News from Apple this week

[Foxbat]

iOS 13.1.2 is out already. After all the pictures and videos I captured on our vacation out west, I need to remove older Albums so I have room to install the update. That's what I get for being cheap and buying the 64 GB model last year. Or, harshness could point out many, many Android options that would allow me to add a microSD card to increase my storage…

I'll survive with this temporary trimming of content off of my iPhone. I won't be getting another iPhone for at least two years, at which point I'm hoping that FaceID will have TouchID added back in some form or another.

 

[TheForce]

No problem with storage here but my wife is now set to upload older photos to the icloud. She has the old SE with 64GB. That helps and storage there is actually cheaper than buying the next memory upgrade iphone, FWIW.

However, I just upgraded my apple watch and discovered the face I normally use is now absent color. I had to switch to the color one on the iphone as there are now two of that style. There is also a iknown bug already reported that weather and stocks don't work anymore. It seems that Apple is denying complications button on the watch for these apps. They have suggested the usual wide variety of universal suggestions to try and fix it but none seem to work. The really are having a load of issues with these new iOS and wOS now.

To further complicate my week, my new iphone 11 is out for delivery today and I wanted everything working right and up to date before switching over. That should make things even more confusing. What ever happened to beta testers who know what they are doing? Remember the old days when companies like Autodesk would fly me to California to review my suggestions on 3D Studio so it would work like it was intended. I wasn't the only one. They flew 12 others in from as far as Australia to the meeting. Does Apple even beta test anymore?

 

[klang]

However, I just upgraded my apple watch and discovered the face I normally use is now absent color. I had to switch to the color one on the iphone as there are now two of that style.

Ran into something similar setting up an Infograph Modular face. I had to select the Multicolor option, the white circle containing smaller colored circles, all the way to the left to see the normal colors.

 

[mackie99]

No problem with storage here but my wife is now set to upload older photos to the icloud. She has the old SE with 64GB. That helps and storage there is actually cheaper than buying the next memory upgrade iphone, FWIW.

However, I just upgraded my apple watch and discovered the face I normally use is now absent color. I had to switch to the color one on the iphone as there are now two of that style. There is also a iknown bug already reported that weather and stocks don't work anymore. It seems that Apple is denying complications button on the watch for these apps. They have suggested the usual wide variety of universal suggestions to try and fix it but none seem to work. The really are having a load of issues with these new iOS and wOS now.

To further complicate my week, my new iphone 11 is out for delivery today and I wanted everything working right and up to date before switching over. That should make things even more confusing. What ever happened to beta testers who know what they are doing? Remember the old days when companies like Autodesk would fly me to California to review my suggestions on 3D Studio so it would work like it was intended. I wasn't the only one. They flew 12 others in from as far as Australia to the meeting. Does Apple even beta test anymore?

I have no problem using weather on my Apple Watch. I'm using the latest software on the watch which is 6.1

 

[klang]

I have no problem using weather on my Apple Watch. I'm using the latest software on the watch which is 6.1

Same here. Both the Apple provided weather complication as well as third party.

 

[TheForce]

OK, the new iOS 13.1.2 fixed all the problems on the watch. Stocks are back and weather is updating.

There is a good reason why they call them "complications", probably because it's complicated to get them working right.

 

[mackie99]

OK, the new iOS 13.1.2 fixed all the problems on the watch. Stocks are back and weather is updating.

Glad it's working for you.

 

[TheForce]

Some third party apps still aren't working but I think they will be needing to update them.

 

[harshness]

There is a good reason why they call them "complications", probably because it's complicated to get them working right.

So much for the comfort of the ecosystem.

Rather than "iknown bug", you perhaps should have typed "known iBug". It is staggering how in-your-face some of these issues are.

 

[TheForce]

There seems to be a handshake issue with iOS and wOS versions with 13 and 6. If you update one you must update the other too. I should have gotten the notice on the watch but I had to poll for it to show up. Once both were on the latest version all began to work fine. My experience says this doesn't qualify as a bug, but more of a communications problem. Apple should tell us that both watch and iphone have to be updated or problems will happen.

So once that was done I backed up the iphone again and then the new 11 Pro Max arrived. Upgrading was a bit of a problem with Verizon and that caused 3 hours of fighting with Verizon's robot system before I got to a real person. "Please enter your pin" that was the problem, I never set up a pin. Finally, I got to a sales rep who told me it's impossible that I have a Verizon account and never got a pin. Then he finally told me that for customers who never set up a pin on an old account, that my SSN was assigned. So after that I was able to continue to activate the new phone. But this time, it never asked me for a pin. sigh! The new phone was activated. Next step was to restore my settings, and content apps etc. Apple has a new way to do this which is really easy. They use NFC now to transfer old iphone to new and it is slow, but I got 211GB of stuff moved over in 90 minutes. Didn't need to use the backup I did earlier. Once I got past the Verizon nonsense, doing the upgrade was pretty easy.

What did not transfer over was pairing my watch, and the Apple wallet for credit cards. I had to do those separately. Important to unpair the watch from the old phone before erasing it to send back to Apple for trade-in credit.

 

[Foxbat]

What did not transfer over was pairing my watch, and the Apple wallet for credit cards. I had to do those separately.

That would be the Secure Enclave. I see Apple using the NFC more and more, like when I upgraded the AppleTVs I have, in order to get them working with our HomeKit I needed to unlock my iPhone and place it next to the TV I had just updated.

 

[TheForce]

Breaking News:

Apple just asked Foxconn ( all suppliers ) to increase production of the iphone 11's by 10% to meet much stronger demand than they had anticipated.


My new 11 Pro Max is working great. I was very impressed with the speed on my XsMax and never thought it could get faster but everything about the 11 Pro is noticeably faster. Before sending my XsMax back I tested the two side by side and that's how I could tell. Still, I wouldn't have done the upgrade but since it only cost me the sales tax and I was enrolled in the upgrade every year, decided to do what I signed up for last year. I'm sure I will take advantage of the added camera features too.

 

[TheForce]

President Trump visited the new Apple Plant in Austin, Texas yesterday that manufactures the newest Mac Pro desktop computer. Tim Cook was present and said the facility is employing 5000 now and will expand soon, employing 15,000. He also used the visit to lobby the President on the December 15 tariffs expected to impact all Chinese assembled Apple products imported to the US. Tim's argument was that Apple's main competitor, Samsung, made in So. Korea will have a cost advantage. The President didn't commit to an exemption for Apple but said he will take Tim's request seriously.

 

[harshness]

President Trump visited the new Apple Plant in Austin, Texas yesterday that manufactures the newest Mac Pro desktop computer. Tim Cook was present and said the facility is employing 5000 now and will expand soon, employing 15,000.

Surely they can't all be building a computer that sells perhaps in the tens of thousands each year.

 

[TheForce]

Surely they can't all be building a computer that sells perhaps in the tens of thousands each year.

Agree! I think Tim said the expansion will be to build more components. Earlier this year they talked about Austin doing many component manufacturing but the tour facility yesterday was specific to the Mac Pro. We only saw about a dozen employees working a tiny part of the operation.

Personal note- they must have pulled in the 5th string video trainees because many parts of the tour video were out of focus and the audio was intermittent. If I had done a job like that my client would have not only refused to pay but would have sued me. Very unprofessional shooting from CNBC. In my experience, these networks often hire locals for these types of jobs rather than send in their Network cameramen. I know as I have done many jobs as a freelance cameraman for the networks when they had something going in town.

 

[harshness]

I question Apple's commitment to the Austin project based on the fact that they aren't letting on what the other 14,500 people are going to be doing. Jobs are great but they have to be something that is going to last longer than the latest press release.

 

[rad]

Well, Austin is already the largest Apple site outside of Cupertino CA with a large complex just down the road from where they are building their new complex. And that was noting just a few years ago so I don’t see why they wouldn’t have a business plan that would require all the extra space.


Sent from my iPad using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[harshness]

And that was noting just a few years ago so I don’t see why they wouldn’t have a business plan that would require all the extra space.

The commitment that Apple long ago made to Austin hasn't been anywhere near fulfilled. Breaking it would be very damaging to the joy-joy to a company that trades on it.

It is much like the question of why AT&T would launch DIRECTV 16: they had contracts and commitments in place. Partnerships (with businesses and communities) are something you don't lay waste to without a very good reason.

 

[TheForce]

harshness has been negative on Apple on everything they do. He must know something the rest of the world doesn't to be that committed to his predictions that have never panned out. My guess is it is all emotion and nothing factual. The rest of the world considers Tim Cook the smartest CEO ever, certainly the most successful. He chooses not to be first on many new directions, but very conservative so what he does is a guaranteed success in being #2. He doesn't strive to be #1 for 15% of the population but #2 for 85% of the population. Meaning he is not interested in having the most powerful tools in technology or the cheapest prices, but rather make what makes most people's lives easier with technology. I don't think harshness understands that approach to what Apple does best. Tim didn't get to where he is today by shear good luck. He most certainly has a plan and just because he hasn't sought your approval, harshness, doesn't mean the plan doesn't exist. Even Steve Jobs had a plan but his was better suited for a startup, while Tim's plan is better suited for being #2 for 85% of the people.

Because I understand the fundamental philosophy of what Apple does, it remains my largest investment and will remain so as long as Apple continues to grow at the rate they have been. Doesn't mean I also don't invest in Microsoft, AT&T, Amazon, and Google. But those aren't number 1 in my portfolio. Because I understand where Apple products excel in my everyday life is why I own iphone infrastructure. However, because I also need to do some things that are specialized, I also have what some would call a supercomputer.


Here's an interesting statistic for 2019:

The top Selling watch brands with over an estimated $1 Billion USD in wholesale sales are:

• Rolex $4.5 Bil USD.
• Omega $3 Bil.
• Apple $ 2.5 Bil.
• Fossil $2.3 Bil.
• Cartier $1.8 Bil.
• Citizen $1.6 Bil.
• Seiko $1.4 Bil.
• Patek Philippe $1.2 Bil.

Best phone at a glance:

1. Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
2. iPhone 11
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
4. iPhone 11 Pro Max
5. Samsung Galaxy S10e
6. OnePlus 7 Pro
7. Google Pixel 4 XL
8. Huawei P30 Pro
9. Samsung Galaxy S10
10. iPhone XR
11. iPhone XS
12. Google Pixel 3 XL
13. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
14. Samsung Galaxy Note 9
15. Moto G7 Power

Samsung has a market capitalization of about $154 billion, barely a quarter the size of Apple's. But if you believe that a company should be measured by how much it sells, rather than collective market opinion, it's Apple that's the second-largest electronics multinational in the world, behind only Samsung. from Google Jun 25, 2019

Apple enjoys being #2 in item sales but #1 by a huge margin as a money maker for the company, employees, and investors. It's a safe place to be.

 

[TheForce]

Something else to consider- How vulnerable would Samsung be if Google decided to end or even roll back their Android OS? What if they decided to charge for Android? While Samsung and others have to sign a contract that carries a few rules to use the OS, they don't currently pay a single penny to Google to use it.

As a Google stock holder, I hope one day the company starts making money on Android OS. I wish the high rollers would press for this at the stock holder's meetings.

Would you Samsung owners still have one if it sold for $200 more than an iphone equivalent because it now had to pay for Android? Or worse, if it had to use one of the other OS's that currently isn't popular? Like Windows Phone, or Blackberry, etc.