Apple News
Apple launches Beats Solo Buds and Beats Solo 4 headphones
Apple subsidiary Beats on Tuesday announced the expansion of its bestselling product family with the all-new Beats Solo Buds true wireless earphones and the next generation of its most popular headphones, Beats Solo 4.
Delivering up to 18 hours of battery life, seamless one-touch pairing to both iOS and Android settlers, and USB-C charging, Beats Solo Buds are the perfect on-the-go companion. Beats Solo Buds will be available in four premium colors, Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, and Transparent Red, for $79.99 beginning in June.
Beats Solo 4 delivers upgraded sound, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, “UltraPlush” cushions, up to 50 hours of battery life, and Lossless Audio via USB-C. Beats Solo 4 is available to order starting today in three colors — Matte Black, Slate Blue, and Cloud Pink—for $199.99 from apple.com.
“Our newly expanded Solo line delivers remarkable value, offering exceptional sound quality, battery life and comfort in our most portable designs,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports, and Beats, in a statement. “Beats Solo 4 takes our bestselling headphone to the next level with outstanding performance upgrades, and the all-new Beats Solo Buds pack impressive power in our smallest product yet.”
Beats Solo Buds
Beats Solo Buds custom-built acoustic architecture packs big Beats sound in the smallest case Betas has ever made. Ergonomically designed acoustic nozzles and laser-cut vents improve audio performance while relieving pressure for added comfort. And with four ear tip sizes (XS, S, M & L) to securely fit a diverse range of ears, Solo Buds optimize comfort and passive noise isolation for the ultimate listening experience. Each earbud features dual-layer transducers designed to minimize micro-distortions across the frequency curve, ensuring high-fidelity sound with uncompromising clarity and detail.
Each earbud is equipped with a custom-designed microphone powered by an advanced noise-learning algorithm. Enjoy extended range with fewer dropouts thanks to industry-leading Class 1 Bluetooth.
Native compatibility ensures seamless one-touch pairing, automatic account setup, plus Find My or Find My Device — for everyone.
Customizable on-ear functions allow you to control your music, take calls and activate your voice assistant by pressing the ‘b’ button. You can also configure the press-and-hold action in iOS settings or the Beats app to control volume.
Solo Buds feature Beats’ longest earbud battery life ever with up to 18 hours of playback. When it’s time to recharge, seat your earbuds in the case while connected to a USB-C cable. For extra power on the go, they can charge directly from your phone, tablet or laptop. And with Fast Fuel, a 5-minute charge gives up to 1 hour of playback.
Beats Solo 4
Developed with comfort and a secure fit in mind, Beats Solo 4 features an ultralight design — at just 217 grams, you can almost forget you’re wearing them. UltraPlush on-ear cushions provide exceptional durability, and the flex-grip headband, customizable sliders and ergonomically angled ear cups ensure that Solo 4 is comfortable and stays put to deliver sound optimally to your ears.
Beats Solo 4 has been re-engineered with custom-built 40mm transducers minimize electronic artifacts, latency, and distortion for improved clarity and range. Now featuring Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Solo 4 immerses you in your music, movies and games for a truly interactive surround-sound experience.
Leveraging upgraded beam-forming microphones and an intelligent noise-learning algorithm, Solo 4 offers high-quality call performance and voice assistant interaction.
Dual compatibility for both iOS and Android enables seamless one-touch pairing, automatic account setup across your devices, and Find My or Find My Device. iOS users can also enjoy hands-free access to “Hey Siri” and Audio Sharing.
Connect Beats Solo 4 to your devices in multiple ways: Class 1 Bluetooth for optimal wireless connectivity, USB-C audio for lossless audio and simultaneous charging, and 3.5mm analog input for high-resolution, battery-free wired playback.
The ‘b’ button allows you to manage music, take calls, or activate your voice assistant. To control volume, press above or below the ‘b’ button.
Beats Solo 4 boasts improved battery life over the previous generation, now with up to 50 hours of battery to outlast the longest gym sessions, travel days and phone conversations. If you’re low on power, “Fast Fuel” gives you up to 5 hours of playback from a quick, 10-minute charge.
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MacDailyNews Take: We prefer AirPods Pro earbuds and AirPods Max headphones.
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Apple wins 4 BAFTA Television Craft Awards for ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘Silo’
Apple this week was recognized with multiple wins at the 2024 BAFTA Television Craft Awards across its acclaimed, hit programs, “Slow Horses” and “Silo.” Apple’s widely celebrated espionage drama “Slow Horses” landed Best Editing: Fiction and Best Sound: Fiction wins, while global hit, world-building drama series “Silo” nabbed wins in the Best Production Design and Best Original Music categories. The BAFTA Television Awards recognize the best British programs, performances and productions each year.
This year’s wins at the 2024 BAFTA Television Craft Awards mark the latest recognition from the BAFTA Television Awards for Apple TV+ following a Best Drama Series win in 2023 for globally acclaimed hit “Bad Sisters,” which also landed awards for Best Supporting Actress for series star Anne-Marie Duff, and Best Titles & Graphic Identity for Peter Anderson Studio. Apple’s celebrated limited series “The Essex Serpent” landed Best Costume Design for first-time BAFTA winner Jane Petrie in 2023, and in 2022, “9/11: Inside the President’s War Room” won Editing: Factual, and “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” earned Sound: Factual.
Apple landed four BAFTA Television Craft Award wins in total, including:
“Slow Horses”
• Editing: Fiction — Sam Williams
• Sound: Fiction
“Silo”
• Production Design — Gavin Bocquet, Amanda Bernstein
• Original Music: Fiction — Atli Örvarsson
Apple TV+ is also nominated for four top category awards at the BAFTA Television Awards, which are set to be presented on Sunday, May 12th. Nominations for the upcoming 2024 BAFTA Television Awards include:
“Slow Horses”
• Drama Series
• Supporting Actor — Jack Lowden
“Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas”
• Entertainment
“The Enfield Poltergeist”
• Specialist Factual
About “Slow Horses”
This darkly funny espionage drama follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes. Led by their brilliant but irascible leader, the notorious Jackson Lamb (Academy Award winner Gary Oldman), they navigate the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.
About “Silo”
Silo is the story of the last ten thousand people on earth, their mile-deep home protecting them from the toxic and deadly world outside. However, no one knows when or why the silo was built and any who try to find out face fatal consequences. Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer who seeks answers about a loved one’s murder and tumbles onto a mystery that goes far deeper than she could have ever imagined, leading her to discover that if the lies don’t kill you, the truth will.
All programs are now streaming globally on Apple TV+.
Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have earned 488 wins and 2,143 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
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MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations to the casts and crews of “Slow Horses” and “Silo!”
One question: How can “Slow Horses” star Gary Oldman not be nominated for best actor?
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Can U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau break par with Apple’s Siri as his caddie?
2020 U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau played a round of golf with Apple’s Siri as his caddie to see if he could break par.
DeChambeau is a two-time individual winner in the LIV Golf League (2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier and 2023 LIV Golf Chicago) and captain of the 2023 Team Championship winners, Crushers GC. DeChambeau also tied the record for lowest round in an elite-level men’s professional golf tournament with a 58 in the final round of The Greenbrier in 2023.
Let’s see if he can do it (Scottie probably could):
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MacDailyNews Take: You don’t mess with the Zohan, so no spoilers; we’re not giving the outcome away!
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Apple shares rise on AI prospects
Apple shares closed up 2.5% on Monday after a longtime Apple analyst at Bernstein upgraded the stock to an “outperform” rating, highlighting to the prospects for increased iPhone sales driven by generative artificial intelligence updates.
Apple registered its biggest one-day percentage gain in more than two weeks after the upgrade, which marked the stock’s first “buy” equivalent rating from Bernstein’s Toni Sacconaghi since early 2018.
Sacconaghi upgraded the stock from “market perform” and wrote that Apple had been hurt by a weak iPhone 15 cycle as well as fears its China business is structurally impaired.
But the analyst argued that China weakness is “more cyclical than structural” and that its business there has “exhibited much higher volatility” than Apple’s overall business.
And Sacconaghi wrote that “replacement cycle tailwinds and incremental generative AI features set up Apple well for a strong iPhone 16 cycle.”
The analyst had kept a “market-perform” rating on Apple since he downgraded it from “outperform” in February 2018.
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MacDailyNews Take: ‘Twas Gurman’s weekend news that Apple has renewed talks with OpenAI regarding artificial intelligence capabilities that juiced AAPL, not Sacconaghi’s ludicrously late upgrade.
(AAPL closed February 2018 at a split-adjusted $42.23. Those waiting for Toni’s oh-so golden advice missed $127 per share plus dividends.)
That ought to goose AAPL today, at least. –
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Apple’s new iPad Pro to sport ‘best OLED panels on the market’
Apple’s next-gen, Pad Pro models expected to be unveiled on on Tuesday, May 7th will feature “by far the best OLED tablet panels on the market,” according to Display Supply Chain Consultants.
Set to be announced on May 7, the OLED iPad Pro models will feature LTPO (a more power efficient form of OLED), a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and a tandem stack and glass thinning that will bring “ultra-thin and light displays” that support high brightness, extended battery life, and a long lifetime.
As has been previously rumored, today’s report suggests that the iPad Pro models will be available in 12.9-inch and 11.1-inch sizes, with both options to feature slimmed down bezels and a much thinner design.
Along with the best OLED display on the market, the iPad Pro models could get Apple’s next-generation AI-optimized M4 chip, and they are expected to ship alongside a new Apple Pencil and an updated version of the Magic Keyboard.
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MacDailyNews Take: New 10.9- and 12.9-inch iPad Air models (with LCD panels) are also expected on May 7th.
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Apple’s mammoth stock buybacks boost returns for investors
Apple, the world’s king of stock buybacks, is a value-add for AAPL investors, an analyst says.
The company spent a total of $621 billion buying its own shares between 2013 and 2023. For reference, Google parent Alphabet spent about one third of that figure on its stock over the same period. Over the last fiscal year, Apple doled out $78 billion to buy 456 [million] shares of its stock, reducing its number of outstanding shares by about 2%.
“Given what’s feasible, Apple’s buyback program is actually quite impressive,” wrote James Brumley of the stock investing and stock market research site Motley Fool.
Buyback programs reduce the number of a company’s shares in circulation, which then raises an investor’s stake and their return on future dividends. While investors’ views on share buyback programs are mixed — some companies use them to artificially boost their stock price — stock repurchases executed by companies with competent leadership are usually a good thing. Bankrate’s James Royal writes that “properly executed stock repurchases are one of the best and lowest-risk ways to create value for shareholders.”
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MacDailyNews Note: Apple will report its fiscal second quarter earnings on Thursday after the closing bell. As usual we’ll have the results for you on our home page right around 4:30pm EDT / 1:30pm PDT.
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European Commission says Apple’s iPadOS also subject to Digital Markets Act
Apple’s iPadOS has been designated as a gatekeeper under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act rules by EU antitrust regulators because of its importance to business users, the European Commission said on Monday.
Reuters:
The European executive’s decision followed an investigation launched in September last year. Apple’s operating system iOS, its browser Safari and its App Store were designated gatekeepers last year.
“Our market investigation showed that despite not meeting the thresholds, iPadOS constitutes an important gateway on which many companies rely to reach their customers,” EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
The Commission said Apple’s business user numbers exceeded the quantitative threshold by eleven times, while its end user numbers were close to the threshold and were predicted to rise in the near future. It said both business users and end users are locked into iPadOS because of its large ecosystem.
Apple, which has six months to comply with the DMA, said it would “continue to constructively engage with the European Commission to comply with the DMA across all designated services.”
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MacDailyNews Take: Despite not meeting the EC’s own thresholds, the EC will do whatever the hell it wants to iPadOS anyway. Nobody is “locked into iPadOS.” Apple currently has 47.16% – less than half – of the European tablet market.
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Apple might be able to get away with another weak iPhone quarter
Apple is set to report its fiscal second quarter earnings report this Thursday, after the closing bell, but the company may be able to skate by with another weak iPhone quarter due to its beaten down valuation.
Dan Gallagher for The Wall Street Journal:
It has been a pretty bleak year so far for Apple. The federal government is trying to break up the company’s closed-ecosystem for its App Store and—in a separate case—challenge the lucrative payments Apple gets from Google every year to make the popular search engine the default on mobile devices including the iPhone.
The company is also losing ground in China, a market that historically has accounted for about 19% of Apple’s annual revenue.
Such a bum run of news would normally be a poor setup for Apple’s stock ahead of its fiscal-second-quarter report, due Thursday afternoon. But the shares are already in a funk, down around 12% this year. That is the worst performance by far among megacap techs valued at more than $1 trillion. Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta Platforms and Google parent Alphabet have logged a median gain of 23% for the year. More notably, the drop has put Apple’s multiple to around 25 times forward earnings, which is in line with its five-year average and down more than 16% from last summer…
That should help temper any negative reaction to what is expected to be a weak report. Analysts expect iPhone revenue to fall 10% year over year—the worst drop for that key business unit in more than three years. Revenue from all of Apple’s device segments is expected to show a year-over-year decline for the period, which would be the first time that has happened in at least a decade.
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MacDailyNews Take: Apple revealing – and hyping – its new AI features will fuel its stock price soon enough. In fact, if CEO Tim Cook and/or CFO Luca Maestri just mention that the company will discuss more about AI at its “Let Loose” special event on May 7th, they could reveal pretty much anything in regard to disappointing earnings and get away with it.
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Bernstein upgrades Apple stock, reiterates $195 target price
Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi on Monday raised his rating on Apple stock to “Outperform” from “Market Perform” and reiterated his target price of $195.
“The stock has derated significantly amid weak revenue growth, and investors worry that Apple’s China business is structurally impaired. We believe that Apple’s business prospects are largely unchanged…and believe the pullback provides an attractive entry point,” Sacconaghi wrote in a research note.
China has been the main culprit for weaker iPhone sales and the Bernstein analyst argues that is likely to be a cyclical issue rather than a structural problem… “In strong iPhone cycles, Apple’s China revenue typically grows much faster than Apple overall, as Chinese consumers embrace the new phone,” Sacconaghi wrote. “The strong embrace is typically followed by several quarters of weaker (and often negative year-over-year growth), as we are seeing now.”
That could be changed by the introduction of AI to the coming iPhone 16. That could help drive 10% growth in iPhone units shipped in fiscal 2025, and 10% growth in annual revenue for Apple overall, according to the Bernstein analyst.
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MacDailyNews Take: Hopefully, Apple’s marketing department can work its magic on Apple’s AI features this year to make them look as compelling, groundbreaking, and stunning as possible.
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Apple’s new iPad Pro likely to be AI-driven device powered by M4 chip
Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman is reporting that there is a strong possibility that the chip in the new iPad Pro will be the M4, not the M3 and it will be Apple’s first major AI-driven device.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
I believe Apple will position the tablet as its first truly AI-powered device — and that it will tout each new product from then on as an AI device. This, of course, is all in response to the AI craze that has swept the tech industry over the last couple years.
By introducing the new iPad Pro ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple could lay out its AI chip strategy without distraction. Then, at WWDC, it could focus on how the M4 chip and new iPad Pros will take advantage of the AI software and services coming as part of iPadOS 18 later this year. I fully expect Apple to position the A18 chip in the iPhone 16 line as built around AI as well.
To be fair, though, these new products aren’t engineered and developed entirely around AI. This is partly about marketing…
The company is holding a “Let Loose” event on May 7 to introduce the new iPad Pro, iPad Air, Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
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MacDailyNews Take: Yup.
It will take years and billions of dollars to catch up just to where GenAI leaders (OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet, etc.) are today.
So, the only solution is to partner with [OpenAI, Microsoft, Alphabet, etc.] for the real GenAI stuff while pretending (marketing) really hard that some on-device AI Apple has whipped up in a few months is “insanely great Apple innovation” that’s at the heart of Apple’s 2024’s AI announcements when it’s really just an adjunct. Apple will tout their homegrown on-device AI and act like it’s powering everything when, in reality, it’s Google (or whichever is licensed) that’s powering most of it. Watch Apple make a big show of its on-device AI at WWDC and run many ads touting it from June onwards.
Apple hopes to buy time for the data center buildouts and investments that will be required for them to someday own their own AI technology and not have to license it. – MacDailyNews, April 1, 2024
The potential for an iPhone 16 super cycle depends on how well Apple marketing sells its GenAI bandaid (licensing from Google, Baidu, etc.) as it works (for years, likely) to catch up with its own generative AI solution. – MacDailyNews, April 11, 2024
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Apple reportedly renews talks with OpenAI for generative AI features
As Apple scrambles to catch up to rivals in generative AI, the company has renewed talks with OpenAI regarding artificial intelligence capabilities.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
When Apple announces its new slate of generative AI features in June, the company will be arriving late to a party that’s been raging for nearly two years. Ever since the debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, Apple’s tech peers have been scrambling to add artificial intelligence capabilities.
The company is aiming to integrate AI into many of its applications and features, including ones that automatically write text, summarize articles in Safari and recap missed notifications. The new features will use Apple’s AI model, dubbed Ajax internally, but the company isn’t planning to release its own ChatGPT-style chatbot.
For that, Apple has been talking to potential partners, including Google and OpenAI, as I first reported earlier this year. The discussions had centered on Google’s Gemini, but talks between Apple and OpenAI also have heated up recently.
A big question remains: Will iPhone customers embrace the new features? There’s still some concern at the highest levels of Apple that most users won’t take advantage of the enhancements.
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MacDailyNews Take: That ought to goose AAPL today, at least.
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