,​So Google debuted their new Pixel phone this week and the tech press has exploded with articles written about how this may impact Apple. That’s ridiculous. While this may impact Apple somewhat in the future, everyone is ignoring the fact that it’s going head-to-head with Samsung’s Galaxy line first and foremost. Sure, they took shots at Apple's iPhone on stage. But that was just a smoke screen intended for the Android hardware makers who would be watching.

​In the business world all processes and routines are geared towards maximum efficiency. If the people involved can’t master those routines, the people are replaced, not the routines. Corporations have little choice because the business world is a competition where the least efficient teams are eliminated. But the real world isn’t always like that. 

​There were some juicy morsels leaked this week that hinted at Apple being interested in a buyout of McLaren. Wow. I don’t think Apple getting into automotive is a very attractive proposition and even I was excited at the thought of Apple owning McLaren. TechCrunch had an interesting take that Apple is probably after a specific division within McLaren that specializes in real world applications for all their technological break throughs. MAT, or McLaren Applied Technologies.

​While I was working with NASA I had the opportunity to rub shoulders with a lot of bone fide rocket scientists. These engineers at Stennis Space Center were researching next generation engines for the space shuttle and the design was limited by the technology of the day. In a nutshell, we were limited by what we could do because of heat. As we experimented with various fuels and component metal alloys one inevitable thing always happened as we pushed the envelope. The engine at some point would start to burn up it’s own internal components as fuel. But as technology advancements were made in creating alloys or fuel that line got moved back and the design could change.

​Being an iPhone owner comes with a lot of advantages over owning an Android phone. But one of the biggest advantages comes as a surprise to most Apple fans. A critical press. 

​Apple should have included wireless headphones with the sale of every iPhone 7. That part I’m convinced of. If wireless is the future I find it odd that every one received wired headphones and an adapter to continue using their old wired headphones. The question is at what cost could they have went wireless or how could they have done it? 

​The TechWithMatthew YouTube channel just uploaded their Apple Watch Series 0 vs Series 2 speed test and the results were kind of surprising. For the most part, there doesn’t appear to be a dramatic speed boost from gaining the faster S2 chip. This speed test was conducted right after a cold reboot so the memory caching shouldn’t be impacting the results too much. This test should be reflecting how quickly the chips are able to process actions.

​There are two kinds of tech consumers. Those who appreciate the cumulative "patina" of daily life and those who prefer the brand new look. I definitely fall into the latter group who desires perfection. Like the dazzling white of newly fallen snow, I love unblemished examples like new cars with their perfect paint or an iPhone screen without any scratches. 

So within a month of my writing that Apple would welcome a head-to-head battle with Samsung fought on the grounds of product design and material quality, Samsung phones literally start spontaneously exploding. I didn’t expect to have confirmation so soon. And for Samsung's recall to happen during the iPhone 7’s launch week sounds like one of those unbelievable plot twists in a TV show.  

​I’m a financial analyst. I’m the guy who typically counsels companies to take the more profitable road. But even I think Apple should have included a pair of AirPods with the sale of every iPhone 7. 

​Rumors are starting to circulate that Apple may actually be about to update the MacBook Air line of laptops. On the surface, this is surprising, because with the introduction of the new Retina-screen MacBook you’d be forgiven for asking, “Why update the Air?”

​Does Tim Cook deserve bravery credits for his “green” initiatives? Apple isn’t shy about advertising their commitment to renewable energy and recycling. Without a doubt, you probably can’t attach a specific ROI on these initiatives, and they are going to have some kind of measurable impact on the income statement. And yet, I don’t give Apple any points for bravery, because I’d make the case that these green initiatives are actually helping Apple sell more iPhones. It’s a net positive and not a cash drain. 

Most companies will invade your privacy to the extent that they think they can get away with it. I know, because as a senior financial analyst with various Fortune-500–level companies I had top-level access to customer data in order to research various sales and customer trends. We used this data when evaluating where to invest capital and marketing expenditures.

Well, isn’t this rich? In 2013 Apple introduced the iPhone 5s with the never-before-seen in a mobile phone 64-bit processor. The Android world was quick to label this “marketing fluff” that wouldn’t make a bit of difference in a phone using less than 4 GB of RAM. They accused Apple of resorting to desperate marketing gimmicks. Never mind that non-biased web sites like Anandtech predicted that there would be a significant performance benefit simply from implementing the ARMv8 instruction set.

So now, three years later Google is ready to release Android 7.0 Nougat to all qualifying phones. Except, it’s looking like only phones running 64-bit chips are invited to the party. It appears that running the latest ARMv8 instruction set has a whole slew of benefits to both performance and security that have nothing to do with managing memory. So much so that if your phone isn’t on a 64-bit chip Google refuses to upgrade your phones operating system.
 
In the Android world ARMv8 just went from “marketing fluff” to mandatory.  The same Apple critics called 3D Touch marketing fluff too. Meanwhile you know that the only reason Android phones don’t have it is because they haven’t gotten it sorted out yet. 

​Anyone who thinks that the Apple Watch doesn’t need cellular connectivity built-in because they don’t want to pay for another data plan or because the screen is too small to be useful misunderstands the whole purpose of the Apple Watch.

​So it’s happened again. Samsung released a brand new phone to critical acclaim, only to find last year’s iPhone can still kick dust in its face.

​Target reported disappointing Q2 results a week ago and put part of the blame on disappointing iPhone and iPad sales. Right off the bat, this looks suspicious.
 
First, Target’s electronics sector in general was down by double digits. Apple products make up only one third of electronics. By virtue of the fact that iPhones cost a whole lot more than alarm clocks and headphones, it makes sense that Apple products would be a large part of the overall electronics decrease. But even so, two thirds of the decrease in electronics had nothing to do with Apple. 

Something doesn’t smell right when it comes to explaining Samsung’s profitability improvements in their latest quarter. What Samsung is saying versus what they are rumored to be doing seem to contradict each other. However, after some thought, I think I can reconcile this paradox and explain why they’re not contradictory.
​

This month we’ve seen two magazine spreads on Apple executive management. That alone might be significant if we were discussing any other Fortune 500 company.

Fast Company – Eddy Cue And Craig Federighi Open Up About Learning From Apple’s Failures
The Washington Post - Tim Cook, the interview: Running Apple ‘is sort of a lonely job’

But Apple hasn’t been like any other Fortune 500 company when it comes to media relations. They’ve avoided the spotlight at all costs. So for long-time Apple watchers, this is highly unusual.

​There has been an idea floating around in the tech world that perhaps someday innovations in software would render hardware irrelevant. That people would come to see cross-platform applications from Facebook or Amazon as threats to Apple’s own ecosystem thereby devaluing the importance of hardware. 

​If there’s one Apple product that really impresses my Android friends when they come over for a visit, it’s my Apple TV. Using Siri to bypass the interface to find anything in my library or meticulously scrub video is an impressive feat.  And the way that my iPhone or iPad becomes a seamless outgrowth of the Apple TV to play games or throw up my videos is way cool.

​As of today, nobody outside of Apple knows what they are going to name the next iPhone. And yet, everyone in the press seems to be referring to it as the iPhone 7. I don’t understand why that is. 

Tim Cook was interviewed by The Washington Post this week in which he described himself as a “non-traditional” CEO. But you could have fooled me. If you judge Tim by his actions versus his words, he appears to be doing quite well as a traditional CEO. 

Writing for The Verge Thomas Ricker says that Apple should offer wireless earbuds with their new iPhones since you can get a decent pair for $29. I thought that was humorous since Apple should be able to spend significantly more than that without experiencing any margin deterioration. 

​I’ve been noodling for a while how to articulate the importance of Apple’s 3D touch and made a weak plea earlier for Apple to not water it down. I still believe that equating 3D Touch with a long press would be a big mistake and selling touch language short.