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Geared Up: Apple TV+, Apple Card, Apple Arcade and the Rest of Apple’s New Services

Apple TV+

Apple unveiled a host of new services at their March 25th event this week (be sure to check out my full wrap-up video of the Apple event!), and we take a look at each one in this episode of Geared Up!

  • Apple TV+ is the company's new original TV and movie subscription service.
  • Apple Card is a credit card from Apple that aims to change the way consumers use and view credit cards and their financial data.
  • Apple News+ is a new subscription news service that gives you unlimited access to over 300 magazines and newspapers for a flat monthly fee.
  • Apple Arcade is a subscription gaming service with 100 exclusive games for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.

Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Apple and its new services.

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Steve Jobs refused Tim Cook’s liver transplant offer

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple,

becoming steve jobs

Fast Company has an adaptation of one of the stories from Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart Into a Revolutionary Leader, which releases one week from today on March 24, which you can pre-order now. Here's a short excerpt:

"Somebody that’s selfish," Cook continues, "doesn’t reply like that. I mean, here’s a guy, he’s dying, he’s very close to death because of his liver issue, and here’s someone healthy offering a way out. I said, ‘Steve, I’m perfectly healthy, I’ve been checked out. Here’s the medical report. I can do this and I’m not putting myself at risk, I’ll be fine.’ And he doesn’t think about it. It was not, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ It was not, ‘I’ll think about it.’ It was not, ‘Oh, the condition I’m in . . .’ It was, ‘No, I’m not doing that!’ He kind of popped up in bed and said that. And this was during a time when things were just terrible. Steve only yelled at me four or five times during the 13 years I knew him, and this was one of them.

You can head on over to Fast Company to read the full story. Definitely worth your time.

Read More | Fast Company

Apple TV surpasses 20 million units sold, no longer a “hobby”

Apple TV 20 million sales

Apple CEO announced that Apple TV sales have now surpassed 20 million during today's Q2 2014 earnings call. As such, the company recently stopped referring to the Apple TV business as a "hobby," as it's done for the past seven years or so.

"I'm feeling good about this business and where it could go," Tim Cook said, further revealing that the company stopped calling the product segment a hobby once it pulled in $1 billion in revenue in 2013. "it didn’t feel right to me to refer to something that brought in a billion dollars as a 'hobby,'"

Now, the Apple TV is an "area of intense interest"--no longer a hobby, indeed. The last major Apple TV hardware release came in 2012. Since then, the company has added many new channels of content over time. Rumors continue to persist that Apple will release a new Apple TV set-top box with expanded functionality, while others say that the company is set to reveal a full-on 4K Ultra High Definition television set of its own.

You can pick up the current Apple TV at a discount on Amazon.


60% of iPhone 5c & iPhone 4s buyers are switching from Android

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News,

iPhone 5c android switch

During today's Apple earnings call, CEO Tim Cook announced that 62% of current iPhone 4S buyers, and 60% of current iPhone 5c buyers are switching over from Android devices. The iPhone 4s is currently free with two-year contract, while the iPhone 5c is $99 (sometimes less) with the same term agreement (see our iPhone 5c review.) These numbers bring new light to the question that many ask, wondering why Apple keeps the iPhone 4s around, or why it made the iPhone 5c in the first place. They provide an inexpensive entry point with powerful hardware for users who just want to get started in the iOS ecosystem, without having to spend on a higher-priced flagship Apple device. By that tune, it would appear that the iPhone 5c is a success after all.


Apple reports $45.6 billion Q2 2014 revenue: 43.7m iPhones, 16.3m iPads, 4.1m Macs sold

iPhone 5s 5c 2014 earnings

Today, Apple announced its second quarter earnings results, with revenue at $45.6 billion, beating the guidance of $42-44 billion that it previously gave, while also soundly beating analyst estimates.

How did Apple make that money? Mostly on the back of the iPhone. Device sales for Q2 2014 include 43.7 million iPhones sold, 16.3 million iPads, 3 million iPods, and 4.1 million Macs. In the same quarter last year, the iPhone sold 37.4 million, iPad 19.5 million, iPod 5.6 million, and Mac 3.9 million. The company also announced that Apple TV sales has now surpassed 20 million.

Apple isn't done yet. During today's earning call, CEO Tim Cook reiterated that Apple has new hardware categories that it's excited to reveal here in 2014. Time will tell if they'll be big enough to garner their own bulletpoint in the quarterly results in the future.


Apple TV set to see major update, no longer a “hobby”

Apple TV Store Section

If you were paying close attention to the changes that Apple made to the Apple Store Online overnight, you would have noticed that, for the first time in its history, the Apple TV has its own section in the Store. Previously, the device had been relegated out of the way, buried in the iPad Accessories section. Odd, sure, since the Apple TV is hardly an accessory for the iPod at all, save for the fact that they can work together over AirPlay, but where else was Apple to put a product that wasn't meant to be featured? After all, the Apple TV wasn't a real business according to Apple--it was just a "hobby." Something the company dabbled in and played with, pulling the string to see where it would lead. Let's be clear: Apple has ambitious TV plans. The company has just been using the Apple TV as a research project. While it has been available for purchase for many years, Apple never advertises it. Not on television, radio, print, or web. So, the fact that here in 2014, seven years after first going on sale, the Apple TV now has its own dedicated section on the Apple Store (with AppleCare, a refurb section, and dedicated accessories) must mean that something bigger is happening, right? Well, where there is smoke, there's fire.

Click to continue reading Apple TV set to see major update, no longer a “hobby”


On Apple’s Q1 2014 performance

Tim Cook iPhone 5c

I was talking with my pal Dave Scherer from PWInsider today about Apple's performance, and he seems convinced that AAPL is no longer a good buy as far as stock is concerned. He basically believes that due to lower cost competition, Apple's higher-priced items won't sell as well, and that's why the stock was down after the earnings report. Of course, while I am no stock market expert, I definitely have an alternate view on how Apple will perform. My viewpoint, after the break.

Click to continue reading On Apple’s Q1 2014 performance


Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote video now on YouTube

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, PC / Laptop, Software, Videos,

apple wwdc 2013 keynote video youtube

While Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote video has been available on the company website, iTunes, and Apple TV, many prefer YouTube for their web viewing, and now you can watch it there, too. This was a major event for Apple, the first where Tim Cook shined as a CEO stepping outside of the shadow of Steve Jobs. Get a look at the debut of iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, iTunes Radio, iWork for iCloud, the updated MacBook Air, and a sneak peek at the all-new Mac Pro in the video--we've embedded it after the jump.

Click to continue reading Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote video now on YouTube


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