iPad By Davis: “Floorplans for iPad review: Design beautiful details floor plans” plus 19 more

Floorplans for iPad review: Design beautiful details floor plans
Q2 2013 and investing in Apple
iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4: Which should you buy?
iPhone 5 vs. BlackBerry Q10: Which should you buy?
Apple Store app for iPhone now notifies you when you're ready for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone
Mac sales down slightly, but PC sales down much more
Tim Cook teases "exciting new product categories" for this fall and 2014
Apple won't make a larger screen iPhone while trade-offs exist
Apple getting aggressive with iPhone 4 in developing markets
iPad sales in China and Japan more than doubled since last year
Apple releases Q2 2013 results: 37.4 million iPhones, 19.5 million iPads and $43.6 billion in revenue
Notable New iBooks: Riding on a Beam of Light
How to delete podcast episodes in the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad
AppShopper Social uses your friends to find apps for you
Tweetbot for iPad Updated: New Media Timeline & More
Tweetbot for iPhone and iPad updated with new media timeline
Time Warner Cable TV App’s Latest Update: Lame, Disappointing
Logitech's colorful new iPad case sports fabric keyboard
Deal of the Day: 48% off Body Glove ToughSuit Rugged Case & Holster for iPhone 5
Apple financial results and conference call today 2pm PDT, 5pm EDT

Floorplans for iPad review: Design beautiful details floor plans

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 11:23 PM PDT

Floorplans is a powerful iPad app that lets you create floor plans on the go. It features an easy-to-use and intuitive interface that allows you draw walls, add furniture, and more.

Creating a floor plan is a breeze: simply draw the walls with your finger and add furniture with a tap of a button. You can also make detailed adjustments to item you add to your floor plan including dimensions, finishes, and flipping horizontally and vertically. This is awesome for people who are using Floorplans to help redecorate their home.

As you work on your floor plan, you can zoom in and see great detail. All the measurements will also be automatically calculated and added to the floor plan.

In addition to furniture and structural item, Floorplans lets you add labels, name rooms, and add flooring to individual rooms. Unfortunately, if you have an open-concept design, simply designate "entry ways" to split up rooms with different flooring. Though, if your entry ways aren't between walls, you're out of luck and can't separate the rooms. This is difficult for open-concept kitchens since you can't have an entry way between wall and counter.

In addition to creating new floor plans from scratch, you can also import and covert PDF and JPG files into Floorplans to be edited and manipulated with the app. It will also calibrate the dimensions of imported floor plans.

The good

Import existing files from PDF or JPG, including sketches
Calibrate dimensions of imported floor plans
Create new floor plans from scratch
Draw angled and curved walls
Add furniture and structural elements
Edit dimensions of items
Export as PDF, JPG, and Floorplans native format
AirPrint support
iCloud sync
Dropbox support

The bad

Not enough items (no bathroom counter with two sinks, for example)
Entry ways must be placed between walls.
Can't specify which items are on top when stacking items

The bottom line

I go through phases of obsession with HGTV, and that's what prompted me to download Floorplans. I've had a blast designing my dream home with it and can see how professional designers would find Floorplans to be a valuable asset.

$9.99 - Download now

Q2 2013 and investing in Apple

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:21 PM PDT

On Tuesday Apple reported a pretty solid set of financial results for Q2 fiscal 2013. Revenue was $43.6 billion, which is up 11% year over year. But it's also fair to point out that earnings were down year over year. In fact Apple posted EPS of $10.09 which is a decline from $12.30 last year.

There are plenty of industry observers and stock market pundits who are pointing out that "Apple is not a growth company anymore". Factually, I think it's better to say that Apple did not achieve earnings growth this quarter. They did achieve revenue growth (and quite reasonable growth), but they didn't grow the bottom line.

Question is - can they get back to delivering growth? I think they can and I think they will. Let's remember this is a long term game.

Before we get too far into this, let's look at how Wall Street reacted. The stock climbed in after hours trading to the tune of about 5%. The market likes the numbers, and let's remember that the market is all about the short term.

Why like the numbers? Because iPhone and iPad sales were pretty solid. Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones and 19.5 million iPads. In particular the iPad sales are up from 11.8 million a year ago. Most of this growth was driven by the iPad Mini, which the company says is being sold to mostly first-time iPad owners, proving that it's not just cannibalizing the more expensive full sized iPad. It's bringing Apple brand new customers.

And let's stay focused on the prize. The market has shifted from PCs to mobile computing. Whereas Apple had single digit percentage market share in PCs for so long, it not stands up with Google as one of two ginormous leaders in mobile computing.

This is a huge growth market. Still. Tim Cook talked about the industry analyst estimates on the call. Specifically, IDC estimates the smartphone market will double between 2012 and 2016, growing to 1.4 billion units annually. Gartner estimates the tablet market is growing even faster, rising from 125 million units in 2012 to a projected 375 million by 2016.

Kinda puts things in perspective as to why Apple's CFO, Peter Oppenheimer, would be quoted as saying, "We're willing to make short-term trade-offs in profits for long-term growth." This is important stuff. Wall Street hates it when companies sacrafice short term profitability, but in the end none of what Wall Street thinks matters. And Tim Cook made it very clear that they're running Apple to deliver great products for the customers. In the end, the market follows. It does not lead.

In China, for example, there seems to be pretty heated demand for the iPhone 4. Cook points out that China is an interesting market where there is an overwhelming percentage of first time smartphone buyers. In a market like this, it makes sense to aggressively sell the iPhone 4. Get people hooked on the Apple product experience and keep them hooked as they upgrade later. It's smart business. Same goes for having a lower cost iPad Mini.

So overall, I'm happy to see that Apple is still posting very solid revenue growth, especially when adjusting for the massive channel inventory build they had to do last year, which they didn't repeat this year.

If I thought Apple's gross margins were on a constant trajectory down, I'd be more worried. But I think it's more accurate to say their margins have normalized. They are not going to pull in close to 50% margin like they did last year. There is too much global competition to allow for this. but can they sustainably generate mid 30% margins? Yes, I think so. Apple has a long history of pricing its products at a premium and generating solidly above-average margin.

My focus is on Apple's constantly growing top line. And so far, they're constantly growing.

Before I wrap up I'll touch on Apple's plans to use cash to buy back stock and raise the dividend. I think they're doing exactly the right thing. Instead of massively raising the dividend, they're raising it 15%. This puts the yield at about 3%, which is attractive but not insane. Yet it leaves tons of cash on the table for Apple to buy back its own stock.

To me this speaks volumes about management's confidence. They're telling us the stock is undervalued. As Cook said, they are "investing in Apple". But in reality they are taking advantage of information they have about the company's long term product roadmap that Wall Street doesn't have as much faith in.

I'm not worried about the stock one bit.

iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4: Which should you buy?

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 09:03 PM PDT

Apple's iPhone 5 has been around going on 6 months now, but Samsung's Galaxy S4 has only just now hit the streets, and already we're being asked the question -- which one should you buy?

Never mind the iPhone 5 is last year's model, until Apple announces a new one this is the phone that's sitting on the shelves next to the Galaxy S4 and that makes the question a real one for real people. And luckily, it's a fairly easy one to answer, because both phones are different enough -- philosophical opposites in many cases -- they'll likely appeal to different audiences.

I attended the Samsung Galaxy S4 event in NYC with Phil Nickinson, and had a chance to try out the phone then. I've also had a chance to use it this week while Alex Dobie was working on his comprehensive Samsung Galaxy S4 review. So while I haven't gone as in-depth as those guys, I've had the chance to form some opinions.

The Galaxy S4 has a 5-inch SAMOLED screen compared to the iPhone 5's 4-inch LED IPS in-cell display. On size and size alone, the Galaxy S4 wins. If all you want is as much screen real estate possible this side of a phablet, the Galaxy S4 takes it hands down. If you want a smaller display that's easier to fit on tight hipster pockets or use one-handed, the iPhone 5 will be more to your liking. Samsung also cleans Apple's Retina clock with a 1920x1080 (1080p) display, compared to Apple's 1136x640.

When it comes to display technology, however, the iPhone 5 cremes the Galaxy S4. Not only does Apple use in-cell display to make the pixels look like they're part of the glass. It's also LED. Samung sticks with SAMOLED, which, like OLED in general, just isn't great for displays. It does save on power and produce nice blacks, but it remains overly saturated, subject to an annoying blue-shift, and just doesn't hold up as well under direct sunlight. Also, Samsung has stuck with an odd sub-pixel arrangement and while it's very difficult to see at that resolution, it's still not as good as the traditional RGB layout.

Samsung has also stuck with plastic for their casing, which not only doesn't feel as good as the plastics used by HTC and Nokia, it feels downright cheap compared to the aluminum and glass casing of the iPhone 5, and the aluminum used in the new HTC One. Samsung's plastic does make it easier for them to include a door for a removable battery and SD card, but I'm happy enough to recharge my phone when I need to, and I'd rather not have a cheap-feeling experience all day, every day, when I'm using it.

The software is a mixed bag as well. I love that Samsung is trying so many things and experimenting with so many things. Sure, some of them are beyond wacky, but some of them might just be wonderful as well. Companies that throw things against the wall do sometimes find what sticks, and that's how we get the future faster.

I just wish they'd hire some really good designers to give the icons and interface a once-over because it still comes off as an afterthought, inconsistent and utilitarian.

Overall, it's a good improvement over last year's Galaxy S3. Some are calling it a Galaxy S3S, similar to Apple's S-class iPhone updates, but the screen size increase and some of the other hardware features make it more than that. Just not a lot more.

However, it remains a largely uninspired and un-opinionated phone. The beige box of mobile. It'll be a best seller, no doubt about it. Maybe even the best seller this year. But If you don't want an iPhone 5 -- and there are some valid reasons for not wanting an iPhone 5 -- I wouldn't recommend a Galaxy S4. If you love phones and you love Android, I'd recommend an HTC One far, far more.

But don't take my word for it, read Alex's review, and then come back and let me know what you think.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 review

iPhone 5 vs. BlackBerry Q10: Which should you buy?

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 08:27 PM PDT

The BlackBerry Q10 represents the return of the original BlackBerry. And unabashedly so. Sure it runs the same BlackBerry 10 operating system as the full touchscreen BlackBerry Z10, but it packs it into the classic, keyboard package every hardcore communicator and enterprise accomplisher knows and loves. But how does it compare to the iPhone 5, and if you're considering both -- which one should you get?

And you know what? For what it is, it's really really good. I've been using BlackBerry 10 on the Z10 for a month or so, and I've been using Kevin Michaluk's BlackBerry Q10 review unit quite a bit this week. And the experience translates pretty well to the smaller 720x720 display on the Q10. The keyboard is everything you'd expect from the people who pretty much perfected it. It's a real BlackBerry in every way that matters.

On the other hand, the OLED display is sub-optimal and a compromise. It's a concession to battery life, which is the entire focus of a workhorse phone like the Q10. Apps are still sparse, and Android emulation is a stop-gap at best.

It's also a brand new OS, so while it has all the basics, and carries over a lot of the smart ideas from the Z10, but it's still first generation and that means it squeaks a little when it turns around too fast. But that's okay. Every modern mobile OS has been there.

The truth is, the Q10 is a hold-over from a time gone by, and hardware keyboards aren't a growth market anymore. Kids growing up today will be touch-screen native, and the Q10-style BlackBerry will fade as the Z10-style grows to take it's place.

But right now, today, I don't care. Right now, today, it's like watching your favorite hero from the past come out of retirement to kick ass one last time. And it's a hell of a thing to watch.

No one who wants an iPhone will want a Q10, but everyone who wants the BlackBerry will love it.

Go check out CrackBerry's coverage, then come back here and tell me what you think.

BlackBerry Q10 review

Apple Store app for iPhone now notifies you when you're ready for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 05:11 PM PDT

The Apple Store app for iPhone has been updated with a handy little feature that will notify you when you're eligible for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone. You can even buy your new iPhone directly with the app after receiving the notification since all you need is your Apple ID credentials to do so.

Also, the Apple Store will now help you keep track of your shipments and send you notifications about important updates, and when it has delivered.

Anyone waiting for upgrade eligibility before buying the iPhone 5? Are you excited about being notified when that day comes?

Free - Download now

Mac sales down slightly, but PC sales down much more

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 04:39 PM PDT

There wasn't great news for Mac enthusiasts in Apple's latest quarterly earnings report - Mac sales are actually down year over year. Apple sold 3.952 million Macs this past quarter, compared to 4.017 million for the same quarter a year ago.

Putting a positive spin on the news, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer noted during the conference call with analysts that while Mac sales are down 2 percent year over year, the rest of the PC industry is faring worse - sales are down 14 percent year over year, according to a report from IDC.

Even though unit sales are down, revenue is up - Apple raked in $5.447 billion in Mac sales for the quarter, compared to $5.073 for the same quarter a year ago. So while Apple may not have sold as many Macs, it made more money on them. Tim Cook attributes the difference to strong demand in iMac sales; no surprise, given that the supply of new, thin iMac models was constrained until the beginning of the year.

Tim Cook teases "exciting new product categories" for this fall and 2014

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Tim Cook teases "exciting new product categories" for this fall and 2014

Apple's quarterly conference calls are always full of enlightening snippets of information, and the call following the release of the second quarter of 2013 financial results was no exception. In addition to revealing explosive growth in China, aggressive iPhone 4 pricing in developing markets, and that there are still trade-offs that would exist were Apple to hypothetically make a hypothetical iPhone with a screen of some size hypothetically larger than the 4 inches of the current iPhone 5, Cook hinted that Apple is investing in "the potential of exciting new product categories" and that Apple might be announcing new products in the fall.

Of course, he wasn't nearly so direct, merely indicating that the fall quarter is when things might pick up a bit, saying that "We've got a lot more surprises in the works." In fact, the guidance for the next quarter seems to indicate that Apple's not planning anything major over the next two months. Apple hasn't had a major product launch so far this year - in fact, Cook lamented that perhaps Apple should have held back on the introduction of the new iMacs until the start of 2013 - and at this pace may not until this fall. Cook repeatedly hinted that Apple's engineers and developers are "hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services that we can't wait to introduce in the fall and into 2014." So much for speculation of a summer iPhone launch, eh?

Of course, Cook declined to comment on when exactly that new hardware, software and services will hit the physical and virtual shelves, but it's looking like 2014 will be the year to watch for Apple.

Exactly which "exciting new product categories" Apple is exploring come the fall and 2014 is up in the air. There's the Apple Watch, which Apple is supposedly working hard on. There's the long- and oft-rumored iTV. And there are things that can almost state as fact as coming (though we won't until they're announced), like iOS 7 and a new iPhone without a bigger screen.

It's telling that Cook felt the need to state that these new products might come late this year or even into next year. The move was likely a deliberate effort to set investor expectations - the next quarter will be good, at least as far as Apple quarters are concerned (most companies would consider a quarter like this last one to be an extraordinary cause for celebration) - but not extraordinary like the preceding holiday quarter. And while Cook isn't happy about the decline in Apple's stock price, calling it "very frustrating", he said that "the most important objective at Apple will always be creating the most innovative products." And innovation takes time.

Apple won't make a larger screen iPhone while trade-offs exist

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 03:33 PM PDT

Apple won't make a larger screen iPhone while trade-offs exist

There's been rampant speculation, rumor mongering, and punditing that Apple must be, has to, is, or really should be making an even larger iPhone. Recall that from the original iPhone launch in 2007 up to the iPhone 4S of 2011, the screen size was a steady and unchanging 3.5-inches. Then with the iPhone 5 in September of 2012, Apple jumped to 4 inches while much of the rest of the smartphone industry was powering on to 5 inches and beyond. Heck, just two weeks ago Samsung announced a pair of new Android-powered smartphones with 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch screens.

Asked during today's Q2 2013 fiscal results conference call as to whether or not Apple's and CEO Tim Cook's disinclination towards larger screens has changed, Cook said that there are a number of trade-offs that have come with larger screens. He said that Apple's own research has revealed while some customers obviously place value on larger screen sizes (those giant Samsung, LG, and HTC phones wouldn't be selling otherwise), others value resolution, color quality, brightness, portability, and app compatibility. He said that "our competitors have made significant trade-offs in many of these areas" and that Apple would not launch a larger-screen iPhone while these trade-offs exist.

It's worth taking into consideration that Apple said similar things running up to the launch of the iPhone 5 and it's bigger screen, and Cook said as recently as the last quarter that he's happy with the 4-inch screen. It's also worth nothing that while Cook says he believes the iPhone 5 has "the absolute best display in the industry", the advent of 1080p smartphone screens has obviated some of his stated advantages such as resolution.

The "while these trade-offs exist" line implies that Apple does indeed have a larger-screen iPhone in development. It'd be silly to think that there aren't several 4.5-inch or 5-inch iPhones floating around the mad labs of Jony Ive. There are obviously trade-offs that would have to be overcome should Apple opt to jump up to a larger screen size, notably on the marks of portability and app compatibility. During the iPhone launch event in 2007, Steve Jobs pulled the iPhone out of his pocket like it hadn't even been there the entire lead-up to its unveiling. A +4-inch iPhone compromises that portability, especially when you still have to cram in a battery to power that display.

More pressing is the app compatibility issue. After several months since the iPhone 5 was released, we're still seeing new and updated apps that don't support the increased height of the new phone. The 4-inch screen didn't change the pixel density or horizontal width, while a 5-inch iPhone would almost certainly have to do just that. That creates a massive app compatibility headache, which Rene went to absurd lengths to analyze back in January.

Is there a five-inch iPhone sitting on a lab bench somewhere in Cupertino? Without a doubt, yes. Is it ready for release? We wouldn't say it is. Those trade-offs still exist, and it's going to take even Apple time to overcome them.

Apple getting aggressive with iPhone 4 in developing markets

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 03:10 PM PDT

Aplpe getting aggressive with iPhone 4 in developing markets

In announcing the March quarter's fiscal results, Apple revealed that profits dropped from the year prior. While there are many issues that factor into that, one of the greatest is the iPhone 4. Average selling price for iPhones dropped $23 from the year quarter. Why is that? It's because Apple is getting aggressive with the iPhone 4 in developing markets.

CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer repeatedly pointed to sales in new markets as part of the reason for the decline in profits. As in half a dozen times; clearly they intended to hammer home that Apple is investing in getting customers onboard the Apple bandwagon in new markets. Oppenheimer said that over the last quarter Apple has aggressively discounted the iPhone 4 in these developing markets. He said that they've seen incredible interest in the iPhone 4 in these markets.

Cook said that Apple has made the iPhone 4 even more affordable to make it more attractive to new buyers. While that might disappoint investors who always want more profit and more profit, Cook was optimistic, saying "we believe that the phone for the price point that we're offering is an incredible value for people" in these markets.

Apple's long been perceived as a premium product, with customers willing to pay supposed premium prices to own Apple products. But as with almost every Apple product, they'r expensive at launch and eventually drop in price as older models are phased out, manufacturing processes are refined, and scale is achieved. The original iPhone was $600, now you can buy a brand-new iPhone 5 on-contract for under $200. The first full-size iPad was $500. Now you can get an iPad Mini for $329, or an iPad 2 for $399.

By keeping the older iPhone 4 around, Apple's enabling economies of scale and manufacturing efficiencies from years of development and sales. The older components in the iPhone 4 cost less, and while Apple might be taking a hit on the profits in doing so, they can sell the iPhone 4 for less in developing markets. The goal is to lock in new customers now while modern smartphones are just beginning to proliferate in these developing markets. Said Oppenheimer: "We're willing to make short-term trade-offs in profits for long-term growth."

iPad sales in China and Japan more than doubled since last year

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 02:39 PM PDT

In today's conference call after the Q2 2013 fiscal results, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer revealed that Apple products are selling like gangbusters in East Asia. In China and Japan both, iPad sales more than doubled this quarter from the quarter the year prior. In China specifically, iPad sales were up 138% from last year.

iPhone sales are also up hugely since the last year. In Japan the iPhone has secured the top sales spot for the last four quarters. That's the first time a non-Japanese company has been able to dominate the Japanese smartphone market for a solid year. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company has seen a tremendous amount of interest in the iPhone 4 in China, and they've made price adjustments to make it more attractive to what he said was a massive potential market for first-time purchasers.

Apple brought in $8.8 billion in revenue from China, up 11% year-over-year. That's in spite of the media troubles that Apple has faced in China, though the company has handled the Chinese government's reaction more capably than others that have come under media attack in the People's Republic.

Apple releases Q2 2013 results: 37.4 million iPhones, 19.5 million iPads and $43.6 billion in revenue

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 01:38 PM PDT

Apple announces Q2 2013 Financial Results

Apple today announced their financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2013 (the months of January, February, and March). Apple brought in $9.5 billion in profit off of $43.6 billion in revenue. In previous years Apple offered conservative guidance on revenue and profits, though recently they made the switched to publishing a range into which they realistically expect the fiscal results to fall. And Apple's results easily fell within that range.

Those buckets of cash come courtesy of sales that included 37.4 million iPhones, 19.5 million iPads, and "just under 4 million" Macs. Apple historically has not broken down the individual models within these product categories, though reports from carriers indicate that the mix on iPhones has been a little over one half iPhone 5 and the rest split between the less expensive iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

"We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline."

While the results might have fallen short of analysts' lofty expectations (or beaten analysts' pessimism), Apple did exceed the results of the same quarter one year ago. For the record, Q2 2013 was up 11% from $39.2 billion in revenue and down 18% from $11.6 billion in net profits. Apple's consistently brought in billions of dollars in revenue and profits for quarter-after-quarter, though it remains to be seen whether today's results will be enough to satisfy investors and analysts. Given the pummeling the stock has taken over the past six months, we wouldn't be holding our breath.

As an added bonus to shareholders, Apple's increased the dividend for this quarter by 15% from $2.65 to $3.05. The company has also added $50 billion to their stock buyback program, which is now projected to spend $100 billion by the end of 2015. Thanks to the additional $9.5 billion in income from this quarter, Apple still has $145 billion in the bank with which to play.

As usual, a conference call with Apple execs is scheduled to kick off shortly. And as usual, we'll be following along to pass along to you any notes of interest that Cook and company drop. While we're waiting, are you satisfied with the latest additions to Apple's cash pile or did Wall Street's relentless hype machine get to you?

Source: Apple

Apple Q2 2013 conference call notes of interest

Tim Cook (TC): We know we haven't lived up to everybody's expectations. We acknowledge that our margins have slowed and our growth rates decreased. Our margins are closer to what they were a few years ago. Our results in 2012 were extraordinary, which makes comparisons difficult.
TC: These comparisons are made difficult also thanks to the deliberate low margins of the iPad Mini launch.
TC: Stock price decline has been frustrating to all of us, despite the strengths of Apple's business. Our most important objective will always be creating innovative new products.
TC: Our teams are hard at work on exciting new products that we can't wait to release this year and through 2014.
TC: Since we began our stock buybacks and dividends last year we've already returned $10 billion to shareholders. But we're still bringing in capital in excess beyond our needs. Apple is increasing its cash return program to $100 billion through 2015. The current dividend is being increased by 15%. We appreciate the input offered by shareholders.
Peter Oppenheimer (PO): New March quarter records for iPhone and iPad sales, as well as quarterly revenue.
PO: 37.4 million iPhones, and increased of 2.5 million over the last year.
PO: Ended quarter with the target range of 4-6 weeks of inventory in channel.
PO: Apple doing quite well in Japan. Captured the top sales position all year, the first time a non-Japanese company has done that.
PO: Nearly 30,000 companies developing in-house corporate apps for their employees.
PO: Sold 19.5 million iPads in the quarter, up 65% from the year prior.
PO: iPad sales more than doubled in China and Japan from last year.
PO: Sold significantly more iPad Minis this quarter than last, Apple was unable to reach iPad Mini demand during the December quarter.
PO: Overwhelming number of iPad Mini purchasers are new iPad customers.
PO: Apple sold nearly 4 million Macs over the quarter, down 2% from the year prior. The global personal computer is down 14% globally.
PO: 5.6 million iPods, compared to nearly 8 million the last quarter. iPod Touch continues to compose the majority of those sales and iPod continues to dominate the dedicated MP3 player market.
PO: iPad app count is up to 350,000. iOS app developers have been paid over $9 billion from Apple over the life of the iOS App Store.
PO: iOS devices accounted for 77% of device activations for corporations.
PO: More than 300 million using iCloud every day, with great new features and capabilities coming.
PO: $5.2 billion in revenue from Apple Stores, up from $4.4 billion the year prior.
PO: Expect to open 30 new stores and remodel 20 stores over the year.
PO: Average revenue per store was $13.1 million.
PO: Apple is one of the largest dividend payers in the US, paying out more than $11 billion a year.
PO: Apple is exploring taking on debt to enable bringing in funds from overseas.

Q&A

Q: Why did income come in at the low end of projections?
PO: There were some unfavorable adjustments and Apple had to spend significantly to get iPad Mini inventory up to desired channel levels of 4-6 weeks.
Q: Is Apple hitting a wall in China?
TC: We just had our best quarter ever in China, bringing in revenue of $8.8 billion. That's up 11% year-over-year. iPads grew 138% year-over-year with new records for sell-through for iPads and iPhones. We have 11 stores in China, and expect to double that in two years.
Q: Why are iPhone average sale prices down?
PO: It's due to mix, with more iPhone 4 sales in the sales mix and aggressive priced in developing markets. Average selling price for iPhones was down $23.
TC: As you get further from a previous product launch there's a general lower mix than where it starts. All things being equal you'd expect to be seeing that on most of our products.
Q: The smartphone market grew around 30%, while Apple's iPhone sales are up in the single digits. Is Apple focused on that expanding market share, and why is there a disconnect between Apple's products and the market data?
TC: The numbers that we've seen from IDC would indicate that the tablet market in March decline 30% from the December holiday quarter while Apple only declined 15%. We did much better than the market.
TC: On the phone side, we did grow channel inventory over the year ago quarter because we were "catching up" from the iPhone 5 launch. Normalized, if the smartphone market did grow 30% and we didn't measure up to that, we want to grow faster. What's important in addition to market growth is customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repurchase rates. We see an enormous market of potential smartphone buyers coming to market, so we've made the iPhone 4 even more affordable to make it more attractive to new buyers. "We believe that the phone for the price point that we're offering is an incredible value for people."
Q: Has anything changed on your views of the 5-inch smartphone market?
TC: My view continues to be that the iPhone 5 has the absolute best display in the industry. Some customers value large screen size, others value resolution, color quality, brightness, portability, and app compatibility. Our competitors have made some significant trade-offs in many of these areas. We will not launch a larger screen iPhone while these trade-offs exist.
Q: You said something about new categories?
TC: I did! We're very excited for new growth in potential new categories.
Q: Is that in the next quarter or year?
TC: I didn't say when. awkward silence
Q: What are you hearing from your customers on why they're not buying a new Mac?
TC: I think the reason that we were down 2% last quarter is that the market for PCs is incredibly week, it was down 14% year-over-year. At the same time we sold almost 20 million iPads. It's certainly true that some of those iPads cannibalized some Macs. What's likely happening is people are extending their upgrade cycles. I don't think this is a dead market - it has a lot of light in it, we're going to continue to innovate in it. The growth in iPads may end up benefiting the Mac. Our strategy of making the best computers isn't changing.
Q: Have you considered spreading out product launches?
TC: I would have pushed back the new iMac launch to the new year. But the iPad Mini launch I would not have changed because we were able to send millions and millions to customers who wanted them for the holidays.

Notable New iBooks: Riding on a Beam of Light

Posted: 23 Apr 2013 12:31 PM PDT

The iBookstore description for Riding on a Beam of Light is short and sweet:

Young Albert Einstein imagines what it would be like to ride a beam of light, and fantastically illustrates how a child's imagination can change history.

Nice idea, and it's nicely executed in this short story. There are just a line or two of text on each page, accompanied by beautiful illustrations that pull you into the story. The writing style is light and fun, with rhymes throughout the pages.

The book does a great job of highlighting the power of imagination and the idea that it's good to dream. And who doesn't like the idea of riding on a beam of light?

Here's just a couple of the lovely illustrations included in the book's pages:

There are no interactive elements or other bells and whistles on the book's pages, and that seems fine for the sort of story it is. It stands up very...

Read the whole entry... »