Steven Philips on Nikkei Asia casts a shadow over Tim Cook's China tour - 'The usual known unknowns. I don’t see any unknown unknowns.'
on Apple TV's take on William Gibson's 'Neuromancer' lands in January - 'Tracked down the Czech “Cybernuns” IBM ad from PED’s linked to Time article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmQ3f1PRnw0 It was fun watching the future unfold back when we had one.'
on Nikkei Asia casts a shadow over Tim Cook's China tour - '“Apple has asked some suppliers”. Not all. Some. I wonder if these are suppliers that provide iPhone 18 Pro/Max only parts (like batteries or camera components). And I suspect that this is planned. And I bet we will hear in a month that ‘some’ suppliers are seeing increases in production (because the regular iPhone 18 will be coming up soon next year). The goal is to prevent the huge high and low between quarters. That means suppliers will also see lower highs and also higher lows in production requests. IMHO.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (10/12-10/16/26) - 'Steven: In my observations over the years not only doe these reports appear each year soon after the release of new iPhone handsets, there may also be some misunderstandings about what Apple’s reports represent. Apple, for example, may ask contractors to have capacity to produce X number of units and then provides information on the number of units that are being ordered based on demand and market conditions. Second, peak demand season has been changing over time. Lunar New Year demand, for example, has extended the peak purchase season for new iPhone handsets beyond the December peak holiday season in the west. This has also reduced the acute demand shortages we had seen in years past in which iPhone supplies were often seriously constrained in the first few months following release. Supply orders have recently become more fluid early in the new model year. Third, the iPhone Duo has yet to be released and the lower-cost new iPhone handsets won’t be released until 2027 thus reducing demand at this time for many components that will needed later in the model year. Fourth, the media likes a proverbial horse race or contest to grab viewer/reader interest and stories about Apple will always create interest and become stores about the stories. Fifth, only Apple knows what’s being ordered and when orders are placed. As others have said, Apple has the information and senior management will detail the demand story on the next earnings call.'
on Nikkei Asia casts a shadow over Tim Cook's China tour - '”Nikkei Asia reported last week that Apple had asked some suppliers to cut production of components for the new Pro models, raising questions about demand after the initial launch period.” Even if Nikkei is correct, I do not for a moment believe any reduction was unplanned. A quarter over quarter revenue graph distinctly depicts declining sequential revenue for the March and July quarters. For the life of me, I do not see Apple getting caught flat footed to seasonal patterns, Besides there are levers that can be pulled before cutting production, ie., sales incentives given to carriers. I for one, would not be making such a dramatic decision until December, after a full month of Duo and Pro sales data. By then it would be too late to cut March quarter production, such is the nature of large scale production planning. If cuts were to be made, they would happen during the transition to iPhone 19 production in the September quarter when Apple traditionally gears down this year’s latest greatest. It’s a good thing that Nikkei doesn’t print their opinions (aka bogus rumors) anymore, because they’d have trouble planning its demand for ink.'
on Saturday Apple video: Steve Jobs, master storyteller - 'Hap, I believe using “different” in a nominal sense suggests that Apple, the company, should be seen as a distinct entity, apart from the norm: i.e. Think Different — Think Apple.'
on Mark Gurman: Why Apple's HomeView? Why now? - 'I’m a non starter if they Adobeafie Apple Home as a subscription service – that to me would mark the enshitification of Apple. I’ll pay top dollar for the hardware but I’m not paying Apple rent. I already have an Apple One subscription, which I pay top dollar for, that’s enough.'
on Mark Gurman: Why Apple's HomeView? Why now? - 'Before someone comments that some Sonos hardware is AirPlay enabled, that doesn’t help me with the Sonos amps driving my beautiful in-wall invisible speakers.'
on Saturday Apple video: Steve Jobs, master storyteller - 'I think he misses something about the “Think Different” choice: “Different” is an adjective. This implies a noun. So what it the noun? Is the noun the “different” people in the 1984 ad? Or a prospective customer, who may want to think of themself as “different,” or an outsider, in some special way?'
on Mark Gurman: Why Apple's HomeView? Why now? - 'How long before I can get a handmade copy of that logo on Etsy?'
on Mark Gurman: Why Apple's HomeView? Why now? - 'Yes, worth watching for the plan(s). Apple One already has 3 tiers. Maybe they’ll add another tier, offer a stand-alone, and use Home as an on-ramp to existing bundles. Wait and see.'
on Apple TV's take on William Gibson's 'Neuromancer' lands in January - 'Steven, I agree with your assessment of “Foundation”. They contemporized it to the point where the source material no longer mattered. A classic like this deserved a better adaptation: more nostalgia, less visual hyperbole.'
on Saturday Apple video: Steve Jobs, master storyteller - 'Good point. Another aspect that can happen is that we tend to remember the good (iPhone, iMac, etc) and forget the bad (Lisa, ‘you’re holding it wrong’, etc)'
on Mark Gurman: Why Apple's HomeView? Why now? - 'Leveraging external technology takes time, but has always been part of Apple’s playbook. Apple’s “from scratch” AI never got off the ground. Perhaps it wasn’t supposed to. Regardless, licensing Gemini allows them to quickly deploy high-end AI, while simultaneously engineering its own 1 trillion parameter model slated for 2027. Most importantly, everything will run locally on-device or via Private Cloud Compute.'
on Apple TV's take on William Gibson's 'Neuromancer' lands in January - 'Probably be great but the hype may deem it a disappointment.'
on This week's Apple trading strategies (10/12-10/16/26) - 'My hunch, even if this story has any validity at all, is that Apple is trimming and reallocating these internal parts for what they’re expecting to be substantial initial orders for the new Duo. A foldable phone without creases has never been made by anyone. Hence, Apple’s decision to produce a product that will eat up current market share probably has already caused upgrades to the 18 to be subsumed by expected sales of the new Duo.'
