Gregg Thurman on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - '”I did buy the HomePod Mini (2)” I’ve been buying Home Pod 2nd Generation on eBay, to supplement my two 1st Generation Home Pods. The sound is far better than the mini at about the same price.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'Maybe I’m not “most people” but I see real value and real life uses for the products announced yesterday in my home. I would not put a HomeView on a kitchen or dining room table. In my view, this would prompt it to become a toy and a distraction for family members. I plan to place one on a kitchen counter within easy reach of an outlet. The counter is normally the first stop on everyone’s arrival at home. There’s a rack for keys by the counter and it’s kind of a “check-in” space that’s heavily trafficked by family members. It’s often the last stop on the way out and the first stop coming back home. It’s an ideal space for this kind of versatile and very useful device. I expect it to be quite heavily used by all members of the household which includes five adults and a Kindergartner. The second place I plan to put one in the house is the former “family room” that was used like it was named when the kids were growing up. It’s being transitioned into home office for my wife and me and as a news and information center for us. I plan to acquire the new Apple TV 4K to replace a 2017 model and couple/four HomePods for use in a home theater arrangement in that room. In my view, what Apple announced yesterday are very practical and attractive products for those of us happily engaged in the Apple eco-system.'
on Premarket: Apple is green - 'Inflation is up so almost all stocks are down. Apple is still in the green but it will likely go red by end of trading. HomeView is interesting. The price quite low. To get that price they had to reconcile a lot of competing interests. If they satisfied all the critics the price would be over $1,000. Also, this is more of a thoughtful purchase, not a simple decision because it integrates with your home and other devices. Apple’s website has a huge list of compatible devices.'
on OpenAI vs. Apple: The plot thickens - 'I wonder if the former employee was asked by OpenAI to review some of the work they had done while at OpenAI; that OpenAI instigated the need for the employee to download the documents into their personal account. Often corporate separation agreements include a clause about helping with questions for a few months after leaving. It could well be that Apple itself never saw the work. Might explain why they did not immediately countersue.'
on Premarket: Apple is green - 'BTW, last time Apple’s market cap exceeded $5 B, about 10 months back, AAPL was at about $285/share. The difference in stock price Buybacks. I’m just sayin’….'
on Saturday Apple video: Steve Jobs, master storyteller - 'I actually hosted Steve for one of the presentations shown in this video: The January 1984 Macintosh intro at The Boston Computer Society. It was, arguably, history’s first “Stevenote.” Steve was also a dear friend and mentor, whom I came to know when I was 18 and he was 26 in 1981. I had a chance to spend a fair bit of time with him in the 80s—before he had been so brutally hurt in his ouster from Apple. I believe there is something missing in this video—which may be a bigger deal than the eight factors. Steve never tried to emulate someone else. I believe Steve just inhabited himself fully and authentically. I’m sure he picked up ideas from others for his presentations. But I believe the “story” he was telling in a presentation was fundamentally speaking from his heart. The ‘Bicycle for the Mind’ was not a story-telling contrivance. It is something that I know resonated very deeply for Steve. I think it was an essential part of his sense of his life calling. It was also a paradigm that helped looking into the future. Another thing that is key about Steve is he was a very dedicated meditator (Zen Soto). He introduced me to meditation when I was 18. Meditation is the practice of being fully alive, awake, and open to each moment as it occurs. Steve was also an INTJ—and his inner cognitive world was like a vast R&D campus, working 24×7 on research questions. In the present moment, Steve saw much more than others saw—and was able to connect it together and interpret it. In analyzing Steve, I feel like people sometimes come up with gimmicks and concoctions. They start from this understanding of Steve being a larger-than-life mogul. But he was nothing like that. I found him to be a deeply sincere, funny, super-intense, down-to-earth human being. I feel this could be the most important take-away about Steve’s story telling. Don’t try to be Steve Jobs. It’s already been done. Be you. Become the greatest, most present, most alive version of you. (I think Steve would concur.)'
on OpenAI vs. Apple: The plot thickens - 'I have far more faith in Apple’s allegations than OpenAI’s I must confess.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'That’s about as negative as I can recall Brownlee being, but his critiques seem valid. No 3rd party apps, no battery and no really great sound. Even one of those may have nudged me to buy HomeView, but I’m probably going to pass. The product feels incomplete and continues the run of AI, Car, HomePod, Vision Pro and now HomeView just not showing a true use case, and for the aforementioned products that did get released, swaying me to pull the trigger. I did buy the HomePod Mini (2) and have been less than impressed. I’ll reserve final decision making to a hand’s on demo with HomeView, though.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'Greg, It is not just in the HomePod. There is no battery backup(at least that is the way it appears to me) in the doorbell and the camera. The products are nice but, I think for me, need to be a little better thought out. For example, if you use the LG product for your doorbell, if someone does not have an iPhone, will they need to replace it or is it agnostic as to platform. Maybe we will head to an Apple Store after the Duo comes out and check things out and ask some more questions. I can see why the release was done the way it was done. It is an ok product that fills a void and seems to be a nice first attempt but maybe needs some upgrades to be more universally accepted.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'Brownlee’s reaction reminds me of when I bought an Anker battery that can charge my Macbook Air two or more times, plus a charging base for the battery. Seemed a silly luxury at the time–I’m always near an outlet; why can’t I make do with that? And why lug around a battery when the whole point of an Air is to travel light? And with my M3, the internal battery lasts and lasts. I bought it anyway. I started carrying the battery around in my pack (leaving its charging base plugged in at home) and wouldn’t you know, the freedom from having to find outlets or remain near them was liberating. I imagine it’s a bit like a person who has a short daily commute nonetheless rests easy when they have an electric car that can do that commute many times over before running out of juice. Silly, maybe, but comforting. In any case, I found the battery so liberating that a year later I bought another battery and base as a gift for my partner. She’s frugal; I figure she’d think it was a waste. But she won’t part with it. Good thing we each have our own! Brownlee’s first impression that HomeView is a skip for most people feels about right in the same way that having a battery when outlets are so near seemed intuitively like a waste before I got one. So now I recognize a familiar feeling: Yeah but what if I’m wrong? I’m intrigued and looking forward to playing with it in the store.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'It’s a second-tier product release with loads of potential. Brownlee asked the right questions, but Joanna Stern was less critical. She also has kids and Brownlee does not (to my knowledge), so demographics probably matter more in this case. I like the idea behind it and would buy if my life mimicked that of the family in the commercial, but it doesn’t, hence the reason I’ll be watching B-horror movies this month versus interacting with the HomeView.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - '“My first impression is I think it’s a skip for most people.” It all depends how you define “most people”. If most people is all adults in the world or just US, then yes he is right. Most people in the world or US do not own an iPhone as it is. If he means only those adults who are in the market for such a device then yes, he is probably correct for the next few months. But my guess is that after one year, or maybe even just six months, it will be very popular, which has been the MO for Apple for almost every product it’s ever made.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'This won’t be a blockbuster product out of the gate, but I think the value proposition is easy to miss for people in small households without school age kids. Many families now have an Alexa speaker in their kitchen, which is a kind of social hub. They ask it questions. They have it play music. They make calendar inquiries. They control their smart-home devices. Apple’s product is superior to Alexa in numerous ways, especially for Apple-ecosystem fans: 1) Privacy, 2) Has a screen for visuals, 3) Responsive to touch for silent operation (late at night, for example), 4) has a secure way for every family member to access their own personal data while using it, 5) Instant access to AI-Siri. It looks nice. And it sounds good, by all accounts. If you haven’t watched Apple’s promotional video, it illustrates this use case pretty convincingly: https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/apple-homeview/2026/f7ce47a8-10f2-455c-b99f-bf9b85a35cb6/films/product/apple-homeview-product-tpl-us-2026_16x9.m3u8'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'Depends on your AC power outlets and tolerance for a usb-c power cord. Though one could probably velcro a battery thingee (like this) on the back of the screen. https://www.bestbuy.com/product/energizer-max-20000mah-15w-usb-c-3-port-universal-portable-battery-charger-power-bank-w-lcd-screen-for-smartphones-accessories-black/J36C4YXKKH'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'I think there is a market for installing wall mounted Homeviews in new construction and renovations if the unit is capable of controlling the rest of the smart aspects of the room or house. I think the designers will incorporate this. For instance my building installed a new intercom which everyone uses with their phone but guests cannot answer without being added. I get all the requests on my phone which is not always the best. My old intercom handset is taking up space on the wall and is useless. The cost of an Android tablet installation was similar to Homeview with mount. Might get a stand-alone unit because it would be easier. At least until I am ready for renovations. I do think they will want to have some good way to allow more apps work with the device if they haven’t already.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'For me, the lack of battery is a dealbreaker. If I can’t move it from my kitchen to living room etc, for example to take a FT call, its usefulness is limited. Also if it becomes accidentally unplugged its toast and you have to wait for a reboot. Ugh. I’ll wait for Gen 2, thank you.'
on Marques Brownlee on Apple's HomeView (video) - 'We have an iPad in the kitchen that we mostly use as a radio. This would easily replace the iPad and recover counter space.'
on Apple at $341.27: A new record close - 'Gregg said: “ VOLUME IS IN EXCESS OF 72,000,000 SHARES The last time volume was that high was September 18. Otherwise average daily (during regular hours) volume has hovered around 36 million.” Gregg, I don’t understand your comment, where did you see any indication that there was, is or may be 72M AAPL shares being traded yesterday, in premarket or during today’s session? Sept. 18’s volume was attributable to it being a triple witching end of quarter Friday. I don’t see any particular reason why AAPL would be trading at heavier volumes this week or next, especially when Apple itself is in a so-called blackout mode before earnings reports on Nov. 2. Currently in premarket at 5:12 am PDT or 8:13 EDT, volume is 233K shares with AAPL up $2.60 to $343.88. I suspect there will be another smart sharp opening, maybe AAPL spike again over $348, maybe even to $350, but I wouldn’t expect it to be supported well there as others will be algorithmically programmed to sell at that level.'
on Premarket: Apple is green - 'Maybe mine is too! I thought it was just the network connection but I get a lot more buffering – and stalling – than I used to. Thanks!'
on No HomeView for EU - 'But David – isn’t that EXACTLY what Trump is trying to do here in the US? Under the rhetoric of “America First”, he’s trying to provide competitive advantages to US-based companies through tariffs, shakedowns and other such nonsense.'
