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The Majority Subsidize the Few  I was never really worried that Apple would kill the Mac Pro. It’s the MacBook Pro that has me worried. Most people would find that preposterous because the MacBook Pro is the lions share of a stable market. Further, Apple’s executive management has just came out verbally stating their commitment to the Mac. Everyone assumes that applies to the MacBooks as well.
 Last August Target tried to pin the blame for their Q2 sales implosion on terrible iPhone and iPad sales and got caught red-handed. At the time, I wasn’t buying the story that Apple was to blame because the numbers didn’t make sense, and I publicly called Target out.
 I’m finding Apple’s new Theatre Mode on the Apple Watch quite handy. I used to get self-conscious about my watch going off in concerts, classes, or church because I didn’t want the screen to light up if I raised my arm in the air. So a big thanks to Apple for putting my mind at ease about that.
Only Apple  Anyone who doesn’t think that something like this is in our future either has their head in the sand or is a Mac App developer. Samsung's dockable Galaxy S8 is yet another entrant into the smartphone as a computer market for a big reason. I’m surrounded daily by busy professionals who spend more time out of their office than in it. These guys for the most part manage their days using Apple’s iPhone. More and more, laptop computers are becoming like those big wired phones that sit on everyone’s desk. Anyone who ignores this new trend does so at their own peril.
Big Data Is Not the Answer  Great interview with one of the leading experts on AI, Gary Marcus, by Alice Lloyd George who was writing for TechCrunch. Like myself, he’s skeptical of how far companies like Google can get with big data when it comes to artificial intelligence.
The Limits of Artificial Intelligence Reading vs Typing  I read a lot more than I write. That’s a big reason why I prefer using Apple’s iPad much more than a Mac. When I hear of people who use only a Mac and an iPhone my first thought is always “Where do they do their reading?”. Like, real reading. Not just a thirty second article during a commercial break. When a Mac person wants to sit down on a Saturday night with a Brad Thor spy novel and read for two hours straight. Or on Sunday morning when you want to grab a cup of coffee and catch up on an hours worth of tech blog articles from the week. Where do they do all that reading?
Silicon Valley Doesn't Understand the Manufacturing Rust Belt  General Electric’s Jeff Immelt had some common sense views to share on automation. The fears of robots causing mass unemployment are rooted in a misunderstanding of the economics of manufacturing.
Who Gets the Last Word?  There’s been a lot of hay made lately about Apple’s(AAPL) new affordable iPad and how it may signal a new assault on the education market. I suppose that’s possible but it seems like Apple waited an awful long time to do so. If Apple is able to eke out a larger share of the education market, that’s great, but I don’t think this is where Apple’s focus is. If you judge Apple by the old rule, “actions speak louder than words” then you’d be hard-pressed not to come away with the conclusion that the enterprise market is more important to Apple than education.
Either All or None, Which Is It?  The Wall Street Journal has an interesting write-up wherein they explain how the FCC rule change is essentially allowing internet providers to do what Google already does. Profit from your online history.
The telecom providers had argued the rules put them at a competitive disadvantage to online ad giants Google and Facebook,which generally aren’t regulated by the FCC. Google and Facebook have built huge businesses powered by reams of data they collect about consumers’ online actions, both on their own properties and across the web. That trove of information largely explains their dominance -- combined, they have a roughly 47% share of the global digital ad market, according to eMarketer. – Jack Marshall, Wall Street Journal  Talk about an uncanny resemblance. A movie that’s all about a tech company which is collecting data on every person alive. Hmm, who could that be?
The movie The Circle opens on April 28th and it looks great. I'm a sucker for anything with Tom Hanks in it anyway. Let the Android Civil War Continue  When Google unveiled their Pixel phone the tech press went crazy with how Google was attacking Apple(AAPL) on their own turf. The high-margin premium smart phone market.
Despite Google’s assertions otherwise, I wasn’t buying it. This was a phone aimed at people who liked Android but were thinking about switching to iOS simply because they like the iPhone’s reputation for quality, design, and craftsmanship. It wasn’t really aimed at trying to get iPhone users to switch to Android. It's Still Decades Away  Excellent article by Ben Dickson from The Next Web regarding how to prepare for AI in the workplace.
With developments in artificial intelligence continuing at a chaotic pace, fears of robots ultimately replacing humans are increasing.However, while AI continues to master an increasing number of tasks, we’re still decades away from human jobs going extinct. With AI finding its way into more and more domains, the demand for tech talent is growing.—Ben Dickson, The Next Web The Apple Watch Is the Answer  In the latest podcast episode of The Committed, Kirk McElhearn brought up a thought that I’ve had often. He was torn between using the smaller iPhone 7 and the larger 7 Plus. He made the statement that he wished he could use the 7 Plus around the house and the smaller 7 for when he was out running errands.
Goodbye Sal, Hello Workflow  Apple (AAPL) announced this week that they were purchasing the popular iOS automation app, Workflow. Very interesting indeed. Workflow is all about taking iOS to the next level via automating various tasks in an “If This Then That” (IFTT) format.
The High Cost of Automating Jobs  Donald Trump’s new Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, has impressed me this week with his grasp of the economic reality of the manufacturing world. He’s right--technology won’t be a huge factor in overall job levels for many decades. If ever.
Old Components and High Margins vs New Technology and Low Margins  Apple’s (AAPL) new $329 iPad continues down the same road that the iPhone SE blazed last year. They’re both parts-bin specials that assemble components from previous or newer devices to give Apple a budget-priced foothold.
The Usual Luddite Fear of the Unknown?  Adi Gaskell writing for Forbes shared some interesting data that goes against the popular belief that manufacturing automation will lead to mass unemployment.
A big thanks to Forbes for helping to quell this harmful myth… The Universal Language of the Future  Engadget’s Edgar Alvarez reviewed Levis new smart jacket a few days ago and was optimistic about the future of non-traditional touch interface. This reinforces my belief that Apple (AAPL) is on the right track with its work on touch.
Discount Merchandise or American Jobs? Pick Only One  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Tim Cook is defending the globalization of Apple.
I’ve written about this before and as unpopular as it may be, Tim Cook is right. Freight Is the New Labor: Why Apple Manufactures in China  Bloomberg Tech is reporting:
Now, the world’s largest paid video service is devoting more attention to motion pictures, looking to shake up that business just as it has TV. “Bright,” with a $90 million budget, is one of about 30 original films Netflix will release this year, from micro-budget pictures made by independent producers to lavish Hollywood productions. That’s a bigger slate than most major studios. --Lucas Shaw In two years, if their bid in movies is successful, a $60 billion price tag for Netflix is going to look cheap.  9to5Mac reported that a UBS analyst says Apple is an 'anti-fragile monopoly' because of its iPhone pricing power. That is laughable. The Macalope said it best “Rejected headline: “Prominent UBS Analyst May Not Know What A Monopoly Is.
 Writing for BuzzFeed, Mike Giglio talks about how ISIS is furiously using all means at their disposal to wage fierce war. One of those resources is using drones to drop bombs on the US-led coalition.
The Consequences of Size  The very first Apple product that I ever purchased was the 3rd generation iPod Touch introduced in the fall of 2009. I bought it specifically to store my music when I went to the gym or out for a run, but I was blown away with how much more capable it was compared to the Creative Zen mp3 players I had been using prior. Despite how great it was, I disliked having to carry a flip-phone in one pocket and an iPod in the other. One of them had to go.
Technology as Destroyer of Mankind?  The more I see and hear artificial intelligence discussed in a future context, the more I hear echoes of the biblical story of the great flood. Some use this account to dismiss the God of the Bible, Elohim, because it seems so extreme. Many are quick to throw accusations at Elohim such as how could a good god allow pain and suffering in the world or how could a good god allow mass genocide by wiping out mankind with a flood. This flood accusation I find particularly interesting, because the more we start to discuss the future power of artificial intelligence (AI), the more relevant it becomes.
CFO Departures Are…Odd  It’s interesting that Tesla’s CFO had an abrupt departure from the company just before the quarterly earnings were announced.
More than any other function within a company, the Accounting and Finance group has accountability to the board of directors. The CFO is hired by the CEO and reports to him, but he works for the board of directors as well. As such, the accountants have a fiduciary responsibility to adhere to generally accepted accounting principles whether the CEO agrees with them or not. |
Robert PerezManufacturing and distribution analysis since 1993. 
Perezonomics is available in Apple News
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