Happy Hour Podcast 118 | Disappearing Apple Watch apps, Siri Speaker at WWDC, and AAPL earnings
This week Benjamin and Zac discuss the state of watchOS software and disappearing Apple Watch apps, the rumored Siri Speaker possibility expected at WWDC, a wild iPhone 8 launch claim, and Apple’s latest quarterly earnings results. 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
9to5Toys Lunch Break: iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case $70, Synology 2-Bay NAS $140, Heroes & Castles for iOS $1, more
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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case in multiple colors: $70 (Reg. $99)
Daily Deals: Synology DiskStation 2-bay Network Storage (NAS) $140, Sony Streaming 4K Blu-ray Player $75, more
Today’s Best iOS & Mac Game/App Deals: Heroes and Castles $1, Block Fortress $1, more
JVC 6.8-inch Apple CarPlay + Android Auto In-Dash Receiver $450 (Reg. $600)
Apple 15-inch 512GB MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar $399 off
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 256GB now $279 off
Apple iPhone 6s (manufacturer refurb): 16GB $280, 64GB $340, more
Caterzillar iOS platformer gets very first price drop: $1 (Reg. $3)
- Block Fortress titles for iOS hit lowest price in years: $1 ea
- App Store Free App of the Week: Zip-Zap iOS puzzler goes free for very first time (Reg. up to $2)
- Brothers A Tale of Two Sons for iOS drops to just $3
- Star Wars iMessage Stickers for iOS now 50% off
10 reasons why the Panasonic Lumix GH5 might be my next camera [Video]
9to5Rewards: Spiderlight Backpacker Kit for DSLR, GoPro and more! [Giveaway]
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
Smartphone Accessories: Top Greener Dual USB Charger Outlet $15, more
- Hisense 50-inch 4K Smart UHDTV w/ 4 HDMI ports (refurb) for $322
- AirBuddy is the “smallest and lightest” diving gear on the market
- Amazon has you covered w/ $1 HD rentals: Rounders, Lions for Lambs, more
- Today’s Best Game Deals: Resident Evil Origins $15, Xbox Controller Charger $20, more
- Google Home + Philips Hue White & Color Lighting Kit $258 ($314 value)
- NES Classic Controller by Hyperkin hits Amazon all-time low: $8
- Lenovo N22 11.6-inch 4GB Chromebook w/ 802.11ac Wi-Fi: $128 (Orig. $199)
- Get a BJ’s Wholesale Club 90-day trial membership for free
- LEGO Architecture Studio Playset now $108 at Amazon (Reg. $150)
- Up to 40% off jewelry at Amazon, today only: Alexa and Ani, Kate Spade, more
- Black Mountain 3000-Pound Rated Dip Station $32, more
- Braun’s best-selling Wet/Dry Cordless Electric Hair Remover $71
- Momo smart hub sports facial recognition and works with Hue, Nest, more
NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:
GE Sol smart lamp coming this fall with HomeKit and Alexa support
Aero is the portable eBike that folds in 3 seconds, has a 45 mile range
Battle Bay for iOS/Android from the makers of Angry Birds available now
- Loewe bild 9 OLED 4K UHDTV combines mid-century design, high-end tech
- Tregren T-series is the “true” smart garden for your kitchen
- Target launches World of Inspiration Collection in time for Summer
- Acer’s newest 32-inch 4K display is definitely built for professionals
- DJI sees new competitors: Bolt Drone w/ VR hits Kickstarter under $175
- Monoprice unveils Strata Home: affordable Sous Vide cookers, robo vacs and more
- Dreamscreen adds reactive backlighting to your 4K TV and home theater setup
- Zara’s New Beach and Picnic Collection is full of color
- Dreamscreen adds reactive backlighting to your 4K TV and home theater setup
- WaterField drops new Bolt waxed canvas/leather Microsoft Surface bag
- Kobo Aura H20 is a waterproof eReader perfect for days at the beach
- BatteryPro charges your Apple Watch & iPhone on-the-go, save 20% on pre-orders
- Amazon’s Comixology Unlimited service now includes Marvel comics
- LG intros new 43-inch 4K FreeSync display that supports four sources at once
- Watch out HomeKit, Nodez is an affordable smart home solution with Alexa support
- Vive VR Audio Strap add-on from HTC gets official release date
- Outlaw Tracker is a limited edition Porsche-inspired eBike with killer looks
- KUMIITA is a robot that can teach your child programming
- ALL-Controller supports your Xbox One, PS4 and iOS/Android devices
- Lou Board is the ultimate electric skateboard, designed for power
- aGlass adds VR eye-tracking, graphics upgrades to HTC Vive
- Best Console Releases for May: Prey, Injustice 2, Fire Emblem, more
- Logitech’s new Universal Folio keyboard case fits all iPads and Android tablets
- Nintendo New 2DS XL handheld release date + more [Video]
MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:
Herman Miller 15% off sale delivers rare discounts, free shipping
Hootoo Shuttle USB-C Hub adds 3 USB-A ports & more to your MacBook for $30
Lexar microSD to Lightning Card Reader for iPhones $15 (Reg. $25)
Amazon Echo with new design and touchscreen reportedly revealed in leaked image
While Apple is rumored to announce a Siri Speaker at WWDC aimed as a high-end Echo competitor, Amazon is readying an Alexa device with a built-in display. In a leaked image, the new device is more monolithic, featuring a touchscreen and possibly a camera.
Warren Buffet not bothered by ‘a lot of people waiting’ for iPhone 8 [Video]
Warren Buffet isn’t shaken by Apple’s iPhone numbers from last quarter. Despite a slight dip in sales year-over-year, the billionaire investor says he believes $AAPL is priced appropriately to buy now and there are ‘a lot of people waiting’ to buy the next iPhone.
Could Apple buy Netflix or Tesla? Citigroup thinks so
Analysts often dream about spending Apple’s growing cash pile by listing which company’s Apple could acquire, and this week Apple’s cash reserves climbed past a quarter trillion dollars at $256.8 billion. In response, Citigroup analyst Jim Suva has listed both Netflix and Tesla as takeover targets for Apple…
The average smartphone user spends 2h 15m a day using apps – how about you? [Poll]
Data from App Annie shows that the average smartphone owner spends 2 hours and 15 minutes a day using apps – the equivalent of one month a year. The average person has 60-90 apps installed on their phone, using around 30 of them each month and launching 9 per day.
Utilities and Tools led the way thanks to numerous pre-installed apps, such as Safari on iOS and Google on Android. After pre-installed apps, some of the largest categories by average apps used are Social Networking, Communication, and Social. This underscores the continued importance of social categories to marketing efforts for all types of apps.
The time spent using apps varied dramatically depending on the type of app …
Windows backdoor malware disguises itself as Adobe Flash on macOS
A new piece of backdoor malware originally discovered on Windows has found a new home in macOS. Disguising itself as a legitimate Adobe Flash Player installer, the malware burrows into pre-existing macOS folders making it harder to spot. Having used a valid developer’s certificate, the malware was set to run free on macOS even with Gatekeeper enabled.
These certificates were created to help validate applications with Gatekeeper, but lately have been used to spread malicious software. This is the second reported malware incident in the past week using a valid certificate.
Amazon Prime Video app reportedly coming to Apple TV after rumored high-level talks
Amazon Prime members wanting to watch their included movies and TV shows on an Apple TV have so far had to rely on clunky workarounds, like AirPlaying the content from another Apple device. All that appears set to change as it’s reported that the Amazon Video app will be coming to Apple TV in the fall …
CIRP data illustrates the ‘pause’ in iPhone sales described by Tim Cook
The latest data on U.S. iPhone sales from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) illustrates the ‘pause’ in iPhone sales described by Apple CEO Tim Cook in the most recent earnings call. The company’s data indicates that the iPhone 6S/Plus accounts for the largest proportion of models owned, at 34%, with the original iPhone 6/Plus just behind at 33%. The Phone 7/S, in contrast, sits at 26%.
“Growth in the US installed has slowed considerably in the past year,” added Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP
While CIRP puts forward a number of possible explanations for this slowing growth, Cook blamed it primarily on one factor …
iPhone shipments in China fell 15% in Q1 2017 as local brands bite, but Samsung hit harder
iPhone shipments fell by 15% year-on-year in China during the first quarter of the the year according to Counterpoint Research data. Apple saw its market share in the country fall from 12.3% in Q1 2016 to 10.1% Q1 2017.
The main reason for the fall at a time when smartphone sales in China are still growing was far stronger competition from local brands …