Post Category → not-labs

Increasing iPhone US Market Share

In a recent study by Counterpoint Research (as summarized by Ben Lovejoy at 9to5 Mac), smartphone shipments are down by 24%, but Apple’s market share is up from 45% to 55%.

First, About That Decline…

Setting aside last year’s inflation and the economy in general, I’m not surprised that fewer people are buying smartphones. We’ve gotten past the point where the phones are making so monumental a jump every year, and I think most folks have slowed down their upgrade cycles.

Second, About Apple’s Increase…

This is the bit that interests me. Why did Apple’s market share jump 10% in one year? I’m sure a few people at Apple Park know precisely why, but we have to guess a bit from the outside. I can think of a few reasons:

  • Mature product line: Apple is getting phones of all sizes and at all price points out these days. If you want an iPhone, there’s probably a path for you.
  • The Big (non-Pro) iPhone: I expect many people were waiting for a big-screen iPhone without the iPhone Pro price tag. They got that in the last year.
  • Privacy: While I expect this to be a smaller factor, I believe Apple’s privacy focus is sinking in.

I’m sure there’s more, but a 10% jump in just one year after all these years of iPhone is intriguing.

Mac Power Users 702: Unbridled Enthusiasm, with Chuck Joiner

Chuck Joiner has been covering Apple since 2000 and has been a user longer than that. He joins Stephen and me on this episode of Mac Power Users to talk about what makes the Apple community special, how the company’s tools enable its users, and some of his favorite apps and services.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Never forget a password again.
  • SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!
  • MacPaw: Introducing Moonlock, the new cybersecurity division at MacPaw, and the upgraded CleanMyMac Malware removal module.
  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.

SaneBox For a Fit and Trim Inbox (Sponsor)

Is your inbox fit and trim? SaneBox, MacSparky’s sponsor this week, will help you clean out your inbox. With their Deep Clean feature, you can trim your inbox in no time. 

Email Deep Clean quickly sorts and deletes unnecessary emails in bulk. You don’t have to go through your emails individually to delete them. SaneBox’s AI will look for emails older than a date you have decided on, and you’ll get an analysis on the senders that take up the most storage. You can decide what is no longer relevant and choose what goes in the trash. Declutter your email and get some storage space back. 

Clean up and free up your inbox with SaneBox. Sign up for a free trial and give it a try. As a friend of MacSparky, you’ll get a $10 credit you can use towards a SaneBox subscription. Spend less time on email and more time on what really matters. 

Specific vs. General Artificial Intelligence

The most recent episode of the Ezra Klein podcast includes an interview with Google’s head of DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, whose AlphaFold project was able to use artificial intelligence to predict the shape of proteins essential for addressing numerous genetic diseases, drug development, and vaccines.

Before the AlphaFold project, human scientists, after decades of work, had solved around 150,000 proteins. Once AlphaFold got rolling, it solved 200 million protein shapes, nearly all proteins known, in about a year.

I enjoyed the interview because it focused on Artificial Intelligence to solve specific problems (like protein folds) instead of one all-knowing AI that can do anything. At some point in the future, a more generic AI will be useful, but for now, these smaller specific AI projects seem the best path. They can help us solve complex problems while at the same time being constrained to just those problems while we humans figure out the big-picture implications of artificial intelligence.

Mac Power Users 701: The Safari Extension Roundup

On this week’s Mac Power Users, Stephen and I grab our lassos and gather up some of the best Safari extensions out on the free, open range of the App Store.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander.
  • Zocdoc: Find the right doctor, right now with Zocdoc. Sign up for free.
  • NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite. Get a special one-of-a-kind financing offer: no interest, no payments for six months.
  • Tailscale: Secure remote access to shared resources. Sign up today.

Evernote and Getting Too Big for Your Britches

This week we got the news that Evernote has laid off most of its US and Chile-based employees. The Italy-based parent company, Bending Spoons, is folding whatever it got from buying Evernote into its Italian operations.

What an ignominious end.

For many people, Evernote was that crossing point where they discovered the cloud could be a source of truth for their data. Evernote went off the rails when they tried to expand their product offerings and took the eye off the ball on what they were really good at. They went from a lightweight, nimble, and reliable cloud notes service to something big, bloated, and broken. (I also still think their data model that locked users in—I used to call it a Roach Motel—also played a role.) Even though I never particularly liked or used the service, I am a little sad about Evernote’s demise.

One story I see repeatedly in tech is a company that has a good idea and gets big in its space but then fumbles when it tries to leverage that success to something much bigger in an entirely different (and usually much larger) space. I get the idea of wanting exponential growth, but would the green elephant still be alive today if Evernote had just focused on what they were good at and ignored the idea of exponential growth?

Apple Watch and Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease

Scientists have been studying motion tracking as a method for early detection of Parkinson’s Disease, which initially shows up with symptoms of rigidity and tremors. Researchers in the UK are looking to use smartwatches and their motion tracking to help prove an earlier Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Early results are positive, with AI models providing accurate early diagnosis. Further studies are underway, but it makes sense that a sensitive motion-tracking device on your wrist all day would notice things you may not.

Do you remember when the big story about the Apple Watch was that it was a fashion accessory? As the years go by, it becomes so obvious that the Apple Watch is primarily a robust health and fitness device in addition to telling you the time. I’m already starting a campaign to get one on my mother-in-law’s wrist. (Hat tip to Amber Neely at Apple Insider for turning me onto this research.)

iRecord Player

Jony Ive has made a record player with the Scottish audio brand, Linn. It has rounded corners and a lot of more metal. They’re only making 250 of them, and it will only set you back $60,000.00.

ex apple chief design officer jony ive celebrates 50 years of linn with special edition turntable

I actually like seeing Jony Ive doing these bespoke projects. I feel like it is the kind of work he wants to be doing at this point in his life. I wonder if anyone will use these record players as record players or if they will become investment/museum pieces. I’d like to see Jony take on everyday products and make them more useful/beautiful like Braun products are.

Regardless, we now have the answer to the question, “What if someone made a record player with zero compromises?”