Sunday, December 8, 2024
Archived Post

News round-up: Apple’s HomePod drops into the ‘others’ list in smart speaker market (and more)

Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.

Smart speaker market share data from Canalys shows China reached 10.6 million units by growing nearly 500% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019, overacting the U.S. as the top smart speaker market. And the report puts Apple and the HomePod into the “Other” category for sales.

According to blogger Ken Segall, Steve Jobs proposed an Apple credit card back in 2004. He says purchases would have earned “iPoints,” which could be redeemed for your favorite music on iTunes. It never happened under Jobs’ oversight; however, the Apple Card will finally arrive sometime this summer.

The United States Justice Department is “leaning against” approving the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, according to Bloomberg

As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple Stores will soon offer a new Today at Apple Photo Lab with a focus on portraits. The lab is the latest in a series of special in-store sessions designed with iconic voices in the creative community, the first being photographer Christopher Anderson.

Apple has released the second developer beta of iOS 12.4. Registered developers can download the beta via Apple’s developer portal. Or it can be downloaded over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center. 

Apple shares traded sharply lower in pre-market trading Monday after analysts at HSBC cut their price target on the tech giant amid concerns that potential tariffs on imports from China could force it to pass on increased iPhone costs to U.S. consumers.

You might know Charlotte Henry from her articles on The Mac Observer, or from her appearances on The Daily Observations Podcast. However, on the latest MacVoices, she takes on the show’s “5 Questions” format, addressing how she gathers information, some of the tools she uses, what her preferred networks are, the part music plays in her life, and more.

 

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.