Interesting piece from Bloomberg. In a nutshell, Apple is finding that the price of a new iPhone is too high for the Indian economy, so they are seeking permission to sell used iPhones. Apple’s Indian competitors are doing everything they can to derail that prospect.
Apple
Cupertino’s official Apple Campus 2 construction page
If you are interested in following along, the city of Cupertino has long been maintaining a project page for the planning and construction of Apple’s spaceship campus. There’s an email alert signup page, too, along with lots of blueprints, pictures, etc.
Latest Apple spaceship campus drone footage shows off incredible level of detail
[VIDEO] At this point, the shape of the campus is taking form, revealing the project’s incredible complexity. Amazing to me that this was all laid out, in excruciating detail, on building plans before one bit of dirt was moved.
Jean-Louis Gassée: Apple’s first victory over Big Retail
Jean-Louis Gassée, writing for Monday Note, talks about the road to success for Apple’s biggest (back in the early days) business outside the US, Apple France.
Taylor Swift vs Treadmill, all for Apple Music
[VIDEO] Taylor Swift, in a new ad to show off Apple Music’s activity playlists (click “New” in the tab bar at the bottom of the screen, then scroll down to Activity Playlists).
A nice bit of stunt-work and editing there.
Apple turns 40: Reflecting on four decades of history
This is a great collection of facts, images and movies, all to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Apple. Dig in. Lovely job.
Apple’s next encryption battle likely playing out in secret in a Boston court
Keep your eye on this one. Similar to the San Bernardino case that first pitted the FBI against Apple, but this one seems to involve an iPhone 6, which should prove harder for an outside party to crack.
Kirk McElhearn: Some thoughts on the Apple Pencil
I’m particularly intrigued by Kirk’s experience with handwriting recognition.
Did Apple help Foxconn buy Sharp?
Interesting bit of speculation by Mark Hibben. Rings true to me. The story goes: Apple needs Sharp in the short term, makes the deal work for Foxconn with some guarantees, plans to modernize sharp to serve their needs in the long term. Interesting.
Best Apple Pencil apps if you don’t sketch or draw
Apple should put a link to this post on their Apple Pencil page. A great list, one that makes me want to get on the Apple Pencil bandwagon.
John Gruber’s iPhone SE review
Gruber really nails the details, paints an accurate picture. If you have the slightest inkling about buying an iPhone SE, between reading Gruber’s review, and Jim’s review before it, you’ll have your answer.
OK Google reads all your emails
A Reddit user does some searches using OK Google, then gets an expression of sympathy about a very personal and private matter that was pulled from an old email.
Tesla introduces the Model 3, two trunks and a real market maker
Steve LeVine, writing for Quartz:
Though it was short, the drama was palpable in a glitzy nighttime ceremony in Hawthorne, California, as Musk summoned three of the Model 3s onto the stage, accompanied by sweeping music and roving lights. The car will cost $35,000, and go 215 miles on a single charge, he said, 15 miles further than generally expected.
Tesla is making the market, Apple is waiting to enter, waiting for the market to mature.
Jason Snell reviews Smart Keyboard for 9.7-inch iPad Pro
Nice detailed review, both pro and con, with a look at an alternative keyboard.
Follow-up on Steve Jobs and the historic Woodside mansion he demolished
An update on Steve Jobs’ Jackling mansion we posted about yesterday, as well as some pictures from the house just before Steve Jobs bought it.
Apple hits milestone on responsibly sourced “conflict minerals”
Apple has made real progress in their sourcing of conflict minerals, which means real impact on bringing accountability to mineral providers.
FBI agrees to unlock iPhone, iPod in Arkansas homicide case
Claudia Lauer, writing for the Associated Press:
The FBI agreed Wednesday to help an Arkansas prosecutor unlock an iPhone and iPod belonging to two teenagers accused of killing a couple, just days after the federal agency announced it had gained access to an iPhone linked to the gunman in a mass shooting in California.
Mossberg: iPhone SE, 9.7-inch iPad Pro review
Walt Mossberg reviews the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Also, links to Jim Dalrymple’s review of same.
Steve Jobs and the strange afterlife of the historic Woodside mansion he demolished
Fascinating story about Steve Jobs and his long, long legal battle to tear down a historic house.
How to put your iPhone icons in alphabetical order
Here’s one way to restore order to your app icon pages, plus some wish list icons to make your app icons easier to search.
Apple’s new iPhone SE bringing Android users to the fold
Looks like the iPhone SE is doing its job, filling in a hole in the product line and bringing outside customers into the ecosystem.
A tiny clue, and will Apple be forced to go to the black market to find out how the FBI got in?
The LA Times quotes an unauthorized source on how the FBI got in to the San Bernardino phone. And more thoughts on the case.
Google and Apple: the high-tech hippies of Silicon Valley
Interesting look at the connection between the utopian movements of the ’60s and the tech industry.
Nintendo launches Miitomo app in the US (and a few other countries) on Thursday
Not a useful app, in and of itself, more of a preparatory step in moving Nintendo’s Mii character profiles into the smartphone ecosystem.
One possible fix for the iOS 9.x Safari/Mail link bug
This is a possible fix, especially if you have the Bookings.com app installed. More to the point, read the post to learn about Universal Links and the core problem that is causing this dead links bug.
“Next generation” Apple Store features a 37-foot display
Check out the picture of that 37 foot display. I can only imagine that it looks even more impressive in person.
Apple fiscal results conference call scheduled for April 25th
Apple has scheduled the call to discuss their second quarter results (2Q2016) on April 25th at 2p PT (5p ET).
The FBI has a choice to make
Which side is the FBI on? Will they choose to tell Apple how they got in to the San Bernardino phones? Or will they side with a cracking technique that we know is in the wild?
Official: Justice Department to withdraw legal action against Apple
Kevin Johnson, USA Today:
The Justice Department is expected to withdraw from its legal action against Apple Inc., as soon as today, as an outside method to bypass the locking function of a San Bernardino terrorist’s phone has proved successful, a federal law enforcement official said Monday.
Apple lacks a bug bounty program
Quentin Hardy, writing for The New York Times:
Timothy D. Cook has found himself in a strange position. It looks like someone knows about an important flaw in Apple’s flagship product, and won’t tell its chief executive what it is.
That could be because Apple doesn’t pay outside hackers who find exploitable flaws in Apple software. Paying so-called “bug hunters” has become the norm at many tech companies, and the United States government does it too.
Would Apple paying for bug reports have made any difference in their battle with the FBI?