Tech

The Tim Cook Apple iPad prediction that's looking increasingly blurry – CNBC

Published

5 years ago

March 25, 2020

Harry Miller

Apple’s new iPad Pro 2020.

Apple

It would probably be wrong to argue semantics with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who said on a 2012 earnings conference call that combining a laptop and tablet was akin to converging a toaster and refrigerator — you’d wind up compromising both. But today, as the market for portable computers that possess features of both tablets and laptops takes off, Apple’s iPad is leading a pack that looks more like a winning compromise in a weakened tablet market.

Apple celebrated the iPad’s tenth birthday this year by virtually launching a new iPad Pro in March — like everyone else, Apple canceled its big media gatherings and has since also closed its retail stores due to the worsening coronavirus pandemic. The new iPad marks another step in the device’s march toward looking, feeling and behaving like a laptop. Over the past few years, this slow morph has helped the iPad gain significant share in a market where, overall, sales have been declining since their height in 2014. In its review this week, CNBC said the new iPad Pro “makes a tempting laptop replacement.”

According to Rick Kowalski, senior manager of industry analysis and business intelligence for the Consumer Technology Association, 2020 will bring a 5% drop in unit shipments of tablets in 2020, down from 39.5 million in 2019. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the launch of Apple’s seventh-generation entry-level iPad helped the firm grow its hold to 36.5% of the sector, up from 29.6% the previous year, according to research firm IDC. Lenovo, with 5.8% market share, was the only other brand that saw growth.

“Apple is bucking the trend with its iPad Pro. Outside of that, you don’t see much excitement about tablets,” says Lauren Guenveur, a senior research analyst on IDC’s devices and displays team. “With the iPad mini the only iPad that isn’t a detachable, the company is definitely skewing toward a pure detachable portfolio.”

Microsoft Surface and detachable devices

Detachables, also known as 2-in-1 devices, typically feature keyboards that unhook from their screens (some have a 360-degree hinge that allows the keyboard to be folded flat against the display). Because there is less space for components — essential hardware must fit somewhere in the display — historically the devices have had to compromise on design and computing power.

Because of this, you don’t see many 2-in-1 devices in the wild, and analysts say that with the exception of the Microsoft Surface, no one really has come up with a compelling model. Apple, with its stronghold over its own hardware, software and chips, might have an opportunity to do what it did with tablets the first time around and remake the 2-in-1 market, pulling share from mobile PCs that command the enterprise market.

“Apple has high hopes for the enterprise market. I suspect there will be an overlap with detachables and laptops,” Guenveur said. “Apple has the most loyal customers in the world — we’re talking like 95% loyalty — and it’s good at getting a person to buy one product and move them up the SKU level; you start with an iPhone, they get an iPad, then a MacBook.”

Laptops are the world’s choice for work, and machines running Windows dominate. But as Apple responds by beefing up the iPad’s processing power and evolves its design to make it more comfortable for the daily grind — typing, navigating screens by mouse and trackpad — it’s likely that the tablet-turned-detachable will continue to have a starring role in Apple’s lineup. It’s still anyone’s guess, though, how blurry the line becomes between iPads and MacBooks.

Apple declined to comment.

iPad Pro goes more pro

One thing is clear: Apple is catering to laptop PC users with its latest iPad offerings. In September 2019 the company announced iPadOS, its tablet-specific operating system that makes it more efficient to multitask, browse and use web-based apps like Google Docs. It also supports the use of a trackpad or mouse, both for its own keyboards and a host of ones made by third parties, which will make the iPad more appealing.

Jess Lee, COO of software developer community DEV, recently switched from a laptop to the iPad for better mobility when she travels. Much of what she uses the iPad for falls under productivity — web-conferencing colleagues or using it as a second monitor when she is using her laptop — but “as a full-time machine, it’s not fully comfortable,” she says. “It’s the nature of the iPad being smaller than a laptop.”

Bradley Chambers, a writer at tech news site 9to5Mac and IT director at Brainerd Baptist School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who oversees a stock of iPads used by administrators and students, says Apple has more work to do. “I want to see Apple move the iPad imparity with the Mac,” he says. “It’s one thing to spend 30 minutes on an iPad in a classroom, but if you think about knowledge workers outside of education, the ergonomics of the iPad aren’t great — not for eight hours. I want to see Apple evolve the use of the cursor with an iPad.”

The latest iPad Pro aims to tackle this problem with its new OS. Its new Magic Keyboard, which is backlit and fit with a trackpad and cursor support, attaches magnetically to the device — sort of suspending it in the air — and is adjustable up to 130 degrees. Apple also stated in a release that the iPad Pro’s new A12Z Bionic chip makes it “faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops.”

While that remains to be seen for most workers tied to less costly legacy laptops and desktops, there are some sectors where tablets sales — and presumably the detachables slowly phasing them out — continue to grow.

“iPads present imagery better, which is really important in our industry,” says Kristin Savilia, CEO of Joor, whose software digitizes the wholesale process for fashion, home and beauty brands and about 200,000 retailers. “Think about shopping from a consumer perspective. If you can see the details more beautifully, you’re more apt to buy that product. It’s the same in B2B, with 200,000 stores using this technology to decide whether or not a product makes sense in their store. To see it beautifully on the iPad matters and makes a difference.”

Joor has thousands of clients using its software on iPads in the field, but many of them return to the office to use its laptop version to crunch numbers and place orders. “It’s taking what each product is best at and making use for that,” Savilia said.

Until the productivity gains promised by the iPad Pro become widespread, the detachables market remains niche. Compounding this is the issue of bundling and price. While the largest iPad Pro with a 12.9-inch display starts at $999, adding in the Wi-Fi plus cellular version — which you’ll want with new 5G networks, according to analysts — makes it $1,149. You also pay $349 if you want Apple’s new keyboard (although tablets accessories company Brydge sells a comparable one for $230) and $129 for the Apple Pencil.

“The iPad Pro looks more toward productivity rather than just pure consumption,” says David McQueen, research director at ABI Research. Given the accessories ecosystem you have to invest in to make the iPad Pro the best workhorse, “it can be quite pricey,” he says.

Apple might find a wider market for the iPad if it bundled accessories like Apple Pencil and the new keyboard with touchpad, but the accessories deliver high profit margins.

Apple’s iPad vs. Google Chromebook in schools

Apple does offer discounted pricing for students, teachers and school administrators, and there’s room for a detachable iPad in the U.S. education market, where Google Chromebooks have dominated since 2014 due to their low cost and ease of deployment.

“If your main goal is to be a Google Docs client, then Chromebooks is a perfect suite for school,” says Chambers of tech news site 9to5Mac, whose school just finished a four-year stint using the iPad Air. He’s rolling out the new seventh-generation iPad in the fall. “But for anything past that, the iPad is a better device with its wide variety of apps and better support.”

According to market research firm Futuresource Consulting, Chromebooks accounted for 59.9% of mobile devices shipped to K–12 classrooms in 2019, up from 58.1% in 2017. Windows devices grew from 21.7% to 22.5% over the same period. While consumer familiarity with Apple’s ecosystem and its strong proposition on data privacy issues bodes well for the iPad maker here, iPad share fell from 14.8% to 13.8%. Mac laptops currently hold 3.4% of the sector.

“In terms of the evolution of computing battles in the future, we expect Microsoft and Google to push hard on 2-in-1 devices, designed specifically for education at increasingly aggressive sub-$300 price points,” says Michael Boreham, a senior consultant at Futuresource. “Many in the industry believe the 2-in-1 format to be ideal for education, with tactile touch suited for some applications, while a keyboard is typically required for more traditional tasks. How Apple will respond to this trend will be interesting to watch.”

Waiting for Apple to respond to, and eventually dominate, mobile technology sectors has become a national pastime. While shipments for tablets overall continue to decline, analysts are still bullish on the iPad for at least the next few years, given Apple’s focus on its application for work and as a superior device on which to push out new content and services. Its tipping point, they say, will come when it more directly collides with the MacBook.

“The iPad still has a place in Apple’s portfolio even with the MacBook, although it will never reach the sort of heights of the smartphone,” McQueen said. He notes the prospect of a smartphone-tablet device with a foldable screen, which could come soon. “Even if people don’t upgrade as much as they used to, Apple’s ecosystem is still huge,” he said.

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Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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