Tag: steve jobs

Everything Announced at WWDC 2024: Apple Intelligence and a Smarter Siri

[ad_1]

At WWDC 2024, Apple unleashed a blitzkrieg of software updates to put AI, or “Apple Intelligence,” front and center in your iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
After Samsung and Google pushed AI on phones, it’s now Apple’s turn to try and flip the script to make smartphones, tablets, and laptops “smarter” by introducing an AI of its own.

Apple Unveils Its iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9

If you woke up this morning hoping for some big hardware announcement, or hell, even a hint or teaser for a new phone or Mac design, it’s best you return to your comfortable cave and hibernate until the next big Apple showcase. Regarding software, Apple Intelligence will be available in most user-end apps with automatic summarizations and AI-enhanced photo editing. ChatGPT is coming to the latest iPhones as the Cupertino, California tech giant is set to make the chatbot accessible anywhere on the phone without needing the app.

WWDC 2024 — June 10 | Apple

If you have no interest in AI, there are a few new updates to get excited about. iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 are incoming, promising some long-awaited features. One is the iPhone lock screen update, which allows users to place their widgets and icons where they want. Another is the update to Messenger that will finally enable it to use the RCS protocol. Say goodbye to those green bubbles forever.

Meanwhile, iPads and Macs are getting a few new, unexpected features, like a full-on Calculator app that supports scribbling and iPhone mirroring on macOS Sequoia. Many of these updates are slated for fall of this year, though the betas should start rolling out in the next few months.

What’s Up With ‘Apple Intelligence’

Apple Intelligence is Apple’s Big AI Product for All of its Ecosystem

Screenshot: Apple

First on the list is “Apple Intelligence.” The Cupertino company’s AI is just what it says on the tin: an entire ecosystem for navigating users’ lives. There’s a lot going into it, but—eventually—the software should be able to include multimodal AI vision capabilities and work within all the apps on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The only problem is that we still don’t know exactly when any or parts of these features should be available.

Apple Intelligence can Rewrite or Proofread Text

Apple promises the new AI writing tools can summarize your text and add an easy “TLDR” to the top of emails. Like Google’s Gemini, the rewriting feature could include different text styles to make it sound more “Friendly” or “Concise.” You also have the option to add tables, lists, or summaries to the text. This should work in pretty much all Apple apps and some third-party apps.

Apple’s Emails Will Summarize Important Points Before You Open them

The Priority feature in the Mail app will show you your most important emails or messages for when you have a lot of them coming in at once. These condensed notifications will show this right on the lock screen of your iPhone. This works with a new Focus that cuts down on the number of notifications and only shows the most important ones.

Apple Will Let You Create AI Images, Including ‘Genmojis’

Screenshot: Apple

Of course, Apple wouldn’t stay its hand from the AI image generation game. The new Image Playground is built into Pages, Messages, Freeform, and several other apps.

You have three styles on offer: animation, illustration, or sketch, but you have the regular prompt bar to make it create whatever (somewhat disturbing) images you desire. There are also new AI-generated emojis called ‘Genmoji,’ which will come out as a sticker or Tapback. You can also create one of your friends if you trust it enough. Apple promises all its images are generated on-device.

There’s also a new Magic Eraser-like tool in Photos to remove unwanted elements from an image before filling in those missing pixels.

The Apple Intelligence Can Pull Up Your Files and Photos

There’s a lot of big promises coming about thanks to AI. Apple claims their new AI system will eventually let the AI perform rather complex actions, like pulling up photos and files from any of your apps. It should be able to work between apps so that it will know when your meetings are and what your plans are for that day when you ask it to send a text that helps you work around your schedule.

Apple Promises Its AI Won’t Save Your Data

Some of the AI running on Apple’s devices are on-device, but those are supposed to run through Private Cloud Compute. Apple promises to maintain your privacy by determining if a request needs any off-device AI. Then, it will only send parts of the request to the cloud. Apple promises outside agencies will be able to look at Apple’s servers to verify the big privacy claims.

Siri Has a New Look and a Whole Lot More Capabilities

Screenshot: Apple

Poor, beleaguered Siri is finally receiving those long-rumored AI upgrades, but we may need to wait a long time to see them in action. The Siri updates will allow the assistant to interact with iPhone and iPad apps far more than it currently can.

For one, Siri now has a new logo and look, making the borders of the screen wavy whenever the assistant gets called up. Siri will maintain conversational context and will be able to work off your previous requests. Now you can type to chat to Siri as well. Double tapping on the bottom of the screen allows you to communicate with Siri directly.

Siri can also take actions happening on-screen. It can also take actions across apps, like adding a photo from the Photos app to the Notes app. Eventually, the idea is that Siri can take specific actions in more apps over time.

The digital assistant should also become more engrained with users’ “Personal Context.” Siri should know your emails, plans, calendar events, and texts to find all the necessary information.

Siri Will Be Your Best How-To Machine for Apple Products

Siri should be able to send you a how-to guide for anything related to your Apple products. This comes baked into Siri and will work with all the most commonly asked questions about Apple products.

Siri Can Use ChatGPT ‘Seamlessly’

Screenshot: Apple

While we don’t have a good idea when Siri will receive its most important updates, we know that the current stopgap will be ChatGPT integration directly on users’ devices. The app will be accessible straight from Siri and the new compose feature. You can use the chatbot to generate DALL-E images as well. Apple promises this integration will be powered by GPT-4o for free without paying for an account.

Apple promises your activities won’t be logged, and you can access the ChatGPT paid features if you link your account. ChatGPT integration will be coming to all the Apple ecosystem’s new updates later this year.

iOS 18 is Promising some Long-Awaited Customization Features

iOS Now Supports RCS

Screenshot: Apple

As a last-minute note to end its talk about iOS 18, Apple confirmed that the next version of iOS will support RCS protocol. There’s no word yet exactly what form this will take, though Android Authority first recognized that it could be RCS Universal Profile 2.4. This could be the true end to green bubble tyranny, but we’ll learn more as we get close to release.

iOS 18 Lets You Finally Rearrange Your Home Screen Apps

Screenshot: Apple

iOS 18 will be a big one for folks who have long demanded Android-like customizability on the iPhone. Now, you can rearrange all your apps and widgets on the home screen however you like, so you can finally frame your background wallpaper without having an app covering up your kids’ faces. Apple goes further by allowing users to set the tint and tone of the app’s icons themselves.

You Can Soon “Lock” Any App in iOS 18

The next iPhone update will allow users to lock and hide apps so anyone using your phone won’t have immediate access without biometric scanning or a PIN. Similarly, you can now hide away apps into a select hidden folder if you don’t want visitors to your iPhone to get into some of your more sensitive apps without a passcode.

Messenger Includes Full Emoji Tapbacks

Screenshot: Apple

Are you annoyed you can’t do full emoji reactions to texts like you can on Android? The iOS Talkback feature is receiving full emoji support, so you can respond to your friend’s queries with as many poop emojis as their messages require.

Messenger Text Effects Will Let You Emphasize Certain Words

The Messenger app in iOS 18 is expanding the ability to emphasize words. Now, instead of just emphasizing the names of people or other words, users can use Text Effects to make certain words blow up or jiggle. The app will automatically suggest specific effects for certain words. There are new effects, and you can add them to any text you want.

Messages are also gaining the ability to use text formatting, allowing you to underline, bold, or italicize words or phrases.

Game Mode on iPhone

Mac’s Game Mode is getting a version on iPhone. The mode should automatically kick in while in a game. This minimizes background tasks to put as much processing power into the game. It should improve latency with controllers or AirPods.

Messages Via Satellite

If you find yourself without cellphone service, Apple will let you use your iPhone to text friends and family when off the grid on Messages. You can still send emojis and Tapbacks, and Apple claims its E2E encrypted. This will only be available with the iPhone 14 or later, which comes with satellite support.

Apple Maps Now Allows You to Get Hiking Trail Info

Screenshot: Apple

Apple Maps now has access to topographic trail maps, allowing hiking loops on your phone. This will show the overall length and elevation gain of the trail or loop and the various entry points on the app.

Tap to Cash Allows You to Pay Your Friends With Your Phone

Those iPhone users keen on Apple Cash will soon be able to send money to each other using the same action you can use to send folks your contact information. Hovering both phones with the active cash app will send and receive money from your wallet. Additionally, event tickets are being redesigned to show you details about the venue and other essential information.

Photos App is Gonna Look a Hell of a Lot Different

The Photos app now has a new design that shows all your photos in a single grid. You can find different photos based on months or years and filter your photos to eschew screenshots.

The new Collections will let you section different photos into topics like People & Pets or Recent Days. This will let you see your photos in a collage. In selections like Trips, you can find your vacations or travels by date. You can also pin different collections.

The Favorites carousel now shows you a slideshow of photos from various favorite collections.

iPadOS 18 Promises Some New and Unique Features for Apple’s Tablets

Floating Tab Bar on iPad Might Make it Far Easier to Use

Screenshot: Apple

Apple is introducing a new floating tab bar for iPadOS 18. It essentially works as an easy-to-access menu that can morph into a sidebar for even more fine-tuned controls. It should work with most Apple apps on the iPad. There are also new animations to accompany this update. Apple added it’s working to make browsing through documents easier on Apple’s tablets.

SharePlay Tap and Draw Will Let You Remote Control Another iPad

The new SharePlay update will let you make annotations on a foreign device and act as a remote control for another person’s iPad. So, if you’re trying to describe to your mom how to access her iPad photos, you can use SharePlay and draw an arrow straight to them. Once you get frustrated enough, you can take control.

Calculator on iPad (‘Yay’)

Screenshot: Apple

Finally, the iPad is getting a calculator app, but it’s far more interesting than that. It may look like It also works with Apple Pencil. Math Notes comes up from the calculator button, and if you write out an equal sign, it solves it for you, updating it live depending on your different functions. It also works with lists that let you tabulate numbers rather quickly. Notes also have the same math capabilities as Calculator.

Notes’ Smart Script Will Fix Your Chicken Scratch as You Write

The AI will make your writing more legible as you go. The on-board AI should be able to take your loose handwriting and make it a bit more legible while keeping your writing “style.” You can paste it directly into the Notes app, which should mimic your handwriting style.

So, What’s New in macOS Sequoia?

macOS Sequoia Will Allow You to Mirror Your iPhone on Your MacBook

Screenshot: Apple

macOS Sequoia is getting a lot of the features you can find on Apple’s other products. Continuity will let you access universal apps on the rest of the Apple ecosystem. More importantly, it will let you mirror your iPhone on a Mac. Users can then select and work on any of the iPhone’s apps. The audio also comes through Mac.

The iPhone stays locked while you mirror it and works with Standby mode. When your phone is connected to the laptop, iPhone notifications will also appear on Mac, and when you click on them, your iPhone mirror will open up.

You Can Place Your Mac Windows into Tiles, Like Windows 11

Screenshot: Apple

macOS Sequoia is adding a few new tiling features to make organizing your desktop more seamless. Bringing a window to a corner of the screen should automatically reorient and morph to fit a clean style.

You Can Preview Your Camera When Doing a Facetime

Before hopping into a video meeting, Macs will let you preview what you look like on camera. It is better to help you fix your makeup or remember to put on a shirt. There’s also a built-in background replacer if you can’t access one in whatever app you use.

Passwords App Will Show All Your Stuff

There’s now an all-new Passwords app to act as your one-stop shop for your keychains and important, sensitive information. It should be present across the entire Apple ecosystem. This should contain everything from WiFi passwords to verification codes to Passkeys.

Safari Reader Function Summarizes Text

Screenshot: Apple

The new updates to Safari introduce several new AI functions. At the top of the list are AI-generated summaries for the content on web pages. The Reader mode changes the website’s look and brings up a table of contents. There’s no look whether it also removes ads while it’s at it.

Game Porting Toolkit 2 Adds Better Windows Compatibility

Apple first announced its Game Porting Toolkit last WWDC, and now there’s a sequel that promises to make porting more hardcore titles easier to Apple’s framework. The company detailed several new games coming to Mac, including Frostpunk 2 and Control. Assassins Creed: Shadows is also coming to iPad, and Prince of Persia: Shattered Crown is coming to Mac.

How About watchOS 11 and AirPods?

AirPods Can Sense Your Head Nods For Saying Yes to Siri

Screenshot: Apple

If you’d rather not be that asshole in the elevator talking on your Bluetooth headset, AirPods will soon get a feature that should track your head movements. If there’s an incoming call, you can nod or shake your head to respond yes or no to taking it. After it rolls out to AirPods, we’ll have to see what other uses this gesture has.

Apple Watch’s watchOS 11 Gets Training Mode

There are a few new features on the Apple Watch for those fitness fans. With Training Mode, an AI algorithm tells you what kind of effort you made during your recent exercise. This might tell you if you were going too soft or too hard on your recent workout. Plus, you can customize your Fitness app to see what kind of data you want to see at a glance.

The Next watchOS Update Includes a Vitals App

Screenshot: Apple

The Vitals app will look at your entire health data to check all your health metrics and even tell you whether your drinking has impacted your health. This might show your heart rate and tell you whether that’s in your typical range. If it’s not within normal levels, the app should give you a rundown of what’s happening and what could be causing the issue.

Apple Watch Will Open Up Different Widgets Depending on Context

Apple’s smart stacks will automatically add weather or translation widgets to your main screen if it thinks you need them. This might come up when it looks like it’s about to rain or if you’re traveling around a foreign country.

The Apple Watch Will Determine Which Photos Work Best for Your Home Screen

Screenshot: Apple

Like its new TV update, Apple Watches will look through your photos and select those with enough blank space to fit the time. It should also be able to stick the time in front or behind certain photo elements, making it look far more like the photo belongs on the home screen.

If you’d rather not be that asshole in the elevator talking on your Bluetooth headset, AirPods will soon get a feature that should track your head movements. If there’s an incoming call, you can nod or shake your head to respond yes or no to taking it. After it rolls out to AirPods, we’ll have to see what other uses this gesture has.

AirPods Pro Now Have Voice Isolation and Spatial Audio in Gaming

AirPods Pro is getting an update that will add voice isolation to remove background noise for the sake of whoever’s on the other end. Additionally, developers can access an API to add spatial audio for games. This will add a surround-sound type experience to the game, first coming to Need for Speed Mobile.

Is There Anything New Coming to Apple TV+ and Vision Pro?

AppleVision OS 2, the Squeekquel, Will Let You Project Your Mac Screen Into nearly 180 Degrees

Screenshot: Apple

Apple released Vision Pro in February, and its first major update of the year is a sequel to the first visionOS coming down the pike just a few months later.

The big new update includes several new spatial photo updates. The Vision Pro can turn 2D images into 3D-ish Spatial photos. You can share those spatial photos with SharePlay. Apple is adding a few new gestures to tap to open the home view or open the control center by turning your wrist. Later this year, Apple plans to update the OS to add better Mac screen integration. This will expand the total view of your projected Mac screen, and with dynamic foveation, it can create a wraparound screen that travels nearly 180 degrees.

InSight on Apple tvOS Will Offer a Few Details on What You’re Watching

Apple’s new InSight feature on Apple TV+ is essentially Amazon’s X-Ray. It lets you get a quick summary of the content you’re watching, plus information about the actors on screen and perhaps a little trivia about the scene as it plays. Plus, there are a few new screensaver animations, like one from Peanuts’ Snoopy, but your photos will now reframed to fit with a timestamp and look like they belong on-screen.

[ad_2]

Kyle Barr

Source link

June 10, 2024
The End of ‘iPhone’

[ad_1]

If Apple did drop the “i,” it would hardly be the company’s most significant makeover. Segall points out that the company is familiar with overhauls, and he believes Apple CEO Tim Cook wouldn’t lose any sleep over dropping the Jobs-era prefix. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on this article.

“Apple has done some amazingly bold, rash, risky things in the past,” says Segall. “Every time they changed processors or transformed the OS, experts were like, ‘Oh my, seriously? You’re gonna rebuild the operating system, or you’re going to transition to a whole new hardware platform?’ But Apple did it.”

He acknowledges that today’s Apple is far bigger than the Jobs-era Apple—with more cash at stake and more jobs on the line—and, therefore, it might be more risk averse. However, it also still wants to be known as an innovator, and sticking with a product name for brand equity reasons alone isn’t a very Apple way of doing things.

“Think Different,” ran Apple’s legendary, Emmy-winning 1997 advertisement, a campaign worked on by Segall. He cowrote the copy for the 60-second TV ad that grouped several pre-Apple geniuses—from Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Martin Luther King Jr. to Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, and other “misfits, rebels, and troublemakers”—flagging that the “people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.”

The campaign was a holding one; Apple had no new products to sell, and as Jobs was fond of telling people at the time and afterward, the company was just 90 days from bankruptcy, with his return to the company that he’d cofounded in 1976 a considerable risk for investors.

~~MacMan~~ iMac

Mere weeks before launch, the original iMac had no official name.

Photograph: JOHN G. MABANGLO/Getty Images

The Think Different campaign improved Apple’s brand awareness, but it took the launch—and mega sales—of the iMac in 1998 to transform the company’s profitability. This “Bondi Blue” blob was make or break for Apple, and Jobs made no secret of this fact to his outside advertising agency, TBWAChiatDay.

Initially codenamed C1, the relatively inexpensive, consumer-oriented computer was to be marketed as a machine that could easily connect to the internet—a task now ubiquitous, but a rarity back in the 1990s. The iMac was bright, fun, easy to use, and wildly successful, setting Apple on the way to becoming the behemoth that became the world’s richest company in 2011. (Earlier this year, Apple was overtaken by Microsoft as the largest global company by market capitalization.)

Weeks from launch, the original iMac still had no official name. Apple’s in-house marketing and product teams toyed with “Rocket Mac,” “EveryMac,” and “Maxter” before favoring “MacMan,” a riff on the Walkman, the influential and top-selling portable audio player manufactured and marketed by Sony since 1979.

“[Jobs] liked that MacMan sounded like Walkman, which was the world’s most famous and profitable electronic device at the time,” says Segall.

“He was happy with the association. He gave a speech to the marketing team, saying Sony was such a successful consumer electronics company that Apple might one day want to be like that, and if we get a little rub-off by going with MacMan, he would be fine with that.” That’s not very “think different” of Jobs, agrees Segall.

[ad_2]

Carlton Reid

Source link

May 20, 2024
Steve Jobs’ former intern reflects on working for the tech mogul: ‘I worked 20 yards away from him every day’

[ad_1]

Chet Kapoor, chairman and CEO of DataStax.

Datastax

As a teen, Chet Kapoor dreamed of working for tech mogul Steve Jobs.

One day, that dream became a reality when Kapoor was hired as an intern at software company NeXT, founded by Jobs.

“Steve was this iconic individual and I didn’t know him … I was the guy that got coffee for the guy that made coffee,” Kapoor — who is now CEO of generative AI company DataStax — told CNBC Make It.

“I was one step below the person that opened doors but that didn’t matter because I worked 20 yards away from him [Jobs] every day.”

Kapoor made his mark in Silicon Valley as CEO of cloud software company Apigee, which was acquired by Google in a $625 million deal in 2016. He has also held leadership positions at firms including Google and IBM.

However, he credits a lot of his success to his experience working as Jobs’ intern in the early days.

Kapoor explained that he would focus on the questions that Jobs would ask in all-hand meetings more than anything else because it gave an insight into his thought process.

“That exposure was absolutely phenomenal,” he said. “I can attribute a large portion of my success to my first two or three years at NeXT.”

‘This is who I want to go and work for’

Kapoor, 57, was born in Kolkata, India, and recalled his mother taking him to the British Council library so he could read books while she went shopping.

“In 1983, I read this book called ‘A Little Kingdom’ and it was written by a guy by the name of Michael Moritz,” Kapoor said. “This book was about two Steves: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It was all about Apple. I was impressionable because I was 15 or 16.”

“I was like ‘this is who I want to go and work for’ and it was very clear to me that I wanted to come and hang out and work with Steve Jobs,” he added.

CUPERTINO, CA – APRIL 08: Apple CEO Steve Jobs points during a Q & A session during an Apple special event April 8, 2010 in Cupertino, California. Jobs announced the new iPhone OS4 software. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Justin Sullivan | Getty

Inspired by the book, Kapoor took computer classes and started applying to colleges in the United States. He eventually landed at Arizona State University in 1986.

During that time, Jobs left Apple and founded a new software company called NeXT in 1985. That’s when the opportunity arose for Kapoor to fulfill his dream.

NeXT started a program called the Campus Consultants and started hiring students to work for them part-time from their colleges — and Kapoor became one of them in 1988.

The company asked Kapoor and a select few students to join the company as interns after they graduated, where they rotated through various odd jobs.

“I started working for NeXT five years after I imagined that I would be working for Steve,” Kapoor said.

Jobs cultivated a ‘strong engineering culture’

Jobs created a very “product and design-centric” environment at NeXT, according to Kapoor.

“Everything starts with what is the user experience. How is the user going to interact with this? That made all the difference in the world and the maniacal focus on that was absolutely amazing,” Kapoor said.

This is reminiscent of Apple’s culture, with Jobs saying in a 1985 Newsweek interview that he enjoyed “making things.”

“What I’m best at doing is finding a group of talented people and making things with them,” Jobs said. “My philosophy is that everything starts with a great product.”

iPhone users just see a new pretty interface, but there’s a lot of “hardcore engineering” that happens behind the scenes, Kapoor explained.

“Everything starts with a very strong engineering culture,” he said. “He drove a very hard, regimented schedule because otherwise, you just leave it, and it becomes a science project. He was very driven in that regard.”

[ad_2]

Source link

May 17, 2024
Apple Fast Facts | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

Here’s a look at Apple, Inc, creator of the Mac computer and the iPhone.

The corporate headquarters are in Cupertino, California.

As of September 2023, the company reported that it employs approximately 161,000 people full-time.

April 1, 1976 – Apple Computers, Inc. is founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Their first product is the Apple I personal computer.

June 1977 – The Apple II is released.

December 1980 – Apple conducts an initial public offering of 4.6 million shares at $22 per share.

January 1983 – Apple introduces the Lisa, a new brand of personal computer.

January 22, 1984 – The Macintosh computer is introduced with a futuristic commercial that airs during the Super Bowl.

1985 – Apple discontinues the Lisa after a disappointing run, and Jobs leaves the company.

December 1996 – Apple buys Jobs’ company, NeXT Software.

1997 – In the wake of corporate shakeups and a sales slump, Apple welcomes Jobs back as interim CEO.

August 15, 1998 – The iMac, a streamlined personal computer, debuts.

January 2000 – Jobs becomes permanent CEO.

January 9, 2001 – iTunes is introduced.

October 23, 2001 – The iPod MP3 player makes its debut.

January 2003 – Apple releases the Safari web browser.

April 28, 2003 – Apple introduces the iTunes Music Store.

January 2006 – Apple rolls out its first Intel-based computers, the iMac and the MacBook Pro.

January 9, 2007 – The iPhone is unveiled.

March 2007 – Apple TV hits stores.

January 27, 2010 – The iPad is announced.

June 6, 2011 – Apple announces iCloud, an online media storage system.

August 24, 2011 – Jobs resigns as CEO. Tim Cook takes his place.

October 5, 2011 – Jobs dies after battling cancer.

February 6, 2013 – Apple announces that iTunes has reached a milestone of 25 billion songs sold.

May 28, 2014 – Apple announces deal to buy Beats for $3 billion.

June 9, 2014 – Apple conducts a stock split, bringing the price down from $647.50 to $92.44.

September 9, 2014 – Apple unveils the Apple Watch, a wearable device.

December 16, 2014 – Apple wins an antitrust lawsuit brought by eight million iPod owners who alleged that Apple abused its monopoly power in the music industry to force out competition.

June 8, 2015 – Apple unveils Apple Music, a streaming music service, live radio station and social network.

February 3, 2016 – A jury orders Apple to pay $626 million in damages after finding that iMessage, FaceTime and other Apple software infringed on another company’s patents. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2010 by the company VirnetX, accuses Apple of violating four patents, which mostly involve methods for real-time communications over the Internet.

February 16, 2016 – Apple refuses to comply with a California judge’s order to assist the FBI in hacking the iPhone of the San Bernardino gunman. A public letter signed by Cook states why the company is refusing to abide by the government’s demands.

March 28, 2016 – The Department of Justice says the FBI has “successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone,” and is dropping the case against Apple, since it no longer needs the company’s help.

August 30, 2016 – The European Union rules that Apple must pay Ireland $14.5 billion in back taxes. According to the EU, Ireland had been giving the tech company a break on taxes for more than two decades. Ireland’s finance minister issues a statement criticizing the EU’s ruling and declares that the country does not play favorites with a lower tax rate for certain companies. In a letter, Cook says he anticipates the EU’s tax ruling will be reversed on appeal.

September 12, 2017 – Apple unveils the iPhone X, alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus – all of which support wireless charging. The iPhone X will also feature facial detection technology, no home button, a 3D camera and an edge-to-edge screen.

December 21, 2017 – Apple issues a statement saying that it has used software updates to limit the performance of older iPhones that may have battery issues that would cause them to turn off suddenly.

December 28, 2017 – Apple apologizes to customers for how it rolled out an update that can slow down older iPhones. It is offering cheaper battery replacements to make up for it.

June 15, 2018 – Oprah Winfrey signs a multiyear deal with Apple to create new original programming.

August 2, 2018 – Apple becomes the first American public company to surpass $1 trillion in value.

October 10, 2019 – In a memo to employees, Cook defends Apple’s decision to pull a map app that Hong Kong protesters used to track police, saying that it had been used in ways that “endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong.”

November 1, 2019 – Apple TV+, a subscription streaming service containing original programming, launches.

November 4, 2019 – Apple announces a $2.5 billion financial package to help address the housing crisis in California, which has worsened in part because of the rapid growth of tech companies.

July 29, 2020 – Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, CEO of Google’s parent company Sundar Pichai and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg all testify before a House subcommittee on anti-trust to address concerns that their businesses may be harming competition.

August 20, 2020 – Apple reaches the $2 trillion market value mark.

November 18, 2020 – Apple agrees to pay $113 million to settle an investigation by states including California and Arizona over how Apple wasn’t transparent about its iPhone battery problems that led to unexpected device shutdowns.

December 14, 2020 – Launches Apple Fitness+, a service built around Apple Watch.

November 23, 2021 – Apple files a lawsuit against NSO Group and its parent company, accusing the Israeli firm of violating a federal anti-hacking law by selling potent software that clients have used to spy on Apple customers. The lawsuit alleges that NSO’s spyware, known as Pegasus, and other malware have caused Apple monetary and property damages, and violated the human rights of Apple users along the way.

January 3, 2022 – Apple becomes the world’s first company valued at $3 trillion.

May 10, 2022 – Apple announces that it is ceasing production of the iPod.

June 18, 2022 – Workers in Maryland vote to form the first-ever labor union at one of Apple’s US stores.

June 30, 2023 – Apple’s stock ends trading valued at $3 trillion, the only company ever to reach that milestone.

December 18, 2023 – Apple announces plans to stop selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in US due to a patent dispute. In January 2024, a federal appeals court denies the company’s motion to temporarily pause the ban while it appealed the US International Trade Commission ruling.

[ad_2]

Source link

March 21, 2024
U.S. Accuses Apple of Running a Monopoly

[ad_1]

Apple is in major legal trouble as the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 state and district attorneys filed a lawsuit against the iPhone maker, as reported by the Washington Post Thursday. They accuse Apple of building a monopoly with the iPhone.

Apple Unveils Its iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9

The suit alleges Apple’s changes to its rules and high fees created a “degraded user experience.” Some of the practices cited included the iMessage green bubbles for non-iPhone users, the 30% App Store fee, and privacy issues with the Apple Wallet.

“We alleged that Apple has consolidated its monopoly power, not by making its own products better, but by making other products worse,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press conference Thursday. “If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”

Apple says the suit is wrong on the facts and the law.

“This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” the company said in an emailed statement to Gizmodo Thursday. “If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”

Apple routinely finds itself in legal trouble over its business practices, but the company finds ways to keep winning. Last year, the legal battle between Epic and Apple over the App Store payment options went all the way to the Supreme Court, but Apple prevailed in the end.

On the hardware side, Apple has been fighting right-to-repair laws so that it can keep repairs for its products in-house. However, the company does seem like it’s changing its mind on some recent right-to-repair legislation in certain states.

But that’s in the U.S. Over in the European Union (EU), Apple has been getting spanked by regulations. Not only did regulators make Apple go all-in with USB-C cables for the iPhone 15 last year, but the EU also made Apple open up its software to allow third-party app stores onto its devices.

The Biden administration has picked multiple fights with some big companies over antitrust violations. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon for operating an illegal monopoly while the DOJ filed a suit against Google for the same reason. Microsoft was also the focus of antitrust legal action when it acquired video game publisher Activision. That deal was completed in October, but the FTC appealed that merger in December seeking to reverse it.

[ad_2]

Oscar Gonzalez

Source link

March 21, 2024
You Can Buy This 2007 iPhone, But It Might Cost You 38,000% Over Retail

[ad_1]

A first-edition iPhone with 4GB of storage would run you about $499 back in 2007, but nowadays they cost around $190,000. An auction house is selling one of these rare iPhones, sealed in its original packaging from 16 years ago, but the last one it sold had a 38,000% markup from its original price.

Is USB-C Finally Coming To iPhone?

“One of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of our lifetime, the iPhone,” said LCG Auctions in its product description.

The auction house will take bids on this Original 2007 iPhone for the next two weeks, first reported by 9to5Mac Monday. It’s the third 4GB model LCG Auctions has ever sold, with the first two selling for $190,000 and $133,000 last year. The current bid on this iPhone is $11,000, as of Tuesday morning, but the auction house estimates this model will go for at least $100,000.

Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone on Jan 9, 2007 at Macworld in San Francisco, noting that Apple was about to “reinvent the phone.” The iPhone quickly became Apple’s best-selling product and was even named Time Magazine’s Invention of the Year. Given the success, it’s strange that the iPhone 4GB was discontinued on Sep 5th, 2007, just two months after its retail release.

The iPhone 4GB was released alongside the iPhone 8GB, priced at $599. For double the storage, most consumers were more than happy to pay the extra $100. So Apple quickly stopped producing the 4GB iPhone and never made a phone with such little storage again. Today, the base iPhone 15 has 128GB and more expensive models have 512GB of storage. The original 4GB iPhone is puny in comparison.

Given that the first edition iPhone 4GB was only sold for two months, despite being so revolutionary, it’s become quite the collector’s item. LCG Auctions notes the box on this specific model has never been opened, and the phone inside has never been activated. The box still has bright colors imbued in 2007, with little signs of fading.

Some lucky collectors will take home this original iPhone, and they may pay a hefty price tag to do so. But it could all be worth it to relive the glory days of Apple.

[ad_2]

Maxwell Zeff

Source link

March 12, 2024
Steve Jobs’ Daughter Claims He Told Her She ‘Smelled Like A Toilet’ While On His Death Bed — But She Clarifies He Was Being Honest: ‘I Really Did’

[ad_1]

In “Small Fry,” a memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs, the estranged daughter of Steve Jobs, readers are offered a profound insight into her complicated relationship with the iconic Apple co-founder. Known for his unfiltered approach to communication, Jobs never hesitated to express his opinions, no matter how sharp or direct. Published excerpts in Vanity Fair in 2018 drew considerable attention, revealing the depth of their strained interactions and emotional distance.

Lisa made it a point to visit her father every other month during the last year of his life as he battled pancreatic cancer. In 2011, during one of these visits, she encountered a moment that stood out for its brutal honesty. As Jobs was too ill to leave his bed, Lisa used the opportunity to say goodbye with a hug.

Don’t Miss:

She noted the feel of his body, weakened by illness, and the smell of medicine, writing: “When we hugged, I could feel his vertebrae, his ribs. He smelled musty, like medicine sweat.” As she was about to leave, her father’s voice called out to her, “Lis?” She responded, and he then said, “You smell like a toilet,” a comment she remembers vividly.

The root of their troubled relationship can be traced back to Jobs’ initial denial of paternity until a paternity test mandated by the court in 1980 led to child support obligations. Despite apologizing later for his absence, Jobs and his daughter continued to have a distant relationship. Brennan-Jobs reflects on this dynamic, stating, “For him, I was a blot on a spectacular ascent, as our story did not fit with the narrative of greatness and virtue he might have wanted for himself.

Trending: This startup coined “eBay for gamers” with a breaktaking track record has opened up a window to invest in its future growth.

My existence ruined his streak. For me, it was the opposite: the closer I was to him, the less I would feel ashamed; he was part of the world, and he would accelerate me into the light.”

“Small Fry” also recounts more everyday interactions that highlight the emotional gap between them, such as an occasion when Lisa asked about inheriting one of her father’s Porsches, only to be flatly denied, reinforcing the emotional barriers that often existed.

Following the publication of “Small Fry” and the ensuing media attention, Lisa appeared on The Today Show to discuss the “toilet” comment. She explained to Hoda Kotb, “I have to be clear about the toilet phrase. I really did. I explain in the book, I was spraying myself with natural rose water. So even though it wasn’t a particularly nice phrase, it was true.”

Through the memoir, Brennan-Jobs invited readers into her world, revealing the personal struggles and the reality of living in the shadow of a tech industry giant. It’s not just a recounting of her life but an exploration of the challenging dynamics between a father and daughter, providing a candid glimpse into the personal cost of Jobs’ legendary status in the technology realm.

Read Next:

“ACTIVE INVESTORS’ SECRET WEAPON” Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 “news & everything else” trading tool: Benzinga Pro – Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now!

Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?

This article Steve Jobs’ Daughter Claims He Told Her She ‘Smelled Like A Toilet’ While On His Death Bed — But She Clarifies He Was Being Honest: ‘I Really Did’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com

© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

[ad_2]

Source link

March 5, 2024
Your Screen Protector Is Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be

[ad_1]

When you’re buying a new smartphone, salesmen love pestering you to buy some increased protection — insurance, a case, and, obviously, a screen protector. The screen protector has long been hailed as a necessity, costing anywhere from $10 to $60. These little slips of plastic and glass have ballooned to a $50 billion industry, but there’s a dirty secret underneath it all. Your screen protector may not be essential anymore.

Is USB-C Finally Coming To iPhone?

You wouldn’t be crazy for wanting to protect your screen. Cracking your screen is the number one way to break your phone, followed by water damage and battery issues. However, the glass in your phone has gotten significantly stronger in the last five years. Some experts say you might be able to skip the screen protector, and even warn about some relatively unknown downsides that salespeople aren’t telling you.

“It’s really not particularly useful,” said Raymond Soneira, CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, about screen protectors in an interview with Gizmodo. Soneira’s company researches how to optimize your phone’s display. He doesn’t use a screen protector, just a phone case, but caveats this by noting he is very careful with his phone and rarely ever drops it.

DisplayMate found that screen protectors make your phone more reflective. This reduces the quality of your display and requires you to increase your phone’s brightness to match the same quality. Over time, he says this will wear down your phone’s battery, and give you a shorter daily battery life.

However, the phone community is mixed on this screen protector issue. iFixit Repairability Engineer, Carsten Fraunheim notes that screen protectors can be useful against scratches, micro-abrasions, and just give you peace of mind. He calls them a “no-brainer” but admits they’re less essential than they used to be.

“As smartphone glass tech becomes more and more shatter resistant, screen protectors will lose their ‘drop protection’ selling feature,” Fraunheim said in an email.

Even the liquid screen protectors have their issues.

“Liquid wipe-on screen protectors are snake oil,” said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens in an email. He says that this variety of protection actually compromises the structure of your screen, though he had no comment on panel-style protectors.

Trey Barnett, a computer technician at a Manhattan uBreakiFix, has seen a lot of cracked screens in the 14 years he’s been repairing phones. However, he sees fewer iPhones with broken screens than he used to.

“I would say that screens have gotten a bit stronger, but, you know, it hasn’t stopped people from breaking them altogether.”

There is an obvious argument in favor of screen protectors: they cost less than replacing your phone screen. While that’s true, the chances of having to repair your screen are far lower than they used to be. The multi-billion dollar screen protector industry would like to keep that on the down low.

Origins of The Screen Protector

In 2021, Apple’s iPhones started using Ceramic Shield, a new material that claims to be tougher than any previous smartphone glass. It comes from Corning, a glass company that Steve Jobs commissioned to produce the first screen for the iPhone in 2007.

Jobs famously gave Corning a 6-month deadline to produce the iPhone’s screen, which was originally planned to be plastic. Corning got it done, creating an especially strong, thin material called Gorilla Glass. This material would be used in the first decade of iPhones and is still used in most Samsung phones.

Gorilla Glass is stronger than most glass, but it wasn’t great at first. Screen protectors for phones almost immediately popped up, as consumers raced to wrap their phones in protective materials.

Apple forums in 2008 were full of people discussing early screen protectors. The first iPhone adopters quickly scratched their Gorilla Glass displays. Some users found these early screen protectors were so bad they messed with the iPhone’s touch screen. Screen protectors have gotten much better, but so have screens themselves.

Ceramic Shield was a major leap forward for screen technology. The materials used in Ceramic Shield are much different from typical smartphone glass. Corning describes it as somewhere in between ceramics and glass, and Apple says it’s four times stronger than Gorilla Glass when it comes to drops.

However, these major improvements have flown under the radar. That may have something to do with the growth of the screen protector industry. By 2030, the industry is expected to grow to roughly $85 billion, according to Grand View Research.

Why Screen Protectors Persist

Anyone who has cracked their phone screen will tell you how painful that experience is. Even though phone screens have gotten much better, the replacement process is scarring enough to make anyone just buy the dang screen protector.

It’s totally understandable why you might put your phone in a screen protector still. It is a large investment, but there’s more and more evidence that screens are getting better. A good phone case alone may be sufficient.

So at what point do we ditch the screen protectors? These flimsy films could be degrading the quality of that very expensive screen in your pocket, and they are potentially running through your battery. Screen protectors are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

[ad_2]

Maxwell Zeff

Source link

March 4, 2024
Why Tim Cook Is Going All In on the Apple Vision Pro

[ad_1]

“You know, one of our most common reactions we love is people go, ‘Hold on, I just need a minute. I need to process what just happened,’” said Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, as we ate lunch at Apple Park. “How cool is that? How often do people have a product experience where they’re left speechless, right?”

I wasn’t really left speechless until the second demo. A few months after my initial experience, I went back to the LA offices. Two Apple employees led me into a room. I put on the Apple Vision Pro and the curtain opened and I was looking at them. The only difference this time was I had a cup of tea with me. In the middle of this new demo, I reached down and grabbed the tea and I took a sip, and as I did, one of my fingers flickered, like I was in a simulation no different from reality and there was a glitch.

“Wait, what am I seeing?” I asked, confused. “Are you real? Or…”

“No, you’re seeing a video of us that’s being rendered in real time,” one of the employees explained. I sat there for a moment, speechless. I had thought what I had been seeing was the real world, and that all the digital wonder was layered on top of that. That the Apple Vision Pro was transparent and there was a layer of technology on top of it. In reality, it was the other way around.

“I think it’s not evolutionary; it’s revolutionary,” Cameron said to me when I told him about my experience. “And I’m speaking as someone who has worked in VR for 18 years.” He explained that the reason it looks so real is because the Apple Vision Pro is writing a 4K image into my eyes. “That’s the equivalent of the resolution of a 75-inch TV into each of your eyeballs—23 million pixels.” To put that into perspective, the average 4K television has around 8 million pixels. Apple engineers didn’t slice off a rectangle from the corner of a 4K display and put it in the Apple Vision Pro. They somehow compressed twice as many pixels into a space as small as your eyeball. This, to people like Cameron who have been working in this space for two decades, “solves every problem.”

But even with all this wonder, with 23 million pixels that are so clear and crisp that you can’t tell reality from a digital composite of it, there are some problems Apple hasn’t solved—at least not yet.

There’s an old story about Steve Jobs that has become folklore in Silicon Valley. It takes place about 25 years ago, in that same nondescript black ops building, Mariani 1, where Cook would see the first Apple Vision Pro prototype years later. Back then, in the late ’90s, Jobs had a team of engineers building the first iPod. They’re toiling away, bending physics and doing engineering acrobatics to make the smallest prototype of an iPod they can squeeze into a box. Finally, when it can’t get any smaller, they take it to Jobs. Now, these prototypes cost millions of dollars, sometimes more, and Jobs looks at it, he inspects it, and he says it needs to be smaller. The engineers say it’s as small as it can get, and Jobs walks over to a fish tank and drops the prototype in—splash! And as it drowns, Jobs says, “You see those air bubbles? That means you can make it smaller.”

“You’ve got your M2 chip here…R1 chip…near zero latency…5,000 patents…seven years…” Richard Howarth, the vice president of industrial design, said in a thick Leicester accent as he pointed to the dozens of disassembled components splayed out in front of me, all of which made up the cadaver of the Apple Vision Pro. And yet, all I could think about was the fish story and that iPod prototype, and whether Jobs, if he were alive today, would throw the Apple Vision Pro into a fish tank and say, “There’s bubbles. Make it smaller!”

If there’s one consistent grumble about the Apple Vision Pro, it’s about the size and weight. It’s around 20 ounces, which might not sound like a lot, because you cook with ounces, you don’t necessarily wear them. But that’s the same as five sticks of butter—imagine walking around with five sticks of butter on your face all day. Carolina Cruz-Neira, a pioneer of virtual reality, told me that the way a device sits on your face really impacts how you respond to the technology. “I’ve been working in VR for over 30 years, and until we can get the scuba diving mask off your face and we make it less noticeable, we’re not going to make this a mass-adoption technology,” Cruz-Neira said. “And the size and weight of these scuba diving masks are not going to be solved in a year.”

It’s largely this question that will determine if the Apple Vision Pro will be a financial success. While Apple execs would only tell me “we’re excited” about the sales numbers so far, Wall Street analysts believe the company sold around 180,000 units in the opening weekend of online preorders. Morgan Stanley anticipates that sales will ramp up to 2 million to 4 million units a year over the next five years, and it will become a new product category for the company. But others, like Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple supply chain analyst, thinks it’s going to remain a niche product for some time. Almost all the analysts I spoke with believe it will eventually get there. “We think a few years from now it’ll resemble sunglasses and be less than $1,500,” Dan Ives, a senior analyst at the investment firm Wedbush Securities, told me.

I didn’t even have to ask Howarth about the weight; he brought it up himself. But he did so as he explained that this component and that component are made of magnesium and carbon fiber and aluminum (he pronounced it a-loo-min-e-um, not a-loo-min-um, which I respected as a Brit myself), and he noted that these are the lightest materials on earth, and that there is no more diminutive alternative. “There’s nothing we could have done to make it lighter or smaller,” Howarth explained. “This is the state of the art.” Everyone else I spoke to at Apple proffered a similar sentiment. “It feels like we’ve reached into the future and grabbed this product,” Joswiak said to me. “You’re putting the future on your face.” As did Rockwell, who told me: “We packed just about as much technology as you could possibly pack into that small of a form factor.”

“You can actually lay on your sofa and put the displays on your ceiling if you wish,” Cook told me. “I watched the third season of [Ted] Lasso on my ceiling and it was unbelievable!” When I got home and hooked up my own Apple Vision Pro, I watched Ford v Ferrari on my ceiling, and with the spatial audio it felt like Ken Miles’s Ford GT40 was in the room with me. “I think meditation is on a different level than anything I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve meditated for a long time,” Cook said. I’ve always had trouble meditating, and he was right about that too. “And I use it for productivity,” Cook told me.

Typing with the Apple Vision Pro virtual keyboard is a little like trying to write with a pen between your toes. Not impossible but impractical. But when I opened my MacBook Pro while wearing the Vision Pro, the screen popped into my augmented reality and I was able to work pretty seamlessly. I’m actually writing these words here, the ones you’re reading, on the Vision Pro using the MacBook, and all I can say is I bet if you were watching me now you’d think I looked just like Tom Cruise in Minority Report, only slightly more handsome. And then there’s those spatial videos. I’ve recorded and watched dozens of spatial videos of my kids just playing and talking, reliving moments that seem mundane but when played back are so emotionally immersive, it’s like stepping into a living, breathing memory. Again, it’s hard to describe how realistic the environments feel, but I’ve found myself periodically returning to Mirror Lake, turning off all my notifications, and just sitting there at the edge of the water, peacefully watching and listening to the rain for 5 or 10 minutes before returning to work.

There are plenty of quirks using the device. One of my favorites is when you use the Vision Pro in one room and then go to another, open the same app, and you have to find it by looking all around the room; sometimes it’s on the ceiling or the floor. I couldn’t find my text app the other day and turned around to find it was in my bathroom. (I later learned you can reset the apps by pressing the digital crown for a few seconds.) But the more I’ve used the Apple Vision Pro over the past two weeks, the more one glaring problem revealed itself to me. It’s not the weight (which is a problem but will come down over time), or the size (which will shrink with each iteration), or the worry that it will drive us to consume more content alone (almost half of Americans already watch TV alone). Or how tech giants like Meta, Netflix, Spotify, and Google are currently withholding their apps from the device. (Content creators may come around once the consumers are there, and some, like Disney, are already embracing the device, making 150 movies available in 3D, including from mega-franchises like Star Wars and Marvel.) And it’s not even the price, because if Apple wanted to, the company could subsidize the cost of the Apple Vision Pro and it would have about as much financial impact as Cook losing a nickel between his couch cushions.

[ad_2]

Nick Bilton

Source link

February 1, 2024
How the Apple iPhone became one of the best-selling products of all time

[ad_1]

When Apple announced the iPhone in 2007, Steve Jobs called it a “revolutionary product” in a handset category that he said needed to be reinvented.

Now, nearly two decades and 42 models later, the iPhone is one of the world’s most popular phones. Apple has sold over 2.3 billion units of the iPhone and has over 1.5 billion active users, according to research from Demand Sage.

The original iPhone was released in June 2007 and exclusively sold with AT&T for $499.

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiling the first iPhone in 2007.

David Paul Morris | Getty Images News | Getty Images

“Investors were optimistic about the impact that it could have with Apple,” said Deepwater Asset’s Gene Munster. “The initial data that came out from AT&T was a disappointment from that first few days of sales. I remember talking to investors after that first weekend, and the general sense was that this product, in one investor’s words, was dead on arrival.”

Apple sold 1.4 million iPhones in 2007 with 80% of the sales coming in Q4. In the same year Nokia, the maker of the iconic Nokia 3310, sold 7.4 million mobile phones in Q4 alone.

“Nokia was seen as unstoppable, unbeatable,” said CNBC technology reporter Kif Leswing.

JAPAN – FEBRUARY 15: The Nokia 3310 Launched on the 1st September 2000

Science & Society Picture Library | SSPL| Getty Images

“The investing community largely took this as something that is going to be a much more difficult market for Apple to really crack,” said Munster.

Things started to shift for Apple in 2008 when it launched the App Store. This helped spur a new wave of modern tech companies like Uber and put Apple ahead of its competitors.

“The App Store allowed your phone to become a lot more,” said Munster. “That was the piece, that insight, other phone manufacturers didn’t see that coming.”

Apple saw increased iPhone unit sales in the years following the App Store. The company hit a major milestone — more than 50 million units sold — in 2011, with the help of the iPhone 4s. The company sold 72 million units that year. By 2015, Apple was selling over 200 million iPhone units yearly.

“I don’t think there’s any question the iPhone set the standard that really almost all phones have followed since then,” said Computer History Museum’s Marc Weber. “The App Store was a huge thing and Android basically followed that model with the Play Store.”

A decade after the iPhone’s release, Apple was the first publicly traded U.S. company to hit a $1 trillion market cap and it’s now one of the most profitable companies in the world.

Apple recently surpassed Samsung, one of its biggest competitors, as the world’s smartphone leader for the first time. According to data from the International Data Corp., Apple holds just over 20% of the global market share, a spot that Samsung held since 2010.

“There was a period from 2008 to 2015 where Apple needed to worry about what Samsung was going to do with Android. Their market share was actually declining globally,” said Munster. “But, what Apple has been the master at is building the ecosystem. I can’t imagine a scenario where Samsung can build a suite of products that is going to disrupt the Apple ecosystem.”

Recently, Apple has been dabbling in machine learning and AI for the iPhone, but companies such as Microsoft, Google and Open AI have more openly embraced the technology.

“AI is going to be critical to humanity, and it’s going to be a critical feature inside of iPhones,” said Munster. “Apple uses AI to make the products work better with organizing photos, with helping organize emails, and potentially doing things around text organization. But for the most part is that the iPhone doesn’t capture, doesn’t really capture the full opportunity. Far from it when it comes to AI.”

Watch the video to learn more about how the iPhone shaped Apple.

[ad_2]

Source link

January 27, 2024
What Does Entrepreneurial Excellence Mean Today? The Benchmark for Success Is Evolving — Here’s How. | Entrepreneur

[ad_1]

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

From Ford to Musk, the image of the successful entrepreneur has often been intertwined with a set of traditional ideals: unyielding confidence, unwavering determination and an unrelenting pursuit of success. Those characteristics of excellence have shaped our perception of what it means to be a successful entrepreneur for generations. They also connect with larger social and political ideas of greatness: winning through domination in some form.

However, a generational shift in the definition of excellence is becoming all too apparent as the once-unquestionable benchmarks of success, such as wealth, fame and power, have begun to coexist with qualities that transcend the headlines — qualities like personal growth, empathy and a commitment to lasting values. Additionally, an increasing number of successful female entrepreneurs are also calling into question masculine gatekeeping of definitions of entrepreneurial excellence. Numerous social pressures, along with rapid technological change, are causing many of us to contemplate what it actually means to pursue “excellence” or “greatness” today.

Somewhere on the other side of Elon and Zuckerberg’s proposed MMA fight is another view of what being great can be for an entrepreneur. A more encompassing view of excellence may be necessary, one which redefines not only the characteristics of greatness but also the obligations and behaviors of those we deem role models within the world of business. Excellence is no longer solely about conquering frontiers or amassing fortunes; it’s about leaving a positive mark on the world, fostering innovation with ethics, and making decisions that resonate through generations. That excellence can be achieved by adding elements of stoicism and empathy to our entrepreneurial mindsets and leadership approaches.

Related: How to Unleash Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and Discover Your Potential

The biography of excellence

The historical record provides as many definitions of excellence as it does role models to learn from. Different eras have birthed distinct ideals of greatness, often mirroring the predominant societal norms and values. In the Renaissance, excellence was defined by creativity; in the Enlightenment, it was rationality. Excellence in political leadership was defined in many eras as the ability to win wars and defeat foes. Yet even some of the greatest warriors held up as role models of excellence, such as Leonidas’s Spartans at Thermopylae or Saigō Takamori’s Samurai at the Battle of Shiroyama, proved their merit through their defeat by holding fast to their values in the face of certain loss. Excellence, it seems, becomes a complex issue when one combines the morality of strong values with societal markers like wealth, fame, power or might.

The realm of entrepreneurialism, especially the tech field, has yielded its own vision of excellence. Innovation, creativity, self-discipline and drive are elevated, and entrepreneurs strive to emulate in the hopes of capturing their magic in a bottle. While their accomplishments are undeniable, the criteria by which we measure excellence are evolving, inviting us to reassess the values that truly define greatness. And while many great entrepreneurs stand out as examples of excellence, none better exemplify the increasingly problematic double-edged sword of entrepreneurial excellence than Elon Musk or Steve Jobs.

As Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk hits our shelves, it’s an interesting moment to reflect on the nature of excellence as entrepreneurs and beyond — though, for many of us, the question of excellence has long been on our minds. Elon Musk, the visionary entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, epitomizes the charismatic and audacious archetype of excellence. His boldness and willingness to disrupt industries have yielded transformative results, yet his leadership style is marked by demanding expectations, public spats, and a sometimes controversial presence on social media.

Biographer Isaacson — already skilled at getting to the core of powerhouse egos in his earlier works on Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Henry Kissinger and Steve Jobs — paints Elon Musk as a complex character, at times relatable and at times almost alien in mindset. Similarly, each of Isaacson’s subjects represented ideas of excellence for their times — and beyond — yet each also struggled with a titanic-sized ego and disjointed relationships. Elon seems no different. Excellence, too often, it appears, comes at a steep social price.

Many may liken Musk to Steve Jobs, another tech leader held up as an example of entrepreneurial and technological excellence. Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, responsible for much of the company’s product vision and innovation, is celebrated for revolutionizing personal technology. But his inability to relate to others was as legendary as his vision. His “reality distortion field” and uncompromising pursuit of perfection yielded groundbreaking products, but his interpersonal relationships and management methods were often called into question. Jobs is an extreme personality and example, but often excellence is equated with such extreme focus and vision.

A kinder approach to excellence

While the achievements of Jobs and Musk are undeniable, the emphasis on such figures as entrepreneurial role models perpetuates an image of excellence defined by brashness, bombastic and all-consuming individualism. But as younger generations search for relevant role models of greatness, they seek to redefine how the trait manifests in society. Excellence in this context is not confined to the individual’s achievements but also extends to their contributions to the greater good. Leaders who recognize the strength of collaboration, who consider the impact of their decisions on diverse communities, and who work to bridge societal divides exemplify a new facet of excellence.

Embracing kindness and empathy in leadership fosters collaboration, creativity and sustainable growth in organizations. A leader prioritizing these qualities can inspire loyalty and dedication among employees, creating a more harmonious and productive work environment. Additionally, exercising restraint and thoughtfulness in decision-making prevents hasty actions that might bring short-term gains but lead to detrimental long-term consequences.

The challenge lies in finding a balance between audacity and empathy, innovation and collaboration. While figures like Musk and Jobs have undeniably left their marks on history, it’s worth considering whether their methods could have been refined to include a greater emphasis on building positive relationships and nurturing well-being. Even keel business leaders like Tim Cook or Dara Khosrowshahi will likely never be held up as examples of generational-changing technological or entrepreneurial excellence, even though they may be more worthy of the accolade than their more bombastic peers.

In his 2010 Commencement Speech at Princeton, Jeff Bezos recounted some wisdom he learned from his grandfather: “Jeff, one day you’ll understand that it’s harder to be kind than clever.” Indeed, it is far easier to take the low road, forgetting compassion or patience. Can excellence be achieved without overshadowing qualities like kindness, empathy and restraint? Long before we had the concept of personal brands. Mr. Rogers built a persona around the transformative nature of kindness and empathy. With numerous tall tales of kindness on set coupled with extensive anonymous donations to children’s cancer charities, many would consider Keanu Reeves to be a role model of quiet kindness in a Hollywood marked by greed, vanity, and self-promotion. Just as the media industry has managed to elevate some paragons of kindness, so too can the entrepreneurial field embrace those who translate kindness into excellence.

Related: These 3 Philosophies of the Ancient Stoics Will Change Your Life

Stoicism over pomp

Another approach to the question of greatness requires us to stop and think about, yes, the Roman Empire — just maybe not every day as some men do, according to the consensus of a hilarious new TikTok trend. The reason why I suggest that we consider the Roman Empire in pursuit of greatness is that many Roman Emporers embraced stoicism — a philosophy underlying entrepreneurial excellence. At its core, stoicism advocates for a rational and disciplined approach to life’s challenges. It emphasizes the cultivation of inner resilience and the acceptance of circumstances beyond one’s control, encouraging a mindset of gratitude rather than negativity.

Stoics believe in focusing on what can be influenced while gracefully acknowledging and enduring what cannot. This philosophy encourages entrepreneurs to navigate the often tumultuous waters of business with a composed and clear-headed demeanor. By embracing stoic principles, entrepreneurs gain a powerful tool for maintaining equilibrium in the face of adversity, allowing them to make calculated decisions and pursue their goals with unwavering determination.

It is easy to find examples of stoic leadership: those driven by a belief that they can rationally advance their values to improve the world. For example, Former Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel’s legacy lies in her adept navigation of complex political terrains while upholding her principles, particularly in her fervent support for a united Europe. Her leadership exemplified the potency of diplomacy, restraint and patient persistence, highlighting that enduring change often stems from steadfast dedication rather than impulsive, headline-grabbing maneuvers.

In the realm of tech entrepreneurship, Steve Wozniak’s journey reflects the value of staying grounded even in the face of immense success. His technical prowess and innovation were pivotal in shaping the technological landscape, yet he remained approachable and down-to-earth. Wozniak’s commitment to education and his willingness to share his knowledge exemplifies the importance of giving back to the community that helped foster his success. Like Merkel, Wozniak has prioritized collaboration over grabbing headlines, building bridges rather than burning them.

And, on a final note, if we ever need to look to the Roman Empire to teach us a lesson about greatness, surely it is this: the political leader held up by many through history as the pinnacle of political excellence was a bold and audacious general and emperor who was such a jerk that his friends and colleagues stabbed him to death. Julius Caesar may argue that a little less ego and a bit more kindness and stoicism are a sounder approach to leadership.

Final thoughts

In examining these contrasting examples, we can distill lessons that guide future leaders and innovators. By appreciating the achievements of ego-driven innovators like Musk and Jobs while critically evaluating the potential consequences of their approaches, we pave the way for a new generation of leaders who aspire to achieve greatness while also cultivating qualities that enrich the human experience. Not only should we seek out role models of excellence driven by compassion and empathy, but we should seek to lead our own organizations with the same stoic and caring attitude, fostering excellence in ourselves and those we lead.

Ultimately, excellence should not be narrowly defined by the disruption of industries alone; rather, it should encompass the enhancement of society as a whole, with kindness, empathy and restraint being integral components of that journey. Kindness and stoicism offer new approaches to modern entrepreneurial excellence.

The narrative of excellence is being rewritten to include leaders who strive not just for personal greatness but also for the betterment of humanity. The unassuming acts of kindness, the quiet moments of empathy, and the decisions rooted in restraint are forging a new path for the concept of excellence. This evolution challenges us to evaluate the qualities that truly define greatness and to acknowledge that true excellence is as much about how we treat others as it is about what we achieve.

[ad_2]

Milan Kordestani

Source link

November 3, 2023
Apple iPhone from 2007 sells for more than $190,000 at auction

[ad_1]

A first-generation iPhone sold for a whopping $190,372.80 at auction on Sunday.

The unopened 4GB model was bought for nearly 400 times its original price after 28 bids on LCG Auctions. The sale comes months after another iPhone from 2007 was sold in February for $63,356.

“The original 4GB model is considered a ‘Holy Grail’ amongst iPhone collectors,” LGC Auctions wrote in its listing for the latest sale. “Its extreme scarcity is directly related to its limited production.”

The starting bid was $10,000. LGC Auctions, which expected the phone to sell for $50,000-$100,000, noted it’s “proven to be a popular high-end collectible.”

Apple is currently selling the iPhone 14 at prices that start at $799.

The original 4GB iPhone, released on June 29, 2007, was discontinued just over two months after it was launched because of lagging sales, even after the company slashed the price by a third to incentivize customers. It was initially priced at $499 for the 4GB model and at $599 for 8GB of storage.

The iPhone was unveiled at Apple’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue on June 29, 2007 in New York City.

Michael Nagle / Getty Images

Company CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in early 2007. He said it would “reinvent” the telecommunications sector, calling it “magic” and “super smart.”

The one that sold on Sunday was still in its original factory wrapping. It has a 2-megapixel camera and a web browser. The phone has never been activated.

“The phone’s provenance is pristine as the consignor was part of the original engineering team at Apple when the iPhone first launched,” LGC Auctions wrote in its listing for the phone. “Collectors and investors would be hard pressed to find a superior example.”

Apple fans have a history of paying big bucks for original products from the company’s past. Someone bought a first-generation iPhone for $35,414 in August and another was sold for $39,339 in October through LCG. Last year, an Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s sold at auction for more than $677,000.

The company’s founding documents, co-signed in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, sold for a staggering $1.59 million in 2011.

Trending News

Aliza Chasan

Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBS News.

Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.

Create your free account or log in
for more features.

[ad_2]

Source link

July 17, 2023
Apple unveils a $3,500 headset as it wades into the world of virtual reality

[ad_1]

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday unveiled a long-rumored headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter’s ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public’s imagination.

After years of speculation, Apple CEO Tim Cook hailed the arrival of the sleek goggles — dubbed “Vision Pro” — at the the company’s annual developers conference held on a park-like campus in Cupertino, California, that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs helped design. The device will be capable to toggling between virtual reality, or VR, and augmented reality, or AR, which projects digital imagery while users still see can see objects in the real world.

“This marks the beginning of a journey that will bring a new dimension to powerful personal technology,” Cook told the crowd.

Although Apple executives provided an extensive preview of the headset’s capabilities during the final half hour of Monday’s event, consumers will have to wait before they can get their hands on the device and prepare to pay a hefty price to boot. Vision Pro will sell for $3,500 once it’s released in stores early next year.

“It’s an impressive piece of technology, but it was almost like a tease,” said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen. “It looked like the beginning of a very long journey.”

Instead of merely positioning the goggles as another vehicle for exploring virtual worlds or watching more immersive entertainment, Apple framed the Vision Pro as the equivalent of owning a ultrahigh-definition TV, surround-sound system, high-end camera, and state-of-the art camera bundled into a single piece of hardware.

“We believe it is a stretch, even for Apple, to assume consumers would pay a similar amount for an AR/VR headset as they would for a combination of those products,” D.A. Davidson Tom Forte wrote in a Monday research note.

Despite such skepticism, the headset could become another milestone in Apple’s lore of releasing game-changing technology, even though the company hasn’t always been the first to try its hand at making a particular device.

Apple’s lineage of breakthroughs date back to a bow-tied Jobs peddling the first Mac in 1984 —a tradition that continued with the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, the Apple Watch in 2014 and its AirPods in 2016.

The company emphasized that it drew upon its past decades of product design during the years it spent working on the Vision Pro, which Apple said involved more than 5,000 different patents.

The headset will be equipped with 12 cameras, six microphones and variety of sensors that will allow users to control it and various apps with just their eyes and hand gestures. Apple said the experience won’t cause the recurring nausea and headaches that similar devices have in the past. The company also developed a technology to create three-dimensional digital version of each user to display during video conferencing.

Although Vision Pro won’t require physical controllers that can be clunky to use, the goggles will have to either be plugged into a power outlet or a portable battery tethered to the headset — a factor that could make it less attractive for some users.

“They’ve worked hard to make this headset as integrated into the real world as current technology allows, but it’s still a headset,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Yory Wurmser, who nevertheless described the unveiling as a “fairly mind-blowing presentation.”

Even so, analysts are not expecting the Vision Pro to be a big hit right away. That’s largely because of the hefty price, but also because most people still can’t see a compelling reason to wear something wrapped around their face for an extended period of time.

If the Vision Pro turns out to be a niche product, it would leave Apple in the same bind as other major tech companies and startups that have tried selling headsets or glasses equipped with technology that either thrusts people into artificial worlds or projects digital images onto scenery and things that are actually in front of them — a format known as “augmented reality.”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been describing these alternate three-dimensional realities as the “metaverse.” It’s a geeky concept that he tried to push into the mainstream by changing the name of his social networking company to Meta Platforms in 2021 and then pouring billions of dollars into improving the virtual technology.

But the metaverse largely remains a digital ghost town, although Meta’s virtual reality headset, the Quest, remains the top-selling device in a category that so far has mostly appealed to video game players looking for even more immersive experiences. Cook and other Apple executives avoided referring to the metaverse in their presentations, describing the Vision Pro as the company’s first leap into “spatial computing” instead.

The response to virtual, augmented and mixed reality has been decidedly ho-hum so far. Some of the gadgets deploying the technology have even been derisively mocked, with the most notable example being Google’s internet-connected glasses released more than a decade ago.

Microsoft also has had limited success with HoloLens, a mixed-reality headset released in 2016, although the software maker earlier this year insisted it remains committed to the technology.

Magic Leap, a startup that stirred excitement with previews of a mixed-reality technology that could conjure the spectacle of a whale breaching through a gymnasium floor, had so much trouble marketing its first headset to consumers in 2018 that it has since shifted its focus to industrial, health care and emergency uses.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives estimated Apple will sell just 150,000 of the headsets during its first year on the market before escalating to 1 million headsets sold during the second year — a volume that would make the goggles a mere speck in the company’s portfolio.

By comparison, Apple sells more than 200 million of its marquee iPhones a year. But the iPhone wasn’t an immediate sensation, with sales of fewer than 12 million units in its first full year on the market.

[ad_2]

Source link

June 5, 2023
Is Your Leadership Style Like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk? | Entrepreneur
[ad_1]

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Isaiah Berlin, a prominent 20th-century philosopher and historian, popularized the foxes and hedgehogs metaphor in his 1953 essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox.” This metaphor, rooted in ancient Greek poet Archilochus’s fragment, “The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing,” categorizes thinkers and leaders into two distinct groups: foxes and hedgehogs.

Foxes possess a versatile set of strategies, adapting to various situations with ease. Hedgehogs, conversely, focus on a singular, overarching vision that drives their decision-making process. By understanding this metaphor, modern business leaders can harness the strengths of both foxes and hedgehogs to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.

Related: What True Leadership Is All About

The foxes and hedgehogs metaphor explained

Berlin’s metaphor offers a unique perspective on leadership styles, providing valuable insights into how different leaders approach decision-making, problem-solving and strategic planning. Foxes are characterized by their ability to pursue multiple objectives simultaneously, adapting their strategies as circumstances change. They are pragmatic, flexible and responsive to new information, enabling them to thrive in complex and uncertain environments.

In contrast, hedgehogs are singularly focused on a central idea or vision that guides all their actions. This unwavering commitment to their core belief can result in remarkable achievements but can also lead to spectacular failures if they are unwilling or unable to adapt when circumstances change. Hedgehogs are often characterized by their tenacity, determination and uncompromising dedication to their vision.

Leadership lessons from history: Xerxes and Themistocles

Examining historical figures through the lens of the foxes and hedgehogs metaphor can provide valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles. Two such figures are Xerxes, the King of Persia, and Themistocles, the Athenian general.

Xerxes exemplifies a hedgehog leader. With a singular goal of conquering Greece, Xerxes amassed a vast army and embarked on an ambitious campaign. However, his single-minded focus on conquest and inability to adapt to changing circumstances led to the disastrous Battle of Thermopylae. The small Greek force led by King Leonidas held off the Persian army for several days, ultimately exposing the limitations of Xerxes’s strategy. Inflexibility and overreliance on numerical superiority contributed to the failure of his invasion.

In contrast, Themistocles embodies the adaptable fox. Recognizing the importance of naval power, Themistocles guided the Greeks to victory in the Battle of Salamis, where the Persian fleet was defeated. Themistocles’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and his diverse range of tactics highlight the characteristics of a fox. His strategic acumen played a crucial role in defending Greece against the Persian invasion, demonstrating the benefits of adaptability and diverse tactics in achieving success.

Related: 4 Leadership Lessons I Learned From a Marine Corps General

Modern business titans: Steve Jobs and Elon Musk

In the world of technology and entrepreneurship, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk represent the quintessential hedgehog and fox, respectively.

Jobs, driven by an unwavering commitment to innovation, revolutionized the tech industry with groundbreaking products like the iPhone and iPad. His passion for design and perfectionism played a significant role in shaping Apple’s distinctive brand identity and the company’s extraordinary success. However, his stubbornness and insistence on pursuing his vision led to conflicts and setbacks, including his temporary departure from Apple in 1985. Despite these challenges, Jobs returned to Apple and led the company to even greater heights, showcasing the power of a hedgehog’s conviction and focus.

Conversely, Musk demonstrates the fox’s adaptability and versatility, pursuing various ventures from electric vehicles to reusable rockets, and from solar energy to neural interfaces. Although he certainly has goals, such as making life multi-planetary and reducing humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels, his ability to pivot strategies, learn from failures and embrace diverse approaches contributes to his continued success. As the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Musk exemplifies the fox’s ability to navigate the complexities of multiple industries simultaneously.

Related: 6 Leadership Best Practices to Empower Your Workforce

Implementing the foxes and hedgehogs framework for modern leaders

By embracing the foxes and hedgehogs framework, modern leaders can strike a balance between adaptability and conviction. Here are five actionable insights for incorporating this metaphor into leadership styles:
- Embrace adaptability: In today’s fast-paced business landscape, change is inevitable. By remaining open to new ideas and embracing change, leaders can foster agility and responsiveness within their organizations. This adaptability enables organizations to capitalize on emerging opportunities and respond effectively to unforeseen challenges.
- Craft a compelling vision: A clear and captivating vision can guide leaders through uncertainty and change. By establishing an overarching goal, leaders can maintain focus and drive their organizations toward success. This vision serves as a north star, helping leaders and their teams to navigate the complexities of the modern business environment.
- Cultivate a diverse skill set: By developing a broad range of skills and experiences, leaders can ensure they possess a versatile toolkit for tackling new challenges. This diversity enables leaders to draw from a wealth of knowledge and expertise, empowering them to make well-informed decisions and implement effective strategies.
- Acknowledge the limits of conviction: Overcommitting to a single strategy can lead to catastrophic failures. Leaders should remain aware of potential pitfalls and remain prepared to pivot when necessary. By recognizing the limits of conviction and embracing flexibility, leaders can minimize the risk of failure and maximize the potential for success.
- Foster a learning culture: Encouraging continuous learning and growth within organizations can lead to ongoing evolution and improvement. By fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation and learning from both successes and failures, leaders can ensure that their organizations remain at the forefront of innovation and progress.
Striking a balance for optimal leadership

Although the foxes and hedgehogs metaphor provides valuable insights into the characteristics of different leadership styles, leaders must recognize that adopting a purely fox-like or hedgehog-like approach may not be the most effective strategy. Instead, striking a balance between the strengths of both foxes and hedgehogs can empower leaders to navigate the complexities of the modern business world with confidence and skill.

By embracing adaptability and cultivating a diverse skill set, leaders can effectively respond to new challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. At the same time, maintaining a clear and compelling vision can provide a guiding framework for decision-making, ensuring that leaders remain focused on their organization’s long-term success.

Isaiah Berlin’s foxes and hedgehogs metaphor provides modern business leaders with a valuable framework for understanding and implementing effective leadership styles. By harnessing the strengths of both foxes and hedgehogs, leaders can effectively navigate today’s complex business environment. Ultimately, embracing adaptability, crafting a compelling vision and fostering a culture of continuous learning will drive organizations to new heights of success. By applying the lessons gleaned from historical figures like Xerxes and Themistocles, as well as modern business titans like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, leaders can develop a balanced approach to leadership that maximizes their potential for lasting impact and achievement.

Related: Are You Being Too Soft as a Leader? You Might Need to Try a Different Approach
[ad_2]

Christopher Myers

Source link
April 24, 2023
First-generation iPhone, still in the box, sells for more than $63,000

[ad_1]

First generation iPhone going up for auction

First generation iPhone going up for auction

00:34

A first-generation iPhone sold at auction for $63,356.40 – more than 100 times its original price. The 2007 phone, which is still sealed in its box, was sold on LCG Auctions and was expected to go for $50,000, but exceeded that estimate by more than $13,000.

The bidding started at $2,500 and after 27 bids, the phone sold on Sunday.

The original owner of the phone, Karen Green, had it appraised in 2019. Because it was an 8GB — not 4GB — and was still in the original box, it was estimated to be worth $5,000.

Green received the iPhone in 2007 as a gift from her friends after landing a new job. But since she had already gotten a new phone, she decided not to open it. “I didn’t want to get rid of my phone, and I figured, ‘It’s an iPhone, so it will never go out of date,’” she said. Her friends likely bought the phone for $499 to $599.

The 2007 phone, still sealed in its box, was sold on LCG Auctions and was expected to go for $50,000, but exceeded that estimate by more than $13,000.

LCG Auctions

Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone on Jan. 9, 2007, at MacWorld, a trade show in San Francisco. It became available for purchase about five months later. Its slick design, responsive (and quite innovative at the time) touchscreen, web browsing capabilities and a 2-megapixel camera made it an instant hit.

First-release iPhones have been auctioned before. One sold for $35,414 in August and another for $39,339 in October through LCG.

Apple commands a very loyal fan base and collectors consider many of the company’s products cultural artifacts and landmarks in tech history. Last year, an early Apple computer prototype from the 1970s sold for more than $677,000.

The evolution of Apple products

66 photos

Trending News

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.

Create your free account or log in
for more features.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 20, 2023
A first-generation iPhone is expected to go for $50,000 at auction

[ad_1]

A first-generation iPhone is up for auction and is expected to sell for a whopping $50,000. The 2007 phone, which is still sealed in its box, is being sold on LCG Auctions.

The owner of the phone, Karen Green, had it appraised on the talk show “The Doctor & The Diva” in 2019. Because it is an 8GB — not 4GB — and is still in its original packaging, the appraiser said it was worth $5,000.

“In 2007, I got a new job and my friends bought me the latest, newest first generation iPhone,” Green said. “It had all these neat things on there to do a new job, like a calendar.”

She said she didn’t open the box because she had just gotten a new phone. “I didn’t want to get rid of my phone, and I figured, ‘It’s an iPhone, so it will never go out of date.’”

Little did she know, several new iterations of the iPhone would be released year after year. Now, Apple is selling the iPhone 14.

Her friends likely bought the phone for $499 to $599. LCG Auctions set the starting bid price for the unopened phone at $2,500. It has received two bids so far and the auction will be open until Feb. 19. LCG Auctions expects it will reach $50,000.

Apple founder Steve Jobs introduced the first of its kind phone on Jan. 9, 2007 at MacWorld, a trade show in San Francisco. It was available for purchase about five months later and quickly became Apple’s most successful product, according to LCG. It has a touch screen — innovative for phones that time — a 2-megapixel camera and web browsing.

First-release iPhones have been auctioned off before.

One sold for $35,414 in August and another for $39,339 in October through LCG.

“There’s little doubt that interest in culturally relevant collectibles is rapidly increasing, and despite the impressive sales numbers, many believe the space is still in its infancy,” LCG says.

Apple has a strong following of loyal fans — some of whom want to own a piece of Apple history. Last year, an Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s sold at auction for more than $677,000. And it’s not just electronics Apple devotees are after — Steve Jobs’ worn Birkenstock sandals sold at auction for $218,750 in December.

The evolution of Apple products

66 photos

Trending News

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 3, 2023
I Met Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Here’s What They Taught Me.

[ad_1]

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I have built four No. 1 international brands in my lifetime, throughout which time I learned some valuable lessons of my own — and I now feel that I am of a certain age where I want to share that experience and teach others.

I was fortunate enough to learn from those that were great at what they did, including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. They helped shape who I am and how I work and, in the best form of flattery, I modeled myself after them until I could make it better.

Related: Here’s Why Customer Experience is the Driving Force for Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

Is customer digitization ruining your business?

The information technology space often speaks about the digitization of customers and turning them into numbers and data in order to effectively market to them — yet my experience tells me the exact opposite is true.

I know that in today’s world, it is still about customer face-to-face interaction. We should only use the numbers and data to inform and support customer relations, not to remove the human aspect of business. Now more than ever, customer attraction and retention are about creating trust, the initial relationship, execution and how we serve our customer’s needs in a way that they understand that makes us and our businesses successful.

Finding the value in technology

Technology undoubtedly provides access to data surrounding the value of the goods or the service, the customer, the user interface and the user experience. Still, we have to take a personalized approach to meet and support our customers. The code is just the bridge to get to that face-to-face interaction and open up the commerce value. You still have to know your customer and gain their trust. That is very much a personal relationship that a computer or data can never replace.

Technology companies and their engineers should be the first to realize that their front-line workers are the ones engaging and providing the customer experience for them as their representatives. They, in fact, are the resources being deployed by the technology and the company’s most valuable asset.

Without a doubt, it’s essential to learn how to attract and retain staff members that know how to use the resources but not be overtaken by them. They should be treated and valued that way. The sad truth is that many tech engineers and tech executives think of themselves as superior beings, but that’s hardly the case. The reality is they are just as disconnected from their businesses as they are from the workers that represent their companies; without connecting with the business operations and the personnel on the customer-facing front line, they will only have their ideas of what is needed.

This is something I have learned and, having benefitted from great teaching, know will never allow a business to reach its full potential. Tech engineers and executives need to learn by doing the work to fully understand the demands of the business customers and be able to answer their real needs.

Related: How to Use Tech to Revamp the Customer Service Experience

Leading by example

Sam Walton, who built Walmart, worked with his shoppers in his stores daily. He did every single job function to understand his business and to identify the smallest inefficiencies. Only by doing so could he truly understand what changes were going to benefit the staff and the customer. For as long as I can remember reading Forbes, four of his children are in the Top 20 wealthiest people; they, too, learned the importance of fully understanding the businesses they are in from the ground up.

I met Bill Gates in 1997 while attending an investment banking meeting in Beverly Hills, and I was up in the San Francisco Bay Area at the time. The only flight there had one coach seat left. Being a muscular 265 lbs at the time, wearing an expensive Italian suit and having a completely different ego and demeanor than I have today, I was quite grumpy about it.

While heading to the very back of the plane, I was somewhat surprised to hear a familiar voice behind a newspaper talking to someone. That someone was no other than Bill Gates.

I asked him what he was doing back here. He answered, “This is how I get to know people.” It suddenly clicked; sound advice from one of the world’s richest men who made Microsoft into what it is today. That meeting had a big influence on me, and I took my seat in coach to reflect on how true what he said was and, more importantly, why it was so important to his success. He knew the value of knowing what people want by actually hearing about them and their life, not by a perception created from his own ideas.

When I arrived at my meeting at The Beverly Hills Hilton to finance a high-end hotel, a golf course and a housing project to be designed by Brian Adler, designer of Beverly Park in Beverly Hills, guess who was sitting right next to me? Bill Gates. Well, Bill lives there today in Palm Springs. The kicker is that Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, a fund that he backs, now owns the majority of Hilton.

Another influencing factor in who I am today comes from a time when I consulted Steve Jobs briefly and came to find out a few things. Steve Jobs is likely the most credited person of his time with bringing many new ideas and inventions to market, yet this didn’t happen through luck. It came from his time getting to know his customers. My understanding is that he did customer service for Apple for three hours every day to get to know Apple’s customers. He knew that he needed to understand the problems with Apple and to find out what people who may buy Apple products wanted. He then built what the customers asked for.

My own success and the stories of others are how I have become what I am today, and how I know that technology will never replace humans in understanding a business.

Related: Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

You only know what you allow yourself to learn

In conclusion, my mantra of “Know your customers and your business” is one that is probably shared by every successful business owner. You can’t leave it all to machines; you need to learn for yourself what your customers and potential customers want.

Only those that fail to see the importance of every human involved in a business, whether potential or existing clients, junior or executive staff, by taking time to understand their roles and listen to their experiences will never be the best they can be. Never become too great to spend time in coach. You can either take it from me or from these other well-known characters that share this commonality, but this is a lesson that will serve you — and your business — well.

[ad_2]

Brent Ritz

Source link

February 3, 2023
A first generation iPhone going up for auction hopes to fetch $50,000 | CNN Business

[ad_1]

New York
CNN
—

An unopened first-generation iPhone from 2007 is hitting the auction block Thursday – with an estimated value of $50,000.

Originally on sale for $599, the first iPhone offered early Apple adopters a 3.5-inch screen with a 2-megapixel camera, plus 4 GB and 8 GB storage options, internet capabilities and iTunes. It had no app store, ran on a 2G network and was exclusive to AT&T’s network.

Cosmetic tattoo artist Karen Green was gifted the 8 GB version and never broke the seal, according to her appearance on daytime television program “The Doctor & The Diva” in 2019. An appraiser on the show valued the phone at $5,000 at that time.

Since then, another unopened first-generation iPhone like Green’s auctioned off for over $39,000 in a listing by LCG Auctions that closed in October. LCG Auctions is also listing Green’s phone, with bidding opening at $2,500.

Green and LCG Auctions did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

The iPhone changed the way billions of people around the world communicate, make payments, do their jobs, take photos and even how they wake up in the morning. It killed dozens of industries (camcorders, MP3 players, flip phones) and gave life to many more.

Speaking at Apple’s annual Macworld expo in 2007, then-Apple boss Steve Jobs opened his presentation with: “We’re going to make some history together today.” Jobs called the new smartphone a “revolutionary mobile phone” that will feature an iPod, phone and what he called an “Internet communicator.”

“It’s bad out there today,” said Jobs of mobile Web browsers. “It’s a real revolution to bring real Web browsing to a phone.”

Apple enthusiasts will have until February 19 to bid on the tech relic.

[ad_2]

Source link

February 2, 2023