Jordan Golson

Jordan is a long-time Apple journalist.



Apple Reports Q4 2014 Year-End Results: $8.5 Billion Profit on $42.1 Billion in Revenue [Call Concluded]

Monday October 20, 2014 1:40 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple today announced financial results for the third calendar quarter and fourth fiscal quarter of 2014. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $42.1 billion and net quarterly profit of $8.5 billion, or $1.42 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $37.5 billion and net quarterly profit of $7.5 billion, or $1.01 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin for the quarter was 38 percent compared to 37 percent in the year-ago quarter, with international sales accounting for 60 percent of revenue. Apple also declared an upcoming dividend payment of $0.47 per share, payable on November 13 to shareholders of record as of November 10. The company currently holds $155.2 billion in cash and marketable securities. For the full fiscal year, Apple generated $182.8 billion in sales, a new record for the firm, with $38.5 billion in net income. In fiscal 2013, Apple made $35 billion on $170.9 billion in sales. In 2014, Apple sold 18.9 million Macs and just shy of 14.4 million iPods, its lowest total for that category since 2004. It sold a record 169.2 million iPhones on the year, up 150 million from 2012, and the company has now sold more than 590 million smartphones in total. It sold 68 million iPads in 2014 and the company has now sold 237.2 million tablets."Our fiscal 2014 was one for the record books, including the biggest iPhone launch ever with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With amazing innovations in our new iPhones, iPads and Macs, as well as iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, we are heading into the holidays with Apple’s
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Live Coverage of Apple's October 2014 iPad and Mac Event

Thursday October 16, 2014 8:19 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Just over a month after it introduced the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, Apple is back with another media event where it is expected to show off new iPads, new iMacs including high-resolution Retina displays on some models, and likely a final look at OS X Yosemite before its imminent public launch. Today's event is being held at the Town Hall auditorium on Apple's Cupertino headquarters campus and begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Apple will be providing a live video stream on its website for Mac and iOS users and via Apple TV. Live Video Stream of Apple's October 2014 iPad and Mac Media Event In addition, we will be updating this article with summary coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Highlights and separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account. Subscribe to the MacRumors Mailing List: I also want to be entered in MacRumors' regular giveaways (rules) Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event. Archive of Live Updates in Reverse Chronological Order
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NFL Players Banned From Wearing Beats Headphones on Camera

Saturday October 4, 2014 8:20 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Thanks to a new marketing deal with Bose, NFL players will no longer be allowed to wear Apple's line of Beats headphones around television cameras, according to Re/code. The restriction is in place for TV interviews during training camp, practice sessions and game day, running from before the game or event through 90 minutes after play has ended. Many professional athletes have sponsorship deals with Beats, with the headphones frequently spotted around the necks of players both before and after games. Beats accounts for more than 60 percent of the premium headphone market."Over the last few years athletes have written Beats into their DNA as part of the pre-game ritual," a Beats spokesperson said. "Music can have a significant positive effect on an athlete’s focus and mental preparedness and has become as important to performance as any other piece of equipment." Beats, which has seen significant success with its athlete endorsements, ran ads last year with NFL stars Colin Kaepernick and Richard Sherman tuning out opposing fans with Beats noise-canceling headphones.Something similar happened during the World Cup when headphone sponsor Sony banned Beats from stadiums, but not from outside the arenas where players frequently used their preferred headphones. Many advertising industry experts said Beats still won the day with its star-studded "The Game Before The Game" video, portions of which ran repeatedly during World Cup commercial
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Live Coverage of Apple's September 2014 iPhone and iWatch Event [Event Over]

Tuesday September 9, 2014 8:41 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple's highly anticipated September media event is being held today at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, the site of the unveiling of the original Macintosh and iMac. The event begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time, and Apple is expected to unveil several new products including the iPhone 6 and an "iWatch" wearable device. Apple will be providing a live video stream on its website for Mac and iOS users and via Apple TV, and the company is also sharing some photos and live blog updates on its event page. Live Video Stream of Apple's September 2014 iPhone 6 and iWatch Media Event In addition, we will be updating this article with summary coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account. Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors Mailing List: I also want to be entered in our regular giveaways (rules) Archive of Live Updates in Reverse Chronological Order
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Apple Continues App-Focused TV Ad Campaign With 'Dreams' Spot

Saturday August 2, 2014 8:55 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple launched a new television ad in its "You're More Powerful Than You Think" campaign, this time called "Dreams". The song in the ad is "When I Grow Up" by Jennifer O'Connor.It is the fourth ad in the series, with previous spots "Powerful", "Strength", and "Parenthood" focusing on the sheer variety of apps on the iPhone, workout apps, and apps for parents. Like the other ads, "Dreams" shows the iPhone used in various situations in everyday life, extended with apps from the App Store. Apps and accessories featured in the spot include:- Vaavud Wind Meter, an anemometer that plugs into the iPhone's headphone jack- Response Deck, an app for fire and EMS first responders- iTranslate Voice, a near-real time language translation app- Veterinary AliveECG, a portable heart monitor for pets- ForeFlight Mobile, a civil aviation mapping and weather app for pilots- SAM-1, an appcessory for measuring water pH and other data"Dreams" debuts just over a month after the previous spot, "Parenthood", was released at the end of
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New Version of Capo, an App to Help Guitar Players Learn Songs, Lands on iPhone and iPad

Thursday July 10, 2014 10:15 am PDT by Jordan Golson
A new version of the Apple Design Award-winning Capo, a Mac app praised by professional musicians that automatically generates guitar tablature from music in iTunes, has landed on iOS.Developer SuperMegaUltraGroovy today released new iPhone and iPad versions of Capo, allowing users to learn how to play songs on the go with chord and beat detection as well as a number of other features to help guitar players learn songs quickly and easily. The Mac version of Capo has been updated as well, with iCloud sync between all devices and improved chord detection accuracy.Capo touch offers musicians the same power and versatility they have on the Mac with Capo 3 in an even more portable design. The app features the essential tools of instantly importing a song from your iTunes library, automatically detecting its chords, and showing how to play them using helpful guitar chord boxes. It can slow down the tempo without changing pitch while you learn, and transpose the song to any key with a simple pitch slider. Optional metronome, looping, EQ and "karaoke-style" voice reduction make Capo 3 and now Capo touch valuable tools for musicians whether in the studio, rehearsal or on tour.Capo touch is available for $4.99 for the iPhone and iPad from the App Store, half off its normal price for a limited time. [Direct Link]Capo 3 for Mac is available from the Mac App Store for $14.99, half off its normal price for a limited time. [Direct Link]A previous version of this article implied that Capo had never been available on iOS. There was a prior version of Capo for iOS, but the new
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'Range' iOS Food Thermometer Launches New Bluetooth LE Version on Kickstarter

Friday July 4, 2014 10:30 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Last year, the company behind the popular Twine Kickstarter project launched a new iOS-enabled food thermometer called Range. That thermometer raised more than $175,000 and now the team is back for more.While not in time for this year's Summer grilling season, Supermechanical has launched a new, an upgraded version of the Range on Kickstarter. The new Range Oven/Grill Intelligence adds Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity as well as a magnetic storage unit that acts as the thermometer's base. The old Range needed to be physically connected to an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, but with the new wireless version, users won't need to leave their iPad sitting next to the oven or outside by the grill.The magnetic base of the Range OI includes additional temperature and vibration sensors -- it's designed to be attached to the front of an oven, detecting when the oven is in use, when it's preheating and when it's on normally. It runs for a year on a single AA battery and the thermometer can measure from -40F to 450F (-40C to 230C).There are three Range OI models available:Oven Intelligence ($98) - including a 3" sharp thermometerChef Intelligence ($129) - including both a 3" sharp thermometer and a 6" round thermometer designed for candy making, home brewing and other needs, and both thermometers can be used simultaneously.Grill Intelligence ($160) - including a 3" sharp thermometer and an ambient temperature probe for slow cooking and smoking, as well as an upgraded fiberglass cable for durability even in direct flame.The OI wirelessly connects to iOS and Android
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Memory in New $1099 iMac is Soldered and Not Upgradable

Wednesday June 18, 2014 4:35 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
The 8GB of memory in the new, cheaper 21.5-inch iMac introduced earlier today is permanently soldered to the motherboard and is not upgradable, according to a teardown of the new machine by Other World Computing.The $1,099 machine includes a 1.4GHz Dual-Core i5 processor from the MacBook Air, but users are permanently locked to 8GB of RAM. There is no build-to-order option to increase it and it cannot be increased later.Now that we’ve had time to teardown the new iMac, unlike the $1,299 iMac, we found this iMac has the memory is soldered to the motherboard removing any possibility of adding additional memory. Users will be permanently locked in to the 8GB of memory, as there is no Apple factory upgrade option.The other 21.5" iMacs, launched last fall, can be upgraded through the Apple Online Store from 8GB to 16GB. RAM can also be added after purchase, but it requires removal of the screen and is an extremely difficult upgrade.The current 27" iMac, on the other hand, has a easily accessed door on the rear of the machine that allows for simple RAM
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Evidence of iPhone 6 Atmospheric Pressure Sensor Found in iOS 8

Wednesday June 18, 2014 10:58 am PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple may add an atmospheric pressure sensor to the iPhone 6, according to a report by 9to5Mac. This follows on a rumor from March that suggested the iPhone 6 could include humidity, temperature and pressure sensors when it comes out this fall.A barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure, giving indications on current and future weather trends as well as altitude data. The report says new APIs in iOS 8 reference altitude data, including one called "isRelativeAltitudeAvailable" that tells apps if a device "supports reporting relative altitude changes". For an iPhone 5s, the API returns "no".According to sources at Apple, the Cupertino-company has been working on an updated version of the Compass application that includes altitude tracking, so perhaps that application, which was originally added in 2009 alongside the iPhone 3GS, is what customers will utilize to track their altitude.iOS 8 is expected to be launched this fall alongside new, larger iPhones. The altitude and pressure sensors could make an appearance in the phone as well as new iPads that are expected later this
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Progress on Apple Campus 2 Continues as Walls Go Up

Tuesday June 10, 2014 3:45 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Construction at Apple's Spaceship campus continues, with the circular building beginning to take shape according to an image posted to Twitter by KCBS news and traffic reporter Ron Cervi (via 9to5Mac).In the most recent shot, a wall has been built around the perimeter of the building, outlining where the foundation will be poured. A different tweet by @DawnMortensen notes that Pruneridge Avenue, a road that runs through the campus itself, has been permanently closed.Street-level photographs back in December revealed several buildings still standing, but another aerial photo from February suggested a large portion of the demolition work had been completed. During construction, Apple has closed off sidewalks and built a large green privacy fence to keep the area hidden. Progress on #ApplesNewHQ, a small wall around the foundation of the spaceship has sprouted. #sky1hightechtour pic.twitter.com/iM3JrIQUBH— Ron (@Sky1Ron) June 10, 2014 Cervi has been posting a number of images of the campus over the past few months, tracking the progress of construction. Campus 2 is expected to open in
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Apple Stock Splits 7-for-1, Opens at $92 With All-Time High Just Over $100

Monday June 9, 2014 5:00 am PDT by Jordan Golson
This morning, Apple's stock underwent a 7-for-1 split, awarding 6 additional shares to each shareholder of record at 5PM PDT on Friday. Simultaneously, the price of the stock has been divided by 7 and should open around $92 after closing on Friday at $645.Apple's all-time high stock price, reached in September 2012, is $705 or $100.72 post-split.Apple's stock has split on three previous occasions, on a 2-for-1 basis, in 1987, 2000 and 2005. Apple has said that it wanted to make its stock "more accessible" to a wider variety of customers, but Apple could also be aiming for inclusion in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index. The Dow is price-weighted, meaning Apple's previous stock price of nearly $700 would have resulted in an significant reweighting of the index and a $92 would put it in the right price range for inclusion.As the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, with a market cap of more than $550 billion, Apple could be a logical addition for the index. It would join a number of other high-tech companies listed including Cisco, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, AT&T and Verizon.Apple went public on December 12, 1980 for $22 per share. Accounting for its four stock splits, Apple's stock cost roughly $0.39286 per share at IPO, giving a return of roughly 23,400% over 33.5
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LaCie Upgrades Rugged Hard Drive With Integrated Thunderbolt Cable

Thursday June 5, 2014 7:59 am PDT by Jordan Golson
LaCie has upgraded its Rugged Hard Drive, adding an integrated Thunderbolt cable and improved damage resistance. The SSD version, available in 250 and 500GB capacities, achieves transfer speeds of up to 387MB/s. There is a USB 3.0 interface as well, though only the Thunderbolt cable is permanently attached.The integrated Thunderbolt cable allowed LaCie to increase protection against water and dust because the dust cap can be left on even when the device is in use. When not in use, the bus-powered Thunderbolt cable tucks into the case and is protected by the cover. LaCie says the SSD version of the drive can withstand up to two-meter drops and conforms to the IP54 durability standard. LaCie has also increased the warranty from two years to three."My assignments take me to the top surf spots all over the world," said Surfer Magazine staff photographer Zak Noyle. "So it’s imperative that my equipment is ready for any challenge. The LaCie Rugged’s speed allows me to deliver projects quickly, and its resilience to water, sand and drops make me confident that my photos are protected. From the beaches of Oahu to Tahiti, the LaCie Rugged has never let me down."The new LaCie Rugged drive goes on sale today in 250GB ($300) and 500GB ($500) solid state versions, plus 1TB ($220) and 2TB ($300) 5400RPM hard drive
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'Swift' Programming Language in Development for Four Years, "Major Focus" Since 2013

Wednesday June 4, 2014 3:16 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
The Swift programming language was as close to a "One More Thing" as there was at the WWDC Keynote this week, debuting to significant cheers from the developers in the audience. Immediate reaction after the keynote suggested Swift was "huge news" and the future of development on Apple products.Apple says Swift code is "concise yet expressive", interactive and fun. For coders, the introduction to Swift is available on the iBooks Store but Chris Lattner, head of Apple's Developer Tools department, shared additional information on Swift on his personal webpage (via TechCrunch).Now that Swift is public, Lattner revealed that he began working on Swift in mid-2010, with a team of coders "contributing in earnest" late in 2011. Last July, Swift finally became the major focus of Lattner's Developer Tools Group.The Swift language is the product of tireless effort from a team of language experts, documentation gurus, compiler optimization ninjas, and an incredibly important internal dogfooding group who provided feedback to help refine and battle-test ideas. Of course, it also greatly benefited from the experiences hard-won by many other languages in the field, drawing ideas from Objective-C, Rust, Haskell, Ruby, Python, C#, CLU, and far too many others to list.The Xcode Playgrounds feature and REPL were a personal passion of mine, to make programming more interactive and approachable. The Xcode and LLDB teams have done a phenomenal job turning crazy ideas into something truly great. Playgrounds were heavily influenced by Bret Victor's ideas, by Light Table and by many other
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2014 Apple Design Award Winners Announced: Threes, Sky Guide and Monument Valley Among Winners

Monday June 2, 2014 5:39 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
At an event at WWDC this evening, Apple announced the winners of its prestigious Apple Design Awards, highlighting an array of apps from utilities to games on both iOS and the Mac. Apple's Design Awards were created to recognize apps that combine design and technology in creative, compelling and powerful ways.Along with significant recognition, Apple gives winners one of nearly every product it makes, including a new Mac Pro.iOS and Mac- Threes [iOS]- Leo's Fortune [iOS]- Blek [iOS]- Yahoo! News Digest [iPhone]- Device 6 [iOS]- Storehouse: Visual Storytelling [iPad]- Sky Guide [iOS]- Monument Valley [iOS]- Day One [Mac]- Cinemagraph Pro [Mac]Student Winners- PanoPerfect [iOS]- Addimal Adventure [iPad]2013 winners of the Apple Design Awards included Letterpress, Yahoo! Weather and Evernote. In 2012, winners included Jetpack Joyride, Paper and Sketch.Thanks Lindsey!
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Apple's Longtime Public Relations VP Retires

Friday May 30, 2014 5:21 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
As announced earlier this month, Katie Cotton, head of Apple's public relations department and an 18-year veteran at Apple, has left the company, reports Re/code.Cotton is known for having been fiercely protective of Apple executives, particularly Steve Jobs, serving as gatekeeper for all media access and shepherding executives through their formal and informal meetings with the press.Given Apple's penchant for secrecy, Cotton has long been tasked with keeping a tight rein on the company's PR operations, managing Apple's image and contributing to the company's presentations.In a touching farewell piece, Re/code's Kara Swisher recounts Cotton's successful take-no-prisoners strategy:But, despite what many of her detractors have written since the news of her departure came, I was never “scared” of her, any more than I fear any of the other hard-charging PR and communications execs I have encountered over the many years I have covered tech.Was she aggressive? Sure. (So is Facebook’s Elliot Schrage.)Did she sometimes ice our reporters out, ignore calls or reply with newsless answers? Sometimes. (Please meet Yahoo PR for much of my time covering it over the last 20 years, especially under the current administration, which does not return any of my calls.)Did she try her hardest to showcase Apple and its products in a way that benefited it? Yep. (Paging Andreessen Horowitz’s Margit Wennmachers!)Was she vocal when she did not like something we did? And how. (So are Microsoft’s Frank Shaw and Google’s Rachel Whetstone, both of whom can throw a decent
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Apple Nears Completion of WWDC Decorations at Moscone Center

Thursday May 29, 2014 3:13 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple is nearly finished decorating the Moscone Center ahead of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco next week. Decorations began appearing earlier this week with a larger banner that says "Write the code. Change the world."MacStories editor Federico Viticci has shared selection of images from San Francisco. Giant Apple logos are nearly finished on the sides of Moscone, with large square panels in the same style as the other banners have appeared on the Metreon building across the street.Finally, MacRumors reader Joseph sent in this image of an empty banner bracket inside Moscone West. In past years, Apple has draped black tarps over banners that were then revealed following the Monday morning keynote address.Apple's WWDC keynote kicks off on Monday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, and the company will be providing a live video stream of the
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Amazon to Introduce Streaming Music Service This Summer, Only Offering Songs 6-Months or Older

Thursday May 29, 2014 2:32 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Amazon will be launching a music streaming service offered free to customers paying for its $99/year Amazon Prime service. The service will launch in June or July according to a new report from Buzzfeed.The news follows yesterday's acquisition of Beats Music by Apple, and a report from February that claimed Amazon was investigating the possibility of a music service to accompany Prime. Amazon's streaming catalog will only include songs older than six months, likely saving the company on royalty costs. Spotify, Beats and Rdio all offer new releases to their subscribers.The company will expand its Prime membership offerings by adding a stockpile of old and newish music for subscribers to stream on demand. The Prime music service, which is scheduled to launch this June or July, will not include recent releases but instead restrict its catalog to songs and albums that are 6 months old and older, five music industry sources familiar with the company’s plans confirmed to BuzzFeed.Amazon has some 20 million paying Prime members and offers them a library of movie and TV shows via its Netflix-esque Prime Instant Video service along with free 2-day shipping on most items the company sells.Recently, Amazon signed a deal with HBO to stream older original content from the cable network to Prime
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References to New iMac Models Appear in OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 Beta

Wednesday May 28, 2014 2:46 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Mentions of new iMac models are buried inside the OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 beta that was seeded earlier today. There are three new resource files for power management that mention three new iMacs with model numbers beginning with 15, according to some digging done by Pike's Universum (via TonyMacx86). The current iMac line is made up of models 14,1 and 14,2. The most interesting part is the addition of three new resources (plist) files for power management: Mac-81E3E92DD6088272.plist / iMac15,1 (IGPU only) Mac-42FD25EABCABB274.plist / iMac15,n (IGPU/GFX0/Apple display with id 0xAE03) Mac-FA842E06C61E91C5.plist / iMac15,n (IGPU/GFX0/Apple display with id 0xAE03)Rumors have suggested that new iMac models could make an appearance at WWDC next week after shipping estimates for the machine began to slip on the Apple Online Store. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated earlier this year that a lower-priced iMac was expected in mid-2014. Update 3:30 PM PT: Apple appears to have pulled the 10.9.4 beta from the Mac App Store and Developer Center four hours after it was released. No reason was given for the removal.
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Apple Announces $3 Billion Beats Acquisition, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre Joining the Company

Wednesday May 28, 2014 1:34 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple is buying Beats Electronics and the Beats Music streaming service for a total of $3 billion. The acquisition is the largest in Apple's history and is the biggest move by CEO Tim Cook since he took the reins from Steve Jobs several years ago. Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple as full time employees, with both reporting to iTunes head Eddy Cue. In an interview with The New York Times, Cook said Iovine and Dre were "really unique" and that "it's like finding the precise grain of sand on the beach. They're rare and very hard to find." Cook said that "of course" Apple could have built a subscription music service rather than buying one, just like the company could have built all the technologies that it has acquired over the years. "You don’t build everything yourself. It’s not one thing that excites us here. It's the people. It’s the service." In the Times, Cook promised new features for Beats that will "blow your mind" as well as "products you haven't thought of yet". He promised the team would "take music to an even higher level than it is now." Jimmy Iovine, Tim Cook, Dr. Dre and Eddy Cue In an interview with Re/code, Cook said that Apple felt Beats was the first subscription music service to "get it right: We get a subscription music service that we believe is the first subscription service that really got it right. They had the insight early on to know how important human curation is. That technology by itself wasn’t enough — that it was the marriage of the two that would really be great, and produce a feeling in people
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Apple to Announce Beats Acquisition This Week, Drops Price to $3 Billion

Tuesday May 27, 2014 6:32 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
Apple's rumored acquisition of Beats will indeed happen, just for a slightly reduced fee, according to a report from the New York Post this evening. The acquisition, which was originally reported to be roughly $3.2 billion for both Beats companies -- the headphone and consumer electronics division as well as the streaming music service -- will now happen at $3 billion.Since the acquisition was originally reported on May 8, Spotify -- the leading player in the subscription music field -- announced that it had 10 million paying subscribers, and this could have given Apple additional negotiating leverage.Still, the company is understood to place a high value on the profitable Beats audio business which retails headphones — costing up to $450 — and speakers around the globe.That business recorded sales of $1.3 billion in 2013.“Apple hadn’t even begun its due diligence process when news of the number came out,” one source close to the talks said Tuesday.The paper notes that both Jimmy Iovine and fellow Beats co-founder Dr. Dre are expected to attend Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference next week. Dre is expected to net somewhere around $750 million from the sale as he currently owns approximately 25 percent of the
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