Linked List: May 2, 2014

Friday, 2 May 2014

John Paczkowski: No Wearable Device or New Apple TV at WWDC ★

John Paczkowski, writing for Recode:

If you’ve been anticipating the debut of some new category-defining hardware at Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, a word of advice: Dial back your expectations or be disappointed. Sources familiar with Apple’s plans tell Code/red that Tim Cook will not use WWDC to unveil Apple’s mythical wearable device. Nor will he use it to show off a new Apple TV, or even preview the new software the company is developing for it.

Paczkowski’s Apple sources are golden, so we’d do well to set our expectations accordingly.

The Information: ‘Google Takes Aim at the iPhone With Android “Silver” Program’ ★

Amir Efrati, behind The Information’s paywall:

LG Electronics, which has produced the last two Nexus phones with Google, is expected to participate in the Silver effort. Motorola, which Google recently agreed to sell to China-based Lenovo Group, is another prime candidate for the program, as are other Chinese manufacturers that have long wanted to enter the higher end of the market. Samsung, Sony and HTC, which already sell high-end phones and have made big bets on customized software and on their own consumer brands, are unlikely to partake in Silver, at least at first.

I’d say the headline is wrong here. Android Silver doesn’t sound like something aimed at the iPhone — it’s aimed at Samsung. There is a high-end Android phone market, and Samsung owns nearly all of it.

Samsung Holding Press Event ‘Around Health’ on May 28 ★

Timing this for the week prior to WWDC is the PR equivalent of those “FRIST!” comments.

Andy Ihnatko on the MacBook Air ★

Andy Ihnatko:

Are we ever going to see a MacBook Air with a magazine-quality Retina-grade display? I’m sure it’s coming but Apple seems to feel little pressure to deliver such a beast. It’s going to suck down a lot more battery power than what’s in there now and Apple appreciates that next to the Air’s insubstantially slim design; the centerpiece of the experience is its amazing battery life. The 13-inch Air can outrun even an iPad. Apple isn’t going to dent that superlative feature unless it’s under duress from an alien invasion.

Angela Ahrendts’s Apple Bio ★

I’m curious to see how big a public role she’ll play at Apple. Decidedly few Apple executives ever step out from behind the curtain, but I expect Ahrendts to be one of them.