MacRumors

Apple's HomePod hasn't ended up selling as well as the company was hoping, leading it to cut orders with suppliers, reports Bloomberg.

In late March, nearly two months after the HomePod first became available for purchase, Apple reportedly lowered its sales forecasts and dropped some orders with Inventec, the company responsible for manufacturing the HomePod. HomePod inventory in retail locations is said to be "piling up" with some stores selling "fewer than 10 HomePods a day."

Early analyst estimates based on strong pre-orders and initial sales figures suggested the HomePod would sell well and capture a solid portion of the smart speaker market, but Apple hasn't managed to maintain sales momentum.

During the HomePod's first 10 weeks of sales, it eked out 10 percent of the smart speaker market, compared with 73 percent for Amazon's Echo devices and 14 percent for the Google Home, according to Slice Intelligence. Three weeks after the launch, weekly HomePod sales slipped to about 4 percent of the smart speaker category on average, the market research firm says.

Apple charges $349 for the HomePod, making the device more expensive than competing smart speakers from Amazon and other companies. Apple put a lot of effort into promoting the HomePod's superior sound quality, but its high price tag, its lack of connectivity with non-Apple devices, and its inability to work natively with music services other than Apple Music have likely hurt its sales.

As Bloomberg points out, the HomePod's February launch was delayed from an initial promised December launch, causing Apple to miss out on key holiday sales.

HomePod also continues to lack promised features like stereo pairing to pair two HomePods together and AirPlay 2 support for controlling the music on multiple HomePods located in different rooms of the house. There are hints of this functionality in iOS 11.4, so these options could be coming soon, but HomePod owners and prospective buyers are likely disappointed with the months-long wait for basic features.

Apple isn't likely planning to give up on the HomePod despite its lackluster sales because it's part of an audio accessory lineup that includes the AirPods and the upcoming rumored high-end over-ear headphones.

Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster in February said he expects sales to pick up later in the year. He predicts Apple will sell a total of 7 million HomePods in 2018, with that number set to grow to 10.9 million in 2019.

Apple appears to have recently updated Siri on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and HomePod with a slew of new jokes to tell. Based on reports on Twitter and from MacRumors readers, the new jokes started rolling out earlier this month.

When you ask Siri a question like "tell me a joke" on an iOS device, Mac, or the HomePod, Siri has dozens of fresh responses to share with you.

• "What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef."
• "One night, I paid $20 to see Prince. But I partied like it was $19.99."
• "I taught a wolf to meditate. Now he's Aware Wolf."
• "What do you call a labrador that becomes a magician? A labracadabrador."
• "What do you call a talking dinosaur? Thesaurus."
• "What do cats like to eat for breakfast? Mice Krispies."

With the humorous new additions, Siri's joke repertoire has expanded significantly, and you need to ask for jokes several times before hearing a repeat. Siri also appears to have new knock knock jokes, accessible by asking Siri "knock knock."

Apple updates Siri on a regular basis with new content in an effort to instill the personal assistant with personality and expanded capabilities. In February of 2017, for example, Siri promoted the LEGO Batman Movie with a series of funny responses to the query "Hey Computer," and when Pokémon Go was released, Siri was updated with several Pokémon-related responses.

Siri is often criticized for shortcomings in comparison to AI-based offerings from competing companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, which is said to be due to Apple's heavy focus on protecting user privacy.

Apple is aiming to make major improvements to Siri, however, and has recently hired former Google AI chief John Giannandrea and the team from Init.ai, a customer service startup focused on creating AI with natural language processing.

Apple today reminded developers about upcoming changes being made to the Mac App Store. Starting on June 1, all new app updates submitted to the Mac App Store must support 64-bit.

Apple already requires new apps submitted to the Mac App Store to offer 64-bit support, a change that went into effect in January of 2018, so this upcoming policy shift will only affect older apps that have not yet implemented 64-bit support.

Along with the warning to developers, Apple says customers who are running the latest macOS 10.13.4 update will begin receiving warning messages when launching a 32-bit app for the first time to let them know that the app is not optimized for their Mac. According to TechCrunch, these warnings will start at midnight Pacific Time on April 12.

With the recent release of macOS High Sierra 10.13.4, the first time users launch an app that does not support 64-bit they will see an alert that the app is not optimized for their Mac.

As a reminder, new apps submitted to the Mac App Store must support 64-bit, and starting June 2018, app updates and existing apps must support 64-bit. If you distribute your apps outside the Mac App Store, we highly recommend distributing 64-bit binaries to make sure your users can continue to run your apps on future versions of macOS.

Apple used a similar warning system when phasing out 32-bit support on iOS before eventually ending support with iOS 11, and the company has said the same plan will be used as 32-bit Mac apps are phased out.

Apple first warned developers and consumers about the impending Mac App Store changes starting last June at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple is slowly ending support for 32-bit Mac apps and has said macOS High Sierra will be the "last macOS release to support 32-bit apps without compromises" and "all future Mac software will eventually be required to be 64-bit."

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple's Mac sales have remained steady in the first quarter of 2018, according to new PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

Apple shipped an estimated 4.26 million Macs during the first quarter of 2018, up from 4.2 million Macs in the year-ago quarter, marking 1.5 percent growth.

Apple's market share for the quarter comes in at 6.9 percent, up from 6.7 percent in Q1 2017. Apple was ranked as the number four PC vendor worldwide during the quarter, coming in after HP, Lenovo, and Dell, and ahead of Asus and Acer. Apple was ranked the number five vendor during the same quarter last year, but this year, it surpassed Asus.

Most vendors saw shipments remain steady during the quarter. HP, the number one worldwide PC vendor, shipped 12.9 million PCs during the quarter for 20.8 percent market share, while Lenovo, a close competitor, shipped 12.4 million for 20 percent market share. Dell came in third with 9.9 million shipments and 16 percent market share, while Asus and Acer brought up the rear with 3.9 and 3.8 million shipments, respectively.

The overall worldwide PC market, however, declined 1.4 percent year over year. In total, there were an estimated 61.7 million PC shipments during the quarter, down from 62.6 million in the year-ago quarter and the 14th consecutive quarter of decline.

Apple saw less growth in the United States. During Q1 2018, Apple shipped an estimated 1.49 million Macs, a 0.5 percent increase from the 1.48 million Macs it shipped in the year-ago quarter. Apple was also ranked the number four PC vendor in the U.S., trailing behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Dell was the top U.S. PC vendor 3.44 million shipments, while HP shipped 3.35 million machines and Lenovo shipped 1.63 million. The overall PC market in the U.S. saw a 2.9 percent decline compared to Q1 2017.

IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, and as is often the case, IDC's shipping estimates are quite a bit different from Gartner's. IDC and Gartner's data often varies due to the different ways each firm makes its shipment calculations.

The IDC numbers suggest overall worldwide PC shipments remained flat, with 60.38 million PCs shipped during Q1 2018, down just slightly from 60.39 million in the year-ago quarter.

IDC says Apple was the number five worldwide PC vendor with just 4 million Macs shipped, a 4.8 percent decline from the 4.2 million shipped in the year-ago quarter. While Gartner ranks Apple above Acer, IDC does not.

It's important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated shipments of 4.217 million Macs in Q1 2017, while the actual number was 4.199 million.

It's been several months since Apple last refreshed the bulk of its Mac lineup, with the exception of the iMac Pro, so it's not surprising to see little growth in shipments. Apple is expected to introduce refreshed MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models at some point this year, perhaps at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models that have been repaired with a new display by an unauthorized third-party repair outlet are affected by a problem where the fix seems to disable the device's ability to adjust brightness automatically, according to report from Engadget and Motherboard.

The issue appears to impact replacement displays installed by non-Apple certified repair shops even when using genuine Apple parts, and it seems to be related to the functionality of the ambient light sensor. It is not a problem that affects display components replaced by Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

According to Engadget, the aftermarket repair community has confirmed the issue in multiple countries and in several versions of iOS, including iOS 11.1, iOS 11.2, and iOS 11.3. Engadget also experienced the bug first hand after swapping the displays of two new iPhones, which disabled the ambient light sensor of the devices.

I was able to confirm that even swapping the displays of two brand-new iPhones causes the ambient light sensor to stop working, despite it not being altered or touched in any way. Experiments have shown that the sensor is disabled by iOS during the boot process.

It is not known if the disabling of the ambient light sensor after a display replacement is a feature or a bug, because there is precedent for iPhone features to be disabled following unauthorized repairs. As an example, after Touch ID was introduced, users who had their Home buttons and Touch ID sensors repaired by non-Apple technicians saw Touch ID disabled.

This was known as the "Error 53" issue, and Apple at the time confirmed that it was intentionally disabling Touch ID following unauthorized third-party repairs using non-original components because of security and validation issues. Error 53 initially bricked iPhones, which Apple said was in error and fixed, but to this day an unauthorized Touch ID repair will disable the Touch ID sensor on an affected device.

Repair outlets that spoke to Engadget suspect that Apple may be using the ambient light sensor as a "test-case" to control the repair process and "link hardware with logic boards so if [an iPhone is] repaired outside of the Apple network it loses functionality," but this has not been confirmed.

"We try to offer a cheap alternative [to Apple], and we only use genuine parts. I'm worried that customers are going to come back to me and demand that I fix it. What can I do if Apple is the one disabling the sensor?" Another source said that they repaired between 20 and 50 iPhone 8 screens per month.

Apple has not yet commented on the ambient light sensor issue affecting iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models repaired by non-Apple service providers, and there is also a separate but unrelated bug that appears to be impacting some iPhone 8 displays.

As discovered yesterday by Motherboard, some iPhone 8 and 8 Plus models that have had aftermarket display replacements are experiencing issues following the release of iOS 11.3, which appears to have disabled touch functionality in the repaired devices.

One repair shop told Motherboard that the issue has caused "over 2,000 reshipments." "Customers are annoyed and it seems like Apple is doing this to prevent customers from doing 3rd party repair," said the shop owner.

The iOS 11.3 bug seems to be related to a small microchip in the display, which disables touch functionality following the update. Repair shops have discovered a fix, but each affected iPhone must be re-opened so the chip can be upgraded, which is a hassle. Motherboard also learned that it's "an absolute nightmare" for unauthorized shops to repair iPhone X components, with the front camera and Face ID components unable to be repaired by aftermarket shops entirely.

For end users who don't want to hassle with non-functional iPhone components, Apple's message is clear: visit an Apple retail store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to avoid serious issues. For devices out of warranty, authorized repairs can be prohibitively expensive, however, which leaves customers with limited options.

These reports of repair issues come as Apple works to fight "Right to Repair" legislation in multiple states, which would potentially require smartphone manufacturers to provide repair information, replacement parts, and diagnostic tools to both product owners and independent repair shops.

Apple Music hit a new milestone this week as it officially reached 40 million paid subscribers across 115 countries, reports Variety. The new number was shared in a memo circulated by Eddy Cue, who also announced the promotion of Oliver Schusser to Apple's new head of Apple Music Worldwide.

Schusser previously served as vice president of Apple Music and International Content and has worked alongside Eddy Cue for several years handling Apple's non-U.S. affairs for Apple Music, the App Store, iTunes Movies and TV shows, iBooks, Podcasts, and more. He is said to have had a key role in Apple's recently announced, but not yet finalized, acquisition of Shazam.

Apple hit its new 40 million subscriber milestone less than a month after iTunes chief Eddy Cue announced 38 million subscribers at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, suggesting the music service is continuing to gain subscribers at a rapid pace.

Apple Music had 27 million subscribers last June, 30 million subscribers last September, 36 million subscribers in February, and 38 million subscribers in March. Adding an additional 2 million subscribers to hit 40 million subscribers in April marks Apple Music's fastest growth yet.

According to Cue, Apple also has an additional eight million people who are testing Apple Music through the three-month free trial that the company offers.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal has suggested that Apple Music is on track to overtake Spotify in U.S. subscribers as soon as this summer because its five percent growth rate per month outpaces Spotify's two percent growth rate.

Spotify, when it filed for IPO in late February, said that it has 71 million paying subscribers in total along with 159 million monthly active users.

Apple's "biggest challenge in innovation in recent years has been in software, not hardware," according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

"In several cases we have seen Apple lagging in software versus hardware development, which bodes badly for its innovation strategy of software and hardware integration," wrote Kuo, in a research note obtained by MacRumors.

Kuo's sole example is that Apple's first-mover advantage in augmented reality has been "significantly narrowed" by Chinese smartphone maker OPPO.

He believes that OPPO has caught up with Apple's ARKit platform in only six to nine months, largely based on the fact that the augmented reality version of Honour of Kings will be compatible with not only iPhones but also OPPO's lower-priced smartphones when it launches next month, despite high-tech requirements.

"The key is that OPPO is in charge of developing API, integrating hardware and software, and cooperating with SenseTime's algorithm and Tencent's game software development team," said Kuo, referring to the two Chinese companies that developed Honour of Kings, estimated to have over 200 million players, mainly in China.

Kuo adds that, since the debut of ARKit at WWDC 2017, there has been no "heavyweight" augmented reality app for iPhones and iPads.

We think Apple's endeavors in the AR field should have enabled it to offer AR applications popular with the market before the Android camp, including: (1) the announcement of ARKit, an AR development tool, ahead of Google; (2) customization of the SoC (including CPU and GPU); and (3) customization of the rear camera.

However, since the debut of the ARKit nearly a year ago, there has been no heavyweight AR application on iOS. Given that the AR version of Honour of Kings runs not only on the iPhone but also on OPPO's smartphone, Apple's first-mover advantage gap in AR has been significantly narrowed by OPPO.

In terms of software in general, it can be argued that the past year wasn't Apple's greatest. iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra have suffered from several bugs, ranging in severity, including a major root password vulnerability on Macs to iMessages appearing in the wrong order across devices.

Fortunately, in January, multiple reports claimed that Apple plans to increase its focus on the quality of its software platforms, presumably resulting in a greater emphasis on bug fixes, performance improvements, and stability.

Yesterday, Apple began taking pre-orders for new (PRODUCT)RED versions of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus ahead of the smartphones' official launch this Friday.

Like it did with last year's (RED) iPhone 7, Apple has given YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) exclusive access to one of the phones ahead of launch to bring viewers the first obligatory unboxing and hands-on video of a 256GB iPhone 8 Plus.

As expected, the handset comes in a familiar box containing Lightning cable, wired headphones, and standard wall plug, with the only addition being a small card detailing the (RED) brand's aim of raising funds for HIV/AIDS programs – for each (RED) product sold, Apple makes a contribution to The Global Fund, raising over $160 million to date.

As for the handset itself, it has an anodized red aluminum band similar to last year's (RED) iPhone 7, but the glossy glass back to support wireless charging gives the iPhone 8 a deeper "Ferrari-like" candy red finish, as opposed to the matte look of the iPhone 7's brushed aluminum.

The other big change is the fact that Apple has gone with smart-looking black bezels on the front of the device. That should please users who skipped the (RED) iPhone 7 because they disliked the white bezels that gave the handset a candy cane-style color combination.

According to Brownlee, Apple wouldn't let on when asked whether it had a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone X planned. iMore's Rene Ritchie has suggested the current lack of one could be down to the manufacturing complexities involved in accurately coloring the iPhone X's stainless steel band via a vapor deposition process.

At the same time, the continued absence of a (RED) iPhone X going into the summer months could hint at the company's plans for its smartphone lineup. Apple is expected to discontinue the first-generation iPhone X when the second-generation model launches this year, which could mean a red iPhone X variant might not arrive until spring 2019 at the earliest.

(PRODUCT)RED editions of iPhone 8 are available with 64GB or 256GB storage for the same $699-$849 and $799-$949 prices as the equivalent iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models in space gray, silver, and gold.

VirnetX was today awarded $502.6 million in a patent trial against Apple, reports Bloomberg. Apple's FaceTime, iMessage, and VPN on Demand features are said to infringe on four VirnetX patents related to communications security.

Apple's legal dispute with VirnetX has spanned eight years and multiple trials thus far, and the $502.6 million awarded to the patent company today is separate from the $439 million awarded to VirnetX in October in a different trial. Today's $502.6 million jury award appears to pertain to newer versions of Apple devices that have a redesigned FaceTime protocol introduced in iOS 7 and iOS 8.

VirnetX CEO said the damages awarded, which were based on sales of upwards of 400 million Apple devices, were "fair" and that the "evidence was clear."

VirnetX originally sued Apple in 2010, alleging that Apple's FaceTime peer-to-peer connection technology infringed on its patents. VirnetX was initially awarded $368.2 million in 2012, but the original case has been wrapped up in appeals since then. In October of 2017, Apple was told to pay $439.7 million in a final judgement of the original case, which the Cupertino company said it would appeal.

Combined, Apple now owes VirnetX $942 million, but Apple is likely to appeal this most recent ruling so that may not be the final award granted to the patent company. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has also said that the patents involved in the case are invalid in separate cases that are being handled by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

A final validity ruling has not been made yet, and the outcome of that case could ultimately impact this trial. The Federal Circuit declined to put the current trial on hold despite the question of the patent validity, says Bloomberg, because it was so far along.