By Kelly Guimont The convenience of a secondary screen can be very handy, either for monitoring something like your email at a busy time, or for extra tools, such as productivity or creative apps, but investing in an additional monitor (especially if you’re mobile and using a laptop) isn’t always practical. This is where Duet Display comes in, letting you use an iPad as a wired extra monitor. Duet Display’s performance is impeccable — as smooth as an external monitor.The requirements are simple: any Mac that can run OS X 10.9 or higher, and any iOS device that can run iOS 7 or higher. Grab the free Duet Mac utility from duetdisplay.com, install it on your Mac, get the app on your iPad, then launch both and you’re ready to go. One of the notable things about this app is speed, there’s effectively no lag displaying to the iPad, which there is with AirDisplay, an equivalent wireless solution. Another thing to note is that the audio will only come from the computer, not from the iPad, so if you have them some distance apart but video is playing on the iPad it might be disconcerting for the audio to be playing elsewhere.You can tap on items on your iPad, but it’s definitely a suboptimal experience, mostly because Mac OS isn’t made for touchscreens. It’s much better as a display for static information you don’t need to interact with. You can also use Duet Display with your iPhone, but even with a 6 Plus it doesn’t seem like enough real estate.Aside from the audio, the only other thing to really be aware of is that if you are using Duet Display with a laptop, plugging in that cable means you’re also charging your iPad. This means if you don’t have your laptop plugged in, the battery will drain even more quickly due to the iPad charging and never turning off the screen. This isn’t really a problem, but it’s an issue that may affect some users more than others.If you want a way to extend your screen, Duet Display is a solid choice. If you are put off by the power requirements of running both devices off your laptop battery, there are other options for displaying static information on your iPad. Obviously, there are dedicated apps for things like email, or you can use an app such as Status Board to give you a customizable “heads up” display of information from different, customizable sources.The bottom line. A very useful utility for portable productivity.Review Synopsis
Product:

Duet Display

Company:

Rahul Dewan

Contact:

www.duetdisplay.com

Price:

$15.99

Requirements:

iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch running iOS 7 or later; Mac running OS X 10.9 or later

Positives:

Lag-free Mac display on your iPad. Works anywhere and charges iPad.

Negatives:

No audio feed. Touch control can be awkward.

Source: Maclife

By Richard Moss and Andrew Hayward

Source: Maclife

By Alex Brooks Quarterly iPhone Unit Shipments (up to Q215)
Apple today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter of 2015 which ran from the end of December, 2014 until March end.For the quarter Apple posted revenue of $58 billion and net quarterly profit of $13.6 billion, or $2.33 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $45.6 billion and net profit of $10.2 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
Gross margin was 40.3 percent compared to 39.3 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 69 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple reported the following number of shipments for its products during the quarter:
61.17 million iPhones compared to 43.71 million in the year-ago-quarter
12.6 million iPads compared to 16.35 million in the year-ago-quarter
4.56 million Macs compared to 4.13 million in the year-ago quarter
Internet services, led by sales of Apps on the iOS and Mac App Store, Apple Pay, and others generated revenue of $4.996bn compared to $4.573bn in the year-ago quarter

“We are thrilled by the continued strength of iPhone, Mac and the App Store, which drove our best March quarter results ever,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re seeing a higher rate of people switching to iPhone than we’ve experienced in previous cycles, and we’re off to an exciting start to the June quarter with the launch of Apple Watch.”
“The tremendous customer demand for our products and services in the March quarter drove revenue growth of 27 percent and EPS growth of 40 percent,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “Cash flow from operations was also outstanding at $19.1 billion.”
Apple provided the following guidance for its fiscal 2015 third quarter which ends in June:
revenue between $46 billion and $48 billion
gross margin between 38.5 percent and 39.5 percent
operating expenses between $5.65 billion and $5.75 billion
other income/(expense) of $350 million
tax rate of 26.3%

Apple today announced that its Board of Directors has authorised an increase of more than 50 percent to the Company’s programme to return capital to shareholders. Under the expanded program, Apple plans to utilise a cumulative total of $200 billion of cash by the end of March 2017. From the inception of its capital return programme in August 2012 through March 2015, Apple has returned over $112 billion to shareholders, including $80 billion in share repurchases.
Analysis of Earnings and Investor’s Call
Apple’s incredible earnings continue to be tainted by a continued decline in iPad sales, dropping from 16 million to 12 million in the just gone March quarter. However, Apple smashed its March quarter record led by huge iPhone sales, Mac and App Stores that performed 27% year-over-year revenue growth.
On iPad sales Cook confirmed that the sales were being cannibalised by both the iPhone and the Mac (“We’ve never worried about that, it is what it is”). However, according to Cook if you dig below the headline data it’s clear that things will stabilise but unsure when. Additionally things like first time buyer rates are above the 40% mark in the US, in China that number is over 70%. With customer satisfaction at 100% and intent to buy very high confidence remains high at apple.
Cook did not want to predict when the iPad would begin growing again, but strongly believes that it will.
iPhone made up 69% of Apple’s total revenue, with the average selling price of the iPhone was $659 a marked increase on estimates from analysts and demonstrating that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ mix continues to not be imbalanced. On the earnings call Tim Cook put growth in iPhone sales down to more switchers than estimated, ie those moving from other platforms outperformed Apple’s expectations.
Cook explained that iPhone grew 40% but IDC predicted the market growth to be 16%, with Apple performing “extremely well” in emerging markets. Cook extremely pleased with switcher numbers but also first-time buyers remain strong, there’s nothing not to like in the numbers Cook explained. Cook also predicted that 20% of the existing iPhone owner market had moved over to the iPhone 6/6+, clearly leaving plenty of head room for upgrades.
For the first time ever Apple sold more iPhones in the China area than it did in the United States, subsequently revenue grew 71% to $16.8 billion.
Internet services also helped lead Apple’s success with revenue growing to an all time high of $5 billion, up 9% year-over-year. The App Store was particularly strong with revenue up 29%. Apple noted in the earnings call that Apple’s App Store had 77% more revenue that Google’s Play Store.
On Apple Watch the company was relatively quiet, with investors asking few questions. However, Apple’s guidance gave clues to lower gross margin for the device, Cook confirmed that gross margin would be lower than the company average.

Source: World of Apple

By J.R. Bookwalter

Source: Maclife

By J Keirn-Swanson We’ve got some workout action for you on the cheap this weekend, plus a couple really pretty productivity apps. Games? Oh, yes. And if you want to send a delightful postcard home to the family to show them what a rocking vacation you’ve had, then we’ve got something in that vein too. That and even more all packed inside with weekend’s Price Drop, so come on in.

Source: Maclife

By J.R. Bookwalter Raise your hand if you’re excited about Apple Watch! Okay, the couple of you in the back who didn’t raise your hands, stick around, because this edition of Apple Daily has some non-Watch news as well. But if you’re not excited, you probably should be, because new Apple product-category launches don’t happen too often! Let’s dispense with the tomfoolery and jump right in.Apple Watch User Guide, App Store Now AvailableProspective Apple Watch buyers have had months to pore over every excruciating bit of minutiae about the smartwatch, but should there remain any nagging questions about the device on the eve of preorders arriving in the hands of customers Friday, there’s now a user guide with all the answers.On Thursday, Apple published the official Apple Watch User Guide on its website, which breaks down into 22 categories covering every aspect of the wearable device one might expect. With sections entitled Get Started, Basics, Watch Faces, Notifications, Glances, Timekeeping, Messages, Digital Touch, Mail, Phone Calls, and Calendars and Reminders, among others, the manual should give anxious watch buyers plenty to study in the hours that remain before the devices are delivered tomorrow.Apple has also hung the open sign outside the Apple Watch App Store, a specialized version of the existing iOS App Store focused on Watch-compatible titles that actually lives inside the Apple Watch app introduced with iOS 8.2. As previewed by Buzzfeed earlier today, the store’s virtual shelves are stocked with more than 3,000 apps, including all the usual suspects like Twitter, Instapaper, and The New York Times being singled out for special attention.Apple Watch owners will also be able to use the existing App Store on their iPhone or from a Mac or Windows PC, with compatible product listings now showing watch screenshots below the usual iPhone screenshots, and a special “Offers Apple Watch App for iPhone” indicator under the title, making it easier for apps that feature support for the device to stand out from those that do not.Initial Apple Watch preorders are expected to begin arriving on Friday, but apparently the device will not actually be available to purchase for customers walking into an Apple retail store — a departure from the usual long lines and circus atmosphere that has greeted every new iPhone and iPad released since 2007.Report: iPod Could Live to Fight Another DayAppleInsider today reported that Apple hasn’t quite forgotten about the iPod, the media player that helped pave the way for Cupertino to become more than just a computer manufacturer. According to an unidentified source, the product line will apparently see at least one more refresh later this year, with an emphasis on the iPod touch in particular, which may or may not retain the current four-inch form factor.The iPod lineup has remained the same since late 2012, but the report specifically cites the processor, storage capacity, and camera as specific areas Apple may address in an effort to boost interest in its once-mighty media player.Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Source: Maclife

By Giancarlo Saldana

Source: Maclife

By Richard Moss and Andrew Hayward

Source: Maclife

By Alex Brooks iPhone Unit Sales (Up to Q115)
Apple today announced financial results for its first fiscal quarter of 2015 which ran from the end of September, 2014 until December end. Notably the quarter is the first to feature complete coverage of iPhone 6 sales. For the quarter Apple posted revenue of $74.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $18 billion, or $3.06 per diluted share (adjusted for stock split). These results compare to revenue of $57.6 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $14.50 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
Gross margin was 37.9 percent compared to 37.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 65 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple reported the following number of shipments for its products during the quarter:
74.5 million iPhones compared to 51 million in the year-ago-quarter
21.4 million iPads compared to 26 million in the year-ago-quarter
5.5 million Macs compared to 4.8 million in the year-ago quarter

Internet services, led by sales of Apps on the iOS and Mac App Store, Apple Pay, and others generated revenue of $4.79 billion.

“We’d like to thank our customers for an incredible quarter, which saw demand for Apple products soar to an all-time high,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Our revenue grew 30 percent over last year to $74.6 billion, and the execution by our teams to achieve these results was simply phenomenal.”
“Our exceptional results produced EPS growth of 48 percent over last year, and $33.7 billion in operating cash flow during the quarter, an all-time record,” said Luca Maestri, Apple’s CFO. “We spent over $8 billion on our capital return program, bringing total returns to investors to almost $103 billion, over $57 billion of which occurred in just the last 12 months.”
Apple provided the following guidance for its fiscal 2015 second quarter which ends in March:
revenue between $52 billion and $55 billion
gross margin between 38.5 percent and 39.5 percent
operating expenses between $5.4 billion and $5.5 billion
other income/(expense) of $350 million
tax rate of 26.3%

Source: World of Apple

By Alex Brooks iPhone 6 – Apple’s biggest phone yet?
On Tuesday January 27th, Apple will announce the results of its fiscal first quarter of 2015. Way back in October 2014, Apple told investors to expect total sales somewhere in the range of $63.5 to $66.5 billion—representing, at the midpoint, 15% growth from fiscal Q1 2014.
But that seems conservative according to some analysts. Onlookers have been pining over the iPhone sales numbers, which with a full quarter of iPhone 6 sales seem to be mind blowing—but who really knows? In addition, we know iPad sales are likely to continue a decline (a slow one?) and the Mac is doing just fine according to IDC’s skeptical numbers. So all in all, we’re looking at a BIG quarter.

According to Yahoo Finance the average estimate for the quarter ending December 2014 is 67.05 billion (B), with the low end still no where near Apple’s low end prediction falling in at 65.01B and the top end as far as 74.27B, compare that to year ago quarterly revenues of 57.59B. Not many companies out there sustaining almost 20% year-over-year growth.
Update: With some estimating that Apple’s quarterly earnings could almost touch $16B, it looks like Apple could take a firm place in the top three of largest corporate quarterly earnings of all time.
And the estimates for what has driven this mind blowing quarter?
Well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reckons that some 73 million iPhone 6 units were sold during the December quarter. If that is to be believed than Apple has smashed its previous iPhone sales figure by a whopping 22 million units (51.02 million units in Q114).
Apple iPhone Unit Sales (Q115 estimate)
What else?
Well earlier this year IDC took a punt at some Mac sales figures and ended up around 5.75 million, this has been widely debunked as too high. Fortune did the maths and that figure is in the upper quartile bet of most analysts, they reckon somewhere more like 5.5m.
And the iPad? The iPad has been the headline grabber for quite a few consecutive quarters. And it may yet do it again, but it really would have to shock to take the prize away from those mesmerising revenue numbers. Analyst’s average estimates fall in around 21 million unit sales, a solid fall of 17% from the year ago quarter. That may just be enough to spook analysts.
Watching March
Analysts will be keenly listening in for Apple’s Q215 estimates. Questions going through their head are if the iPhone can sustain and hold up growth with plummeting iPad sales? Is the Mac flat? Will Apps and other online services start to become the big story? How will Apple prepare for the Watch?
Again, according to Yahoo Finance analysts are looking at $53.71 billion for Q215, on gross margins of around 37.5%.

Source: World of Apple