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Photographer Peter Belanger on shooting for Apple
The Verge has an interesting interview up with Peter Belanger, the man responsible for many of Apple's iconic product shots. Though you may not be familiar with the name, Belanger is a San Francisco-based photographer who helps make Apple's products look so darn appealing and aesthetically sharp. If you've ever seen an advertisement for an Apple product on the subway or even checked out Apple's website, you've seen his work. When asked about the process behind an Apple product shoot, Belanger explains: The team at Apple always has a really well-developed shot list and sketches of what they need. I work with their talented art directors to translate those sketches into photos. We start by getting the position of the product and then move forward on lighting. Because Apple products have such carefully selected materials, it is incredibly important to light the product in a way that will showcase the various materials accurately. I pick an area to start with and think about how that material needs to be described. Once that section is done I move on to the next. This is how my sets get so complicated! I need to have control over each and every surface so when the client asks for a highlight to be elongated, I can do that. It's similar to working on a file in Photoshop: you don't do all your work on one layer. I think of my lights as layers that I can adjust individually to get the desired results. When Belanger says that his sets get complicated, he's not kidding. Check out this rig setup below. As for his camera of choice, all you camera enthusiasts out there might be interested to know that Belanger's go-to is the Canon 5D Mark III. Overall, the entire interview with Belanger is well worth a read, especially if you're curious as to the tremendous work that often underlies seemingly simple product shots. You can also check out more of Belanger's portfolio over here.
Rare Apple-1 hits the auction block
There are only six known working Apple-1 computers in the world, and one of these units will go on sale later this month. According to a report in Computerworld, German auction house Breker will be auctioning off the machine that was owned by Fred Hatfield. The Apple-1 includes the original manual, a letter signed by Steve Jobs and a circuit board that bears the name "Woz" on the back. The vintage computer is expected to fetch up to US$392,000 when it hits the auction block on May 25. You can check out the Apple-1 in the video below and hop over to Breker's website for the detailed photos of this classic machine. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple already taking steps to prepare for its upcoming debt sale
Apple last week announced that it would embark on a massive stock repurchasing plan whereby it will purchase US$60 billion worth of its own shares by the end of 2015. In a press release on the matter, Apple called it the "largest single share repurchase authorization in history." What's more, the company also announced a 15 percent increase to its quarterly dividend, upping the payout from $2.65 to $3.05 per share. Taken together, Apple's capital return program is designed to return a total of $100 billion to shareholders. That's a lot of dough, but with upwards of $145 billion in the bank, there's no denying that Apple has the cash to make that happen. There's just one slight problem -- the bulk of Apple's cash is overseas and would be subject to a corporate income tax rate of 35 percent should Apple try and bring it back to the US. That being the case, Apple has opted to keep its cash overseas and fund the bulk of its capital return program via the issuance of debt. Now, just one week after making its initial announcement, Reuters is reporting that Apple has already begun taking steps to secure funding for its capital return program, including contacting both Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank and filing the requisite SEC paperwork. The only major tech company without a penny of debt on its books, Apple stunned the markets last week by announcing it could sell debt for the first time to help fund a $100 billion capital return program for shareholders. Any bond offer from the makers of the iconic iPhone and iPad would be highly sought after by investors, and it is believed the company could raise funds at a cheaper rate than even Triple A-rated Microsoft. That Apple would turn to the debt market to help fund its $100 billion expenditure isn't all that surprising. Apple has long lobbied for a tax holiday wherein it would be able to repatriate its cash hoard to the United States at a much lower tax rate. Besides, if Apple can issue debt on favorable terms, why not take advantage of it? Fortune adds: Apple's decision to tap the debt market comes at a time when borrowing is cheap. The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates near record lows and the average yield on investment grade US corporate debt is around 2.6 percent, according to RBS credit strategist Edward Marrinan, who said companies with a AA-rating like Apple's can borrow at a rate of less than 2 percent. As for Apple's increased dividend, the company will next issue a dividend payout on May 16.
Bidding for coffee with Tim Cook breaks $550,000
Two days ago, we reported on a Charitybuzz auction which was auctioning off coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple's headquarters. Since the "item" first became available for bidding, the price to sit down with the Apple CEO has continued to rise to incredibly high levels. At the time of this writing, there have currently been 78 bids with the leading bid now checking in at a whopping $560,000. Benefits from the auction will be going to the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights. Note that Charitybuzz keeps 20 percent of each winning bid. Incredibly, the $560,000 bid for a sit-down with Cook is an all-time record for Charitybuzz and becomes all the more impressive when one looks at the current bids for other celebrity meetings. For example, the current high bid for lunch with Francis Ford Coppola in Napa Valley is $4,500. An opportunity to meet with Robert DeNiro is currently going for $2,250, while a private tennis lesson with Rafael Nadal is going for $31,000. The enormous bid to interact with Cook is an all-time Charity Buzz record. Previously, the highest bid the site ever received was $255,000 for the opportunity to shadow Bill Clinton for a day. Bidding on coffee with Cook closes on May 14 so it'll be interesting to see just how high the bidding goes. I can only imagine how high the bidding would have been for a sit down with Steve Jobs.
Apple celebrates 'A Decade of iTunes' with interactive timeline
Apple is celebrating "A Decade of iTunes" with a cool interactive timeline in the iTunes store. The timeline pulls out milestones for iTunes each year. For example, on September 7th, 2005 it says "iPod nano replaces iPod mini and goes on to become the bestselling music player ever." Each year also displays the the Top Ten bestselling singles and albums. The entire timeline is actually really cool -- especially if you're an Apple history buff. There's no way to grab a direct link to it, but to see it just open up iTunes, go into the iTunes store and look for the "A Decade of iTunes" white carousel banner at the top.
US Patent Office withdraws primary objections to 'iPad mini' trademark application
As noted by MacRumors, The US Patent Office has withdrawn primary objections to Apple's "iPad Mini" trademark application. The primary objections were raised last month when the USPTO deemed elements related to the "iPad mini" name as descriptive instead of contributing a unique name to a product. But now a published office action letter from the USPTO confirms the objection has been withdrawn. It appears Apple will be granted a trademark on the "iPad mini" name as long as no other entities are found to have the name trademarks and provided Apple only seeks to protect the term "mini" when it is used with "iPad" before it and not as a trademarked term in its own right.
Apple ad man Ken Segall takes issue with Apple's iPhone naming scheme
While serving as the creative lead of TBWA/Chiat Day, Ken Segall oversaw the creative direction of Apple's marketing efforts. Credited as the man who put the 'i' in iMac, Segall worked very closely with Steve Jobs and helped oversee a number of memorable Apple ad campaigns, including the award-winning Think Different campaign. Suffice it to say, when Segall has something to say about Apple's advertising efforts, it's typically worth paying attention to. In a blogpost published last week, Segall opines on Apple's current iPhone naming scheme and let's just say he thinks Apple is shooting itself in the foot. The press has already dubbed this year's model "iPhone 5S." Most experts see a narrative in which Apple only produces a major upgrade every other year, and in between we get the "S" model. ... More important, tacking an S onto the existing model number sends a rather weak message. It says that this is our "off-year" product, with only modest improvements. If holding off on the big number change achieved some great result, I might think otherwise. But look what happened with iPhone 5. Segall goes on to note that the iPhone 5, despite delivering a host of improvements in both software and hardware, was still criticized as being an incremental upgrade. So instead, Segall suggests that Apple should just name each successive iPhone release with a new number and let the chips fall where they may. Let the consumer decide, Segall argues, the extent to which each new iPhone improves upon its predecessor. It's an intriguing proposition which raises an interesting issue -- do people generally view "S" upgrades as middle-of-the-road improvements? I myself have heard a few people mention plans to forgo an "S" upgrade and hold out for the next big number release. The underlying assumption is that "S" model iPhones offer less value than iPhone models that forgo the "S" moniker. "I think it's safe to say," Segall writes, "that if you're looking for a new car, you're looking for a 2013 model - not a 2012S. What's important is that you get the latest and greatest." If we look back at Apple's iPhone models, it does seem that the biggest enhancements have come in the form of numbered upgrades such as the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. And, of course, let's not forget about the iPhone 3G which is often overlooked in the pantheon of iPhone models. While it may seem like eons ago, the iPhone 3G rescued us from a world of Edge and an iPhone without GPS. In any event, the broader question remains: Is there merit to Segall's assertion that "slapping the "S" onto different models" has the unintended consequence of implying "that this model isn't worth an upgrade"? While I'm inclined to agree with Segall in an abstract sense, iPhone sales figures paint a different picture. During this summer's Apple / Samsung trial, Phil Schiller noted that each iPhone release has sold more units than all previous models combined. So while we're a few months away from what will likely be the iPhone 5S, there's no getting around the fact that both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S sold like hotcakes. That said, there's no question that the "S" naming scheme may psychologically affect how consumers view a new iPhone model, but it's hard to argue that it has affected iPhone sales in a tangible way. As a final point of interest, you might remember that the "S" in the iPhone 3GS stood for "speed." What's not as widely known, however, is that the "S" in the iPhone 4S stood for "Siri." Tim Cook admitted as much during a 2012 interview with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.
Apple's planned 'spaceship' campus reportedly $2 billion over budget
In June of 2011, Steve Jobs stood before the Cupertino City Council and announced Apple's desire to build a massive new campus on 98 acres of land it had previously acquired from Hewlett Packard. And by massive, I mean that it will have a slightly larger footprint than the Pentagon. Jobs explained that Apple was undergoing a period of tremendous growth and that it was renting buildings adjacent to its 1 Infinite Loop campus in order to house its ever-growing number of employees. "We've rented every scrap of building we could find in Cupertino," Jobs previously noted. Apple's proposed new campus will be able to accommodate 12,000 employees, will feature an auditorium large enough to host WWDC-scale presentations and will sport a cafeteria capable of seating 3,000. As you can tell from the architectural renderings pictured above, the design of the new campus will be anchored by a large circular building. "It's a little like a spaceship landed," Jobs explained to the council. "It's got this gorgeous courtyard in the middle, but it's got a lot more." In typical Apple style, Jobs boasted that the planned structure would be comprised of curved glass. "There's not a single straight piece of glass in this building," Jobs said at the time. "We've used our experience in building retail buildings all over the world. We know how to make the biggest pieces of glass for architectural use. And, we want to make the glass specifically for this building here. We can make it curve all the way around the building... It's pretty cool." While Jobs initially hoped that the campus would be completed by 2015, things haven't exactly gone as planned. Apple hasn't even broken ground yet and the new campus likely won't be finished until 2016 at the earliest. What's more, BusinessWeek is reporting that Apple's initial US$3 billion budget for the project has shot up to $5 billion. Since 2011, the budget for Apple's Campus 2 has ballooned from less than $3 billion to nearly $5 billion, according to five people close to the project who were not authorized to speak on the record. If their consensus estimate is accurate, Apple's expansion would eclipse the $3.9 billion being spent on the new World Trade Center complex in New York, and the new office space would run more than $1,500 per square foot -- three times the cost of many top-of-the-line downtown corporate towers. The report relays that one of the reasons for the delay is that Apple is still working with its lead architectural firm -- Foster + Partners -- to lower the budget by as much as $1 billion. Part of the cost overrun is due to Jobs' extremely particular taste with respect to materials. As with Apple's products, Jobs wanted no seam, gap or paintbrush stroke showing; every wall, floor and even ceiling is to be polished to a supernatural smoothness. All of the interior wood was to be harvested from a specific species of maple, and only the finer-quality "heartwood" at the center of the trees would be used, says one person briefed on the plan last year. As it stands now, Apple will reportedly begin removing the 26 buildings which currently occupy the eventual landing spot for the "spaceship" this June. As a point of interest, Apple is doing all it can to make its new campus as green as possible. To that end, campus parking will be underground as to maintain the above-ground foliage while the roof will be comprised of 700,000 square feet of solar panels.
Apple government liaison suggests that next two iPhone models were designed under Steve Jobs
A common refrain from Apple critics is that without the visionary talents of Steve Jobs steering the ship, Apple is toast. Just recently, former Microsoft COO Bob Herbold added his name to the long list of people who are pessimistic about Apple's ability to innovate during the post-Jobs era. I think the stock market is telling us that the public is beginning to believe that Apple really doesn't have strong visionary leadership. Apple will be a solid technology company, but the Apple era may be on its way out. There's no question that Jobs was an unparalleled tech visionary, but people tend to forget that Apple is a company teeming with thousands of talented engineers and a top-notch executive team. Furthermore, it's not as if each and every one of Jobs' ideas was a home run. Nevertheless, for the folks out there who still worry about Apple's upcoming product pipeline, you can rest easy. The San Francisco Examiner relayed some choice quotes from San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon who recently met with Apple government liaison Michael Foulkes to discuss ideas to curb smartphone thefts. Specifically, Gascon wanted to talk about implementing a kill switch on iPhones that would be activated when a device is reported stolen. The meeting, however, was anything but productive. "It was very underwhelming," Gascon explained. "He did most of the talking. It was incredible. He would just go on and on, one subject to the next. It was hard to follow. It was almost like someone who's been trained in the art of doing a lot of talking and saying nothing." What's interesting, though, is that Foulkes told Gascon that the next two iterations of the iPhone have already been developed, adding that "they preceded Tim Cook." Put differently, Apple's next two iPhones may still bear the influence of Steve Jobs. While skeptics may scoff at Foulkes explanation as an excuse, it's well-known that Apple's development process is methodical, measured and sometimes planned out years in advance. During this summer's Apple / Samsung trial, for instance, former Apple executive Scott Forstall revealed that Apple's plans for the iPhone were first hatched in 2004, years before it eventually came to market in the summer of 2007. It therefore stands to reason that Jobs, though he passed away nearly 18 months ago, really did have an impact on Apple's next two iPhone models. What's more, you might remember that Apple back in 2010 invited select members of the press to check out the company's testing facilities following the iPhone 4 antennagate scandal. TechCrunch's MG Siegler was one such journalist who was granted that special access and he relayed that the "iPhone 4 specifically had been in testing in these chambers for two years." The takeaway here is that folks predicting the inevitable demise of Apple's ability to innovate aren't keenly aware of how long Apple's development process sometimes takes. It remains to be seen if Apple can maintain its streak of innovation without Steve Jobs, but it's still too early to make that call.
Photos from the night Steve Jobs returned to Apple
Former Apple employee and Mac OS evangelist Tim Holmes has posted a series of photos on his Flickr account from December 20, 1996. That's the night Steve Jobs returned to Apple after an 11-year absence. As Holmes explains on Flickr: Working late on a Friday on December 20th at Apple Computer as Mac OS Evangelist, my manager came rushing past my office door saying to come with him to Town Hall, Apple's theater for announcements, company meetings and the like. It was clearly not a company meeting... I called Mitch, my wife who also worked there at the time, and told her meet me there. We had no idea what was about to happen... I tend to take a camera everywhere, so I had my Apple QuickTake camera, which Steve Jobs killed within the year. The colors are way off due to the poor quality of digital cameras in 1996, Steve's jacket was black in real life. Holmes has posted 12 photos with an explanation for each one. They're a fascinating look back at Apple's history and a historic night in Steve Jobs' life. [Image credit: Tim Holmes]
First chapter of Steve Jobs manga now on sale in Japan
The first chapter of the eponymous Steve Jobs manga is now available in Japan. The comic, penned by award-winning artist Mari Yamazaki, is reportedly the graphic version of Walter Isaacson's official biography Jobs. The story begins with Jobs asking Isaacson to write his biography. Shoppers in Japan will find the first chapter in the current issue of Kiss, the manga serial publication. We'd love to get a look if you care to send some photos.
Lego Apple II is gorgeous
Lego: nothing is quite as appealing to grown-up nerds. This love affair is magnified when the brick-based creation is a piece of Apple history. This awesome mix of bricks and computer memorabilia is showcased in this replica of an Apple II by Chiu-Kueng Tsang. When assembled, this Lego creation looks just like the Apple II shown above. It has a replica keyboard, two floppy drives and a greyscale monitor. Inside the computer portion are daughter cards and other internal bits. You also gotta love those little Apple logos on the monitor and the drives. You can check out some photos of the Lego Apple II in Chiu-Kueng's Flickr gallery. Image copyrighted and used with permission. [Via Make and Gizmodo]
John Browett comments on his time at Apple
John Browett worked briefly as Apple's head-of-retail, and recently shared some of his experiences at the Retail Week Live conference. Among other things, Browett confessed that he "just didn't fit" at Apple, while praising the company itself: "Apple is a truly fantastic business. The people are great; they've got great products; it's got a great culture and I loved working there; it's a fantastic business. The issue there was that I just didn't fit within the way they run the business. It was one of those things where you're rejected for fit rather than competency." Browett made waves at Apple after attempting to make retail staffing cuts. When that move became public, Browett rescinded and addressed Apple retail employees. Browett was eventually let go in the same swoop that also saw Scott Forstall's departure. The Retail Week interview is interesting, as it provides insight into Browett's brief experience.
How Apple introduced brushed metal
Remember when "brushed metal" dominated the look of Apple's software products, including OS X? Stephen Hackett at 512 Pixels does, and he's put together a look at its origins. Brushed metal didn't debut with Mac OS X 10.3, as many believe. Instead, Hackett notes, the UI motif first slipped onto our screens with QuickTime 4.0 in 1999: "The feature that's most remembered, of course, is its UI. Gone was the Platinum look that graced almost every single window in MacOS, replaced with a slick UI with embedded buttons, dials and more." Hackett will publish more posts exploring the evolution and eventual demise of brushed metal. We're looking forward to it.
Apple, IGB 'close to settlement' on Brazilian 'iPhone' trademark lawsuit
Apple is close to reaching a settlement for the "iPhone" trademark in Brazil, according to Forbes. The company has been locked in a lawsuit with Brazilian company IGB Electronica, which was granted the Brazilian iPhone trademark in 2007. IGB originally applied for the iPhone trademark in 2000. Since 2007, it has been selling a smartphone by the name of "Iphone" under its G-Gradiente brand. The phone runs the Android OS. Forbes notes that Brazil's largest newspaper, Folha de São Paulo, reported on Saturday that the two companies have entered into a "Pacific agreement," which will see lawsuits between them temporarily halted. Forbes speculates that Apple will pay millions of dollars for the exclusive rights to the iPhone trademark in Brazil, just like it has in other countries around the world.
Early iPhone prototype with 5x7-inch display
Most leaked iPhone prototypes have been run-of-the-mill devices that resemble the iPhone we know and love. This latest leak from Ars Technica reveals the tablet roots of our favorite smartphone. These prototype images originated from 2005 and show an iPhone with a 5 x 7-inch display and a variety of tacked-on ports that were used in testing. As you can see in the image above, it's a Frankenstein-like device that looks more like an iPad than an iPhone. You can read more about the prototype device and peruse a few more images on Ars Technica's website.
The Homebrew Computer Club first met 38 years ago today
Today marks the 38th anniversary of the first Homebrew Computer Club meeting. The Homebrew Computer Club was an eclectic collection of computer enthusiasts who gathered to meet and talk about tech. It was started in 1975 by Gordon French and Fred Moore. The first meeting was held in French's garage in Menlo Park, Calif. Besides talking, hacking and helping each other, the group also wrote a newsletter that was distributed around Silicon Valley. One of the biggest developments to come out of the Homebrew Computer Club was Steve Wozniak's prototype Apple-1, which was shown off to the group in July 1976 and later sold commercially for US$666.66. There are a lot of good articles about this group and those early days of Silicon Valley, but some of my favorites are this recollection from Wozniak, this memoir from Homebrew Computer Club member Bob Lash and this collection from the Computer History Museum. If you have any other favorites of your own, please share them in the comments. [Image from Bob Lash, who scribbled the date and address for the first Homebrew Computer Club meeting on the back of an envelope. ]
Steve Jobs' prank call to Starbucks lives on
On January 4, 2007, I was fortunate enough to be one of the few thousand people in the audience at Moscone West when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the world. Most of us had been standing in line in a chilly pre-dawn San Francisco alley for hours, and between the lack of sleep and a need for warmth, all of us could have used coffee... lots of coffee. So when Jobs demonstrated Google Maps integration by searching for a Starbucks, finding a local store and then calling and ordering 4,000 lattes to go, the entire audience went wild. That prank call will probably go down in history as one of the more famous ones ever made, and Fast Company has tracked down the barista who took the call to get her comments on that groundbreaking latte order. It turns out that the young lady who answered the call -- coincidentally the first public phone call ever made on an iPhone -- Ying Hang "Hannah" Zhang (at right), is still a barista at the same Starbucks. She didn't know that it was Jobs making the prank call until after the event, when Apple fans began visiting the store and mentioning that the Apple CEO had playfully made the mass latte order. To this date, the Starbucks store still receives prank calls from Apple fans who want to relive a bit of history. Zhang and her boss, while being interviewed by Fast Company, did a quick calculation and figured out that those of us in the audience would have waited 48 hours for our lattes. Zhang told Fast Company that she wished she had known it was Jobs on the line, saying "she would've loved to know what he was announcing -- and, like a true Apple fan, when 'the launch date' would be." She also "would've asked him if he'd want to come down to our store so I can make him the perfect drink." You can watch that famous call starting at about 4:50 in the video below.
Matt Groening's pre-Simpsons art for Apple
Matt Groening of The Simpsons fame worked on some offbeat illustrations for Apple in the late '80s. According to Linus Edwards of VintageZen, Groening has never publicly spoken about the ads, but images of the works are still floating around the internet. Edwards has compiled some of these unique ads and discusses their background. We've already seen Groening's college brochure several years ago, but the other one-page ads inspired by Groening's Life in Hell series are a bit more rare. Head over to VintageZen to check them out. [Via The Loop]
Apple abandons Newton trademark
Even though Steve Jobs killed the Newton when he returned to Apple in 1997, the company has maintained the trademark for Apple's first PDA ever since. Well, until earlier this month that is. As noted by PatentlyApple, Apple officially abandoned the Newton trademark on February 12, 2013. The discovery was made when PatentlyApple was searching through trademarks in the Canadian IP office this month. With the abandoning of the Newton trademark, it's likely we will never see another product from Apple called "Newton" again.
