Category Archives: Apple Music

AirPods, App Store, Apple, Apple Music, Apple Watch, Beats, Cars, China, Earnings, Episodes, iPad, iPhone, Mac, QotW

Week 93 QotW – Apple March Quarter Earnings

This is our Question of the Week episode, with the question being what we should make of Apple’s March quarter earnings, reported on Tuesday this week, so this is our quarterly deep dive on Apple’s earnings. We talk through each of the major product segments – iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch (and wearables generally), Mac, and Services, and also talk a little about trends in China and in R&D spending, among other things.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

  • Jan’s Tech Narratives post (free even if you’re not a subscriber) on Apple earning
  • Jan’s tweets immediately after the earnings call, in this thread.

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. You can reach the individual hosts on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast. And we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes or in your podcast app of choice.

Amazon, Apple, Apple Music, Cars, CES, Episodes, Facebook, Nintendo, Xiaomi

Episode 77 – CES, iPhone 10th Anniversary

We’re back after our long Christmas, New Year, and CES hiatus – thanks for bearing with us while we took our break, and Happy New Year!

We kick things off with a News Roundup, with three topics: Apple’s reported investment in original video content, ostensibly for the benefit of Apple Music subscribers; Nintendo’s announcement of pricing, specs, and other details for its Switch console; and Facebook’s attempt to help news organizations with its Journalism Project. Our main topic today is themes from CES, in which we discuss the fact that Amazon’s Alexa was everywhere, cars continued to grow in importance, smart home gear and services continue to evolve, drones were popular at CES but struggled elsewhere this week, wearables seem to be fading as a force, and Chinese companies continue to struggle to break into the US in a big way. Our third segment is a discussion of the 10th anniversary of the announcement of the iPhone, and all that’s changed in the world as a result.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

AI, Amazon, Apple, Apple Music, Episodes, Hardware, Music, Spotify, T-Mobile, Wireless

Episode 74 – Music Streaming, Are Gadgets Dead?

Our News Roundup this week covers three topics. First, T-Mobile’s announcement of Digits, a service which will allow customers to use their single number on multiple devices, or multiple numbers on a single device. Second, we discuss two news items relating to Apple and AI: the announcement that its researchers will now be able to publish their research, and second the slides from its talk this week at an AI conference. Third, Amazon’s announcement of Amazon Go, a sort of grocery store of the future.

Our Question of the Week is “How is streaming changing the music industry?” Jan talks about the size and composition of the music industry and its revenues, and the rise of streaming. We discuss the differences between ad-supported and paid streaming, and what’s happening with each. And we talk about where the industry will go from here.

Our third segment is a conversation about Farhad Manjoo’s article this week in the New York Times about the increasingly tough landscape for hardware vendors, and whether we agree with his conclusions.

We wrap up with our Weekly Pick, which this week is a holiday gift guide recommended by Aaron.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple, Apple Music, Apple Watch, Episodes, Events, Headphone jack, iPhone, iPhone 7

Episode 61 – Apple September 2016 Event Review

This week’s episode is entirely taken up with a discussion of Apple’s September 2016 iPhone and Apple Watch event. Jan attended in person and Aaron watched remotely, and we recorded this discussion a couple of hours after the conclusion of the event while Jan was still in San Francisco.

We talked about the event in the order in which it unfolded, with the first 10 minutes of our discussion devoted to Tim Cook’s various up-front “Updates” and then an in-depth discussion of the Apple Watch Series 2 and iPhone 7.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

App Store, Apple, Apple Music, Apps, Episodes, iMessage, Retrospective, Siri, tvOS, WatchOS, WWDC, WWDC2016

Episode 50 – Our First Year, WWDC Preview

This week’s episode marks the one-year anniversary of the first episode, with both episodes offering previews of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). It’s also episode 50 (we skipped the weeks of Christmas and New Year).

Given the anniversary, we thought it would be fun to do a little retrospective of some of the things we’ve covered on the podcast over the past year, and so we made that another topic of discussion on the latest episode. There’s now a permanent page on the site where you can easily see a full listing of past episodes, so you can easily browse them. But we spent some time highlighting some of our favorite episodes from the past year, as well as discussing the past year in consumer tech. Links to the episodes we mention are below in the show notes.

If, for whatever reason, you don’t feel like reminiscing with us, you can skip to 21:20, when we start talking about this year’s WWDC. Specifically, we talk about Siri and digital assistants in general, something Jan’s been asked about a bunch in the lead up to WWDC by reporters. Secondly, we talk about iMessage and the prospects for iMessage as a platform, something we discussed in Episode 33. We also talk through iOS getting more pro features, what we might see in tvOS and watchOS, Apple Music, the App Store changes announced this week, and the fact that we’re unlikely to see any new hardware announced.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple Music, Episodes, Kobalt, Music, Spotify

Episode 45 – Music Industry Interview

As we said last week, Aaron is out of the country for the next couple of weeks on a trip to Ghana, in Africa. As such, we’re switching up the format of the podcast a little in his absence. This week, that means you get an interview between Jan and Ryan Wright, who was formerly SVP, Global Marketing at Sony Music, and who is now CMO at music startup Kobalt. Our conversation kicked off with a brief history of Ryan’s career in the music industry, which included launching the Backstreet Boys in Korea and working with other artists such as Britney Spears and Michael Jackson. Ryan also explained what he does at Kobalt, which is a tech startup that helps labels and artists (and others) get their money from all the many parties that pay to play their music. We then talked for quite a while about how the industry has evolved over the last 15 years, and where it’s likely to go from here, including the rise of streaming and whether ad-supported streaming is good or bad for the industry. Thanks to Ryan for his time this week, and we look forward to another interesting conversation next week.

As usual, you’ll find some links to related content as well as other ways to listen to the podcast beneath the embedded Soundcloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple, Apple Music, Apps, Business Models, Cars, Elon Musk, Episodes, iOS, Music, Overcast, Tesla

Episode 19 – Music Survey Results, Elon Musk and Foxconn, Overcast and iOS Business Models

Our Question of the Week this week concerns Elon Musk’s recent comments on Apple’s car efforts. In an interview with a German newspaper, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said (among other things), “You can’t just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car.” Our Question of the Week is to what extent Elon Musk’s comment was justified. Around that middle topic, we have two others: we kick off the episode with a review of some of the findings of Jan’s recent music consumption surveys and what they tell us about Apple Music usage and subscribership. And our third and final topic is Marco Arment’s new Overcast app and its unique patronage-based business model, the controversy it’s caused, and what it says about the state of the iOS app market. And we wrap up, as always, with our Weekly Pick.

The SoundCloud Player is embedded below, and beneath that are links to other versions of the podcast and a host of links to things we mentioned on the show today and other relevant items.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also now have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple, Apple Music, Episodes, Google, iPhone, Nexus

Episode 17 – Google Event, A Series Chips, iPhone and Apple Music Impressions

We kick off this week’s episode with a discussion of Google’s event on Tuesday. We discuss the new Nexus phones and the history of Google’s Nexus programs, the new Chromecast devices, and Google’s strategy for the TV. Our Question of the Week is about Apple’s A-Series Chips, and Aaron’s been doing some research into how Apple has managed both to make such rapid advances and to compete so effectively against other approaches. Aaron explains the differences and relationships between fabless manufacturers, foundries, and Integrated Device Manufacturers, the role of Apple’s PA Semi acquisition, the importance of the ARM architecture, and more.

Our final topic is a discussion of our personal experiences with Apple’s new iPhones, as well as our conflicting responses to Apple Music (Jan has just allowed his trial to roll over into a paid subscription, while Aaron has cancelled). And Jan’s Weekly Pick is the Launch Center Pro app, which in its latest version makes interesting use of Apple’s new 3D Touch Quick Actions.

As ever, relevant links and more are beneath the SoundCloud player below.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com). We also now have a dedicated Podcast Twitter handle at @BDPcast.

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple Music, Episodes, Law of large numbers, Music, MVNOs, Natalie Prass

Episode 9 – Apple’s MVNO, the Law of Large Numbers, Apple Music subscribers

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This week, we talk about the reports (now shot down by Apple) that Apple was doing trials for launching a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), and the reasons why this might (and mostly might not) be a plausible scenario. Our Question of the Week (which starts at 11:35) tackles a term that’s often bandied about in relation to Apple but that few really understand, which is the “law of large numbers” – Aaron talks us through the real meaning and definition of that law, and why it isn’t really applicable in the way it’s often used in relation to Apple. He also talks about another similar concept called the Gambler’s Fallacy, as well as the history of very large companies. Our final big topic (at 30:18) is the subscriber numbers Apple released for Apple Music the morning we recorded this podcast – is 11 million good or disappointing? And our weekly pick is a singer/album recommendation from Jan.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com).

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you. Also, we’d love it if you would leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.

Apple Music, Apple TV, Episodes, Microsoft, Music, Windows 10

Episode 8 – Apple Music issues, Windows 10, Apple TV

In Episode 8 of the Beyond Devices podcast, we discuss some of the recent criticisms of Apple Music from some prominent Apple commentators, whether they have merit, and what can be done about them. Our Question of the Week is about Windows 10, Microsoft’s big new operating system upgrade, including the context and history behind it, the major features, and how it’s likely to impact Microsoft and its partners. Our final topic is Buzzfeed’s report that the long-awaited new Apple TV might make an appearance at September’s iPhone event. And we close with our Weekly Pick, which this time around is a TV show recommendation from Aaron. As usual, the SoundCloud version is embedded below, and you can find links to other versions under that, along with show notes and relevant links.

We invite listeners to submit questions for subsequent weeks in the comments below, on Twitter (@jandawson, @aaronmiller), or via email (jan at jackdawresearch dot com).

As ever, you can also find the podcast on iTunes, in the Overcast app, or your own favorite podcast app. Here is the RSS feed for the podcast if you want to add it manually to your app of choice.

Show notes:

Here are some useful links relating to this week’s episode:

Apple Music topic:

Other topics:

Please leave us a comment or get in touch via Twitter to give us feedback. We’d love to hear from you.