Linked List: September 28, 2015

Monday, 28 September 2015

Two-Week-Old Claim Chowder: ‘Top Analyst: Early Apple iPhone 6S Sales Are Weak’ ★

CNBC report from two weeks ago:

Early evidence is suggesting demand for the iPhone 6S may be meaningfully lower than last year’s model, according to a top-ranked technology analyst.

Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest wrote a provocative note to clients on Wednesday evening showing Google search volume, device shipments availability, third-party surveys and a lack of quantitative statements from Apple and the wireless carriers all point to weak iPhone demand.

Hargreaves is one of the top analysts on Wall Street.

Apple today announced that iPhone 6S sales were up about 30 percent over last year.

Device shipment availability is obviously related to consumer demand, but it’s also a measure of Apple’s production. It might be the case that opening weekend demand wasn’t that much stronger this year versus last — but merely that Apple was able to produce more of them for opening weekend availability.

How Does the iPhone 6S Camera Compare to Every Other iPhone Generation ★

Lisa Bettany:

Each year I do this comparison, and each year I am impressed at how much the iPhone camera technology has improved. The iPhone has made it easier to capture and share our memories. Each new phone gives us a better tool to capture better quality images and create incredible photographs.

The improved sensor, software updates and new A9 processor on the iPhone 6s has made this camera the best yet. There is an apparent increase in the speed of auto focus and improvements to colour accuracy, details and sharpness, especially in low light.

Apple Is Sourcing A9 Chips From Both Samsung and TSMC ★

Chipworks:

It had been industry speculation prior to the iPhone 6S launch that Apple would be dual-sourcing the A9 and A9X from Samsung and TSMC, respectively.

It was a surprise to find two different application processors in two otherwise identical phones. As pictured below, there is a difference in the die size for the APL0898 (Samsung) and the APL1022 (TSMC).

The Samsung version is slightly smaller. Both versions seemingly perform equivalently.

When Apple announces sales numbers for the iPhone (like they did today, for the 6S opening weekend), my thoughts first turn to what a marketing success that is. It’s absolutely amazing that 13 million people wanted to buy a new iPhone during its first three days of availability. But I think that number is even more amazing when considered as an operational success. It’s not just that 13 million people were willing to buy an iPhone, it’s that Apple was able to deliver 13 million new iPhones — made from a new aluminum alloy, with a new “harder” glass for the display, and with an industry-leading CPU/GPU that is years ahead of the competition.

The negotiations between Apple and Samsung for the production of these chips must be fascinating. The chips Samsung uses in its own phones are years behind in single-core performance. How is it that Samsung can fabricate these chips for Apple but can’t copy or clone them for their own use?

Conversation in the Post-iPhone World ★

Sherry Turkle, in an essay for the NYT adapted from her new book, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age:

I have seen this resilience during my own research at a device-free summer camp. At a nightly cabin chat, a group of 14-year-old boys spoke about a recent three-day wilderness hike. Not that many years ago, the most exciting aspect of that hike might have been the idea of roughing it or the beauty of unspoiled nature. These days, what made the biggest impression was being phoneless. One boy called it “time where you have nothing to do but think quietly and talk to your friends.” The campers also spoke about their new taste for life away from the online feed. Their embrace of the virtue of disconnection suggests a crucial connection: The capacity for empathic conversation goes hand in hand with the capacity for solitude.

In solitude we find ourselves; we prepare ourselves to come to conversation with something to say that is authentic, ours. If we can’t gather ourselves, we can’t recognize other people for who they are. If we are not content to be alone, we turn others into the people we need them to be. If we don’t know how to be alone, we’ll only know how to be lonely.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen Shows Off the Android-Based Priv ★

This is one of the most awkward product demonstrations I’ve ever seen. Nothing worked, and Chen seems to think “Google” is the name of an operating system. Jiminy. (Via The Verge.)

Business Dry at Philly Restaurants During Papal Visit ★

Michael Klein and Dylan Purcell, reporting for The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Said Stephen Starr, who owns about a dozen Philadelphia restaurants: “This affected business worse than Hurricane Sandy. The city scared all of our customers away. We have virtually no reservations. This is unnecessary overkill. What should have been a feeling of family and community was turned into a police and military operation.”

The slowdown seems to have affected restaurants at all price points. Business at the three casual Marathon Grills in Center City has been “terrible, especially at 1818 Market St.,” said Cary Borish, whose family owns the restaurants. “We spent a huge amount of timing planning and investing in a lot of food and we wound up donating much of it today. Major bummer.” He cited poor planning on the city’s part.

This weekend was surreal here. It sounds bizarre that restaurants suffered during a weekend when the city had a million or so tourists, but I’m not surprised. It wasn’t a fun or festive atmosphere — it felt like a military occupation.

iPhone 6S Water Test ★

Interesting: Zach Straley submerged both new iPhones for over an hour, and they were none the worse for the wear. Apple is most certainly not claiming any sort of water resistance, but it seems like the new iPhones are lot more likely to survive a dunking than iPhones from a few years ago. Here’s another similar test, with the same results.

CocoaLove 2015 Last-Minute Tickets ★

CocoaLove — a fun, smart conference right here in Philadelphia, October 9–11 — made room for a few additional attendees:

We were able to make a little more room during our main events, so we’re offering up some last-minute tickets for sale! We only have a few extra spots open, and we can only make them available through October 1st.

Last year’s version was great; this year’s looks even better.

Apple Announces Record Opening-Weekend iPhone Sales for 6S and 6S Plus ★

Apple:

Apple today announced it has sold more than 13 million new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models, a new record, just three days after launch.

Last year the number was 10 million, so sales really are up quite a bit.

Dave Pell: ‘News Is Different’ ★

Dave Pell:

It’s hard to feel sorry for the news organizations that have utterly failed to pay enough attention to the top story of a generation. It’s one thing to bury the lede. It’s another to allow it to bury your industry.

But if you can’t feel sorry for news orgs, then at least feel sorry for yourself. Because news really is different. The demise of reporting outfits is not only about the loss of jobs and the diminishing of fortunes, it’s a severe blow to society. It represents the potential silencing of the only voice many people have.

iPads in the Dugout ★

Jenifer Langosch, reporting for MLB.com:

With the blessing of Major League Baseball, teams have been permitted to utilize iPads in the dugout to call up statistics, scouting reports, spray charts and more. Teams received the go-ahead to incorporate the technology beginning on Monday. They cannot hook their devices to WiFi and only information downloaded before first pitch can be used.

While most of the information isn’t so much new — the Cardinals have always had stacks of paper with all that information — cueing it up on an iPad screen, Matheny believes, could be more efficient. And in some cases, it can also complement what the team already has in paper form.

How long until the rules allow for Wi-Fi?