Apple talks China retail plan, cash hoard with investors
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pApple’s retail plan for China, its massive stockpile of cash, and the environment were all topics of discussion during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. Though it was a fairly average shareholder meeting, these tidbits helped reassure investors that China’s plan for Asia is as serious as the company says and that Apple’s plan for its money is to keep investing in talent./p
pOne of the biggest tidbits of news out of the meeting was that Apple plans to open “up to” 25 retail stores in China in the near future. The company’s first store was a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/03/apple-moves-first-china-store-down-the-road-opens-in-summer.ars”opened in Beijing in 2008/a, not long before the 2008 Olympic Games took place there. Apple has always said that it has big plans for the Chinese market, so the news isn’t so much a surprise as it is a commitment to expanding Apple’s presence in a huge market. According to a href=”http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232/play/1/video/1424724283/”CNBC/a, the time frame for these stores to open is within the next 24 months./p
pOn top of the China news, Steve Jobs defended Apple’s $40 billion cash hoard by saying that it gives the company “tremendous security and flexibility,” according to the a href=”http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Apple-CEO-Jobs-favors-apf-120261537.html?x=0amp;.v=6″Associated Press/a. By flexibility, he means it lets Apple a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/01/apple-looking-to-spend-some-of-its-multi-billion-bankroll.ars”strategically buy companies/a like Lala and Quattro in order to acquire talent and expand its business operations. “Who knows what’s around the next corner?” Jobs reportedly said. /p
pApple’s board also discussednbsp;a recent sustainability proposalnbsp;with shareholders. Jobs told investors that the company had taken numerous steps with suppliers to use nontoxic materials and reduce waste, though environmentalists still wanted more out of the company. Extra measures might have included a detailed report out of Apple or even a sustainability committee, but those proposals were voted down by shareholders./p
pA a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-10459872-260.html”few jabs/a at Apple board member and environmental frontman Apple Gore took place, as well as numerous a href=”http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/02/25/inside-apples-shareholders-meeting/”observations/a about the health and appearance of Steve Jobs, but otherwise it was largely a run-of-the-mill meeting. In the past, Jobs has a href=”http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/03/steve-jobs-names-possible-successors-talks-cash-reserve.ars”speculated about possible successors/a (COO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer, of course), but it seems this time around that no one is wondering whether Jobs is here to stay#8212;at least for a while longer./p
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Week in Apple: post-Macworld hangover edition
Our top Apple news this week was dominated by news out of the 2010 Macworld Expo. It turns out that Apple’s absence didn’t really hold back a great conference and, in fact, might have helped it. In addition to the Expo, Steve Jobs kept railing on Flash, the App Store got a little cleaner, and we polled users on their 3G data usage. Read on for the roundup:
USB power outlet, iPhone Universal Remote impress at Macworld: Fastmac isn’t just a third-party battery company anymore. The accessory maker is about to come out with a USB wall outlet solution that we want to put all over our own houses, plus an improvement on its old iPhone battery extender that lets you control anything via a built-in infrared blaster. We checked out both during this year’s Macworld Expo.
Upcoming Outlook for Mac remains shrouded in mystery: Office 2011 will mark the first appearance of Outlook on Mac OS X. Ars spent some time with Microsoft’s Mac BU in an attempt to learn more about Mac Outlook’s feature parity with the Windows version.
Steve Jobs uncharacteristically approves upcoming biography
Fans and critics alike may soon have access to the first authorized biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. According to the New York Times, former Time magazine editor Walter Isaacson has been selected to work with Jobs. Currently, neither Isaacson nor Jobs have confirmed the report, but the paper claims to have spoken to multiple individuals with inside knowledge of the project.
The last known published biography of Jobs was published in 2005 by John Wiley & Son and was of the (usual) unauthorized variety. The book, entitled iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business, caught the ire of the ornery CEO, leading to removal of all John Wiley & Son books from Apple Store shelves. This included the Mac OS X Bible, and Mac OS X Illustrated.
The new book is in the early planning stages and will most likely be published by Simon & Schuster, the firm responsible for Isaacson’s other works. Jobs has already authorized a tour of his childhood home for the author, according to the report.
One can only hope that the biography will be balanced and talk about the lesser-known aspects of Jobs’ life. We also hope to hear some of the more controversial aspects, including his temper, his relationship with his daughter Lisa (after which the Lisa computer was named), and details regarding his health history. Regardless of the content, though, the book will surely sell piles of copies due to Apple’s current level of popularity.
Apple announces the iPad
Apple today unveiled its iPad, after years of rumors that the company was building a tablet-like device. Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the device today during a special media-only event, saying it is “way better than a laptop, way better than a phone. It’s the best web experience you’ve ever had.”
Jobs began the introduction by discussing what kind of device might fit between a smartphone and a laptop. “We’ve wondered for years as well—in order to create that category, they have to be far better at doing some key tasks… better than the laptop, better than the smartphone,” Jobs said. “Now, some people thought that was a netbook—the problem is that netbooks aren’t better than anything!”
etc: One has to wonder whether Apple would have seen the same resurgence a little over a decade ago if the original iMac received the name Steve Jobs reportedly wanted it to have: MacMan.
One has to wonder whether Apple would have seen the same resurgence a little over a decade ago if the original iMac received the name Steve Jobs reportedly wanted it to have: MacMan.
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Gizmodo
Brief: Apple exec: Jobs "happy" with unannounced Apple tablet
The flood of Apple tablet rumors isn’t abating, especially now that the device is expected to be unveiled as soon as a month from now. Now, a source from inside Apple suggests that Steve Jobs himself may be as excited as anyone to see Apple finally unveil the long-rumored device.
It came out last summer that Jobs was intimately involved with every detail of bringing the tablet to market. It seems that the device has finally gotten Jobs’s seal of approval: when asked if the tablet rumors were true, a senior Apple executive gave The New York Times a rather coy reply. “I can’t really say anything,” he said, “but, let’s just say Steve is extremely happy with the new tablet.”
Such a statement is pretty uncharacteristic of Apple executives (even anonymous ones), but the tablet is arguably past the point of outright denial. One Apple employee who recently left the company also told the Times that the interface won’t be anything expected. “You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet,” the former employee said.
Another former Apple employee named on a number of Apple’s multitouch patents, Joshua A. Strickon, told the Times earlier this year that Apple has been working on a tablet for several years. A PowerPC-based prototype existed as early as 2003, though those early attempts were underpowered and overpriced. However, the concepts and technology developed for those prototypes ended up in several Apple products. The iPhone, Strickon said, is essentially a mini version of some of the early prototypes.
If Apple’s top talent put six years or more into development, and it meets Steve Jobs’s legendary high expectations, we’re sure Apple’s tablet will be yet another game-changer in a long line of game-changing devices.
Steve Jobs intervenes, approves Knocking streaming video app
A persuasive e-mail from an iPhone developer to Steve Jobs helped Pointy Heads Software get its Knocking Live Video—the first official iPhone app capable of streaming live video over 3G and WiFi connections—approved for sale in the App Store. The app relies on a private API—well-known among iPhone developers—to enable its video streaming feature, so its approval is a good sign for other companies developing video-based apps. It’s also a good sign that Apple is taking developer complaints with the App Store approval process seriously.
Knocking Live Video uses an interesting take on streaming video. Unlike Qik, which is designed to stream video to multiple clients, Knocking streams from one iPhone to another. (It should be noted that the iPhone version of Qik wasn’t approved with live streaming—it can only upload the video to Qik’s website after recording for later streaming.) You simply launch the app and “knock” another iPhone user with Knocking Live Video installed. That user will receive the “knock” via push notification. Once answered, you can then stream live video directly to them. An iPhone 3GS or iPhone 3G is required to transmit video, but other iPhones and iPod touches can receive and view the stream via WiFi.
WSJ: Steve Jobs return is on track for end of June
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Cult of Mac, Steve Jobs, Apple, One More Thing
In its sometime role as a broadsheet hybrid of Us magazine and the New England Journal of Medicine, we have an update tonight from The Wall Street Journal on the condition of everyone’s favorite iCEO. Steve Jobs, according to the story (subscription required on the web, free to read on your iPhone), is recovered from his health crisis and on track to return by the end of June. While some speculate that he might choose to surprise the audience at WWDC with a One More Thing moment, two sources for the WSJ story say that the plan is to wait a bit longer.
Steve’s return is likely to be coordinated with a product launch or other public event later in June, say the sources. That event probably won’t be the announcement of the next-gen iPhone, which the paper pinpoints for the keynote address on Monday with availability close to the two-year anniversary date for the original iPhone purchasers (pretty sensible; anyone who bought a first-gen for the premium price is a likely candidate to shell out for a replacement). The WSJ cites someone who has seen the new phone in person, reporting a faster processor and the expected video editing capabilities.
Equally importantly, the story points out that the long Steveless months with Tim Cook at the helm have shown investors and customers that the Apple train is still on track. AAPL is up 68% since Steve announced his leave of absence in January, vs. a 24% uptick for the NASDAQ index. Granted, Apple stock took a bit of a hit around the announcement of the leave, dipping to a low of 78.20 on 1/20, but it’s up at 143.74 as of today’s close.
[via Macrumors]
TUAWWSJ: Steve Jobs return is on track for end of June originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple Q2′09 results round-up
Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple Financial
Today was a landmark day for the good ol’ boys (and girls) at 1 Infinite Loop as they again posted record-breaking quarterly results. Profit was a svelte $1.21 billion for a grand total of $8.16 billion in revenue; or, as the guys in Wallstreet see it: $1.33 per diluted share. All of this is apparently good news as after-hours trading has shares of AAPL up about 4 points from the days close of $121.51. If you haven’t already, you can check out some of our highlights of what drove those numbers as well as the full press release from Apple here. Also, MacJournals did a fantastic job covering the call via their Twitter feed, which can be found here.
One continuing theme through the course of the call was the economy’s overall effect on Apple’s numbers. One noticeable effect was that professional and education sales were down during the March quarter. Even with the release of an entirely refreshed line of Mac desktops, the quarter saw an overall decrease in Mac marketshare. It wasn’t all bad for Apple, however, as iPod sales (particularly the iPod Touch) were up enough to seemingly offset the bulk of the lagging Mac sales.
While the results themselves are always nice to hear, the most interesting section of the quarterly call is the question and answer section that follows. The answers, while somewhat scripted, give the listeners a chance to hear Apple execs think and speak on their feet regarding Apple’s results and plans for the future.
One of the more notable topics during this discussion was Apple’s opinion on the netbook market. Tim Cook took the question and in an answer that was truly Apple said, that netbooks are “junky … not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on,” while quickly following-up with a good, old-fashioned “If we can find a way to deliver an innovative product … then we’ll do that.” If you remember the days before the video iPod, then this conversation should be very familiar to you. For a good overview of the Q&A check out MacRumors’ excellent post on the subject.
If you don’t care about the financial results and have grown tired of hearing Apple dance around whether they’re going to release a netbook, then there is at least one bright spot in all of this. According Peter Oppenheimer, Apple is pleasantly awaiting the joyous return of Steve Jobs in June (we miss you Steve). I don’t think anyone was really expecting any more or less information than that, but here’s to hoping Stevie J. returns and brings with him all-new iPhones, netbooks, and pots of gold.
Overall, the results were very positive for a company that deals in “luxury” products given the current economic climate. I hope that in the future Apple continues to succeed and that this is the last quarter we hear of in which Apple loses marketshare to anyone.
[Via Engadget, MacRumors, and MacJournals]
TUAWApple Q2′09 results round-up originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Steve Jobs impersonators take over NBC on Chuck and 30 Rock
Filed under: Steve Jobs, Found Footage
It seems that Hollywood is beginning to miss Steve Jobs almost as much as we are. This is especially true for two of NBC’s hit comedy shows; “30 Rock” and “Chuck.” Both were new this week and overflowing with appreciation for Stevie J.
For most Apple fans it is easy to spot when many TV shows and movies feature Apple gear. The most recent episodes of “30 Rock” and “Chuck,” however, go above and beyond featuring a shameless homage to the man himself, Steve Jobs — in 30 Rock’s case, doing a great take on a worldchanging Apple announcement from the not-too-distant past. I won’t get into the details of the episodes themselves but I have posted the clips after the break. In case you missed it, both episodes online over at Hulu.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
[via Gizmodo and Crunchgear]
Continue reading Steve Jobs impersonators take over NBC on Chuck and 30 Rock
TUAWSteve Jobs impersonators take over NBC on Chuck and 30 Rock originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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