Updates & Followup

Quick updates to long-running stories the show continues to track, and to stories covered in recent shows.

• 🇷🇺 Russia Legalizes Shady ‘Gray Market’ For Tech Products In Effort To Skirt Sanctions — www.macobserver.com/…
• Adyen joins Stripe to become the second official partner for iOS’s up-coming Tap-to-Pay functionality — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple Commits to Shareholder-Requested Civil Rights Audit — www.macobserver.com/…
• Developers can apply for the Apple Park WWDC shindig starting May 9 — www.imore.com/…
• Apple have released a firmware update for AirTags to make their unknown tracker noise easier to locate — www.imore.com/…
• 🇪🇺 Implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) postponed until early 2023 — www.macobserver.com/…
• Xbox Cloud Gaming Brings Fortnite Back to iOS With No Subscription Needed — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇪🇸 It’s emerged that both Catalan independence leaders and the Spanish government were targeted by the Pegasus malware last year — www.imore.com/… & www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple’s tussles with regulators continue:
  • 🇪🇺 The EU’s long-running investigation into Apple’s restrictions of NFC have made it as far as an official Statement of Objections, the ball us now in Apple’s court to reply — arstechnica.com/… & www.imore.com/…
  • 🇳🇱 Apple’s moves to appease Dutch App Store watchdog declared ‘insufficient’ ahead of new penalty — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇯🇵 Apple disagrees with Japanese claims that built-in apps harm competition — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 Sideloading and Web App Restrictions On iOS Under Investigation by U.S. Government — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇨🇳 China’s COVID policy brings and unwelcome return of uncertainty to Apple:
  • New COVID–19 Lockdowns in China Further Impact iPhone and iPad Production — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Latest China COVID Lockdown May Have Limited Effect on Apple iPhone Production, Thanks to Foxconn — www.macobserver.com/…
  • iPhone supply warning issued as major factories hit by COVID lockdowns in China — www.imore.com/…
  • Delay in Shipment of High-End MacBook Pro Could Be Due to COVID–19 Lockdowns in China — www.macobserver.com/…
  • World’s largest iPhone factory brings back mandatory COVID tests — www.imore.com/…
  • COVID–19 Lockdowns in China Decrease iPhone Supply — www.macobserver.com/…
  • World’s largest iPhone factory operational despite COVID lockdowns — www.imore.com/…
  • Half of Apple’s suppliers at risk in China COVID lockdown areas — www.imore.com/…
  • Foxconn Halts New Hiring Blitz at Zhengzhou Factory Amid COVID–19 and iPhone 14 Delay Concerns — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Workers Riot At Quanta Factory Due To Strict COVID–19 Lockdowns — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Related: Apple Experiencing Delays On Custom Mac Studio and MacBook Pros, Delivery May Take Months — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Related: 🇮🇳 Apple secures Foxconn expansion in India to cope with iPhone demand — www.imore.com/…
  • Related: 🇧🇷 Apple Starts Assembling iPhone 13 in Brazil — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇮🇳 New regulations cause headaches for Apple as they’e forced to stop accepting credit and debit cards for subscriptions — www.imore.com/…

Legal Latest

• 🇺🇸 Apple Reaches Settlement in iPhone 4S Class-Action Suit, Will Pay $15 to Impacted Users — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇧🇷 Brazil Orders Apple to Pay iPhone Buyer $1,000 For Not Including Charger — www.macobserver.com/… (🏆 Bart’s Award for the Dumbest Judgement of the Month 😉)

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• Apple have hired former Ford exec Desi Ujkashevic, her most recent role at Ford was Global Director of Safety Engineering, but she also has experience the with electric cars — www.macobserver.com/…

Apple Services & Original Content Highlights

• Apple Maps:
  • 🇺🇸 Apple Maps adds cycling directions to Chicago, Detroit, more — www.imore.com/… (Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Charleston)
  • 🇸🇬 🇩🇪 Apple rolls out all-new maps to Singapore, Germany — www.imore.com/…
• Apple Music: Starting Today Apple Music Now Available on Roku — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple TV+:
  • More Apple TV+ Awards:
    • Apple TV+ bags its first BAFTA TV Awards for two documentaries — www.imore.com/… (Editing for 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room & Sound for 1971: The Year Music Changed Everything)
    • Apple TV+ host John Stewart wins a prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor — www.imore.com/…
    • Adam Scott wins a Webby Best Actor award for his role in ‘Severance’ on Apple TV+ — www.imore.com/…
    • ‘The Year Earth Changed’ is the recipient of the Television Academy Honors — www.imore.com/…
    • Apple TV+ wins a GLAAD Media Award for a special episode of ‘The Oprah Conversation’ — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple TV+ branches out with Run, Bambi, Run, a true-crime podcast — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 Subscribers say Apple TV+ is worth $6.90 per month — it costs just $4.99 — www.imore.com/…

Main Stories

1. Return to the Office & Unionisation Efforts:
   • Apple’s return to the office has begun, but not without some pushback:
     • Apple Employees Show Mixed Emotions Over Apple’s Return to Office Decision — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Apple corporate employees head back to the office — www.imore.com/…
     • Apple slammed over working from home policy in employee open letter — www.imore.com/…
   • 🇺🇸 For the first time ever in the US, Apple retail employees are attempting to unionise:
     • Grand Central Apple workers demand $30 an hour as part of unionizing effort — www.imore.com/…
     • Apple Store Workers in Atlanta File First Ever Petition for Union Election — www.macobserver.com/… & First Apple Store in the U.S. to hold union election on June 2 — www.imore.com/… (Cumberland Mall in Atlanta)
     • Third Apple store launches bid to create union — www.imore.com/… (Towson Town Center store in Maryland)
     • Apple Hires Anti-Union Lawyers to Bust Retail Store Workers’ Unionization Efforts — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Related: Apple reportedly cutting Genius Bar headcount at some stores — www.imore.com/…
2. Video Pros are not Happy with Apple Despite the recent rejuvenation in Pro hardware:
   • Filmmakers write open letter to Tim Cook begging for Final Cut Pro commitment — www.imore.com/…
   • Related: Apple releases second beta for Studio Display 15.5 firmware — www.imore.com/…
   • Related: Apple release incremental updates for their video apps:
     • New Final Cut Pro update adds enhanced support for Mac Studio and more — www.imore.com/…
     • iMovie for iPhone & iPad updated with new Storyboards and Magic Movie features — www.imore.com/…
   • Related: Apple PR focuses on video pros:
     • Apple shows how the people behind Star Wars create iconic sounds using Macs — www.imore.com/… & 🎦 Behind the Mac Film: Skywalker Sound Available Now on YouTube — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Apple gifts ‘Dream Studio Makeover’ to aspiring documentary filmmaker — www.imore.com/…
3. Apple’s Q2 2022 Earnings Call — www.apple.com/…
   • Apple reports another record quarter with revenue record of $97.3 billion — www.imore.com/…
   • Apple services reaches new record of 825 million subscribers — www.imore.com/… & Apple’s Services Revenue Exceeds Mac and iPad Sales Combined — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple has made nearly $100 billion so far this year — arstechnica.com
   • Tim Cook says more iPhone buyers switched from Android last quarter — www.imore.com/…
   • Related: Estimates of the Numbers Apple don’t give us (anymore):
     • The PC mark appears to be shrinking, but the Mac market continues to grow — www.imore.com/…, www.imore.com/… & www.macobserver.com/…
     • Gartner: PC market 🔻–7.3%🌎 & 🔻16.5%🇺🇸, Mac ⬆️ 500K units🌎
     • Counterpoint: PC shipments 🔻–4%🌎 & Mac shipments ⬆️8%🌎
     • Strategy Analytics: Notebook market 🔻–7%, Macs ⬆️4%
   • Canalys: Apple leads tablet market with 38.6% Q1 share — www.imore.com/…
   • Numbers for iPhone looks good too:
     • Smartphone Shipments of Top Brands Decline in 1Q22, Except the iPhone — www.macobserver.com/… (Strategy Analytics, Canalys & ICS: Smartphone market 🔻–11.3%🌎, iPhone ⬆️8%🌎)
     • Apple’s iPhone 13 Models Sell Well Except for the Mini in Q1 2022 — www.macobserver.com/… (CIRP: 🇺🇸 71% market share, mini 3%)
     • 🇮🇳 Apple shipped almost one million ‘Made in India’ iPhones in Q1 2022 — www.imore.com/… (Business Standard)
     • 🇮🇳 India Sees 50% Increase In iPhone Production as Apple Brings in iPhone 13 — www.macobserver.com/… (CyberMedia Research)
4. 🇺🇸 Apple’s promised Self-Service Repair portal goes live — www.macobserver.com/… & arstechnica.com/… (limited initial launch)
   • US-only
   • Modern iPhones only for now (3rd-gen iPhone SE, iPhone 12 & iPhone 13)
   • Includes commonly needed repairs like screen & battery replacement
   • Requires serial number for part-pairing
   • Needed tools can be bought out-right or rented for 7 days
   • Repair manuals published freely on the website
   • Next-step will be M1-based Macs

Quick Stories

• On World Password Day the FIDO Alliance announced that Apple, Microsoft & Google will be implementing a new cross-platform standard developed in conjunction with the W3C to allow password-less authentication and support for website auth over bluetooth — arstechnica.com/… & fidoalliance.org/…
• Earth Day 2022:
  • Apple donated $1 from each Apple Pay transaction on an Apple store/site for the week running up to Earth Day — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple suppliers avoided almost 14 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2021 — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple reveals 20 percent of materials used in products in 2021 recycled — www.imore.com/…
    • Related: 🎦 When Dietschy met Daisy — Apple’s iPhone-recycling robot makes it to YouTube — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple celebrates grant protecting mangroves in India on Earth Day — www.imore.com/…
  • Foxconn improved its emissions reduction pledge, now promising to reduce emissions by 21% by 2025, a further 63% by 2035, and continued reductions to reach net-zero by 2050 — www.imore.com/…
• The Beats Studio Buds are now available in three gorgeous new colors — www.imore.com/…
• Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack can now charge at 7.5W speeds — www.imore.com/…
• Apple expands fraud protection features to more than just Apple Card — www.imore.com/…
• 🇬🇧 🇨🇦 Apple bringing its child safety features in iMessage to UK and Canada — www.imore.com/… (just the un-controversial parental controls, not the postponed CSAM scanning)

Legend

Note: When the textual description of a link is part of the link it is the title of the page being linked to, when the text describing a link is not part of the link it is a description written by Bart.