPhone is Apple's biggest cash cow, and with new, full-priced models consistently selling out at launch, there's absolutely no reason for the company to consider producing a budget model. The older models of the iPhone drop off in price each year, and you can currently get an iPhone 4 for no cost through Verizon, and for US$0.99 through AT&T. So if you're looking for a cheap iPhone, there are already plenty of options on the table. Until Apple sees iPhone popularity wane, we don't expect to see a budget-tier option materialize. Update: Reuters has rescinded its story, noting that the "Shanghai Evening News report [was] subsequently updated with substantial changes to its content." The updated post ends by saying, "No replacement story will be issued." Here we go again.
Tim Cook visits Apple reseller in China
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China supposedly meeting with government officials to talk about China's IT industry and Apple's role in this burgeoning field. It's not all business for the affable CEO, who used part of that time to soak up the local flavor. According to AppleInsider and M.I.C. Gadget, Tim Cook has been photographed inside an Apple reseller store in Beijing, caught on film with an Apple fan at the Wangfujing Apple store and even spotted talking to a group of fans in an underground passageway. M.I.C. Gadget claims marketing head Phil Schiller is also touring Beijing. Schiller is apparently keeping a much lower profile than Cook as photos of him in public have not surfaced. Details on why he is in China are also not known.
Phil Schiller to provide further testimony to Samsung Electronics
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, will take the stand again in the ongoing legal battle between his company and Samsung. The US District Court for the Northern District of California has ordered both Samsung and Apple to make a number of executives available for "not more than three hours." Schiller was among those requested of Apple. He is expected to appear "no later than November 5, 2012." I can picture him on the witness stand now: "Good morning. I've got some exciting things to share with you today..."
Phil Schiller on the state of the Mac
After Apple unveiled its refreshed lineup of Mac computers on Tuesday, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller talked to Harry McCracken about the Mac and how it has evolved over the years. "This is what Apple has always been about, and the Mac has been about, from the first Mac and first iMac," Schiller said. "It's always been about making the best Mac we know how." Schiller added that the "approach at Apple has always been to make products we're proud to own and use ourselves." He reiterated to McCracken the same line we have heard from CEO Tim Cook -- that Apple "wouldn't make something cheap or low quality." Schiller pointed out that "when the economy is difficult, people care a great deal about the things they spend their money on" and added that "customers have come to understand that Apple's products aren't priced high -- they're priced on the value of what we build into them." You can read the full interview in McCraken's Technologizer column on Time.com.
The iPad mini vs. the competition: fight!
The traditional trail of inventory listings, leaked casings and internal components have teased us enough: it's finally time to get down to the nitty gritty specs, and see how Apple's latest (and daintiest) iPad shapes up to the competition. We've collected a trio of like-sized slabs to pit the device against, just for the fun of it. Read on to see how it stacks up against its peers. For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
Apple announces 7.9-inch iPad mini with a 1,024 x 768 display, A5 CPU and optional LTE for $329
Well, hello there, the worst-kept secret in tech. Apple's iPad mini is the company's newest device, a 7.9-inch tablet that's designed to go toe-to-toe with Google's Nexus 7. For now, it'll sit alongside the iPad 2 and fourth-generation iPad, and as it packs the same 1,024 x 768 display as the second-generation slate, apps will carry across without any resizing. While Phil Schiller didn't mention Google or the Nexus 7 by name, the rival slate (and Google's app library) was compared to the newest iOS device. On stage, he claimed that the screen, which is .9-inch larger than the Nexus 7, gives the iPad mini 35 percent more display area than Google and ASUS' collaboration. On the hardware size, the 7.2mm thick, .68 pounds device has been manufactured with an "all new" process that gives it the same anodized edges as you'll find on the iPhone 5. If you were hoping for equal specifications to the big-daddy iPad, you may be mildly disappointed. While it will pack a 5-megapixel camera and an LTE modem (if you opt to buy a cellular model), it's running the last-generation A5 CPU. However, the slower internals and less potent display may account for how the company has been able to squeeze out a claimed 10 hours of use despite the constrained space for a battery. Pre-orders for the $329, 16GB WiFi-only model begin on Friday (October 26th) and will begin shipping on November 2nd. The cellular-equipped models will begin shipping a few weeks afterward on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint, with the 16GB base model costing $459, running all the way to $659 for the 64GB unit. %Gallery-169066% For more coverage, visit our Apple Special Event hub!
The iPod touch doesn't have a light sensor because it's 'too thin'
Kevin Tofel over at GigaOm stepped into the sunlight this past week (a dangerous endeavor for any blogger, let me tell you), and found out something strange about his new iPod touch: It doesn't have an autobrightness function. That's because it doesn't have a light sensor at all, apparently: There's only a manual setting for the brightness, and when Tofel went to Apple's product page for the new iPod touch, he confirmed that there's no light sensor listed in the various features of the device. While older iPod touch models do have the light sensor function, this current model apparently does not. Why not? An iDownloadBlog reader named Raghid Harake emailed Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller to ask him that very question, and he got the answer that the device is just too thin. Schiller confirmed again that the device doesn't have a built-in light sensor, and reported that the design makes the whole thing too thin to fit one in. Indeed, Apple lost more than a millimeter in the latest iPod touch design, and part of that space means losing the light sensor. Was the trade-off worth it? For Apple, apparently so. While some users might be surprised when their iPod touch doesn't automatically brighten up or down when moving into different ambient light situations, Apple decided that feature wasn't as important as slimming the device down. Do you agree?
Apple's iPhone 5 keynote event now live for online viewing
San Francisco shook today, but thankfully, it wasn't from an earthquake. In case you missed today's event, Apple took the wraps off of the new iPhone 5, along with a new batch of iPods, a new version of iTunes and a round of price reductions. A replay of the keynote is available on Apple's website, where you can join Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and even the Foo Fighters make waves. So grab your beverage of choice and settle in for two hours of gadget goodness -- you'll find it at the source link below.
Apple's Phil Schiller explains new 'Lightning' port, doesn't think much of NFC and wireless charging
Now that we know much, much more about Apple's latest iPhone, we can't help but wonder why certain features are missing from the iPhone 5. For instance, near-field communication -- standard in many iPhone competitors -- is notably absent. This seems especially odd considering iOS 6's Passbook feature, which acts like a virtual wallet for gift cards, boarding passes, and other such things, would be a perfect fit for NFC technology. "Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today," Apple senior VP Phil Schiller told All Things D. Schiller also explained the reason for the iPhone 5's new "Lightning" port, which allows for faster data transfer between phone and computer, but also requires an adapter ($29) for use with Apple's previous wire standard. Apparently Apple's future lineup would be impossible without the new connecter, according to Schiller. He attempted to assuage concerned consumers with one hopeful promise: "This is the new connector for many years to come." And finally, when pressed on wireless charging -- a main feature of Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920 -- Schiller said such a feature offers little to consumers beyond confusion. "Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated," he said. As per usual, the iPhone 5 will charge via USB -- using the new dock connector, of course. But surely, turning a bunch of cables into just one giant wireless charging plate aligns well with Apple's simplicity design, right?
