By John Moltz
October 25, 2024 2:00 PM PT
This Week in Apple: Tune in next week
This week we get to know Tim Cook (did you know, for instance, that he is CEO at Apple Inc.?) and get a gut check on Apple’s AI position. Ultimately, however, we’re just biding time until next week.
Tim time
The Wall Street Journal got up close and personal with Tim Cook last weekend, getting all the dirty deets you want from the top dog at Apple. For instance:
The first thing Tim Cook does when he wakes up is check his iPhone.
No way! That’s what I do! Then I pull the covers up over my head and try to WISH IT WOULD ALL GO AWAY for an hour but ultimately give up and crawl reluctantly out of bed. Does he do that part, too?
Of course not! Cook checks emails and does work. Then he exercises. Also, Cook does this all of this like three hours before I even think about waking up. I’m saying there’s a reason he’s CEO of Apple and I’m not. (I’m guessing some kind of nepotism.)
Other details you will find in this creampuff of a piece: Cook also likes Diet Mountain Dew (but is above commanding his underlings to stock it at Apple) and only recently tried out naming a Messages thread, at the suggestion of the reporter.
The next time we meet, Cook proudly reports that he’s named the group chat with his college roommates: Roommates.
Nailed it.
Better late, then never
According to Mark Gurman, some at Apple believe the company is as much as two years behind on AI.
For example, internal studies at Apple reportedly show that OpenAI’s ChatGPT is 25% more accurate than the new Siri and can answer 30% more questions.
The good news for Apple is consumers really don’t care.
“With Apple Intelligence on the Horizon, a Quarter of Smartphone Owners Are Unimpressed by AI”
According to a YouGov survey, most consumers would rather have more battery life. Complaints about AI include it not being helpful (25 percent), not wanting to pay a subscription fee for it (45 percent), and privacy concerns (34 percent). One guy said AI “smelled funny” but I think that result was tossed as an outlier.
It wouldn’t be the first time Apple was behind on a technology and it didn’t end up mattering at all. Maps, for example, was a bit of a disaster on launch and now manages to get most people who use it where they’re going, with very few instances of people driving into ravines.
And it barely smells at all.
Big week
Rest up this weekend, because if the rumors are true then next week will be huge. But before we get all excited, let’s just see who’s spreading these rumors.
“Apple confirms ‘exciting week of announcements’ for Mac starting on Monday”
Hmm. Apple, you say. Still seems sketchy to me.
But if you put your money on Apple throwing an in-person event next week, looks like you’re out $5 (NO REFUNDS). The only event that Apple looks to be throwing is one for a select group of “media/creators”. I’m not sure if that’s “media and creators” or “media creators” or “media divided by creators”, the math of which I cannot do.
It’s unclear exactly how the company will stage this out but we are expecting to see new M4-based MacBook Pros, iMacs and a redesigned Mac mini.
The really big news, though, is the little things. According to Mark Gurman and the laws of common courtesy, Apple will finally (FINALLY!) be updating the Magic Keyboard, Mouse, and Trackpad, finally (FINALLY!) ditching the Lightning port for USB-C.
Which can only mean that USB-D is right around the corner.
[John Moltz is a Six Colors contributor. You can find him on Mastodon at Mastodon.social/@moltz and he sells items with references you might get on Cotton Bureau.]