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Apple publishes awkward workaround for OS X Mail issues plaguing users, and other news for Feb. 4, 2014
Apple has published a rather awkward workaround for users who are experiencing Mail troubles in OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Many users have reported trouble with Mail since 10.9 shipped, like misbehaving Gmail accounts, issues with moving and deleting messages and retrieving new messages. The last issue -- being unable to receive new messages -- is particularly annoying as those affected must force-quit the app and then relaunch it to check for new Mail. Now, Apple says those users can simply take the following steps to get new mail: OS X: New email messages not received until Mail is quit and reopened Symptoms For some email providers, new email messages in Mail may only appear to arrive when Mail is first opened. No new email arrives until Mail is quit and reopened. Resolution Quitting and reopening Mail forces it to re-establish a connection to the email server. You can use these steps to receive new mail messages without quitting Mail: Choose Mailbox > Take All Accounts Offline. Choose Mailbox > Get All New Mail. As a shortcut, you can also add the Take All Accounts Offline and Get Mail buttons to your Mail toolbar. Choose View > Customize Toolbar. Drag the Take All Accounts Offline button to the Toolbar if it is not there already. Drag the Get Mail button to the Toolbar if it is not there already. Click Done To receive new mail messages, click the Take Offline button, then click the Check Mail button. Beside the cumbersome steps above, there's no further word on Mail's widespread problems. Hopefully Apple will sort this all out when OS X 10.9.2 is released. In other news: Google Maps has been updated for iOS. The new version allows users to get notified when a faster route becomes available in navigation mode. It also includes your usual bug fixes. World Wrestling Entertainment has announced that the company's WWE Network will be launching on the Apple TV on February 24th. The news came when a WWE employee answered a fan's question on Facebook as to whether the WWE will come to the Apple TV, who confirmed that it will. That Facebook answer has since been removed. Tim Cook has met with the Turkish president today, according to meeting notes on the president's public calendar. There's no word what the meeting will be about, but many speculate Turkey's US$4.5 billion tablet education initiative will be discussed. With it, Turkey plans to give up to 15 million tablets to school children.
Tim Cook goes globe hopping, and other news for February 3, 2014
Tim Cook has had a busy last few days as he's been on a globe-hopping tour of Europe and the Middle East. First Cook was in Ireland on Friday to visit the company's Cork HQ, according to a report from The Journal. Cook reportedly met with Irish PM Enda Kenny and discussed, among other issues, corporate tax laws in the country: Discussing his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier today, Enda Kenny said that Ireland is "participating fully" in EU discussions about its corporate tax rate, and mentioned the issue to him during their meeting. He said that the country has a legally-based statutory rate of 12.5 per cent that applies to all companies. "I pointed out to Cook that Ireland, as a member of the [European] Union, is participating in the OECD discussions that are taking place now about an international response in terms of clarity about the tax position. There are fifteen different sectors involving that and Ireland is participating in them all." Kenny didn't say if it was himself or Cook who brought the subject up, but said that the Apple CEO was "exceptionally happy" with the work the Cork office has done. Last weekend, Cook was spied in the United Arab Emirates, reports Tbreak Media. Cook made some appearances at Apple resellers in major malls in the country before meeting with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday. As the Khaleej Times reports: Shaikh Mohammed and Cook discussed an array of issues regarding future of the IT sector in the backdrop of international transformations and the sector's role in developing and advancing education. Shaikh Mohammed hailed Apple's role in developing technology and IT-based education worldwide. In other news from this weekend: New plans for Apple's new flagship store in San Francisco have surfaced. Changes include two massive sliding-glass doors that are 44 feet tall and 23 feet wide each. The developer behind Candy Crush Saga was recently granted a UK trademark for the term "candy." This has prompted developers who are angry about the trademark to flood the App Store with candy-themed apps and games. The Environmental Protection Agency has published a list of the top 30 tech and telecom companies that use the most green sources of energy. Apple came in at no. 4 on the list while Google was no. 3; Microsoft was no. 2; and Intel was no. 1. [Image from @VirginMENA]
How fictional Apple fans watch a product keynote [Video]
With so many mediocre Apple spoofs littering the internet -- do we really need another parody of an Apple product-introduction video, white backdrop and all? -- it's nice to finally see a video poking fun at Apple fans with some comic muscle behind it. From the talented folks over at Vooza, check out this hilarious depiction of how Apple fans act during an Apple keynote. While some bits are naturally exaggerated for comic effect, others are incredibly spot on. Enjoy: A few of my favorite lines include: - When the fanboys, at the beginning of the media event, begin clamoring for Tim Cook to "give me those stats!" As anyone who has relentlessly refreshed an Apple media event liveblog can attest, Cook loves kicking things off with cold hard data. - Q: What was Microsoft's marketshare again? A: Nothing like that. - The hoopla surrounding Craig Federighi's hair is great: "I have nightmares that his hair's not there." - "Jony Ive! Look at that bald head.. it's so minimalist." - "Gooooooooold!" The gold iPhone viewed through the eyes of a soccer fan. - And of course, eagerly waiting around for a "one more thing" announcement that never comes is something I'm sure we can all relate too. "He's really just walking away."
Tim Cook: Innovation is alive and well at Apple, 'deeply embedded in everybody here.'
Like clockwork, every month Apple fails to enter a new product category provides just another opportunity for analysts to trot out the same tired claim that Apple has lost its innovative edge. Never mind the fact that innovation doesn't abide by anyone's arbitrary timetable. And of course, never mind the fact that a good five-plus years elapsed between the introduction of the iPod and Apple's iPhone unveiling. So during Apple's earnings conference call yesterday, Tim Cook made a point of emphasizing that Apple's innovative spirit remains alive and well. When asked point-blank about Apple's "innovation cycle," Cook responded that "it's never been stronger." Later during the conference call, Gene Munster asked about new products coming out in 2014 and beyond, prompting Cook to respond: I would just say, innovation is deeply embedded in everybody here, and there's still so much of the world that is full of very complex products, etc. We have zero issue coming up with things we want to do that we think we can disrupt in a major way. The challenge is always to focus to the very few that deserve all of our energy. And we've always done that, and we're continuing to do that. I've previously posited that Apple innovations are typically the aggregate of incremental improvements. Indeed, mind-blowing and revolutionary game-changing products, by their very nature, don't come around on a set schedule. But if we look at what Apple has done lately -- with Touch ID, with iBeacons -- it stands to reason that a lot of groundwork is being laid in the mobile payment space that analysts, for one reason or another, can't seem to fully appreciate. Indeed, Cook even noted during yesterday's earnings conference call that mobile payments was one of the thoughts behind the Touch ID. It's really a bizarre situation when a company like Apple is chastised for allegedly pumping the brakes on innovation when the iPhone 5s, in the blink of an eye, brought fingerprint authorization technology to the mainstream.
Tim Cook: Mobile payments was 'one of the thoughts behind Touch ID'
During Apple's earnings conference call yesterday, Tim Cook tipped his hand just a little bit when detailing the decision process underlying Apple's implementation of Touch ID on the iPhone 5s. "The mobile payments area in general is one that we've been intrigued with," Cook explained. "It was one of the thoughts behind Touch ID." While perhaps not the most astounding revelation on its face, it certainly is a step up from Cook's oft-used line that Apple creates products to "delight its customers." Cook's statement therefore provides a rare glimpse into Apple's strategic thinking. Rather than acquiring AuthenTec and implementing fingerprint authorization sensors willy-nilly, we've now learned that Apple has long had its sights on mobile payments. Though truthfully, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the deluge of mobile payment-related patent filings Apple has made in recent years. In light of Cook's statement on mobile payments, it's worth highlighting a recent Wall Street Journal article that provided a few more details regarding Apple's interest in mobile payments. Eddy Cue, Apple's iTunes and App Store chief and a key lieutenant of Chief Executive Tim Cook, has met with industry executives to discuss Apple's interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices, according to people familiar with the situation. In another sign of the company's interest, Apple moved Jennifer Bailey, a longtime executive who was running its online stores, into a new role to build a payment business within the technology giant, three people with knowledge of the move said. Tim Cook also added that mobile payments are "intriguing" and represent a "big opportunity" for the iOS ecosystem. As it stands now, Apple's Touch ID is only functional for unlocking a device and for authorizing purchases via the App Store. Perhaps with the release of iOS 8, that will soon change.
Tim Cook gives exclusive interview to ABC News and other news from Jan. 24, 2013
Tim Cook appeared on ABC World News on Friday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Mac. A short preview of the interview aired during Good Morning America. The interview itself discussed the NSA and the secrecy surrounding Apple's product launches. He emphasized that the government does not have access to Apple's servers. "They would have to cart us out in a box for that," Cook said. "This will not happen." You can see the full interview as it aired on ABC below: Other news from Friday afternoon includes: Changes in Belgium law could force Apple to unlock LTE access for all Belgian consumers. Right now, the only network Belgians can use 4G service on is Mobistar. Other carriers have not received approval from Apple to utilize 4G, so 4G-compatible phones had to be throttled to 3G speeds. Here's something to be on the lookout for: the Sunrise calendar app is asking users for their Apple ID and password. What's even more worrisome is that Sunrise had a security breach a couple months ago. Macminicolo has announced a colocation service for the Mac Pro, and our Steve Sande will be taking a look at it soon! According to Macworld, the $930 million in damages that Samsung is being ordered to pay Apple for infringing on its patents equals about 16 days of the Samsung's profits. Kick back and relax with these features: How the Mac shaped my career and life 7 things Mac owners don't have to do today What the first Macintosh ads looked like A look at the moving and powerful nature of Apple commercials How to tell the difference between an Apple and a Mac What was your first Mac? Your favorite Mac of all time? TUAW staff answers all
Tim Cook talks product secrecy, sapphire glass, Macs and iRings on Good Morning America
Set your DVR, folks. If you tune in to ABC News tonight you'll be treated to an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook, and executives Craig Federighi and Bud Tribble. Now it's not often that we see the upper ranks at Apple sit down for interviews, and televised ones at that, but today marks the 30th anniversary of the Mac and Apple is in full-on celebratory mode. Earlier today, Good Morning America aired a short preview of the full-length interview where we see a laid-back Cook briefly talk about product secrecy and Apple's new sapphire plant in Arizona. At one point, he even deflects a question about the iWatch by saying Apple is actually working on an iRing (which if you recall, may be the dumbest Apple rumor of all time). You can check out the video below. See more US News from ABC|World News Some additional highlights from the video: A self-professed workaholic, Cook gets up every morning at 3:45 He gets about 700-800 emails a day, and reads the majority of them The full-length interview, set to air tonight on World News with Diane Sawyer promises to touch on a few more topics and provide a lot more depth, including Cook's take on the recent NSA controversy.
Daily Update for January 17, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
iPhone goes on sale on China Mobile, and more news for January 17
Today is the day many market watchers have been yearning for: The iPhone has gone on sale on China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone carrier. Tim Cook was on hand with China Mobile's Chairman Xi Guohua at the company's flagship store in Beijing for the launch and handed out several iPhones to the first buyers. During the event, many asked Cook about future Apple plans, including about the rumored 6-inch iPhone and iPhones with flexible displays. Cook replied: "We never talk about future things. We have great things we are working on, but we want to keep them secret. That way you will be so much happier when you see it." In other news this morning: The district court judge in the Apple e-book trial filed an opinion and order explaining her reasoning for denying Apple's request to have the external antitrust compliance monitor removed. The judge said the primary reason were because "many of the arguments which Apple once made (and is no longer pursuing) have been waived or are moot." Many owners of Early 2011 MacBook Pro models with discrete AMD GPUs are seeing system crashes and hardware failures. The thread on Apple support forums detailing the issue has more than 2,348 replies. AppleInsider spotlighted the problem and reached out to Apple for comment, which has not responded. Apple has seeded a new beta of OS X 10.9.2. The new beta adds the ability to block people on iMessage and FaceTime -- just like you can in iOS 7. An new Android app called doubleTwist AirPlay Recorder allows people to record songs directly from iTunes Radio. Once the app is installed on an Android phone, users select it as an AirPlay device in iTunes on their desktop, and the app then captures iTunes Radio songs which are being streamed over the local WiFi network. Starbucks has updated its iOS app with "additional performance enhancements and safeguards." The update comes days after the Starbucks app was busted for saving user's information in plain text. [Image credit: @eyoonCNBC]
Breaking: Apple agrees to FTC consent decree on in-app purchases (Updated)
Re/code reported earlier this morning that Apple has signed a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This agreement is intended to resolve complaints that the company didn't go far enough in preventing kids from making in-app purchases without understanding that there was real money involved. Update: At a Washington, DC press conference this afternoon, FTC chairman Edith Ramirez noted that Apple will refund at least $32.5 million to consumers to settle the case in which children had made in-app purchases without their parents' consent or knowledge. That $32.5 million figure is a minimum -- Apple must pay full restitution to consumers for the unauthorized purchases, so the number could be bigger. Apparently, if the number paid out is less than $32.5 million, Apple will pay the difference to the FTC. Apple also has until March 31, 2014 to revise its billing system to make it more obvious that an actual purchase is being made during a game and to make sure that consumers have given their informed consent before being billed for in-app purchases. Last year, Apple settled a lawsuit over unauthorized use of IAP in games and apps, but apparently the FTC decided that wasn't enough. Apple CEO Tim Cook sent an email to all employees this morning explaining the company's decision: From: Tim Cook Date: January 15, 2014 Subject: FTC announcement Team, I want to let you know that Apple has entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. We have been negotiating with the FTC for several months over disclosures about the in-app purchase feature of the App Store, because younger customers have sometimes been able to make purchases without their parents' consent. I know this announcement will come as a surprise to many of you since Apple has led the industry by making the App Store a safe place for customers of all ages. From the very beginning, protecting children has been a top priority for the App Store team and everyone at Apple. The store is thoughtfully curated, and we hold app developers to Apple's own high standards of security, privacy, usefulness and decency, among others. The parental controls in iOS are strong, intuitive and customizable, and we've continued to add ways for parents to protect their children. These controls go far beyond the features of other mobile device and OS makers, most of whom don't even review the apps they sell to children. When we introduced in-app purchases in 2009, we proactively offered parents a way to disable the function with a single switch. When in-app purchases were enabled and a password was entered to download an app, the App Store allowed purchases for 15 minutes without requiring a password. The 15-minute window had been there since the launch of the App Store in 2008 and was aimed at making the App Store easy to use, but some younger customers discovered that it also allowed them to make in-app purchases without a parent's approval. We heard from some customers with children that it was too easy to make in-app purchases, so we moved quickly to make improvements. We even created additional steps in the purchasing process, because these steps are so helpful to parents. Last year, we set out to refund any in-app purchase which may have been made without a parent's permission. We wanted to reach every customer who might have been affected, so we sent emails to 28 million App Store customers – anyone who had made an in-app purchase in a game designed for kids. When some emails bounced, we mailed the parents postcards. In all, we received 37,000 claims and we will be reimbursing each one as promised. A federal judge agreed with our actions as a full settlement and we felt we had made things right for everyone. Then, the FTC got involved and we faced the prospect of a second lawsuit over the very same issue. It doesn't feel right for the FTC to sue over a case that had already been settled. To us, it smacked of double jeopardy. However, the consent decree the FTC proposed does not require us to do anything we weren't already going to do, so we decided to accept it rather than take on a long and distracting legal fight. The App Store is one of Apple's most important innovations, and it's wildly popular with our customers around the world because they know they can trust Apple. You and your coworkers have helped Apple earn that trust, which we value and respect above all else. Apple is a company full of disruptive ideas and innovative people, who are also committed to upholding the highest moral, legal and ethical standards in everything we do. As I've said before, we believe technology can serve humankind's deepest values and highest aspirations. As Apple continues to grow, there will inevitably be scrutiny and criticism along our journey. We don't shy away from these kinds of questions, because we are confident in the integrity of our company and our coworkers. Thank you for the hard work you do to delight our customers, and for showing them at every turn that Apple is worthy of their trust. Tim The FTC is holding a press conference at this time to discuss the details of the consent decree.
Tim Cook: China Mobile deal a 'watershed,' and more news for January 15, 2014
This Friday, the iPhone goes on sale at China Mobile -- the largest mobile carrier in the world. And it seems everyone is very, very happy about that. Speaking to CNBC in Beijing where Tim Cook is for the launch, he said this Friday's launch "is a watershed day ... It's a huge announcement ... we're incredibly impressed with them; we have deep respect for them. We see this as bringing the world's best smartphone to the very largest and now the fastest network in China." Since China Mobile preorders began in December, the mobile carrier is selling a whopping 60,000 units a day, which equals more than 1.3 million iPhones sold between December 25 and January 13. With the China Mobile deal, Apple will be able to sell iPhones in more than 3,000 new locations in China, including many new cities where the iPhone just isn't available now. Going on further press rounds about the China Mobile launch, Cook told The Wall Street Journal that he is "incredibly optimistic" about the launch and said of the carrier: "We've gotten to know each other ... today is a beginning, and I think there are lots more things our companies can do together in the future." In other news: Black Sabbath's 1970's albums are now available on iTunes. Warner Brothers has brought eight of the band's albums from the 1970s exclusively to iTunes this week. Previously only the bands later albums were available. You can view the albums here. An anti-poaching class-action lawsuit against Apple, Google and others will proceed. The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that more than 64,000 workers will be able to sue Apple, Google, Adobe, Intel and other tech companies for allegedly conspiring to keep pay down so workers wouldn't jump ship from one company to the next. A hacker group called The 1775 Sec has said they've breached an Apple database and posted user's personal information to the web. However, this is the same group that claimed responsibility for Dropbox's downtime earlier this month -- something which was found to be untrue. Finally, is it a Mac Pro or is it a trash can? Whatever it is, it's got amazing reviews.
Daily Update for December 30, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
News roundup for December 24, 2013
Good afternoon! It's the day before Christmas, which means a lot of people are focused on time off and their families. But, there's still a bit of news out there! Here's what's going on in the Apple world today. Former Apple executive Ken Segall explains why critics need to back off the company's Christmas ad featuring a seemingly tuned-out teenager secretly filming a video of his family – even though it does commit the crime of filming in portrait mode, but it magically gets shown in landscape mode. It's a clever concept. The spot relies on our own stereotypes to lead us to an incorrect assumption, setting the stage for the second half of the spot to pull our heartstrings so effectively. Despite its cleverness, the spot feels very real. Hacker Geohot has taken a look at the untethered iOS 7 jailbreak and determines that he "found nothing sketchy in my reversing, your phones most likely aren't being backdoored by Chinese." MacRumors had reported that the evad3rs team was paid $1 million to preload the "Taig" app store on the jailbreak. Electronista reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook and a team of executives will visit Turkey in February to discuss a possible $4 billion education deal. The country is looking to purchase roughly 12.5 million to 13 million tablets in two waves over a four-year period, which would replace the paper textbooks circulating in schools. Cook also plans to visit the country's first Apple Store in Istanbul. MacRumors reports that Mac Pro users have received an early Christmas gift, as some pre-ordered machines began arriving today. Merry Christmas! Apple has received a couple of new patents: one for hover-touch sensing and another for an embedded heart rate monitor. The first sensor detects if your finger is anywhere near a touchscreen device, a feature that Samsung's Galaxy S4 apparently already has.
Tim Cook and other Silicon Valley luminaries set to meet with Obama tomorrow to discuss Healthcare.gov, NSA surveillance and more
Tim Cook, along with a sizable number of other executives, will descend upon the White House tomorrow, where the collective brain trust will discuss the Healthcare.gov website and the ever-evolving story that is NSA surveillance. The news comes courtesy of Time, which relayed a few quotes from a White House official: "Tomorrow, President [Barack] Obama will meet with executives from leading tech companies to discuss progress made in addressing performance and capacity issues with HealthCare.Gov and how government can better deliver IT to maximize innovation, efficiency and customer service," a White House official said. "The meeting will also address national security and the economic impacts of unauthorized intelligence disclosures. Finally, the President will discuss ways his Administration can partner with the tech sector to further grow the economy, create jobs and address issues around income inequality and social mobility." Other tech executives slated to attend reads like a who's who of Silicon Valley. The list includes Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, along with a number of other executives from Comcast, Facebook, LinkedIn, Zynga, Salesforce and Microsoft. You might recall that this isn't the first time Obama has brought in an all-star lineup of tech executives to solicit advice and establish a constructive dialogue. Obama initiated a similar meeting back in February of 2011 in San Francisco. Folks on the guest list that night included Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison and Schmidt.
Tim Cook talks equality and human rights while receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from alma mater Auburn
Last Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook flew out to New York City, where he accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from Auburn University, his alma mater. Cook graduated from Auburn with a degree in industrial engineering in 1982 and is an avid Auburn football fan. In his 13-minute acceptance speech, Cook devoted much of his talk to discussing equality and human rights. As a child who grew up in 1960's Alabama, Cook recounted a childhood incident which provided him his first glimpse into the "devastating impacts of discrimination." Remarkable people were denied opportunities and treated without basic human dignity, solely because of the color of their skin. And not far from where I lived, I remember very vividly witnessing a cross burning at such a remarkable family. This image was permanently imprinted in my brain and it would change my life forever. Cook also expressed pride that he found himself working at Apple, a company that he was thrilled to discover espoused values such as equality and human rights. Apple has been at the center of much controversy surrounding working conditions in its supply chain. With Tim Cook at the helm, however, Apple has taken more steps than most similarly situated companies to ensure that labor abuses are curtailed as much as possible. For this reason and many others, I was very fortunate that my life's journey took me to Apple. In addition to finding a company and a founder unlike any other, I found in Apple a company that deeply believed in advancing humanity through its products and through the equality of all of its employees. Now much has changed since my early days at Apple, but these values, which are at the very heart of our company, remain the same. These values guide us to make our products accessible for everyone. People with disabilities often find themselves in a struggle to have their human dignity acknowledged. They're frequently left in the shadows of technological advancements that are a source of empowerment and attainment for others. But Apple's engineers push back against this unacceptable reality. They go to extraordinary to make our products accessible to people various disabilities, from blindness and deafness, to various muscular disorders. I receive hundreds of emails from customers every day. I read them all. Often, they are written like one might talk to you at the dining room table at night. Last week, I received one from a single mom with a 3-year-old autistic son who was completely non-verbal. The child had recently been given an iPad, and as a result, his mother told me that for the first time in his life, he had found his voice. Cook also referenced the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, a piece of proposed legislation which prevents discrimination on account of one's sexual orientation or gender identity. Cook previously championed ENDA in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this November. "Now is the time," Cook said, "to write these basic principles of human dignity into the book of law." The full video of Cook's speech is below and is well worth watching.
Tim Cook pens op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, urges Congress to support Employment Nondiscrimination Act
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Sunday penned an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal urging members of Congress to approve the Employment Nondiscrimination Act. The Employment Nondiscrimination Act would make it illegal for companies with more than 15 employees to discriminate against current or prospective employees on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In the op-ed piece, titled "Workplace Equality Is Good for Business," Cook stresses that Apple strives to create a welcoming work environment where people can fully be themselves regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender or sexual orientation. When people are comfortable to be exactly who they are, Cook writes, they "have the comfort and confidence" to be the best version of themselves and to "do the best work of their lives." Cook's piece reads in part: Apple's antidiscrimination policy goes beyond the legal protections U.S. workers currently enjoy under federal law, most notably because we prohibit discrimination against Apple's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees. A bill now before the U.S. Senate would update those employment laws, at long last, to protect workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We urge senators to support the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and we challenge the House of Representatives to bring it to the floor for a vote. Apple has, of course, been a longtime and vocal supporter of gay rights, both in and outside of the workplace. You might recall that Apple this past February joined a number of companies in a collective effort to have California's Prop 8 deemed unconstitutional. Apple was also quick to praise the Supreme Court for overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) this past June. In a statement issued to All Things D at the time, Apple said: Apple strongly supports marriage equality and we consider it a civil rights issue. We applaud the Supreme Court for its decisions today.
Have Apple media events become boring and all too predictable?
Last week, Tim Cook and co. took the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and introduced a slew of new products. Indeed, for a single media event, there sure were a lot of products Apple managed to squeeze in; OS X Mavericks, iWork, iLife, refreshed Retina Display MacBook Pros, a completely re-designed Mac Pro, a new iPad Mini with Retina Display, and last but not least, the alluring and unbelievably svelte iPad Air. Whereas Apple's media events were once praised far and wide, some of the company's more recent media events have been met with a collective "that's it?" type of mentality. This, to a large degree, is to be expected given that some people will never be happy until Apple releases a branded HDTV set that can be controlled with a brand spankin' new iWatch. Interestingly enough, a new and rather peculiar narrative emerged last week in the wake of Apple's media event. This new narrative posits the notion that the format of Apple's media events in and of themselves have become predictable and rather boring. Writing for the New York Times last week, Nick Bilton championed this very idea: Here's the script: Timothy D. Cook comes out on stage in his signature jeans and black shirt - usually untucked. He shows off some statistics. Then other execs take the microphone to show off new software that we've already seen. There are a few jokes; the audience laughs. Then comes Philip W. Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, who talks about new hardware and confuses everyone by touting an "Intel Xeon E5 chip," and a "10 MB L3 cache and Turbo Boost," and "cores" and other things most people know absolutely nothing about. (It's as if he's speaking Klingon.) Then Mr. Cook is back on stage to introduce a new version of an iPad or iPhone or iPod. Then Mr. Schiller again to explain, in Klingon, the guts of the new iPad or iPhone or iPod. Then there's a video of Jony Ive talking about the new iPad or iPhone or iPod. "It's the best [iPad or iPhone or iPod] we've ever made," Mr. Ive says in his smooth British accent. The shows are like watching someone perform the same magic show over and over. Eventually it stops looking like magic. Bilton's argument is interesting and opens up an interesting debate. So while Betteridge's law of headlines is typically applicable, please note that I didn''t title this post to merely answer my own question with a definitive "No." On the contrary, I think the question is ripe for dissection and discussion. I myself think that Bilton may be onto something, and below are a few discussion points I think are worth considering. 1. Apple is a victim of its own success Apple every so often shakes up industries to their very core. Every few years, Apple is able to introduce a "one more thing" type of feature or product that really gets folks jazzed up. These moments naturally set a high bar of expectation for Apple. So by the time Apple's next media event rolls around, the rumor mill is already churning; "Just what will Apple wow us with this time?" the headlines typically read. The reality, though, is that the interim years between major product announcements are by their very nature somewhat less interesting. Introducing a smaller version of the iPad, for example, will never be as exciting as the unveiling of the original. That said, when one expects every Apple media event to change the world, each event is measured against a standard that no company on earth could ever live up to. Consequently, Apple media events are more likely than not to feel like a let down, which can easily bleed into downright boredom. It's important to remember that Apple, historically speaking, has never been one to wow us with earth shattering products every 12 months. Remember that there was nearly a six year gap between the introduction of the iPod and the release of the first iPhone. Nonetheless, the media before each and every Apple event likes to ponder what Apple's "One more thing" announcement will be. In truth, the majority of Steve Jobs' "one more thing" announcements would have been yawn-inducing if they had been evaluated with the same type of microscope analysis that they are analyzed with today. To illustrate, here are a few "one more thing" products Steve Jobs, the mac daddy himself, introduced over the years: Colorful iMacs - MacWorld San Francisco 1999 iPod Mini - MacWorld 2004 iPod Shuffle - MacWorld 2005 Apple TV - September 2006 Safari for Windows - WWDC 2007 It's all to easy to imagine how such product announcements would be greeted today. Riding high on the success and immense impact of the iPod/iPhone/iPad trifecta, the expectations that shroud Apple are greater than they are for any other company. The result, arguably, is that when Apple fails to live up to these expectations at every media event, the takeaway is that the event was boring, a predictable dud. 2. The Apple rumor mill has removed Apple's ability to surprise us There are no shortage of rumor-based Apple blogs that do a great job of keeping us abreast of the latest rumors and supply-chain checks. Though Tim Cook vowed to "double down" on product secrecy, barely a week goes by without some new rumor about Apple's iWatch plans or speculation regarding upcoming hardware. As a result, one can reasonably argue that Apple media events have become somewhat boring and stale because we already know what Apple is going to say. Take the most recent iPhone media event where Apple introduced the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. Before both products were unveiled, we already had a pretty good idea as to what Apple's 2013 iPhone lineup was going to look like, right down to the fingerprint authorization sensor on the 5s and the colors on the 5c. The gold iPhone 5s? Leaked photos of the device, not to mention the other models, leaked a few weeks before Apple officially introduced it. The slow-motion video recording feature on the iPhone 5s? 9to5Mac began floating that rumor back in July. Indeed, the only things we typically don't know ahead of a new iPhone launch tend to be the pricing and the components. Given the complexity and scale involved in getting a new Apple product to market, Apple is faced with the almost impossible task of keeping a tight lid on the entirety of its supply chain. That being the case, if the public at large already knows what Apple is going to announce, Tim Cook could roll out on stage on a Segway while sporting a tank top and the presentation would still be underwhelming. 3. Tim Cook and Phil Schiller can't even come close to matching Steve Jobs' charisma Due to the repetitive nature of Apple's presentations, Bilton theorizes that Apple's current executive team simply doesn't have the showmanship chops to make such events as interesting as they were when Steve Jobs used to run things solo. Now there's certainly no denying that Jobs was a master showman. His iPhone introduction at Macworld 2007 arguably constitutes one of the greatest product introductions in history, even seeping into the mainstream. To wit, it was comically parodied by Tina Fey on 30 Rock. So perhaps Apple's media events seem a little stale because Tim Cook, despite his Southern charm and Auburn football loving ways, simply can't hold a candle to Steve Jobs when it comes to wowing us with excitement. Say what you will about Jobs, but the man could sell. Jobs possessed an "it factor" that simply can't be taught. He was charming, grandiose, persuasive, biting at times, and even funny. Can you even imagine Tim Cook introducing the original iPhone and prank calling Starbucks? Same thing goes for Phil Schiller. Schiller, Apple's VP of worldwide marketing, is a decent public speaker, but he lacks the pizazz that seemingly emanated so easily and naturally from Jobs. Jobs spoke his mind, wasn't afraid of offending, and was simply an entertaining guy to watch take the stage. Put simply, he was captivating. That being the case, perhaps Jobs, a storied legend in Silicon Valley, possessed so much charm that he was deftly able to make the mundane seem exciting. Perhaps previous media events held during the interim years between major product announcements always seemed fresh and exciting because there was no telling what Jobs would do or say. Now the one current Apple executive who seems to possess the "it factor" on stage is Craig Federighi. To be sure, he's a likeable guy who's quick with the jokes, but Steve Jobs he is not. The ability Steve Jobs had as a presenter can be summed up thusly: When Jobs was alive and healthy, he handled 95% of the presentation duties all by himself. Without Jobs, presentation duties at Apple media events are often shared between as many as four or five people. Long story short: perhaps Apple media events are in fact boring because there's no showman like Jobs in the mix anymore. 4. Apple media events are meant to inform, not entertain Again, Apple media events do have a somewhat predictable pattern. An argument can be made, however, that Apple's media events are structured in such a way to inform the masses about Apple's latest hardware and software, not entertain Apple nerds faithfully following liveblog updates as fast as they can refresh. So sure, we know we're going to see a video detailing the manufacturing process used in Apple's latest hardware. And of course, we're going to see a video detailing the myriad of creative ways in which people are using their iPads or iPhones. For anyone who makes sure to check out every Apple media event, the routine is old hat. But that routine is arguably necessary to get the word out about the latest and greatest from Apple. The structure of Apple's media events makes it easy to divide up all of the announcements into compartmentalized reports. In other words, the grand purpose of these media events is to provide an extensive, if not predictable, tour of what Apple has been up to. Form there, online and print publications distill the most important announcements into articles meant for mass consumption. You're not likely to read about Haswell chips and Iris graphics in the LA Times, but you are likely to see a front page story about how thin and light the new iPad Air is. To that end, Apple's media events accomplish their underlying task, even if the events themselves are long, boring and predictable. Another point to consider; many of Apple's announcements, while important, are only interesting to a small subset of users. If you don't use iMovie or GarageBand, for example, why would you care about cool updates to those apps? I mean, what percentage of iPad users really care about Apple reinventing the textbook? These announcements are a necessary part of Apple's media events but don't exactly keep folks glued to their computer screens. 5. Apple media events are, in fact, too predictable. It's time to liven them up! Predictability is the mother of boredom. Routine is the antithesis of excitement. So yes, perhaps Apple's media events are growing stale. The entire format is the same time and time again and it'd sure be nice to see Apple mix things up. Maybe switch up the presentation roles. Maybe introduce some fresh blood up on stage. Maybe Apple should shorten the length of their media events and keep everything to a tight 45 minutes. What do you folks think? Are Apple media events utterly boring these days? Were they ever particularly exciting to begin with? Is this much ado about nothing? Please chime in in the comments below and speak your mind. Just try and keep it somewhat entertaining.
Tim Cook sends email to Apple employees, 'extremely proud' of them
Shortly after Apple's financial conference call ended yesterday, Tim Cook sent an email out to Apple employees recapping the latest quarter and telling them he is "extremely proud" of the collaboration going on at Apple amongst its employees, notes 9to5Mac. From the email: Team, We've just posted financial results for fiscal Q4, including record-setting iPhone sales. I am happy to report that Apple's business has never been stronger, and we are heading into the holidays [with an] amazing lineup led by the new iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, the stunning iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display. You and your teams work incredibly hard to deliver the very best products in the world, and our customers simply love them. I'm extremely proud of the collaboration going on across the company and everything we've accomplished as result of this great team effort. Please join me for an employee communications meeting tomorrow at 9 AM Pacific time. The meeting will be broadcast to locations throughout Cupertino and Apple offices across the world. AppleWeb has a complete list of sites where you'll be able to watch live or see a replay in certain time zones. We've also created a link on AppleWeb where you can submit your questions in advance, and we'll do our best to answer as many as we can during the meeting. I look forward to hearing from you. Tim As the email notes, Cook will host an internal meeting with Apple employees around the world today at 9AM PT. It will take place live in Cupertino and also be broadcast to employees around the world via a livestream or replay available on Apple's intranet, AppleWeb.
Apple Q4 2013 earnings call liveblog scheduled for 5 PM today
Apple announces its Q4 2013 earnings for the period of July 1 to September 30 today at 5 PM ET, and TUAW will be presenting a liveblog with analysis and commentary at the same time. Join us as we talk about the good -- or bad -- news, skewer some analysts as they ask CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer stupid questions, and otherwise try to make dry financial news fun. As usual, you can listen in on the exciting financial and accounting banter as Apple provides a streaming webcast of the event. We usually have "the numbers" about 30 minutes before the call, so be sure to visit TUAW to take a look at sales and earnings prior to the liveblog.
