Category Archives: Apple News

I will be the first to admit that I don’t have a great track record with predictions. That’s probably because I tend to swing for the fence a lot. No guts, no glory, right? Well, that philosophy leads to a fair amount of strikeouts. However, it will also net you some home runs, as well.

I can’t help but feel like I got one thanks to yesterday’s report from The Information that Apple will be adding a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard. Before getting into the details of that, let’s check the tape for a moment.

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Apple News

New iPad Pro Case Leaks Look Pretty Legit

February 24, 2020 jhrogersii 4 Comments

Photo Source: Ben Geskin on Twitter

Before new Apple devices arrive, we usually start to see some evidence of production from the supply chain. It may be photos, diagrams or descriptions, but they usually show up once a device is in open production and out in front of more people. All it takes is one with a smartphone and a free moment.

A second reliable source that has emerged over the last few years is case leaks. Case manufacturers go all out to get their hands on the specs and designs of new Apple devices early so they can be one of the first to market. They know Apple device owners are interested in protection and that most iPhone and iPad users have cases. Even if it’s just as a temporary stand-in, I always get a case along with a new device if I don’t have an existing one that will work. Sounds like the case manufacturers know what they are doing.

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AirPods, Apple News

If Target is Correct, it’s Going to be an Expensive March for Apple Fans

February 22, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

Photo Source: Jon Prosser via Twitter

I think we all know an Apple event is coming within the next six weeks at this point. We also have a pretty good idea that one or more iPad Pros is coming at that event, along with a new iPhone. However, there are rumors of other new Apple goodies that may or may not arrive at the same time. Today brings more of these reports from an unlikely source.

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Apple News, iOS

Apple Considering Opening Up Default Apps is an Important Symbolic Gesture

February 22, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

But it really wouldn’t be the groundbreaking change some believe it to be.

If you go back and re-trace the history of iOS over the last decade plus and think about its progression in context, then Apple offering users the ability to change default apps really would be a major shift for the operating system. Along with Springboard’s still static screens of app icons, this is one of the last foundational concepts of iOS that hasn’t shifted or changed to this point. That makes Apple even considering making a change a very important moment for iOS.

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Apple News, HomePod

The HomePod is Selling Better But Not Gaining Ground

February 16, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

The HomePod story over the 2019 Holiday quarter was a double-edged sword for Apple. On the good news front, sales of the HomePod grew an impressive 62% year over year in the 4th quarter. Not so good is the fact that Apple still isn’t making up any ground in the smart speaker market, as they remain in 6th place with only 4.7% of the current market.

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Apple News

New Conflicting iPad Pro Rumors from DigiTimes

February 13, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

There have been a few different rumors regarding new iPad Pros coming in 2020 going back to last year. The most common is that Apple will refresh their lineup soon, possibly as early as next month. That timeline matches up with the typical 18 month life cycle for the Pros, so it seemed to make sense.

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Apple News

The iPhone 9 is On the Way. Will Coronavirus Slow it Down?

February 10, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

There have been several reports that Apple is prepping the iPhone 9, their smaller, lower-cost follow up to the iPhone SE, for a March release. However, there just so happens to be a novel virus running rampant through China that is likely to gum up the works.

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Apple News

Apple News+ Needs Some TLC

February 8, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

We’ve been here before. iCloud had its struggles all the way back to MobileMe before finally finding its footing recently. The Apple Maps app itself was fine from the beginning, but the stitched together maps and second-hand POIs were rough until Apple put in the work themselves. Apple Music’s content was good, but the interface was a flat-out mess when it was rolled out. Conversely, Apple News was just bad all the way through when it was released. Despite all the rough beginnings and growing pains, though, it’s good that Apple stuck with all of the above and made them all into strong services and apps in the long run.

I keep thinking Apple will learn from their previous false starts, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, as Apple News+ has taken the same path iCloud, Maps, Music and News before it. News+ has easily been the poorest received of all of Apple’s new paid service offerings and it culminated with the head of the service leaving the company this week.

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Apple News

New Apple Hardware is Coming in March, Possibly Including New iPads

February 2, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

There have been rumors of a few different Apple devices coming in the first half of the year, many of which have come from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Now he’s back with another projection that we should be seeing new gear sooner rather than later.

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Apple News, iPad

Apple’s Quarterly Earnings Were Strong, but the iPad Took it on the Chin

January 28, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

Apple was projected to have a strong Holiday quarter and their own guidance predicted such, but today brought confirmation that they did even better than expected. They beat their projection of $85.5 billion to $89.5 billion by taking in $91.8 billion for Q1 of financial year 2020. Apple also beat the street’s estimate of $4.54 per share profit by posting $4.99 for the quarter.

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Apple News, iPad

The iPad Officially Turns 10 Today

January 27, 2020 jhrogersii Leave a comment

I wrote a bit about the first decade of the iPad recently and I will continue talking about my own first decade with the platform soon, but today is officially THE day. Steve Jobs took the stage on January 27, 2010 to introduce the iPad to the world, and the rest is history.

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