Above Avalon

Along with launching new iPhones, Apple began a new service in the U.S. called the iPhone Upgrade Program. Episode 35 takes a closer look at the program and what it was like to purchase an iPhone 6s Plus through the new service. After discussing some of the lesser-known details of the plan, I then look at how leasing instead of buying iPhones impacts Apple. Ultimately, leasing and upgrading iPhones every year has a major impact on the iPhone development cycle, a cycle which I view as similar to the one Pixar uses when developing films. We conclude with a talk on the financial implications of leasing phones including why revenue may be deferred and how residual iPhone values could change due to grey market supply/demand.

This episode begins with some of my observations from Apple's latest keynote from the perspective of being a first-time attendee. With only three public events in 2015, this latest keynote was pretty important. Instead of covering a laundry list of details and new features/products from the keynote, I take a step back and look for clues from the past three keynotes to see where Apple is headed in the coming years. We are entering a new Apple era. The iPhone's growing power, apps, and the changing defintion of work will lead Apple to create new platforms that allow personal technology to guide more of our lives beyond just the iPhone.

This episode begins with some of my observations from Apple's latest keynote from the perspective of being a first-time attendee. With only three public events in 2015, this latest keynote was pretty important. Instead of covering a laundry list of details and new features/products from the keynote, I take a step back and look for clues from the past three keynotes to see where Apple is headed in the coming years. We are entering a new Apple era. The iPhone's growing power, apps, and the changing defintion of work will lead Apple to create new platforms that allow personal technology to guide more of our lives beyond just the iPhone.

I am getting ready to fly out to San Francisco for the Apple event. In this episode, we begin by discussing the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and why it is such an intriguing venue. Next, we go over the big picture themes for the upcoming event including new iPads, iPhones, and Apple TV. We conclude the episode by discussing news that Apple is thinking about getting into original video programming. Instead of thinking of reasons why it makes sense, the focus should be on the reasons it would be a mistake and why Apple may have slightly different plans in place for original video content involving YouTube content creators.

I am getting ready to fly out to San Francisco for the Apple event. In this episode, we begin by discussing the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and why it is such an intriguing venue. Next, we go over the big picture themes for the upcoming event including new iPads, iPhones, and Apple TV. We conclude the episode by discussing news that Apple is thinking about getting into original video programming. Instead of thinking of reasons why it makes sense, the focus should be on the reasons it would be a mistake and why Apple may have slightly different plans in place for original video content involving YouTube content creators.

Episode 32 takes a look at three topics impacting Apple this past week. We kick things off by going over Best Buy's earnings report and news that Apple Watch demand was so strong that its rollout has been accelerated. There may be some lessons to learn about Apple Watch retail. We next talk about news that Jeff Bezos has decided to curtail his consumer hardware ambitions and what it may mean for the smartphone and tablet space. The episode concludes with some perspective on the cable bundle and how Apple can rethink the bundle to fit into today's mobile world.

Episode 32 takes a look at three topics impacting Apple this past week. We kick things off by going over Best Buy's earnings report and news that Apple Watch demand was so strong that its rollout has been accelerated. There may be some lessons to learn about Apple Watch retail. We next talk about news that Jeff Bezos has decided to curtail his consumer hardware ambitions and what it may mean for the smartphone and tablet space. The episode concludes with some perspective on the cable bundle and how Apple can rethink the bundle to fit into today's mobile world.

There is something about the iPad that just doesn't sit right with me. The iPad is still selling at the pace of 10 million units a quarter, but broader trends point to specific use cases being preferred over others. In episode 31, I go over the latest trends in the tablet market, why I still have concerns about iPad's future, and why a new form factor is needed at the high-end of the market to regain relevancy. Tablet computing was sold as the future of computing. However, the iPad's future needs to embrace a world where the iPhone is the most important computing device in our lives.

There is something about the iPad that just doesn't sit right with me. The iPad is still selling at the pace of 10 million units a quarter, but broader trends point to specific use cases being preferred over others. In episode 31, I go over the latest trends in the tablet market, why I still have concerns about iPad's future, and why a new form factor is needed at the high-end of the market to regain relevancy. Tablet computing was sold as the future of computing. However, the iPad's future needs to embrace a world where the iPhone is the most important computing device in our lives.

I take a closer look at what may be driving some of the recent volatility on Wall Street. There were a number of observations to make for how Wall Street responded to AAPL earnings. The discussion then shifts over to the volatility impacting Disney and nearly every company associated with the legacy TV paradigm. There were signs of market fear and panic in the media space last week, driven by the idea that ESPN and many of the current cable TV players are in trouble. These fears may be overblown.