Linked List: July 24, 2012

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Apple’s Reality-Check Quarter in Charts 

Dan Frommer:

But the big-picture story is that this is a slower period ahead of the expected new iPhone and potential new iPad this fall (and maybe someday, a television). Apple’s 23% year-over-year revenue growth was its slowest since 12% growth in the June 2009 quarter, and was almost down at Google’s 21% level!

It’s a testimony to just how remarkable Apple’s last few years have been that 23 percent year-over-year growth looks so bad on a chart.

Apple TV Outsells Xbox 360 in Latest Quarter, Still a ‘Hobby’ 

Todd Bishop:

Apple sold 1.3 million Apple TV devices during the June quarter, an increase of 170 percent over the same quarter a year ago.

That still qualifies as a “hobby,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who disclosed the number in response to an analyst’s question on the company’s earnings conference call. But here’s an interesting data point: Microsoft sold 1.1 million Xbox 360s worldwide during the same time period.

To the Xbox 360’s credit, it’s nearing the end of its life. But the bottom line is that the battle for the living room is just beginning.

Turning Off Ads in Parallels 

You can’t. Can we get Bertrand to do something about this?

Update: Apparently you can turn them off with this defaults command.

Apple’s Actual Q3 Numbers 

MG Siegler:

iOS 6 is a lock. A new iPhone is almost for sure coming as well. New iPod touches and maybe a new iPod nano are likely as well. There may be a new iMac and/or maybe another Retina MacBook. And then there’s that iPad mini…

For whatever reason, it appears that Apple is putting all its chips into the holiday season. You might think that’s because it’s when sales are the strongest anyway. But it may simply be because that’s when the products will be done.

Apple Q3 Results 

Philip Michaels, reporting for Macworld:

Apple’s sales hit $35 billion for the third quarter of 2012, up 22 percent from $28.6 billion last year while profits rose 20.5 to $8.8 billion from $7.3 billion. Earnings for the quarter were $9.32 a share, up 20 percent from last year. Reported earnings topped Apple’s forecast, but fell short of Wall Street expectations of $10.35 per share on projected revenue of $37 billion.

Apple sold 17 million iPads during the quarter, the most the company has ever sold during a quarter. The company tallied June quarter records for both Mac and iPhone sales — the latter figure coming even as customers have held off on purchasing a new iPhone in anticipation of a new model coming out later this year.

Not bad.

Making the Case for a Smaller iPad 

Dan Frakes:

Though I’ve long thought a mid-size tablet could be an appealing product, most people haven’t seemed to find the idea very convincing. I suspect some might start to question their opinions, however, as the best argument in favor of a smaller iPad has just been made. By Google.

It’s called the Nexus 7.

Semicolons; So Tricky 

Mary Norris:

So the semicolon is exactly what it looks like: a subtle hybrid of colon and comma.

How David Foster Wallace Prompted a Scalia Book 

Jess Bravin:

Among the legacies of David Foster Wallace, the pioneering postmodernist who produced influential essays, short stories and the novel “Infinite Jest” before his 2008 suicide, count this: Antonin Scalia, author. Or, at least, co-author of “Reading Law,” which the justice discusses today with The Wall Street Journal.

“He was a very personable fellow,” Justice Scalia says of Mr. Wallace in an interview. “As co-Snoots, we got along very well,” he adds, using a term Mr. Wallace popularized for those whose taste in diction runs to the persnickety. According to a 2001 Wallace essay, it could stand for “Syntax Nudniks of Our Time.”

Earliest Known Photos of an Apple iPad Prototype 

Interesting find by Yoni Heisler at iOnApple: photos of a decade-old Apple tablet prototype, revealed during the course of Jony Ive’s deposition in the Apple-Samsung case. Matt Buchanan found better color photos at Buzzfeed.

Apple Plans Presentation at Black Hat 

Jordan Robertson, writing for Bloomberg’s Tech Blog:

While many major technology vendors have overcome their reluctance to making a public showing at the conference, Apple, now the world’s most valuable company, has had no problem snubbing a community whose aim is to unearth its vulnerabilities.

That will change Thursday when Dallas De Atley, manager of Apple’s platform security team, is scheduled to give a presentation on key security technologies within iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads. Trey Ford, Black Hat’s general manager, said it will be the first time an Apple representative has taken the stage at Black Hat or its sibling conference, DefCon.

Good move on Apple’s part.

Martin Scorsese and Siri 

Apple’s sticking with the celebrity thing.

Update: Great detail caught by Joel Housman.

Goodbye to Ichiro, the Man They Called Something 

Nice piece by Mariners fan Jeff Sullivan:

Personally, I’m pleased that, if Ichiro had to go, he wound up on the Yankees. The Yankees have as good a shot at the World Series as anybody, and Ichiro’s never played in anything even close to that environment, on and off the field. I hope he gets his ring. He deserves a ring, if more for his career than for his season, and while the Yankees are by no means the most rootable bandwagon in the league, there’s no other playoff contender that boasts an Ichiro. I think it’s neat that the Orioles, the Pirates, and the A’s are in playoff contention. It’s fun to root for underdogs. I don’t feel as strongly about rooting for underdogs as I feel about rooting for Ichiro. I always need a reason to root for somebody, and there’s no reason better than this one.

Canon EOS M 

Canon’s first mirror-less interchangeable lens camera. Stu Maschwitz is ordering one.

How Many People Use Twitter’s Own Apps? 

Benjamin Mayo analyzed a million random tweets to figure out how many were sent by third-party clients.