Opinion pieces & commentary

There was an interesting concept last week, exploring possible improvements to multitasking on iPad.

The argument made by Ryan Christoffel was that the multitasking capabilities of an iPad lack discoverability, and are unnecessarily hard to use even once you know how they work.

I think he’s absolutely right, and I like his context menu idea. However, I also think we shouldn’t necessarily be reinventing the wheel when it comes to a multitasking user interface…

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It was reported earlier this week that we might see an Apple wireless charger after all, despite the AirPower debacle.

Some have suggested this isn’t a great idea, simply reminding everyone of Apple’s failure to deliver what it originally promised: a single charging mat that allowed you to charge iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch by laying them anywhere on the device. Compared to that, an ordinary wireless charger would be a massive climbdown – and what’s the point anyway when everyone makes them… ?

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Subscription apps have been one of most controversial developments over the past few years. Developers love the model, because it gives them that most valuable of things: recurring revenue. That not only provides a more secure personal income, but also enables them to fund ongoing development that should see users enjoy regular updates.

But while developers love subscription apps, many users hate them. No matter how much they may like the app and understand the rationale, there’s growing unease at the way the costs add up…

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There’s no single factor that explains Apple’s record earnings in the holiday quarter. The reality with a company of Apple’s size will always involve multiple elements, some of which will be rather mundane.

Services revenue, for example. Sure, the story Apple would like to point to is the glitz of its latest high-profile launch, Apple TV+, but there’s almost nobody paying for it at this point. The largest single contributor of Services cash will likely be the billions that Google pays to be the default search engine on iOS devices. A further significant chunk will come from the equally boring AppleCare policies, iCloud storage tiers, and the like.

But I think there is also a more exciting aspect to it…

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There’s always been one major problem with Apple’s privacy claim that ‘What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone‘: it isn’t true of iCloud backups.

Although Apple uses end-to-end encryption for both iMessage and FaceTime, it doesn’t do the same for iCloud backups. They are encrypted, but Apple holds the key, meaning that the company has access to a copy of almost everything on your phone – and that includes stored messages.

I’d long expected Apple to fix this, but a report today claims that the company has decided not to…

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Way back in 2014, European lawmakers made a broadly sensible proposal that could have hurt Apple. The European Union’s Radio Equipment Directive called for a European charger standard asking all smartphone manufacturers to use compatible chargers.

There were two key elements to the proposal. First, a common voltage and amperage. Second, a connector to plug a charger into a smartphone…

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Ok, the pedants among us will argue that today isn’t the end of the decade – that’s really a year from now – but it seems as good a time as any to look back at my favorite Apple products over the years.

For some of us, of course, Apple products have been part of our lives for far longer than one decade. In my case, the first product to make my list dates back more than three decades…

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It’s coming up to the end of the year, and it’s time for me to write my take on Apple’s report card 2019.

Just as I’ve done for 2016, 2017 and 2018, I’m taking a look back at what the company has achieved during the year, focusing this year on its rather extensive number of product launches.

These started with a whimper – a new iPad mini which looked exactly like the old iPad mini – and ended with a bang, the release of the much-hyped all-new Mac Pro…

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Not quite a feature request, but a small favor I’d ask of Apple and third-party app developers alike: please set aside some time to fix your small but annoying bugs.

It’s the thing that would probably make the biggest difference to my day-to-day experience of Apple devices. Not because any of the bugs I’m discussing are major ones, but because they cause me minor but persistent irritation for months or even years …

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Apple yesterday announced the long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro — but what I really want now is a widescreen MacBook Pro.

The machine the company did launch is an appealing one if you’re upgrading from a pre-2016 model. You get a lot of bang for your buck, especially when it comes to SSD storage, which is now more sensibly priced given the ultrafast spec you’re getting…

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A report yesterday suggested that anyone eager to get their hands on the long-rumored Apple Glasses might have to wait a while. An internal presentation reportedly said that we won’t see third-party devices until 2022, and Apple Glasses until 2023.

But what was perhaps most interesting was the claim that Apple believes its glasses product will replace the iPhone within a decade…

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An iPhone subscription would once have sounded like a bad joke. But these days it’s a growing reality.

Apple has long faced a problem. Its biggest cash cow is the iPhone, historically generating the majority of the company’s revenues. But where people once bought a new iPhone every couple of years on average, that upgrade cycle has been gradually lengthening. It’s now in the 3-4 year range for the average buyer…

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There’s a new report today suggesting that we may be seeing Apple-branded HomeKit accessories as the company explores ways to boost the popularity of smart home technology.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple is investing heavily in its smart home division in an attempt to grow the company’s presence in the smart home market.

Whilst HomeKit has grown significantly in the last few years, it trails Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa platforms in terms of the sheer number of compatible devices. The company is apparently looking at ways to encourage more manufacturers to make HomeKit accessories, and may even release smart home accessories of its own, following the HomePod’s muted reception.

From one perspective, that makes no sense…

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Apple’s relationship with China has never been an easy one. Indeed, I wrote a piece a couple of years ago arguing that the company was in a no-win position in the country.

Apple’s only option of taking the moral high ground would be to pull out of the country altogether – as Google did for a time, after refusing to allow its search results to be censored by the government.

But Apple is in a very different position today than was Google in 2010. While Google had big ambitions within the country, it was not dependent on the market. Apple very much is. Not just because China is the largest smartphone market in the world – and as important to Apple as the whole of Europe – but because it is the iPhone maker’s key manufacturing base. Without China, it literally couldn’t make its products.

Things today are even worse…

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Today’s news brings another report on ‘the iPhone SE 2,’ expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year.

It’s not, though.

I mean, yes, I absolutely believe Kuo that Apple is launching a new, budget-focused iPhone model early next year, and I accept that this is intended by Apple to fill the hole left by the removal of the iPhone SE. But it’s not an SE 2…

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Apple has so far made one move designed to help it sell more HomePods: a price drop from $350 to $300 back in the spring. Indications are that this didn’t really help.

Other efforts seem… limited. Click the Search button on Apple’s website and AirPods – and even iPod – come up as Quick Links; HomePod doesn’t. Even on the Music page, HomePod gets second billing after Apple Music.

Part of the challenge for Apple is that decent-quality audio is one of those product categories that has to be experienced before you appreciate the value. Sonos, which faces the same problem, appears to be testing a possible solution: one I suspect will prove successful…

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Apple this week very quietly launched another new Services product: an AppleCare+ subscription. It’s a move that could see the company doubling its money on what is likely to be a very profitable product.

Previously, you could choose between a one-off upfront payment for your AppleCare+ policy or a monthly one, but either way, it ran for a fixed period of either two or three years, depending on the product. Two years in the case of an iPhone.

Now, however, it runs indefinitely – for an indefinite payment…

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It’s the morning after, and time to provide my take on everything Apple announced in yesterday’s keynote. Some of it was as expected, some of it was a surprise – and some of it was notable by what the company didn’t announce.

The stars of the show were, of course, the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and the ridiculously-named iPhone 11 Pro Max…

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A new report today, from two reliable sources, suggests that the anticipated ‘reverse charging’ feature – allowing an iPhone to charge AirPods – has now been abandoned by Apple, at least for this year’s models.

If true, this will add to the embarrassment of Apple’s track-record on wireless charging…

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In-screen Touch ID could be appearing in iPhones as early as next year, according to a new report today. But while the current report suggests that both Touch ID and Face ID fans will be catered for, that may not remain the case for long.

The debate between the respective fans of Touch ID and Face ID began when Apple launched the iPhone X, the first iPhone to be launched without the fingerprint reader since it made its debut on the iPhone 5S in 2013.

With the iPhone X launch, Apple seemed pretty clear that Face ID was the future of iPhone authentication. It is, says Apple, faster, easier, and more secure than Touch ID…

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The iPhone SE 2 — or whatever Apple would call a successor to the SE — has provoked more comment than any iPhone that doesn’t yet, and likely never will, exist.

Regular readers will know that I’m a great fan of the size and slab-sided design of the iPhone SE. I welcomed its introduction in 2016, “downgraded” to it shortly afterwards, and quickly knew it was the right decision. It was only a desire to experience the next generation of iPhones that had me move on from it.

I’ve also expressed both hope and despair at the idea of an iPhone SE 2…

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