Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be the star of a new manga comic book series byaward-winning Japanese artist Mari Yamazaki.
Keeping you in the loop on just a few of the things that happened around Apple this week.
Slamming Samsung, Android. In an uncharacteristic public relations move, Apple's global marketing chief Phil Schiller took a shot at rivals Android and Samsung, saying that Google's mobile operating system software is "fragmented," that most users are running older versions of Android and that buyers of Samsung's new Galaxy smartphone may be getting outdated tech That fragmentation, or the number of different versions of Android in the marketplace, is a problem for users buying smartphones powered by Google's software because they may not be able to run all the apps they want. "Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone," he told the Wall Street Journal.
Galaxy S4 definitely shiny, but not all new. Schiller may have been hoping to put a damper on the Galaxy S4 rollout, but that might not have been necessary. While there was plenty of praise for Samsung's new device, some reviewers and analysts said it was not really a game changer –and not that differed from the S3. Even so, the Galaxy S4 has enough niceties to lure over some iPhone users and it definitely puts pressure on Apple to come up with new iPhones later this year, including a larger-screen version to take on the Galaxy at the high-end of the market and a lower-priced phone for price-conscious buyers in emerging markets. "Apple is missing an opportunity with larger screen devices as well as in emerging markets," said Stuart Jeffrey of Nomura Research. "The real test for Apple, in our view, is how quickly management can accept the changes in market dynamics, adopt a more pragmatic product strategy, and accelerate product development schedules to meet the new competitive threats head on." You can find my round up of financial analyst commentary on Apple versus Samsung here.
Supply chain woes? Even though Apple CEO Tim Cook has cautioned investors not to read too much into any single rumor about how things are going in Apple's supply chain, the week started off with the stock taking a hit after several analysts released reports saying that Apple suppliers orders for the iPhone and iPad were below their forecasts. That suggests that sales and profit may miss Street estimates when the company reports its fiscal-second quarter results in April. Peter Misek of Jefferies said he believes that Apple is having trouble with the new color casings for its next iPhone — the iPhone 5S – and that it won't announce the new smartphone until sometime in July September rather than in June as he was hoping. Toward the end of the week, Walter Piecyck of BTIG Research put out a report upgrading the shares, saying it was a good time to buy Apple even though earnings might be light. His view: that Apple is readying a larger-screen higher-end version of the iPhone to compete with Samsung's Galaxy S4 as well as a lower-priced model to court buyers in emerging countries. He also thinks the stock is undervalued, at about 10 times earning, and that Apple will finally reveal a new program to return some of its cash hoard to investors by the end of the month. Stay tuned. March 18 is the one-anniversary of Cook's $45 billion dividend and share repurchase program and so it might announce something around that time again.
Employees love Cook just a tiny bit less. Tim Cook, who topped the list of best CEOs last year after employees sent in their reviews to career site Glassdoor, wasn't getting quite as much love this year. Cook fell to 18th place in the informal survey after his ratings slipped to 93 percent from 97 percent. The top spot went instead to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. While current and former Apple employees praised the company as a place populated by smart people working on creative projects, there were also complaints about the lack of work-life balance and the never-ending spiral of increasingly higher expectations. "Don't let us burn out," said one current employee. "Balance the work across the team and don't just burden 1-2 people who are willing to work longer hours. It's not going to work long term if your best employees end up changing teams, or worse, leaving Apple."
Cook to give e-book deposition. A judge has ruled that Tim Cook must give a deposition in the DOJ's lawsuit against Apple over e-book pricing. U.S. District Judge Denis Cote in Manhattan said the Department of Justice can depose Cook, but it limited his deposition to four hours. Apple is the only defendant remaining in the government's case; the five other publishers accused of conspiring with Apple to fix e-book prices (and harm e-book rival Amazon.com along the way) have already settled with the government. The government's lawsuit features commentary and emails between former CEO Steve Jobs and some of the publishers, and the DOJ has already taken depositions from 11 other Apple executives, according to Reuters. Judge Cote said that Jobs' death is a key reason why Cook should testify. "Because of that loss, I think the government is entitled to take testimony from high-level executives within Apple about topics relevant to the government case," she said.
iRadio rates in debate? Add this to the list of rumors about what may be holding up an Apple streaming music service, which company watchers have dubbed 'iRadio:' the New York Post says Apple's offered the music labels about 6 cents per 100 songs streamed, half of the 12 cents per 100 songs paid by Pandora, the leading online radio service, the paper said citing unnamed sources. That's well below the rate of 21 cents per 100 songs streamed set by the Copyright Royalty Board, which applies to companies that don't own broadcast operations. Music labels, the Post said, rejected Apple's initial offer as too low and negotiations reportedly continue.
A "smart cover" for the iPad would allow the device to be charged wirelessly, according to a new Apple patent. (USPTO image via Wired).
iPad wireless charging. A new Apple patent describes how a tablet cover for the iPad could allow users to wirelessly charge the device. ""Although a variety of standards have been developed for providing wireless communication with electronic devices, these devices continue to be plagued with a need for corded power supplies," according to the patent, found by Wired. "These cords are a burden to use, store and carrying around as needed. Cords can be unsightly and substantially hinder portable device mobility." Apple notes that the wireless solution isn't limited to the tablet but could be used to provide a power solution to "many forms" of electronic devices.
Manga artist Mari Yamazaki posted a sketch showing Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on her website.
Steve Jobs, the manga comic. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be the star of a new manga comic book by award-winning Japanese artist Mari Yamazaki. "The multi-part comic arc is set to run in Kiss magazine, published by Kodansha — the same company that released a localized version of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography," the Verge notes. "Yamazaki's manga, also said to be officially licensed, will reportedly take inspiration from Isaacson's book." The manga series is set to be called "Steve Jobs." A photo on Yamazaki's website also shows her take on the other Steve from Apple — co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Enjoy the weekend.
If you missed last week's Apple Loop, you can find it here:
Apple Loop: iOS Beats Android, How the iPhone Was Almost Called the 'TriPod,' Help Wanted
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