Nota Bene

Macworld If you’ve ever wondered what could’ve been with the Apple Car, you’ll now be able to satisfy your curiosity a bit. Ferrari on Monday announced the Luce, the company’s first electric vehicle. And the main designer behind the car’s cabin and controls is LoveFrom, the company headed by A...

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NB: This is outrageously wrong. The Luce is a driver's car. The Apple car was always designed not to be driven and the reason it was not launched is because a self-driving car is still a fantasy. The Luce interface is extremely engaging rather than disengaging. The Apple car interface was to be your iPhone.

In 2010, one firm said the iPad “failed to convince buyers” after its unveiling because the number of people who said they were uninterested in the iPad nearly doubled. Small footnote to that survey that somehow didn’t make the headline: the number of people who said they _would_ like to buy an iPad tripled.

The Macalope’s favorite pundit gag of 2011 was lauding the Motorola Xoom because it had 4G connectivity and the iPad 2 did not. Case closed! Advantage: Xoom! Oh, well, except, ha-ha, small note, just a tiny thing, really: the Xoom didn’t actually have it, either. It was simply promised that, at some point in the future, you’d be able to mail your Xoom in to add 4G to it.

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NB: Good times. The Macalope is on form. Remarkable how little humor there is in the tech press. Decades go by and nobody else thinks of it.

The current Apple Music catalog features over 100 million songs as of late 2025. This massive library places it at the very top of the streaming industry, tied with other major giants like Spotify and Amazon Music. Since its launch in 2015, Apple Music has aggressively expanded its library, growi...

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NB: A useful categorization of the catalog with some insight into positioning relative to alternatives.

Some say it's "Cosmic Orange".

To own Apple today, you need to believe its ecosystem can keep deepening even as growth expectations are already high and the stock trades on a premium multiple. The latest quarter’s US$143.76 billion in revenue and US$42.10 billion in net income, powered by iPhone 17 demand and a rebound in China, reinforce that story, while expanding AI features and services aim to make each device more valuable over time. The upcoming low cost MacBook fits neatly into this, extending macOS and Apple Intelligence to more price sensitive users without changing the core near term catalysts, which still sit around iPhone 17 uptake, AI rollouts and services momentum. Key risks feel more about execution and sentiment: memory cost pressures, high expectations baked into the price and any cooling of AI enthusiasm..

Source: Simply Wall St. via Finance.yahoo.

NB: Another money quote: "An interesting angle is how design-led appeal in China, such as the viral “Cosmic Orange” iPhone 17, combined with new AI features across devices is reinforcing Apple’s ecosystem pull for both consumers and developers."

I tried but failed to connect how Cosmic orange is reinforcing Apple's ecosystem pull for consumers and especially developers.

The design language suggests a computing interface.

The Ferrari Luce's interface is designed with clear organisational principles. Controls and displays are grouped functionally, with the most essential commands and feedback directly in front of the driver.

Source: Ferrari. A rather content-free video shows Sir Jony.

Update: More details here: Top Gear

NB: Unlike most consultants, Jony seems to have had some influence. It's also refreshing that a car is now being designed with a minimum of touchscreens. My 1983 Saab 99 starts to look good.

$330 and $325 Price targets, respectively.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs discussed Apple Inc. in January. It reiterated a Buy rating and a $330 share price target on the firm. The bank discussed the firm’s App Store performance in its coverage. It outlined that the App Store spending trends were improving as spending grew by 7% in January to accelerate by one percentage point over December’s 6% growth. Goldman added that the App Store growth should contribute meaningfully to Apple Inc. Services business.

Along with Goldman Sachs, Bernstein also praised the firm. It reiterated an Outperform rating and a $325 share price target. Bernstein cited Apple Inc.’s record iPhone revenue and optimistic growth guidance to point out that the firm was correctly navigating the turmoil in the memory industry.

Source: Insider Monkey.

NB: I remember when both of these banks had negative ratings on Apple.

Imagine trying to explain this to yourself if you lived during this era.

"Retrocade turns your room into a playable retro arcade. You can place a lifelike arcade cabinet in your space or jump into a full virtual arcade and play classic games like you’re actually there.

In this video, I show Retrocade running on Apple Vision Pro, from placing the arcade cabinet in mixed reality to stepping inside the virtual arcade and playing. You’ll see how it looks and what the experience is like once you’re in it.

Retrocade includes classic arcade legends like Pac Man, Galaga, Frogger, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Bubble Bobble, Centipede, Breakout, Track and Field, and Haunted Castle. Retrocade is included with Apple Arcade and requires a compatible game controller to play.

If you love retro games or just want a fun, instantly impressive Vision Pro experience, this one is worth checking out. Retrocade launches on February 5, 2026 and is one of the coolest Vision Pro experiences I've tried yet. You’ll find it here on the visionOS App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/retroca...

Source: You Tube Link 

NB: It's hard to describe these Vision Pro Apps and videos don't do them justice. We will need a new camera language.

Flight simulation has come a long way.

Flight Sight by Rogue Aviation uses spatial computing and immersion with 3D helicopter models to create piloting experiences.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flight-sight-pilot-training/id6741590229

NB: Helicopter flying is one of the most difficult piloting skills to master. The implications for training and education can hardly be overstated. The Vision Pro remains, two years later, the most impressive computer I've ever used.

On January 30, JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee raised the price target on the stock to $325 while reiterating an “Overweight” rating. The firm is confident on the stock as it sees Apple results as reassuring for investors.

According to the firm, Apple’s latest financial results should help “calm investor nerves” about memory-related impacts on gross margins and concerns regarding a Services slowdown. This is despite the magnitude of iPhone revenue upsides, which is “noteworthy” itself.

JP Morgan also highlighted Apple delivering “record Product gross margins” in the December quarter, with the March quarter also anticipated to show record product gross margins.

This, the firm believes, should help investors be reassured regarding the materiality of the impact that investors have been concerned about related to rising memory costs.

“Record Product gross margins in the December quarter and an implied March quarter record Product gross margin should help reassure investors around the materiality of the impact that investors have been concerned about in relation to rising memory costs, even though management acknowledged slightly higher impact in March quarter than the December quarter.”

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Our Take

Apple delivering “record Product gross margins” and guiding even higher is a jaw dropper. Especially as memory prices are soaring.

India Breakthrough

On Sunday, India's government gave a key win to Apple by allowing foreign companies to provide machines to their contract manufacturers in certain areas for five years without tax risk.

Apple had been lobbying the Indian government to revise its income tax laws to ensure the company is not taxed for ownership of the high-end iPhone machinery it provides to its contract manufacturers, Reuters reported.

The move could prompt Apple and other companies to invest swiftly in the electronics manufacturing space by taking over initial expenses for pricey machines, cutting the initial cost burden on contract manufacturers they collaborate with, according to the report.

"We are saying that if you bring your machine, and that machine is used by a local manufacturer to produce something, we will … exempt you for five years. We are giving them certainty," said Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava at a post-budget press conference, the report added.

NB: This is huge. Apple depends on It will open the floodgates for Indian production. Apple uses investment in supplier equipment/tooling to accelerate supplier responsiveness and to create leverage in the supply chain. See also my post "Margin Call. "

Via SeekingAlpha Read the original article →

Exclusive: The Apple 3.0 analysts (pros and indies) have placed their bets in advance of today’s September quarter results.

Source: Apple 3.0.

NB: Yours truly is in the running this quarter.