Mark is an award-winning journalist who worked at 9to5Mac for over six years. He covers Apple and other topics related to the consumer technology industry.
Mark is regarded as one of the go-to reporters for all Apple-related matters, one of Wired‘s top 16 people to follow in technology, and one of TIME Magazine‘s top 25 bloggers of 2013. Mark has also been profiled by CNN Fortune multiple times, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, the Huffington Post, Business Insider, Columbia Journalism Review, Marketplace, Haaretz, and USA Today. Mark was also recently named to the 2015 Forbes 30 under 30 List.
In 2012, Mark published the first photos of the iPhone 5, broke the news about Apple’s switch to an in-house Maps application, revealed the first 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, forecasted that Apple would update the iPad’s software with Siri support, and accurately revealed the iPad mini’s higher-than expected price point.
In 2013, Mark published the first photos of the original iPad Air, provided the first details about Jony Ive’s end-to-end iPhone and iPad software update called iOS 7, provided information about OS X Mavericks, and detailed Apple’s early work on the Apple Watch.
In 2014, Mark revealed Apple’s work on a new Health application for iOS 8 and the Apple Watch, Ive’s redesign of OS X called Yosemite, and details about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Mark started out 2015 with a significant scoop detailing Apple’s yet-to-be-released 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display, thinner design, and more advanced trackpad and keyboard. He has continued the year by reporting on several details about iOS 9, including the new Proactive Assistant, redesigned Siri, upgraded Maps with transit functionality, new system font, split-screen iPad apps, Swift 2.0, as well as predicting a performance focus for both that software upgrade and OS X El Capitan. Mark finished the year by reporting the majority of the details about the new Apple TV, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple Watch updates, the iPad Pro, the iPad mini 4, and iMacs.
Mark started out 2016 with exclusive reports on Apple’s work on a pair of completely wireless Beats headphones for the iPhone 7, details on the iPhone SE, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, Apple Watch updates, Apple’s March product event, new Apple retail initiatives, and Tim Cook’s Town Hall meeting with Apple employees.
Mark has also written long-form features on “Apple Anonymous,” a group of retail employees who discuss work over Twitter and the fascination of watches by Apple executives. Most significantly, in fall 2014, Mark published an extensive profile of Apple’s PR and Communications department that was compiled over two months into nine chapters. Mark also provides analysis on relevant technology industry topics, such as Apple’s recent executive shakeup. Mark kicked off his writing career at the end of 2009, and he had his first significant break in 2011 with a story detailing Siri and the iPhone 4S.
You can follow him on Twitter.
Following Apple’s announcement of its Q2 2013 earnings and new cash program, the company is hosting an earnings call to discuss the results. The company’s CEO and CFO, Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer, also typically stick around for a question and answer session. We’ll be live blogging the proceedings after the break (Image via AP):
Wall Street seems pleased with Apple’s announcements: beats on Q2 2013 earnings and a massive expansion of its cash return program for shareholders.
Just under a week after the last build, Apple has seeded developers with build 12E36 of the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 release. Apple, again, asks developers to focus on WiFi performance, Graphics, and Safari. Thanks, D!
As planned, Apple has announced its Q2 2013 earnings results.
Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended March 30, 2013. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $43.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $39.2 billion and net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 37.5 percent compared to 47.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
The Company sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 19.5 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 11.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold just under 4 million Macs, compared to 4 million in the year-ago quarter.
Apple reported revenues for Q2 of $43.6 billion, which beats Apple’s estimates for the quarter of between $41 and $43 billion. This revenue compares to a revenue of $39.2 billion in the year-ago Q2. Apple also reported net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share
Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones, 19.5 million iPads, just under 4 million Macs, and 5.6 million iPods. This compares to 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads, and 4 million Macs, sold in the year-ago Q2 2012 quarter.
Apple CEO Tim Cook on the results:
“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.”
Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer as well:
“Our cash generation remains very strong, with $12.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter and an ending cash balance of $145 billion,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO.
Apple’s guidance for next quarter (Q3 2013) is revenue between $33.5 billion and $35.5 billion
Apple will hold a conference call regarding today’s announcement. We will have live coverage at 5 PM EST/ 2 PM PST.
Here’s Apple’s press release announcement:
Apple’s official Apple Store application for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated with some neat notifications-related enhancements:
– Choose to receive notifications that let you know exactly when you’re eligible for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone. And since all you need to complete the order is your Apple ID and password, buying your new iPhone is fast and easy (US only).
– Stay on top of your delivery with notifications. We’ll let you know when your order ships, keep you informed of any updates, and notify you when it’s delivered.
DirectTV has announced that it will be adding voice search and capabilities to its iOS application later this year, and a beta will be available this summer. Like Apple’s Siri application for iOS, the application will understand many different types of commands. For example, you can say “find movies with Tom Cruise” or “what’s playing on HBO?” Solid Signal posted a review for the DirectTV voice app, detailing some of the more advanced voice features.
While you wouldn’t want to use voice control in place of a remote, it’s a nice parlor trick to tune a receiver using your voice. Say “Tune to channel 7” or “tune to ABC” and the receiver will change channels for you. The natural language recognition is quite good, too. Saying “find me some comedies” resulted in over 200 being found.
The site also published a video overview:
Netflix has updated its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with redesigned controls for episode selection, audio, and subtitles.
The changes make it easier and more intuitive for iPad users to navigate between TV show episodes, while the new audio and subtitle controls are available on both the iPad and smaller iOS devices.
Various bug fixes are also included, according to the release notes:
What’s New in Version 4.0
This new app release makes watching Netflix TV shows and movies an even better experience.
• Easy episode selection with a brand new episode selector on the iPad
• Redesigned audio and subtitle selector on iPad and iPhone
• Bug fixes
Today, Google has released a new iPhone and iPod touch application for its Places for Business platform. Places for Business is a Google service that allows business owners to manage the presence of their business across Google services such as Search, Maps, and Google+. Now, with the new app, these tasks can be handled on the go.
Business owners can use the app to:
– Verify your business listing directly from your phone
– Update your business information: hours, address, contact information, and description
– Post beautiful pictures of your business on your local Google+ page
– Track web traffic going to your listing
– Manage multiple business locations from one app
Having the ability to manage Places for Business from an iPhone or iPod touch is a compelling experience because information can be updated at a quicker pace. Additionally, the camera inside of iOS devices allows for quick uploading of photos of businesses. The app is free on the App Store.
Apple has updated its official China website homepage to offer its respect and sympathy following the disastrous earthquake that has affected the country over the past few days.
The acknowledgement present on Apple’s site reads as follows:
Our deepest condolences to those who were taken away by the Sichuan Yaan earthquake, and respect to all the rescuers. May those who have passed away rest in peace, and may the survivors stay strong.
The company has also offered a statement that pledges cash donations and new Apple devices to help schools that have been affected:
In this difficult time our hearts are with the Sichuan earthquake victims. In addition to cash donations to help the victims ride out the storm, we will also commit to donating brand new Apple equipment to some of the schools in the affected region, and the local Apple staff will be on standby to provide support.
We’ve been testing a new, free iPhone news app called Vu that presents content based on what you have previously read/viewed within the app via an easy to use, fast interface. The app recently gained article saving and improved article sharing features, and we think it is worth taking a look at. Like other news apps, you can sync content between your iPhone, iPad, and your computer. You can access content you have saved for later via a web browser on non-iPhone devices.
The NBA has updated its iPad and iPhone/iPod touch applications in time for the NBA Playoffs. The Playoffs begin this Sunday, so the app updates feature a live updating Playoffs bracket and new content.
LinkedIn has updated its iPhone and iPod touch application with a redesigned, simpler user-interface that is more personalized. Additionally, the update allows for more actions from the Updates Stream. The iPad app does not appear to have picked up the new interface yet, but the tablet-optimized version did receive bug fixes and performance improvements. Release notes:
Update: Yahoo! Weather is now available in the App Store. Yahoo! Mail for iPad is also available in the App Store.
Check out our new Yahoo! Weather app featuring Flickr photos, now available for iOS! http://t.co/p0o9vPAUqd
— marissamayer (@marissamayer) April 18, 2013
Yahoo plans to release an in-house weather app for iOS and an iPad version of its Yahoo Mail app as soon as tomorrow, according to a person familiar with the apps.
The iPad version of Yahoo Mail is optimized for the iPad’s larger screen, and it is already available for the iPhone and iPod touch. Late last year, Yahoo released a redesigned version of its iPhone application that focused on speed and intuitiveness.
Yahoo’s new weather app is notable as the company already is in a partnership with Apple to provide the data for the Weather app pre-installed on all iPhone and iPod touch models…
Following the most recent build just over a week ago, Apple has seeded another build of the upcoming OS X 10.8.4 to registered developers.
The new build comes in at build number 12E33a, and Apple asks developers to, again, focus on Safari, WiFi, and Graphics Drivers.
We previously reported that OS X 10.8.4 has hooks to support faster, 802.11ac WiFi connectivity.
Thanks, D!
The Things to-do management app for Mac OS X, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch has been updated today with speed improvements for both the actual application and for downloading and syncing with the Things Cloud service.
We’ve identified the resource hogs and improved performance in key areas that were troublesome in the past. Below are some measurements we took before and after these improvements. Overall, the app now feels much more responsive, especially when you perform an action on multiple items at once.
Additionally, the application’s time zone support has been improved.
For this release we’ve been through and carefully adjusted all the date-related functionality in Things. It’s been a considerable amount of work, but these improvements – which affect scheduled dates, due dates, repeating tasks, local notifications, and the Daily Review – are a good and necessary foundation going forward.
I’ve been testing out the app updates for a couple of months now, and the improvements seem to live up to Cultured Code’s (the developer) claims.
Things is meant for users with many to-dos that need to sort their work into projects. With that in mind, the suite is a bit pricier than applications in the same category: Things for Mac (49.99), Things for iPad ($19.99), Things for iPhone/iPod touch($9.99). The three apps sync with a free Things Cloud system.
Release notes below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMBD4dymDRg?rel=0]
According to TechCrunch, Amazon has acquired Evi, a Siri-like voice assistant application currently available for both iOS and Android. While the application remains available on both platforms, the report seems to have significant evidence to back up its acquisition claims:
At UK Companies House all the Evi Technologies Ltd directors have been replaced by Amazon’s UK legal representative, and this is confirmed by the Octopus Ventures annual report. The annualreports of all Octopus Ventuers’ funds allrefer to the disposing of their shares in Evi Technologies.
Companies House records show all directors at Evi have beed replaced and loans paid off, while a small loss of £19,000 was recognised.
The new Company Secretary for Evi Technologies is also Amazon’s: Mitre Secretaries Ltd are the corporate secretary for Amazon.co.uk (and Amazon’s London software development company).
As seen in the video above, Consumer reports created a video showing the differences between Apple’s Siri and Evi. In early 2012, Apple threatened to remove Evi from the App Store because of similarities to Siri, but the application seems to have stayed inside of the App Store’s bounds since then.
As announced yesterday, Time Warner Cable has updated its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with the ability to access and stream select OnDemand content and TV channels while away from home. Previously, the application could only stream TV while you were in your home with Time Warner Cable TV service. Additionally, the app update has improved filtering and sorting for categories and shows. Bug fixes and various performance enhancements are also included in the 3.2.0 update.
Following weeks of teases, Funny or Die has published its satirical film about Steve Jobs, iSteve, on its website for streaming. The nearly 80-minute long film stars Justin Long of the Mac vs. PC ads. Notably, the project is the longest video that Funny or Die has ever created. The trailer is embedded above, and you can watch the full movie here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MHbElOIF6A?rel=0]
Following last week’s launch, U.S. carrier T-Mobile has begun airing its second TV ad for the iPhone 5. It is of similar style to the first ad as it explains T-Mobile’s new no-contract approach. Thanks, Matthew!
According to Bloomberg‘s Adam Satariano, Richard Williamson has joined Facebook. We’ve independently heard the same. Williamson is a former iOS executive from Apple who was reportedly terminated over Apple Maps. Williamson ran Apple’s iOS 6 Maps team and also worked on Siri features.
Williamson joined Facebook in the past couple of weeks to be a manager within its expanding mobile-software group, said two of the people, who declined to be identified because the information isn’t public.
Facebook’s hire of Williamson is notable as the social network reportedly has hired several former Apple engineers to work on various projects, including the Facebook Home software and various other mobile applications. Williamson’s hire marks one of the more high-profile hires of former Apple employees.
Following up on this morning’s news that Loren Brichter is working with Facebook some capacity, Bloomberg also notes that the company has actually hired the Letterpress developer and former Apple employee as a consultant.
When Facebook released their brand-new iOS application today, some were disappointed to find that the highlight features of Chat Heads (from Facebook Home) and Stickers were not present. Facebook says that the two features, like many other of Facebook’s recently released products, will be released via a staggered rollout.
For those who truly want to enable Chat Heads and Stickers before Facebook wants it on your iOS device, iMore‘s Nick Arnott has put together a thorough tutorial on how to enable the features. Follow the steps, grab an app called PhoneView (no jailbreak required), and a Plist editor (like the one included in Xcode), and you should be good to go. We’ve tested the Chat Heads trick, and it works well.
Today, Apple has released software updates for the Mac version of iPhoto and for Aperture. The updates both focus on bug fixes and improvements.
Notably, both apps were given improvements and fixes for Photo Stream integration. iPhoto now has easier image deleting and exporting from Photo Stream, while Aperture has a bug fix related to Shared Photo Streams.
Safari and Java were also updated with improved security (release notes below). Notably, the new update introduces controls to specify which websites can use Java – something that should help prevent malicious websites from exploiting the never-ending stream of Java exploits.
Full release notes below:
Business Insider has obtained a leaked document that seems to show that AppGratis enticed developers with potential high iTunes App Store rankings. According to the document, AppGratis said that if a developer invests $100,000 with them, an app will likely reach the top 5 spots on the App Store top charts.
Of course, reaching the top of the App Store rankings is highly lucrative as hundreds of millions of iOS devices are given a prominent view to the top of the App Store charts.
AppGratis was reportedly originally pulled from the App Store for mimicking Apple’s App Store and for sending its users ad-like push notifications. Of course, the aforementioned apparent move by AppGratis to inflate rankings is a serious concern for Apple and it is something that Apple, of course, wants to keep out of its App Store. Interestingly, AppGratis, yesterday, seems to have denied participating in inflating App Store rankings.
Since the App Store algorithm has been based on download velocity only for so long, advertisers know exactly what they are doing.Reaching the the top of any App Store is a simple and logical equation. But we’re not in this business.
Last week, AnoStyle and 9to5Mac launched a giveaway for an AnoStyled iPhone 5, and, as promised, we have picked the winner. Congratulations to DrewXScott! For all 9to5 readers, AnoStyle has provided a $75 off coupon that expires on May 17th. Coupon code: 9TO5MACSPRING2013.