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Prepare for Insanity
Apple is about to blow our socks off (hopefully)
Good morning! āļø *Tim Cook voice*
Why WWDC 2023 might be the best ever, intriguing iPhone 16 leaks, surprise Macs incoming, Reddit selling out, and more.
Estimated reading time: 4.5 minutes
š Poll
Last week, I asked how much iPhone storage you need..
Close call! Iām personally in the 256GB camp
Here were some of my favorite replies:
1TB - āI need all my photos and videos 100% on device. Over 8k items and many of them videos (4k60). Plus itās good to have at least 50% free space, so we need a 2TB iPhone asap!ā Why not get the 2TB iCloud plan?
128GB - āMost of my storage is used for downloading music to play when out of cell service on road trips. I have all my files & photos on iCloudā This is also where the majority of my internal storage goes.
128GB - āWith services like iCloud, I prefer to keep my data stored elsewhere. This way, I can have a lower priced iPhone and keep my data in case of loss or theft. Also, iCloud+ is a must with HomeKit Secure Video.ā Iām with ya there, imagine losing your phone and all of your photos/videos are now also lost..
256GB - āIām kicking it old school. I still prefer manually adding music I own from iTunes to my phone. Streaming services and their licensing issues, exclusive releases, and contracts with labels/artists are a non-factor this way.ā This gave me instant nostalgia of the Limewire/iTunes days š
This week: What are you most excited for at WWDC? And why?
What are you most excited for? |
š¦ WWDC 2023 Might Make History
Appleās Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is where Apple shows off their new software & prepares developers for the future of building.
Itās uncommon for them to unveil any hardware at these events, but it is rare for Apple to unveil more than 2 new products alongside the new software.
As a matter of fact, itās only happened twice in the past 10 years, in 2017 and 2013.
But next week, history could be made!
What Hardware is Expected?
Apple AR/VR Headset
15ā MacBook Air with M2 chip
āSeveral new Macsā
That last bullet point is key. Gurman has not only said to expect āseveralā new Macs at WWDC, but he also just recently said that Apple is testing new high-end Macs with M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips.
Does this mean a new Mac Studio or new Mac Pro?
My bet is on a new Mac Studio, as Iām not convinced that a Mac Pro is ever coming at this pointā¦
Now if we do get the headset, along with a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro - that is 5 products!
That would be the most (aside from 2017) in 10+ years!
What do you think - will it actually happen? Cast your prediction below!
How many products will get announced? |
Oh, and Gurman also said this: āWith all of the new hardware and software, I expect the keynote to be one of Appleās longest ever and easily exceed two hours.ā
So if you want your 2+ hours to be infinitely more enjoyable, join my live stream on YouTube on June 5th! We know how to have a great time.
š„½ Biggest Headset Leak Yet - Itās Insane
Just when I was getting sick & tired of hearing about this damn Apple headset, the specs leaked. And now Iām intrigued again.. even more-so than before! Hereās why:
Micro OLED screen technology (OLED on SIlicon)
1.41-inch display (measured diagonally)
4000 pixels per inch
4K in each eye
More than 5000 nits of brightness
Not only is the PPI infinitely higher than what is seen on the ācompetitorsā aka Meta Quest Pro and Sony PSVR 2, but that peak brightness of 5000 nits is absolutely bonkers! Hereās the comparison:
Meta Quest 2 = 100 nits
PSVR2 = 265 nits
Apple Headset = 5000 nits
That is just pure domination. No competition when it comes to display quality and brightness, and thatās likely why Apple will be charging around $3,000 for the headset.
ā¦But There are Challenges
The Information reports that Apple's mixed-reality headset will be the most complicated hardware product ever made by the company, due to the unusual design that has led to unprecedented manufacturing challenges.
The headset reportedly features an "unconventional curved design, thinness, and ultralight weight"
The renders seen by The Information show a āpiece of curved glass with edges wrapped in a smooth aluminum frame that appears to be slightly thicker than an iPhone"
The thin profile requires users who wear glasses to buy prescription lenses that magnetically clip into the headset
Apple had to develop a first-of-its-kind bent motherboard to fit inside of the headset's curved outer shell
Carbon fiber is used inside the headset to reinforce the structure without adding additional weight
A small dial is located above the right eye, allowing users to transition between augmented and virtual reality, and a power button is located above the left eye.
A round connector that looks similar to an Apple Watch charger attaches to the headset's left temple and runs down via a cable to a waist-mounted battery pack.
The headset's headband is primarily made of a soft material and attached to two short, hard temples which also contain the left and right speakers.
A soft, removable cover attaches to the back of the headset for comfort against the wearer's face.
Apple is said to have debated adding additional eye-tracking cameras or further adjustments to the motorized lenses to accommodate more face shapes.
So, both the display specs and the design specs seem insane! Now we just need to see how Apple positions this for the average consumer who doesnāt plan to game with the headset.
Because Iām not paying $3,000 to game on a headset. Ok, Iāll still get it since I have to make videos on it, but you know what I mean. If I werenāt a tech reviewer, this would be a no-go if gaming was the main selling point.
š¦ iPhone 16 to be Biggest iPhone Yet
The iPhone 15 isnāt even here yet but weāre already discussing iPhone 16. Typical š¤£.
Anyways, the reason itās being brought up is because we are now hearing that it will not only be the largest iPhone yet, but the aspect ratio will also be changing, according to [nearly 100% accurate] analyst Ross Young.
The iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a taller aspect ratio of 19.6:9 (compared to 19.5:9 on the 14 series)
āiPhone 16ā Pro display size: 6.27ā (vs 6.12ā on 14)
iPhone 16ā Pro Max display size: 6.86ā (vs 6.69ā on 14)
And for the iPhone 17 models in 2025..
iPhoneā 17 and ā17 Plus will receive the larger 6.27ā and 6.86ā displays
They will also have LTPO panels to support ProMotion for variable refresh rates up to 120Hz
So if youāre a fan of the base model iPhones, 2025 is looking like the perfect time to upgrade without needing to spend more on a āProā device.
Keep this in mind, iPhone 13/14 owners!
āļø First Twitter, Now Reddit :(
Sad Reddit
If we learned 3 things from Elon Muskās decision to shut off Twitterās free API access, itās that: applications break, users abandon the platform, and some developerās lose their primary income.
Now itās happening with Reddit. And my favorite 3rd-party social media app of all time - Apollo - might be forced to shut down.
That is, unless they want to pay $20 million per year, just for access to Redditās API to keep the app working.
Hereās what the developer said in a thread on Reddit a couple days ago:
I'll cut to the chase: 50 million requests costs $12,000, a figure far more than I ever could have imagined.
Apollo made 7 billion requests last month, which would put it at about 1.7 million dollars per month, or 20 million US dollars per year.
Even if I only kept subscription users, the average Apollo user uses 344 requests per day, which would cost $2.50 per month, which is over double what the subscription currently costs, so I'd be in the red every month.
I'm deeply disappointed in this price. Reddit iterated that the price would be A) reasonable and based in reality, and B) they would not operate like Twitter. Twitter's pricing was publicly ridiculed for its obscene price of $42,000 for 50 million tweets. Reddit's is still $12,000.
For reference, I pay Imgur (a site similar to Reddit in user base and media) $166 for the same 50 million API calls.
For Apollo, the average user uses 344 requests daily, or 10.6K monthly. With the proposed API pricing, the average user in Apollo would cost $2.50, which is is 20x higher than a generous estimate of what each users brings Reddit in revenue.
While Reddit has been communicative and civil throughout this process with half a dozen phone calls back and forth that I thought went really well, I don't see how this pricing is anything based in reality or remotely reasonable.
I hope it goes without saying that I don't have that kind of money.
This is going to require some thinking. I asked Reddit if they were flexible on this pricing or not, and they stated that it's their understanding that no, this will be the pricing, and I'm free to post the details of the call if I wish.
Redditās decision to monetize its API comes just months before Reddit is expected to file for an IPO. The company currently only makes money via advertising, so making developers pay for access to its API could will certainly make its IPO more attractive to investors.
However, what they arenāt accounting for, is how many users will abandon Reddit altogether. Iām personally such a big fan of Apollo that if it were to shut down, I would visit Reddit far less often. And I know Iām not alone, just look at the Reddit thread.
Letās hope Reddit doesnāt sell out because of their upcoming IPO and they have some humility and flexibility with the largest Reddit client out there.
š¤ App Store Generated $1 Trillion in 2022
Apple just reported on Wednesday that in 2022, App Store developers generated more than $1 trillion in billings & sales!
Billings = app purchases, in-app purchases & subscriptions
Sales = goods & services
Hereās the breakdown:
$910 billion from sales of physical goods & services that happened outside of the āApp Storeā
$109 billion from in-app advertising
$104 billion from digital goods & services
And hereās the breakdown by category:
|
Apple emphasizes that 90+% of billings and sales were accrued solely to developers, without any commission paid to Apple.
š° Quick News Bites
Apple Planning 53 New or Revamped Apple Store Locations Through 2027
Apple Says Thunderbolt Display and Original iPad Air Now Obsolete
VR Rhythm Game 'Beat Saber' Could Be Available for Apple's AR/VR Headset
āI just got scammed at the Verizon store and my bill is $600ā: Customer warns of free Apple Watch deal
Appleās $50 million butterfly keyboard lawsuit gets final approval; payouts to begin soon
Crash Detection feature & Apple Watch alert police to fatal car crash
š«¶ Reader Love
I want some tea now. Thank you guys so much!
š much appreciated!
Understandable. Iāll try to differentiate topics more so there isnāt as much overlap
Until next week, āļø
- Brandon
PS: Iām not making a dime from this newsletter, so if you would like to support directly, you can do so here!
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