Soul of Apple

Tag: tech

  • The Worrying Trend From Apple: Protect the iPhone.

    Apple Watch Independence

    A year ago, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman released a story about how a few years ago Apple was working to bring Apple Watch compatibility and the Health app to Android devices before ending the project so that the company could protect iPhone sales.

    I suspect Apple began working on this feature in 2018 and while we didn’t get- and still haven’t gotten- Android support, I suspect these development efforts did start to materialize with the introduction of the dedicated watchOS App Store app in watchOS 6 (2019), the introduction of Family Setup in watchOS 7 (2020) and was probably meant to be part of watchOS 8 (2021) before getting scrapped.

    watchOS 8 placed a pretty big focus on communication with the introduction of features like a redesigned Photos app to make it easier to view and share photos with others. The ability to share music with others in the Music app. A redesigned Home app to make it easier to control your smart home from just the Apple Watch. A new Contacts app to add new phone numbers to your contacts list. And Find My to locate your devices and friends.

    All of these are features you’d want to add if the goal was to make Apple Watch owners able to work independently if they couldn’t rely on having an iPhone.

    Did you take a photo on your Android and save it to iCloud? Now you can easily share or view on Apple Watch. Want to stream Apple Music without a phone at all, but share a really cool song you want a friend to know about? Share it from Watch. Did you meet someone new and want to swap numbers? Just open up the Contacts app and add away. Misplace your AirPods? Now you can find them with Find My on the Watch.

    But this isn’t what ended up happening. Instead we got the features, which is nice, but can more easily and reliably use iPhone to do them instead. And since you need an iPhone, there’s no reason to use your Watch.

    This is part of a troubling trend Apple has displayed over the past several years- both from an innovation and business perspective. The trend is Apple doing everything they can to protect and increase sales of iPhone, even if it comes at the expense of other Apple products.

    If we stick with Apple Watch for a moment, this approach means that the install base of Apple Watch can only ever be as big as the install base of the iPhone. So if iPhone sales ever stall or decline, all other Apple hardware and services growth potential, as a result, stall or decline as well.

    This creates a system where you need one specific Apple device (iPhone) in order to gain entry to the wider ecosystem, rather than creating a system where it doesn’t matter what Apple device you start with and using that to gain entry to the wider ecosystem.

    Echos of the Past: The “Post PC Era”

    In the early 2000s, we were in what Apple described as the “PC Era”, a world in which the personal computer (usually a desktop, but could be a laptop) was the center of users digital lives. Every new device or service Apple introduced relied on the use of a PC. iPod had to be synced, backed up, and purchases made on iTunes (which required a PC) had to be transferred via a wired connection. And when the iPhone rolled out, it worked the same way. It had to be managed from a PC. Even the iPad at launch had to be managed in this way. But starting in 2011 with the introduction of iCloud, Apple brought PC independence to their devices. You could buy an iPod, iPhone, or iPad and login with your Apple ID (now Apple Account) and get all your information right from the cloud. Commonplace today, but in 2011, a pretty bold idea. This independence from the PC helped to spur sales of iPhone and iPad and led to what Apple called the “post PC era”. Or as we can probably more accurately call it, the “mobile era”. The mobile device in your pocket had the same if not more importance as the PC did in the previous decades.

    What we are seeing now is an echo of the past. We are moving into what can be described as a “wearable era”. People want devices they can wear. Watches, rings, glasses, headsets, wireless earbuds, and these are just the most common devices right now. Some are more developed than others, but growth is expected in all these areas over the coming years. Apple is hold fast to the mobile era and requiring their mobile devices to be a gateway to the wearable technology, but many companies are bypassing Apple entirely and just building these devices to work independently of what phone you have. Over time, unless Apple changes, I worry they’re going to get shoved out of the “wearable era” because they’ll never allow their wearables to get good enough to replace the iPhone.

    I can extend the same argument to home devices like HomePod, which require an iPhone or iPad to setup and connect to the internet. As growth of smart home accessories increase, Apple risks missing out on big parts of the market by not supporting other platforms or taking a leap over the competition by not requiring a mobile platform to setup at all. AirTag requires an iPhone or iPad to setup and locate, it can’t be done on any other device or platform. I can even make this argument about Apple Vision Pro, despite Apple claiming Apple Vision Pro is a “fully independent computer”. It really isn’t since you need an iPhone or iPad with Face ID to scan your head and get a head band size. Some Apple device is required and specific models at that.

    The Loss of the Self-Canibalization Mantra

    Steve Jobs once said, “If you don’t cannibalize yourself, someone else will”. This idea is all over the early 2000’s products Apple put out. Howard H. Yu summarized this well in his 2016 essay, “Apple’s dwindling sales show importance of self-cannibalization”. He wrote, “In 2005, when the demand for the iPod Mini remained huge, the Nano was launched, effectively destroying the revenue stream of an existing product. And while iPod sales were still going through the roof, Jobs launched the iPhone which combined iPod, cell phone, and Internet access into a single device. Three years after the iPhone’s launch, iPad made its debut and raised the prospect of cutting into Mac desktop computer sales.”

    This mantra is no longer at Apple. Nothing is allowed to devour the sales of the iPhone. It’s the reason why Apple Watch, no matter how capable the hardware becomes or advanced the software gets, it’ll always have to play second fiddle to iPhone. It’s why users can’t even pair an Apple Watch to an iPad; protect the iPhone. It’s why Apple News Plus Audio Stories are only on iPhone. It’s why Apple backtracked on Apple Fitness Plus requiring an Apple Watch, so iPhone users could pay the subscription fee. It’s why things like AirPods pairing is seamless on iPhone but not on Mac. Or why AirTag setup isn’t allowed on a Mac. Originally, Apple Arcade titles had to be playable on all Apple devices, but after a year or so, they backtracked and allowed games to be iPhone only.

    Everything has to ship on iPhone to protect its revenue. Nothing can cannibalize the iPhone. When it was introduced in 2007, the iPhone changed the way Apple thought about their products. 18 years later, and it seems like the thinking is still the same.

    Addendum

    Since initially wiring this post, Apple has displayed another instance of this behavior. On February 4th, Apple introduced the Invites app. An iPhone only app that allows you to create and share an event invite to people via iCloud. This app does work on iPad, but in the classic ‘iPhone mode’. This trend is reminiscent of other recent Apple developed apps. The Sports app is iPhone only. Journal is iPhone only.

    Apple Music Classical initially launched iPhone only in March 2023 and was brought to iPad 8 months later and just 3 months ago was expanded to CarPlay and work with Siri. It continues to be unavailable on Watch, Apple TV, Vision, Mac, Android, and the web. All platforms that Apple Music is already available on.

    Some apps, even though they may be available on multiple platforms, don’t function the same. Audio Stories, a feature available to Apple News Plus subscribers, are only available on iPhone. Not iPad, Mac, Watch, or Vision. Fitness on iPhone has a suite of features including viewing your Activity ring history, trainer tips from the Apple Fitness Plus trainer team, and ring sharing activity. None of this available on any other platform.

    It goes to show not only a shift in the way Apple is trying to protect the iPhone, but a shift in the way Apple approaches app development. That anything other than iOS isn’t worth creating apps for. What kind of message does that send to the developers that Apple is trying to court to create visionOS apps when Apple themselves don’t see value in developing for it?

  • Apple Watch Series 10 Impressions

    Hey. It’s been a while. I’m happy to be back to share my initial impressions of this years new Apple Watch- Apple Watch Series 10.

    Let’s start by going over the thing Apple wants people to talk about, the bigger display sizes. If you remember, 10 years ago to the day, Apple announced the first generation Apple Watch with its 38mm and 42mm case sizes. Now Series 10 features massive 42mm and 46mm sizes with displays that absolutely dwarf the Series 3 and earlier models.

    Bigger displays are always great to have and on a device as small as Apple Watch, every pixel counts. But this a trick Apple has pulled before and with only moderate success. The bigger displays of Series 4 worked to drive upgrades, but we had a culmination of other features too. Like the ECG app, the powerful S4 SiP, the Taptic Crown, and the bigger screen. Apple last increased the screen size with the Series 7, but this model fails to drive upgrades as it was really just that- bigger screens. Some people (like myself) were interested in bigger screens and upgraded for that, but most didn’t. I think this is where the next part of Apple’s marketing comes into play…

    Apple Watch Series 10 is advertised as being 10% thinner than previous models. This should make the Series 10 more comfortable to wear and less obtrusive on your wrist.

    In this side-by-side, it certainly is thinner, but I don’t know if it’s substantial enough to be noticeable. At the scale of Apple Watch, 10% is 10% and I’ll take it, but I’m not sure it’s going to be obvious. Much like how the M4 iPad Pro is “the thinnest product has made” and that seems to not be driving sales of those devices. But the last time Apple made the Watch thinner was with Series 4. So if Apple is aiming to drive upgrades of Apple Watch, they seem to be emulating the strategy of the Series 4 by creating a new Apple Watch that is both bigger and thinner than before. We’ll have to see if this shakes out for Apple.

    As for me, I am happy to see Apple Watch become thinner and larger, but I feel like we’re hitting the maximum for how big of a device Watch can become. I have a pretty large wrist and wear a 45mm Series 9 currently and I’m hesitant to go much bigger. And extra 2mm might be all I can tolerate on my wrist before having to size down or stop upgrading entirely. I am excited to see Apple returning to a focus on product thinness though, this is a welcome return of the Ive philosophy of design.

    Next, let’s discuss the other hardware improvements. We have a redesigned speaker that is 30% smaller but supposedly retains the same acoustic performance of previous models and is now able to play any audio directly from the Watch- not just phone calls. Yes, my lifelong dream of playing music from my Watch without the need for AirPods is finally coming true! Not sure why this limited to Series 10, but I’m happy this functionality is available nonetheless.

    We also have out first instance of an Apple Watch Ultra feature migrating down the product lineup- the depth and water temperature sensors. This is not the first Apple Watch Ultra feature I expected to make its way into a lower end model, but I guess I’ll take it. Just like with Apple Watch Ultra, when doing a water workout, you can check your Apple Watch to see the water temperature and how deep you are. Keep in mind however, Apple Watch Series 10 does not have improved water resistance, so you can’d go diving with it like you can Ultra.

    Of all the features from the Ultra that could’ve migrated down, this wasn’t near the top of my list, but does suggest Apple is open to brining more features to the base model. Hopefully in the next year or two we can get a bigger battery, or dual frequency GPS, or maybe someday Apple’s growing suite of satellite connectivity features will appear in Watch.

    There is also a new focus on case finishes and materials that Apple hasn’t paid attention to since the Series 5. Aluminum comes in three colors. The classic and neutral silver color that Apple Watch users have come to love. A new rose gold color that hasn’t been seen since the Series 4 and looks quite nice, even if there is no color matched iPhone to pair it with. And, what I expect to be by far the most popular color, a polished and anodized jet black color that looks like it would pair perfectly with the jet black iPhone 7. It looks stunning in Apple’s marketing and if I pick up a Series 10, it’ll be this model.

    Stainless steel is out this year and in is titanium. Very exciting since this also hasn’t been used since the Series 5. The natural titanium looks nice, it will certainly pair well the natural titanium iPhone 15 and 16 Pro. There is a slate option as well which is deftly the darkest option here but doesn’t look black. It almost looks like a graphite color. And gold returns as well, and it looks very nice. Defiantly a gold that would look much more in place with the iPhone XS than our current iPhone colors, but gold is gold, some people love the color. I’d be much more upbeat with the titanium options if they were not polished (they almost look like stainless steel) and if the accompanying bands were also made of titanium and not stainless steel. It contributes to feel of Apple Watch as one product that is designed by one group of people and Apple Watch bands as another set of products designed by another group of people without the two ever communicating. I hope next year Apple develops the Apple Watch Series 11 as a complete package- one where the materials and design and colors all match and compliment each other by default.

    The only other hardware thing to note is that while we have the S10 SiP in this years Apple Watch, I don’t see anything to indicate that it is actually different than the S9 from last year. I expect that the differences are really limited to supporting the water depth/temperature sensors and the new display with no performance improvements to speak of. Disappointing, but unfortunately not unexpected.

    Finally, we actually have a new health feature this year! And one that is going to be more impactful than the temperature sensors. Using the improved accelerometer from both the S9 and S10, combined with the data Apple Watch tracks while you sleep, Apple claims they can detect sleep apnea. This could be pretty big if it works. It is interesting that Apple is using sleep tracking and accelerometer data to do this rather than the SPo2 sensor from the Series 6 onward, but considering it’s patent dispute with Masimo, it’s maybe not too surprising. Once that dispute is resolved, maybe sleep apnea detection will improve.

    This feature combined with the introduction of the Vitals app and Training Load in watchOS 11 (and combined with the other health related features Apple touted in the event itself) makes me think Apple is back to having some comprehensive health plan for the Apple Watch.

    So overall, that is Apple Watch Series 10. I’m overall pretty happy with what we have here. Bigger and thinner, a focus on the Watch fundamentals like design and materials is a welcome return to form. The features are light, but bigger than what we get most years. And the prices remain unchanged which I find to be very positive. I’m hoping I can get some hands on time with Series 10 later this month, and stay tuned for my watchOS 11 review.