Serial leaker Jon Prosser has today claimed the new Apple TV 4K will launch on May 21, the same day that the new redesigned 24-inch iMac and new iPad Pro models are now expected to become available, based on retailer listings.
Prosser's claim came in a tweet updating his earlier predictions for the launch dates of Apple's new iPad Pro, shortly after MacRumors broke the news about UK retailer John Lewis pegging availability for the iMac and iPad Pro at May 21.
Prosser now also believes both models of iPad Pro will launch on May 21, rather than the 11-inch model arriving the following day, May 22 – his previous claim. According to the leaker, the May 22 date is "linked to the 5G model for a certain carrier and should be disregarded for the most part."
Pre-orders for the new Apple TV 4K open on Friday, April 30. The latest Apple TV 4K features a faster A12 Bionic chip, support for high-framerate HDR, and a redesigned Siri Remote.
The AirTag remains a prominent player in the item tracker market, known for its small, round disc design that integrates seamlessly with Apple's Find My app. However, it's worth noting that Apple wasn't the pioneer in this technology; Tile has been a forerunner in Bluetooth item trackers for over a decade, maintaining its status as AirTag's primary competitor even today.
While both AirTag and Tile continue to lead the item tracker industry, recent advancements and updates have potentially shifted the landscape, making the choice between them more nuanced than before. Our updated guide delves into these developments, providing insights to help you determine whether AirTag or Tile better suits your needs.
Overview
AirTags
AirTags are available in just a single model with a white plastic and silver metal design that features a removable battery and no direct way to attach the tracker to other items. An AirTag can be slipped into a bag or other appropriate item, but Apple also offers a range of accessories to attach AirTags to different objects and there is a burgeoning market of third-party offerings. AirTag is priced at $29 for one or $99 for a pack of four.
Tile Trackers
Tile makes four different trackers, each with slightly different features and form factors:
Tile Mate: Tile's most basic small tracker – $24.99
Tile Pro: A more premium alternative to the Tile Mate with a longer range, louder speaker, and a range of color options – $34.99
Tile Slim: A long-range, waterproof, ultra-thin tracker shaped like a credit card to be placed within a wallet or adhered to a flat surface – $24.99
Tile Sticker: Tile's smallest tracker, designed to be stuck to objects with an adhesive – $39.99 for two, $59.99 for four
Each Tile tracker has a different design and set of features to serve different purposes. The Tile Mate and Tile Pro are ideal for attaching to a keyring, for example. The Tile Slim is the perfect shape to slide into a wallet, while the Tile Sticker is small enough to stick to a TV remote. Ultimately, the exact way you choose to use a Tile tracker is your choice, but there are a range of designs to suit your exact needs.
Compared to the single AirTag design that doesn't include an attachment point or adhesive, Tile's selection of tracker designs is more versatile.
Comparing AirTag and Tile
Apple's AirTag and Tile's trackers share a number of important features, such as Bluetooth tracking, audio alerts, and water resistance:
Similarities
Close-range Bluetooth tracking
Long-range community-leveraged location tracking
Built-in speaker for audio alerts
Replaceable batteries (some Tile trackers only)
One-year battery life (some Tile trackers only)
Water-resistance
Differences
The differences between AirTag and Tile are more pronounced when it comes to Ultra Wideband features and software integration.
AirTag
Tile
Ultra Wideband and Bluetooth tracking
Bluetooth tracking only
Ultra Wideband "Precision Finding" on compatible iPhones
Find My network integration for tracking from any in-range Apple device
"Community Find" for tracking from any in-range device
Lost Mode for notification when found by a nearby device
Lost Mode for notification when found by a nearby device with the Tile app
Phone tracking available
One design, but engraving customization available
Multiple designs, with color options for Tile Pro and Slim
Requires accessory for adding to keyring
Accessories not required
Uses Find My app
Requires Tile app
iOS only
iOS and Android compatible
Unwanted tracking alerts, with NFC for owner information
Unwanted tracking alerts, "SCAN ME IF FOUND" QR code
Replaceable CR2032 for Tile Pro, others non-replaceable
One-year battery life
One-year for Tile Pro, three years for non-replaceable models
IP67 water-resistance
IP67 rating, varying degrees for different models
$29 for one, $99 for four
Varies; Tile Pro at $57, Tile Sticker at $19, Tile Mate at $19, Tile Slim at $24
No subscription options
Tile Premium subscription available
Read on for a closer look at each of these aspects, and see exactly what both item trackers have to offer.
Design
AirTags have a simple convex design, with a glossy white plastic shell overlapping the front and the sides, and a polished metal disc on the back.
There is nothing built into the design to help the AirTag to attach to items for tracking. Unless you are simply placing the AirTag loose in a bag or pocket, you will need to purchase a separate accessory to attach it to the likes of keys, luggage, and more.
Apple offers a range of AirTag accessories, including the Polyurethane Loop, designed to be lightweight and durable, and the Leather Loop and Leather Key Ring, featuring tanned European leather. There is also a wide range of more inexpensive third-party options.
Although AirTags are only available in white, Apple offers the option of free engraving so users can personalize their AirTag with a selection of emojis or text.
On the other hand, Tile's trackers feature a range of different designs. The Tile Mate and Tile Pro have a square design with a hole to easily attach to keys or tie onto items. The Tile Mate is made entirely out of white plastic, while the Tile Pro has a more premium metal design and offers a range of color options including Black, White, Ruby Red, Azurite Blue, and Rose Pink.
The Tile Slim is very thin and shaped like a credit card to easily fit in a wallet or stick flat against a surface, and is available in Black, Ruby Red, Azurite Blue, and Rose Pink.
The Tile Sticker is small, black, and circular. It features a flat, adhesive back surface to make it easy to stick directly to a surface.
There are no first-party Tile accessories for sale other than adhesive pads, but they are not completely necessary, unlike with AirTags, since attachment is built into the designs.
Tracking Technologies
Bluetooth
Both AirTag and Tile use Bluetooth Low Energy as their main tracking technology. When the tracker is within Bluetooth range, users can use their smartphone to see its current location and get it to play a sound to help find it. When out of range, you can see the last known location of the tracker.
The Tile trackers have Bluetooth ranges between 150ft to 400ft, depending on the model. Apple has not disclosed the AirTag's Bluetooth tracking range.
Community Tracking
When out of Bluetooth range, both AirTag and Tile leverage devices in the community for tracking. This feature allows users to see the location of their tracker on a map even when it is long out of range.
Tile uses a feature called "Community Find," where any in-range device with the Tile app installed can detect and locate any user's Tile tracker anonymously.
Apple calls its community tracking feature the "Find My Network." Any Apple device with the Find My app, such as the iPhone or iPad, can detect an in-range AirTag and anonymously report its location back to the owner.
Both AirTag and Tile users can also put their tracker into "Lost Mode" to receive a notification when it has been located by a device.
Although the community tracking features of AirTag and Tile work almost identically, AirTag has a clear advantage. This is because an AirTag can leverage any Apple device with the Find My app, which Apple says is approaching one billion devices already.
Since the Find My app is pre-installed in iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS, there is a far larger community of devices in circulation that are able to detect AirTags. The Tile app, on the other hand, is not pre-installed in any operating system and has to be actively downloaded by a user to run in the background.
Tile's Community Find feature only uses the devices within the Tile user base, but AirTags can use almost every Apple device. It is therefore likely that AirTags will be located by devices in the community much more often than Tile trackers, making their remote detection much more effective.
Ultra Wideband and Precision Tracking
AirTag also has an additional tracking technology that Tile does not have, Ultra Wideband, which enables a unique close-range tracking experience that Tile is unable to match.
Each AirTag contains an Apple-designed U1 chip for Ultra Wideband connectivity. This enables a feature that Apple calls "Precision Finding" with Ultra Wideband devices, such as the iPhone 11 or newer.
Precision Finding can more accurately determine the distance and direction to a lost AirTag when it is in range. As a user moves, Precision Finding fuses input from the camera, ARKit, accelerometer, and gyroscope, and then will guide them to their AirTag using a combination of sound, haptics, and visual feedback.
Pairing
To set up a Tile tracker, users need to first download the Tile app from the App Store, create and activate a Tile account, hold down the button on the tracker until an audio cue plays, place the Tile tracker on the device, and wait for confirmation of pairing.
AirTags have a much simpler pairing process, similar to that used by other Bluetooth Apple devices such as AirPods or the Apple Pencil. There is no need to download an app from the App Store, create an account, or hold down any buttons. Users simply need to hold the AirTag near to their device, tap pair, and the process is complete.
Apps
A key difference between AirTag and Tile is the apps they use. Tile trackers use a dedicated Tile app that has to be downloaded from the App Store. The Tile app is available for both Android and iOS, allowing Tile trackers to work across platforms.
There is no AirTag app. Instead, AirTag works inside the pre-existing Find My app that is built into iOS. There is no way to use an AirTag with Android devices as a result.
The Find My app already tracks friends and Apple devices, so AirTag appears as an additional item within the app. There are also additional software integrations such as support for Siri, where users can ask Siri to find their item, and the AirTag will play a sound if it is nearby.
Battery Life
AirTag and Tile Pro both use a replaceable CR2032 battery, while the Tile Mate uses a replaceable CR1632 battery, to achieve around one year of battery life. When it has run out, users simply open their AirTag, Tile Mate, or Tile Pro, and insert a new battery.
The battery of the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker is not replaceable or rechargeable. Users will need to dispose of their tracker and buy a new one when the battery runs out, but they do offer a longer three-year-long battery life.
Additional Features
Water-Resistance
The AirTag, Tile Mate, and Tile Pro are all "water-resistant." Since there is no replaceable battery in the Tile Slim or Tile Sticker, they are "waterproof."
The AirTag has IP67 water-resistance, but Tile has not disclosed the exact water-resistance ratings of its trackers.
Phone Tracking
Tile trackers have a unique feature allowing them to find a user's smartphone. When within Bluetooth range, users can double press the button on their Tile tracker to make their phone ring. There is no equivalent feature with AirTags.
NFC
If a lost AirTag is found by someone, they can tap it using their iPhone or any NFC-capable device, including Android devices, and be taken to a website that will display a contact phone number for the owner, if they have provided one. There is no equivalent feature with Tile trackers.
Privacy and Unwanted Tracking Alerts
Apple says that AirTag is built around privacy. No location data or location history is physically stored inside the AirTag, and communication with the Find My network is end-to-end encrypted so that only the owner of a device has access to its location data. The identity or location of any device that helped find an AirTag is also kept completely private.
AirTag is also designed with a set of proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking. Bluetooth signal identifiers transmitted by AirTag rotate frequently to prevent unwanted location tracking.
iOS devices can also detect an AirTag that is not with its owner, and notify the user if an unknown AirTag is seen to be traveling with them from place to place over time. If users do not have an iOS device, an AirTag separated from its owner for an extended period of time will play a sound when moved to draw attention to it.
Pricing
The Tile Mate and Tile Slim are priced at $24.99. The Tile Pro is $34.99, while the Tile Sticker is $39.99 for two or $59.99 for four. Tile also offers a wide range of cheaper combo packs containing multiple Tile trackers for an overall lower price.
It also has to be remembered that the Tile Slim and Tile Sticker will only last up to three years before they have to be discarded, potentially reducing their value for money in the long term.
The AirTag costs $29 for one, or $99 for four. Though the AirTag is priced competitively against Tile trackers, it should be noted that in most use cases, users will need to buy additional accessories to attach the AirTag to an item, which pushes up the overall cost considerably.
Moreover, the Tile app contains an optional Premium in-app subscription for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The Premium service includes Smart Alerts, Unlimited Sharing, Location History, Free Battery Replacement, Extended Warranty, and Premium Customer Support.
Final Thoughts
AirTag's unique Ultra Wideband Precision Find features, more effective community tracking through the Find My network, NFC Lost Mode, and easy setup make it a better overall offering for most Apple users. While Tile's trackers feature more versatile and practical designs, the AirTag's software experience is difficult to beat.
The only customers who should buy a Tile tracker instead of the AirTag are Android users, individuals who need a specific design, such as the ultra-slim form factor of the Tile Slim, or simply individuals that would find features such as the ability to ring their phone remotely indispensable.
Last week Apple announced new iPad Pro models with the faster M1 processor and a new mini-LED 12.9-inch display, as well as redesigned 24-inch iMac models. Both iPad models and iMacs will be available to pre-order from the April 30, and while Apple said they'll be shipping in the second half of May, it hasn't provided a specific date.
Today, however, U.K. retailer and long-time Apple stockist John Lewis has updated its online store to indicate that the new iMacs and both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models of iPad Pro will be "available" from Friday, May 21. The reveal is notable, given that Apple usually launches new products in the U.K. on the same day as it does in the United States.
Assuming the date refers to launch rather than when pre-orders start, the date lines up with a prediction from leaker Jon Prosser, who on Monday suggested May 21 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Prosser also said the 11-inch iPad Pro could ship the day after on May 22, but that suggestion immediately came under suspicion because it's a Saturday, and Apple typically refrains from product launches during the weekend.
Reports have suggested that Apple has faced from considerable supply restraints due to the ongoing chip shortage, and the delay between the announcement and shipments of the new devices would seem to back up those reports. Indeed, during Apple's earnings briefing on Wednesday, CEO Tim Cook said that there would be supply issues affecting the iPad and Mac lines.
(Thanks, Jack!)
Update: Moments after this story was published, Prosser tweeted that "the '22nd' date I mentioned [for the iPad Pro launch] is linked to the 5G model for a certain carrier and should be disregarded for the most part."
Apple today sent out an emails informing Apple Pay users about a Mother's Day promotion that offers discounts from several stores when using Apple Pay to make a purchase.
The following discounts are available:
1-800-Flowers - $15 off when spending $39.99 or more with code APPLEPAY.
J.Crew - $25 off $150 or more with code APPLEPAY.
Uncommon Goods - 15 percent off selected items with code APPLEPAY.
Zazzle - 30% off with code APPLEPAYJAZZ.
Mother's Day takes place on Sunday, May 9, and the discounts are available from April 27 to May 9 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
AirTags aren't set to officially launch until Friday, April 30, but some customers have mistakenly received their AirTags shipments already, with many of the early AirTags coming from Best Buy.
MacRumors reader Johnny sent us a series of photos of his AirTags that he already has in hand, giving us a look at the packaging and a real-life look at the AirTags themselves outside of reviews.
Apple first unveiled the long-awaited AirTags last week. They're priced at $29 each, with a pack of four available for $99. AirTags connect to an iPhone over Bluetooth and can be attached to items like keys and wallets to make them trackable in the Find My app.
Paired with the iPhone 11 and 12 models, AirTags have a Precision Finding feature enabled by the U1 chip that makes it easier to pinpoint lost items that are close by, and when an item is far away, it is able to take advantage of the Find My network that uses billions of Apple devices to track down lost items and relay their location.
Customers who ordered AirTags on launch day will begin receiving them on Friday, but single orders placed now are set to begin arriving in May, for AirTags that aren't engraved. Adding an engraving or ordering a four pack will result in a June delivery date.
Facebook today announced its earnings for the first calendar quarter of 2021, and during the call discussing the results, Facebook executives confirmed that Apple's App Tracking Transparency will have a "manageable" impact on Facebook's business starting in the second quarter.
As highlighted by ZDNet, Facebook CFO Dave Wehner said that Facebook is expecting "increased ad targeting headwinds in 2021 from regulatory and platform changes, notably the recently launched iOS 14.5 update." iOS 14.5 is the update that includes App Tracking Transparency, and it requires app developers to ask for express permission before accessing the IDFA for tracking users across apps and websites.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg went on to explain that Facebook is doing a "huge amount of work" to prepare for the changes to personalized advertising, including rebuilding elements of its advertising platform and making the case that "personalized advertising is good for people and businesses."
We're doing a huge amount of work to prepare. We're working with our customers to implement Apple's API and our own aggregated events measurement API to mitigate the impact of the iOS 14 changes. We're rebuilding meaningful elements of our ad tech so that our system continues to perform when we have access to less data in the future.
And we're part of long-term collaborations with industry bodies like the W3C on initiatives like privacy enhancing technologies that provide personalized experiences while limiting access to people's information. It's also on us to keep making the case that personalized advertising is good for people and businesses, and to better explain how it works so that businesses don't have to understand the alphabet soup of acronyms they'll need to comply with. But they do need to have confidence that they can still use our tools to reach the people who want to buy what they're selling in a privacy-safe way. We're confident they can and that they can continue to get great results as digital advertising evolves.
Wehner said that he believes the impact to Facebook's "own business" will be manageable, and that the company's goal is to maintain and improve ad performance with less data. He also took the opportunity to criticize Apple's platform, and said that Facebook is also facing problems from Apple's private APIs that advantage Apple's own products and services.
Overall, the impact of these specific iOS 14 changes are one element of some of the challenges with Apple, but we think the impact of the Apple approach is really much bigger than this particular update. Apple has a number of private APIs on hardware and software that advantage their own products and services in ways that are challenging. We face that issue in places like our messaging products, and even with the hardware products we're launching. So we generally don't think this closed approach is the best one for the industry from an innovation perspective.
Prior to the enforcement of App Tracking Transparency, Facebook launched a campaign attempting to position Apple as an enemy of small businesses, going as far to take out full page newspaper ads decrying the new feature. "Apple's latest update threatens the personalized ads that millions of small businesses rely on to find and reach customers," reads Facebook's site encouraging small businesses to "add their voice" and speak out against ATT.
There had been questions about Facebook's narrative and how much of an impact the changes would actually have on small businesses, and even Facebook employees felt that Facebook was just using a sympathetic message to "justify doing a bad thing."
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in March began downplaying the potential impact of App Tracking Transparency and said that the changes could ultimately benefit Facebook if Apple's new policies encourage businesses to advertise and sell exclusively through Facebook platforms.
Facebook has already begun rolling out its App Tracking Transparency prompt to Facebook users, but the rollout will take a few weeks, so not everyone will see the prompt at the current time.
Apple today announced its earnings for the second quarter of 2021 and held an earnings call during which Cook was asked what we can expect for Macs and iPads during the second half of the year in terms of supply.
Cook said that he would not provide product level details, but that there would be supply issues affecting the iPad and Mac lines.
"To Luca's point about shortages, those shortages primarily affect iPad and Mac," he said. "We expect to be supply gated, not demand gated."
The question was related to the chip shortages that have been affecting many technology companies. One analyst asked Cook when supply constraints might ease and when the industry might overcome some of the supply dynamics, and Cook said it was difficult to give a good answer, but Apple would do its best meeting product demand.
Most of the issue is legacy nodes, not just in our industry but other industries as well. In order to answer that question accurately, we would need to know the true demand from each player and how that changes over the next few months, so it's difficult to give a good answer.
We have a good handle on our demand, but what everybody else is doing, I don't know. We will do our best, that's what I can tell you.
Apple CFO Luca Maestri confirmed that Apple has seen an impact from the chip shortages and will see a sequential decline of approximately $3 to $4 billion revenue in Q3 2021 due to iPad and Mac supply constraints.
The constraints come from semiconductor shortages that are affecting many industries and it's a combination of the shortages and the very high level of demand that we're seeing for both iPad and Mac.
Rumors have already suggested that the 12.9-inch M1iPad Pro will be in short supply when pre-orders open this Friday, though that may be due to issues with the mini-LED display. Apple is preparing to launch both new M1 iPad Pro models and new M1 iMacs, and it sounds like customers who want one of the devices should be prepared to order as soon as pre-orders go live in order to avoid long waits for the new products.
During today's earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about Apple TV+ and whether he would provide details on how many paid subscribers the service has.
Cook declined to provide specific numbers, but he said that Apple TV+ is going "very well" and that Apple feels "really good" about where Apple TV+ is at.
TV+ is going very well, as you know the objective and philosophy of Apple TV+ is to create high-quality original content and to be one of the most desired platforms for storytellers. I see that happening day by day, we have more shows, more storytellers.
To date, Apple originals have received 352 award nominations and 98 wins. We have shows that have gotten significant buzz like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Defending Jacob, etc. We feel really good about where we are. We're not releasing subscriber numbers.
It's likely that Apple TV+ paid subscriber numbers are quite low as Apple has continually extended its free trial offerings, and is also reimbursing those who do not have a free trial at this time. Apple is currently offering a free trial to those who purchased an Apple device until July 2021.
Cook was also asked if Apple had plans to raise the prices of any of its services, and he said he had nothing to announce. "We try to give customers a great value," he said.
During today's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook was today asked about iPhone 12 sales and which iPhones were the most popular with consumers during the quarter. He confirmed that the iPhone 12 was the most popular, and sales of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max were also strong, but there was no mention of iPhone 12 mini sales.
iPhone 12, of the family, it's the most popular. We saw very strong sales of the Pro and Pro Max, and the revenue that you're seeing is a function of unit growth and revenue per unit growth.
There have been multiple reports suggesting that the iPhone 12 mini has not been as popular with consumers as expected, and Tim Cook's commentary seemingly confirms that it is the least popular of the four iPhone 12 models that Apple has released.
Apple is still planning on an iPhone 13 mini that will be released in 2021, but rumors from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest the 5.4-inch device will be discontinued in 2022.
According to Apple's earnings report, the services segment brought in $16.9 billion, up 27 percent from the $13.4 billion in revenue services earned in the year-ago quarter. Apple says that new services records were set in each geographic segment.
Apple saw all-time revenue records for the App Store, cloud services, apple Music, payments services, and more. Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple News+, Apple Card, and Apple One are all "continuing to scale across users" and are contributing to overall growth.
Apple saw 40 million paid subscriptions added during the quarter, reaching a total of 660 million paid subscriptions across all services, which is up 145 million from the year-ago quarter.
During the call, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted Apple's most recent service announcements, Apple Card Family and podcast subscriptions, both of which are set to launch in the near future.
Apple's Wearables, Home, and Accessories category reached record revenue numbers in the second fiscal quarter of 2021 (first calendar quarter), hitting $7.8 billion, up from the $6.3 billion it earned in the year-ago quarter.
Wearables, Home, and Accessories growth revenue was up a total of 25 percent combined. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that wearables growth was up thanks to strong sales of the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE.
Apple Watch continues to be popular with those new to the device, and during the quarter, 75 percent of people who purchased an Apple Watch had not owned one before.
Going forward, Apple expects the new second-generation Apple TV 4K and AirTag to drive Wearables, Home, and Accessories growth. Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that Apple is "excited about the future of this category.
As people continue to work and learn from home, Macs and iPads are selling in record numbers, according to Apple's latest earnings report for the second fiscal quarter of 2021 (first calendar quarter).
Apple's Mac category brought in $9.1 billion in revenue, up from $5.4 billion in the year-ago quarter. As for iPads, Apple saw iPad revenue of $7.8 billion, up from $4.4 billion in the year-ago quarter. The iPad saw its highest March quarter revenue record in nearly a decade, and the last three quarters have marked the best Mac sales ever.
According to Apple CFO Luca Maestri, "more than half" of the sales of Macs and iPads during the quarter were from customers who were new to the devices and had not previously owned one.
The second fiscal quarter of 2021 covers sales of the new Mac and iPad devices, covering sales of the impressive new M1 Mac machines that include the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
iPad and Mac sales could continue to grow even more in the coming quarter following the launch of the new M1 iPad Pro and iMac models.
Apple today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter of 2021, which corresponds to the first calendar quarter of the year.
For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $89.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $23.6 billion, or $1.40 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $58.3 billion and net quarterly profit of $11.2 billion, or $0.64 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
Apple set new all-time records for Mac and Services revenue for the quarter, while overall revenue set a March quarter record.
Gross margin for the quarter was 42.5 percent, compared to 38.4 percent in the year-ago quarter, with international sales accounting for 67 percent of revenue. Apple also declared an increased dividend payment of $0.22 per share, up from $0.205 per share. The dividend is payable May 13 to shareholders of record as of May 10.
"This quarter reflects both the enduring ways our products have helped our users meet this moment in their own lives, as well as the optimism consumers seem to feel about better days ahead for all of us," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple is in a period of sweeping innovation across our product lineup, and we're keeping focus on how we can help our teams and the communities where we work emerge from this pandemic into a better world. That certainly begins with products like the all-new iMac and iPad Pro, but it extends to efforts like the 8 gigawatts of new clean energy we'll help bring onto the grid and our $430 billion investment in the United States over the next 5 years."
As has been the case for over a year now, Apple is once again not issuing guidance for the current quarter ending in June, as considerable uncertainty surrounding the global health situation's impact remains. Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q2 2021 financial results conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.
Apple earnings call recap ahead...
1:39 pm: Apple's stock price is currently up nearly 4% in after-hours trading.
1:41 pm: Apple's revenue was up 54% year-over-year, and net income more than doubled. Mac revenue was up 70% to a new all-time record, while iPhone revenue was up 65%, likely thanks partly to a later launch for the iPhone 12 that pushed some purchases into the March quarter.
1:45 pm: Services revenue was up nearly 27% year-over-year to set a new all-time record, while iPad revenue was up almost 79%. Wearables, Home and Accessories revenue was up almost 25%.
1:47 pm: Apple's gross margin of 42.5% was the company's highest since the third fiscal quarter of 2012. Apple's gross margin has typically hovered in the 38% range in recent years.
1:54 pm: Apple increased its quarterly dividend by 7% to 22 cents per share, and the board of directors authorized an additional $90 billion for the company's share repurchase program. Apple CFO Luca Maestri says Apple generated $24 billion in operating cash flow for the quarter and the company returned nearly $23 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks.
2:00 pm: Apple's earnings call with analysts should begin momentarily. Expected on the call are Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri.
2:01 pm: The call is beginning.
2:03 pm: They are beginning with routine risk warnings about forward-looking statements.
2:03 pm: Tim Cook: Good afternoon everyone — Apple is proud to report another strong quarter. We set new March quarter records for revenue and earnings.
2:03 pm: There is optimism consumers seem to have about good days ahead. Mac and Services delivered all-time record results, and March-quarter records for iPhone and Wearables/Home/Accessories.
2:04 pm: We saw very strong performance for iPhone, up 66% year over year.
2:04 pm: Over the past year, 10's of millions of iPads and Macs have been deployed to help students and workers be productive from home.
2:05 pm: Mac revenue record. Last three quarters have been the best for Mac ever.
2:07 pm: We continued to deploy industry-leading tools to protect users' fundamental right to privacy. Privacy nutrition labels and app-tracking transparency.
2:07 pm: Give users a choice over how data is used and shared across apps.
2:08 pm: Apple TV+ got the first Oscar nomination, and Ted Lasso has won a number of awards.
2:09 pm: Cook is discussing Apple's renewable energy commitments and investments in green energy efforts.
2:10 pm: Solar, wind, and more. Mentioning $200 million Restore Fund to help communities build sustainable industry and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
2:11 pm: Working to support minority app developers and to help build and scale those businesses.
2:11 pm: Apple will invest $430 billion in the US economy in the next five years.
2:12 pm: Now talking about challenges of COVID-19 and new lockdowns worldwide. "Instead of simply assuming the end is in sight, we at Apple are doing what we can to make it a reality."
2:13 pm: Thinking about what we felt at this time last year... thanks to researchers and scientists, we have reached new years of hopeful resolve.
2:14 pm: Luca is on now to reiterate the numbers from this quarter.
2:15 pm: Products gross margin was 36.1 percent. Services gross margin was 70.1 percent.
2:16 pm: iPhone revenue set a March quarter record, growing 66% year over year. Performance was consistently strong across the world. Set quarter records in most markets tracked.
2:16 pm: Active install base was a new all-time high. In the US, the latest survey from 451 research indicated customer satisfaction of more than 99% for the iPhone 12 family.
2:17 pm: $16.9 billion in Services, with all-time records for App Store, cloud services, music, video, advertising and payment services.
2:17 pm: Key drivers for services all continue to move in a positive direction.
2:17 pm: Installed base, transacting and paid accounts reached new all-tiem high, with paid accounts increasing double-digits in each geo.
2:18 pm: Up 40 million paid subs, 660-million paid subscriptions across all services. Up 145 million from a year ago, and 2x what they had 2.5 years ago.
2:18 pm: Apple Arcade expansion. Arcade originals and two entirely new categories, App Store Greats and Timeless Classics.
2:19 pm: Wearables/Home set new March-quarter record in every geographic segment. 75% of Apple Watch buyers were new to the product.
2:19 pm: All-time revenue record for Mac. Up 70% year over year. Grew strongly in each geographic segment.
2:19 pm: Enthusiastic customer response to M1 Macs.
2:20 pm: iPad performance was outstanding, with revenue up 79%. Grew in every geographic segment, with all-time records in Japan and March record for the rest of Asia-Pacific.
2:20 pm: Surveys of US consumers from 451 Research measured satisfaction of 91% for Mac and 94% for iPad.
2:20 pm: More than half of iPad and Mac buyers were new to the products.
2:21 pm: Delta Air Lines is putting iPhone 12 into the hands of all its flight attendants.
2:21 pm: Touting corporate adoption of Apple products.
2:22 pm: Total debt is $122 billion. Net cash of $83 billion.
2:23 pm: Return nearly $23 billion to shareholders during the quarter, including $3.4 billion in dividends and $19 billion to repurchase Apple shares.
2:23 pm: New allocation of $90 billion to share repurchases, plus increase in dividends and annual increases going forward.
2:25 pm: Given continued uncertainty around the world in the near term, we are sharing insights but not specific forecasts. June quarter revenues to grow strong double digits year over year, but we believe sequential revenue decline from March to June will be greater than prior years. First, due to later launch timing and strong demand, iPhone only achieved supply/demand balance during the March quarter. Steeper sequential decline than usual. Supply constraints will have revenue impact of $3-4 billion. GM between 41.5 and 42.5%. OpEx of $11.1-$11.3 billion. Tax rate around 14.5%.
2:25 pm: Q&A session starting.
2:27 pm: Shannon Cross: Big picture question on iPhone. So many different things happening this cycle, 5G, pandemic, how are you thinking about the opportunity for refreshing the install base and attracting new customers, and are you seeing product lives shorten because of programs from carriers and Apple?
Cook: We saw double-digit increases on a year-over-year basis on both new-to-iPhone and upgraders. In March quarter, there was a record number of upgraders for a March quarter. We like what we see, it's early days of 5G. Different countries are in different points, but global penetration is still low. A lot of 5G upgrades will be in front of us, not behind us.
In China, things have moved quickly to 5G. They're moving quickly in the United States, but a lot of the other regions are slower to adopt and gain 5G coverage.
2:29 pm: Cross: Can you talk gross margin? That's higher than it's been in my memory at this point. Were there any offsets from higher components costs or logistics costs that were overshadowed by currency?
Luca: We guided to slightly lower levels than this quarter in June. We were up 270 basis points sequentially driven by cost savings, a strong mix on iPhone and in general across all product categories, and foreign exchange sequentially from December to March was favorable by 90 basis points. Those are the three major factors there.
Going into June, we will expect some level of deleverage, but offset by cost-savings. FX doesn't have much of an impact from March to June.
2:31 pm: Amit Daryanani: On services, I'd love to understand if mid-20% is the growth norm for services?
Luca: Services did better than we expected. It was stronger across the board. One of the things we noticed throughout COVID was that digital services have done very well and a couple of categories like AppleCare and Advertising were negatively affected. During March quarter we saw return to growth of AppleCare and we've reopened a lot of our stores during the quarter, and Advertising as consumer sentiment has improved and advertising is coming back. The combination of these factors has delivered strong performance during the March quarter. We don't provide specific guidance for product categories but in general, there are things we always look at through the services business, new paid accounts, new subscriptions, and is our install base continued to grow. When we look at these fundamental factors, we feel very good about it.
2:33 pm: Amit: Engagement with iPhones and Apple devices have gone up, but we don't see replacement cycles shrink or change. Does increased usage and replacement cycle not changing, if I'm using something more do I have to replace it more often?
Cook: We're clearly seeing strong performance in both new to iPhone/switcher component and upgraders. Upgrader was the best March quarter that we've had. That speaks to what you're seeing a lot. It's difficult with just this far into the cycle to make a statement about the cycle in general, we just launched mid-way through the Q1 period. We've only been operating for 4.5 months or so, but clearly we like what we see right now. If you look at how the iPhone did around the world, we had top 5 models of smartphone in the US. Top 2 in Urban China. 4/5 in Japan. Top 4 in UK. Top 6 in Australia. It was an across the board, in key countries, we did really well. 5G cycle is important and we're in the early days of it, frankly.
2:36 pm: Katy Huberty: Pretty unbelievable quarter and investors are going to ask about the sustainability of current demand trends as you lapse some of the benefits from COVID in Services and Macs. Don't guide or provide outlook beyond the next quarter, but can you talk about a high level, which segments do you see an opportunity or maintain strong revenue growth, vs where is it reasonable to see digestion as consumers shift spending priorities?
Cook: Look at different products, the compare that we're running to would be the Q2 of last year as the quarter that China would have entered a shutdown first and then the rest of the world entered a shutdown in the middle part of March. Part of the growth is comparison point there. That said, the results were fabulous across the board. Shortages that Luca spoke about in the color he provided on the future affect the iPad and Mac. Challenges in there. Challenges meeting demand that we have. Demand feels very strong right now, both on Mac side (M1 and work from home and remote learning) and on iPad you have (WFH and remote learning), and the product that we just announced is really killer. There's a lot of great things going. The strength of product cycle and trends in the marketplace. Where the pandemic will end, it seems like many companies will be operating in a hybrid mode, so it would seem that work from home and productivity from work from home will remain very critical. In wearables, the Watch had a fabulous quarter. We're still in early innings on the Watch. New to the Watch buyers are 3/4. This is a long way from being a mature market. Services by itself has really accelerated so all-in-all we feel very good.
2:39 pm: Katy: How should we think about revenue growth deceleration or are there supply disruptions during the quarter that might have drained component inventory?
Luca: In prepared remarks, we mentioned iPhone launching later than usual and supply/demand balance only in the March quarter so we'll have a sequential decline there. And then $3-4 billion in supply constraints on Mac and iPad. For channel inventory, we did what we normally do. Reduce inventory on iPhone, we exited within our target range, so I would say that on the inventory side we're pretty straightforward given the supply constraints on iPad and Mac we wish we had more inventory there but this is a function of high demand for all our products.
2:41 pm: Wamsi Mohan: Content offerings are at compelling price points, other providers are making price increases. How does pricing affect your offerings and updates on Apple TV+ paid subs?
Tim: TV+ is going very well. As you know the objective and philosophy on TV+ is to create high-quality original content and to be one of the most desired platforms for storytellers. I see that happening day by day as we sign more shows and storytellers. To date, we've received the Apple Originals, 352 award nominations and 98 wins. This is from Oscar nominations to Emmy awards, Critics Choice Awards and all the rest. Some of our shows have gotten significant buzz like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. We feel really good about where we are. We're not releasing subscriber numbers but we feel good about where we are. In terms of other services and pricing, I don't have anything to announce today. We try to give the customer a great value and we feel that we're doing that with the prices that we have and we'll see where we go from here.
2:43 pm: Wamsi: Sequential decline to June, are the supply constraints of the 3-4 billion impact included in that or is that in addition to the more than average sequential decline? What's driving supply constraints at subcomponent level?
Luca: Normal seasonality, what we're saying is that we believe the sequential decline this year is higher than normal. Timing of iPhone launch and high demand for iPhone, plus $3-4 billion for supply constraints that we mentioned. The constraints come from semiconductor shortages that are affecting many industries and it's a combination of the shortages and the very high level of demand that we're seeing for both iPad and Mac. For Mac, the last three quarters of Mac have been the best ever in the history of the product. WFH and learning from home is great but it's also the innovation and creativity that we put in the products over the last couple quarters.
2:45 pm: Aaron Rakers: Congratulations on the quarter. As I think about iPhone 12 cycle, it would appear that the mix has been quite healthy. Can you give context to the mix this cycle vs prior cycles, is that mix sustainable? What's the mix within the iPhones and how that's driving gross margin?
Tim: iPhone 12, of the family, it's the most popular. We saw very strong sales of the Pro and Pro Max, and the revenue that you're seeing is a function of unit growth and revenue per unit growth.
Aaron: Can you give context on how that might have changed this cycle versus prior cycles? Is there a structural change that can be sustained?
Cook: We don't predict beyond internal use, but we're really happy with the results.
2:46 pm: Aaron: To supply constraints, it's hard to look beyond this quarter, but when might supply constraints ease? For industry in general overcoming some of the supply dynamics?
Cook: Most of the issue is legacy nodes, not just in our industry but other industries. In order to answer that question accurately, we would need to know the true demand from each player and how that changes over the next few months so it's difficult to give a good answer. We have a good handle on our demand but what everybody else is doing, I don't know. We will do our best, that's what I can tell you.
2:47 pm: Harsh Kumar: Question on semiconductor supplies, you beat by a substantial margin on top line. What went in your favor to secure that kind of supply that you can beat by that amount?
Tim: We did not have a material supply shortage in Q2. How did we do that? You collapse all your buffers and offsets. That happens all the way through the supply chain and that enables you to go a bit higher than what we were expecting to sell.
2:48 pm: Harsh: With economy reopening here in the US, can we get thoughts on what you would expect for Macs and iPads in the second half of this year?
Tim: We don't guide to product level detail, and we're not guiding to the top level because of COVID. To Luca's point about shortages, those shortages primarily affect iPad and Mac. We expect to be supply gated, not demand gated.
2:50 pm: Krish Sankar: The greater China sales were very strong in March quarter. What drove the trend and what enabled that performance?
Tim: We were very pleased with our performance in China. Set March quarter revenue record. Revenue growth was broad across categories. Pleased by iPhone 12 response, and you have to remember that China entered the shutdown phase earlier in Q2 than other countries, so they were more affected in that quarter last year.
We had the top two selling smartphones and we're very proud of that, iPad and Mac both had enormously positive quarters with great strength across the board. Seeing strong reception to the new iPad Pro that we just announced. A lot of great comments. About two-thirds of people buying Mac and iPad were buying them for the first time, so attracting new customers in China.
2:52 pm: Krish: One of the concerns many investors have is because of overhang of regulatory risks. Do you think giving more public disclosure on services like App Store would help alleviate or do you think giving details... what do you think on services disclosure?
Tim: With regulatory and scrutiny, we have to tell our story and why we do what we do. We're focused on doing that. If we feel that more disclosure would help, we'd move in that direction. The App Store and other parts of Apple are not cast in concrete so we can move and are flexible with the times. Just a couple of quarters ago, we lowered the commission rate for small developers to 15%. That's an example of moving with the times and we've gotten a great reception for that. We continue to learn. Curating the App Store to get privacy and security that our customers want is very important and we have to convey that in a straightforward manner.
2:54 pm: Kyle McNealy: Growing iPhone sales can pull along Watch and AirPod sales, but through COVID that accessories do better in a physical store environment. Have you seen improvement in attach rate for Watch and AirPods in iPhone and can it get better from here?
Tim: We get a lot of benefit from our stores, when they're open and fully operational, we were in better shape for parts of Q2 than previously but we're still operating with limited operational model in many stores and some stores are still closed. Michigan and France, for example. It will take some amount of time but my view would be that as the stores get back up to speed, we should be able to increase some of the accessory sales. But I think we're doing fairly well at the moment so it's not something that we're not doing well. Online has been much more beneficial and productive than we would have guessed going into this.
2:55 pm: David Vogt: Early days, but any commentary or color from developers on App Tracking and what does initial feedback and data?
Tim: The focus is really on the user and giving the user the ability to make a decision about whether they want to be tracked or not. Putting the user in control, not Apple or another company. Feedback from users, both before it went live and after has been tremendous. We're really standing up on behalf of the consumer here.
2:56 pm: David: Can you discuss downloads and acceptance by the consumer? Opt-in or opt-out from consumer perspective?
Tim: It's not something that we would have predicted beforehand and even if it's very low for people who don't want to be tracked, it's worth doing because those people should make their own mind up whether they want to be tracked or not.
2:58 pm: Samik Chatterjee: Some of 5G iPhone upgrades are still in front of you and I assume Europe is in that category. What's driving exceptional growth here in Europe?
Luca: You're right, we had great performance in Europe, up 56%, and one of the geos where we saw results than even our own expectations. Strong double digits across every product category. iPad and Mac, they really were very strong. Again, Europe has been affected by lockdowns more than most parts of the world. The lockdowns have lasted longer than here in the US, Tim was mentioning there are places still where our stores are closed. Strong online business that has helped us, but working from home, learning from home, limited entertainment options, that has all played in our favor. Europe segment is very broad version of Europe because it includes Western Europe, doing very well, and then Eastern Europe and Middle East and even India is part of Europe. Those emerging markets have done incredibly well and significantly better than company average. In India, Russia, Middle East in general, it's very broad across product categories and across countries in Europe.
3:01 pm: Samik: What's the implication of the investment plans that you announced for the US for that $430 billion investment
Luca: We announced in 2018 that we were making a sizable commitment to the US, $315 billion in vestment over 5 years. During the last three years since then, we've overachieved on those commitments and felt it was the right time to update these types of investments. They span from investments directly at Apple for creation of new jobs at Apple over next five years in the US, and of course as our business has grown. Commitment to US suppliers grows over time and shows in higher numbers, but we've gotten into new businesses too. A lot of Apple TV+ content is produced in the US. From OpEx standpoint, we're getting a lot of leverage. Sometimes our OpEx grows faster than revenue, and some cycles where the opposite happens. We want to continue to make the necessary investments in the business, and you will continue to see that we will continue to grow operating expenses on R&D side. That continues to be the core of the company.
3:01 pm: The call is complete. Thanks for joining us.
Popular cryptocurrency platform Coinbase appears to be working to make its Visa Debit Card, Coinbase Card, compatible with Apple Pay for purchases in stores, in apps, and online.
MacRumors has discovered evidence of upcoming Apple Pay support for Coinbase Card in the Coinbase app code in the form of a recently added image asset called "CardGoogleApplePay."
The company's Coinbase Card for the EU and UK has supported Google Pay since March 2020, but Apple Pay remains unsupported and Coinbase Card for the United States is yet to support either digital payments platform.
Coinbase has been in the news recently thanks to its IPO on April 14 which valued the company at over $80 billion at launch. Interest in the IPO resulted in Coinbase iOS app downloads spiking to over 386,000 downloads on April 19, more than double the number of typical daily downloads.
Netflix today announced the launch of a new "Play Something" option that's designed to play content on the streaming service based on user habits.
The feature gives people who log into Netflix and aren't sure what they want to view an option to get to content quickly without endless scrolling.
There are times when we just don't want to make decisions. A Friday evening after a long work week. A fridge full of food but nothing jumps out. A family movie night where no one can agree. We've all been there.
Sometimes you just want to open Netflix and dive right into a new story. That's why we've created Play Something, an exciting new way to kick back and watch.
Netflix says that Play Something will offer a new series or film that's similar to something you've watched before, an episode or film you've seen but might want to watch again if it's been a long time, a series or film on your watch list, or an episode from a show that you've started but haven't finished.
PLAY SOMETHING will show you:
✔️ A new series/film similar to one you've watched before
✔️An episode/film you’ve already watched and may want to watch again if it's been a while
✔️ An episode from a show you've started but haven't finished (it will pick up where you left off) pic.twitter.com/cVAVkraeOk
— Netflix (@netflix) April 28, 2021
Play Something can be accessed from the login screen when you're choosing a profile, from the main home screen, or from the navigation menu.
Netflix has been testing this feature with some users for the last several months, but it is now rolling out to everyone.
Apple today released a new 3E751 firmware update for the second-generation AirPods and the AirPods Pro, updating them from the prior 3A283 firmware that was released back in September.
Apple does not offer information on what's included in refreshed firmware, so we don't know what improvements or bug fixes the new firmware brings.
There's no standard way to upgrade the AirPods software, but firmware is generally installed over-the-air while the AirPods are connected to an iOS device. Putting the AirPods in the case, connecting the AirPods to a power source, and then pairing the AirPods to an iPhone or an iPad should force the update after a short period of time.
You can check your AirPods or AirPods Pro firmware by following these steps:
Connect your AirPods or AirPods Pro to your iOS device.
Open the Settings app.
Tap General.
Tap About.
Tap AirPods.
Look at the number next to "Firmware Version."
If we find notable changes after the firmware updates are installed, we'll share details, but the software likely includes performance improvements and bug fixes.
Prior to when Apple announced the AirTags, companies including Chipolo, VanMoof, and Belkin debuted products that are part of the Find My network accessory program, integrating directly with the Find My app so they can be tracked when lost.
Of the three companies, Chipolo has the most AirTag-like device, a Bluetooth item tracker called the ONE Spot. Chipolo will need to compete with the AirTags to get people to make a purchase, and the company has already started its advertising campaign.
In an email titled "Can you spot the difference?" that was sent to prospective customers, Chipolo said that the ONE Spot "Attaches directly to your keyring," with "no accessory needed," pointing out one of the benefits of its tracker compared to the AirTags.
AirTags are small, circular item trackers that have no attachment point and require a secondary accessory to attach to key rings and other items. Apple sells accessories starting at $29, which is the same price as the AirTag, essentially doubling the price. Some of Apple's accessories are even more expensive, topping out with a $449 Hermès Luggage Tag.
There are more affordable accessories and some situations, such as tucking the AirTag inside a bag, won't require an accessory, but Chipolo does have an edge with the built-in loop for those who want to use a ring to attach it to keys and other items.
Chipolo's ONE Spot won't be available for preorder for another two weeks and it's not shipping out until June, which puts it well behind the AirTags. AirTags will begin arriving to customers later this week.
Because it integrates with the Find My app, the ONE Spot works just like the AirTag and can be located alongside other Apple devices right in the Find My app. It does, however, lack a U1 chip for the Precision Finding feature that the AirTags offer. Chipolo has yet to announce pricing for the ONE Spot.
Just a week after Apple unveiled the AirTags, T-Mobile has announced the launch of the SyncUP TRACKER, an LTE-based tracking device that's designed to attach to items that are easily lost.
Because it connects to T-Mobile's LTE network, the SyncUP TRACKER does not need to be near a smartphone to be tracked over Bluetooth, so it can be tracked regardless of location. That means it is ideal for use with items that are separated from you, such as luggage when traveling by plane.
T-Mobile says that the SyncUP TRACKER can be "found virtually anywhere" and that it provides near real-time tracking and virtual boundary alerts even when it's located hundreds of miles away. Users can get notified when a SyncUP TRACKER moves out of range of a set boundary, there's an option to ring a lost item, and a built-in light sensor can detect light changes from light to dark so the device can tell if it's moved out of a backpack, locker, or other item.
Each SyncUP TRACKER can have a customizable profile with name and photo, plus there are options to customize how often it pings back to a smartphone in order to improve the TRACKER's battery life. SyncUP TRACKERs feature an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, and the built-in 900mAh battery lasts up to seven days before needing to be recharged.
Apple's AirTags last for up to a year on a single CR2032 battery, but T-Mobile's need to be recharged more often because LTE drains more battery life.
T-Mobile's SyncUP TRACKERs are priced at $60 each or $2.50 per month per device on a 24-month payment plan, and the data plan will cost $5 per month. At this price point and with a monthly fee, the SyncUP TRACKER has a specialized purpose and won't likely be direct AirTag competitor. Apple's AirTags are priced at $29 each and do not have a monthly fee.
