LoneStar88

Deeeds said:

These options clearly show the user activity desires of Apple. Interesting because there was a time when effort went into surfacing functionality of genuine benefit to ease of user experience, and operational rapidity. Previously one might even expect some focus on user joy. Now there's a peculiar fascination with extraction. Is "Redeem" really the second most common operation in the AppStore and Apple Music? Or even in the top ten most likely user behaviours?

Complain, complain, complain. Is that all you people know how to do? Is it really such a pain for you to simply learn something new?

I'm looking forward to using these new functions on my 6+. Personally, we earn iTunes gift cards when we use our Barclaycard (via Apple Pay, of course) to purchase Apple products. It would be handy to redeem them via my phone.

3D touch will become more and more relevant the more developers implement it. This is Hours Tracker which I use all the time. 3D touch lets me go directly to the functions I use most often and then get back to work.



So why bloody not shouldn't Apple be the first to implement and promote it?

I'm guessing that Apple and Tesla have joint strategic planning underway. Apple's got system software and UX expertise, as well as a substantial ecosystem to offer. Tesla's got a lot of manufacturing expertise and infrastructure, as well as a battery manufacturing plant, as well as solar power, part of which is aimed at their vast network of charging stations. It would make sense to throw in together and to be complementary to each other. Apple could get an Apple-branded line of cars with (free?) access to Tesla's charging network, and Tesla could get a lot of funding and system software expertise.

I was recently at the Tesla store in Sarasota, FL, and asked about the company's profit-making status. The young man told me that they paid back the government loan early, and that a big chunk of what would otherwise be considered profit was being invested in their supercharger network. Makes sense to me. I think being able to drive long distances for zero fuel cost will be quite a compelling selling point for a lot of people.

cornchip said:

Best vid yet aside from the cheesy Jobs quotes at the beginning. And by the way, what is the deal with all the space behind the stage? Only 1000 seats and all that extra space back there. Maybe I'm missing something obvious.

What's obvious to me is that you don't know much about theater layouts. It's not extra space. It's standard space. Here is a typical diagram: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parts_of_a_theatre#/media/File:Stage_Layout_Plan.jpg

Also, few of us get to see a theater under construction, or a bird's eye view of it from such videos as these, free of ceilings and theater curtains.

"Only 1000 seats" says to me that this will not replace the need for larger venues such as Moscone Center for Apple's major events. This on-site theater will most likely be for department-level staff briefings and presentations. Keep in mind, also, that any such programs can be televised and streamed elsewhere.

benjamin frost said:

I'm not flabbergasted that Samsung reported weak profits. 

Smartphones are are becoming a commodity, I'm afraid, and that means that something has to give: either Apple's margins or Apple's sales. My feeling is that people like me will keep buying iPhones, but less frequently. Others will switch to Android. If Apple were to accommodate the whole market as they did for the iPod, then they would be able to enjoy a 60%+ market share. Alas, I fear that Tim Cook doesn't have the nous to follow in Steve Jobs' footsteps and make the bold decision to sell the iPhone at all price points. 

I do like the idea of bringing out 4" iPhone models for the Western first world in the Spring, and saving the phablets for the third world in the autumn. This will help to even out iPhone sales and ease shortages. 

More horse puckey from you know who.

Few seem to realize the fundamental flaw with "data analysis": it can only look towards the past, and NEVER predict the future which is always wide open to change. The Apple iPhone will NEVER become a commodity as long as Apple continues to refresh its features and capabilities. Installed bases are also irrelevant, as Apple proves most every quarter with increasing sales and profits. There is absolutely no need for Apple to sell its iPhone "at all price points." This actually benefits those would-be owners by incentivizing them to simply make more/save more money in order to buy one.

Assuming these numbers are true, these are FACTS which contrast sharply with the myriad of OPINIONS and other crap presented in so many articles and article comments on sites such as these. FACTS of large numbers of developers and companies in these "app economies" prospering over time should serve to quell most concerns over Apple's wellbeing—NOT all the fussing over Apple's fickle stock prices, which is really not Apple at all, but merely rapacious gamblers fixated only on short-term profits.