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TECHNOLOGY A23
Monday 21 March 2016
Apple’s latest product event isn’t causing a big stir
BRANDON BAILEY who believes Apple could
AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — sell 12 million of the new
It wouldn’t be an Apple
event without some hoop- phones this year. By com-
la. But the company’s
upcoming product an- parison, Milunovich esti-
nouncement on Monday
doesn’t seem to be stirring mates Apple has sold 265
much passion.
Apple has invited tech re- million of the larger iPhone
porters and analysts to its
Silicon Valley headquar- 6 models over the last two
ters, where CEO Tim Cook
is expected to unveil some years.
new additions to its current
family of iPhone and iPad Much of that surge came
devices. So far, however,
there have been no hints of from Apple’s 2014 move
any dramatic announce-
ments, such as last year’s to offer a bigger, 4.7-inch
highly anticipated Apple
Watch debut, or major ini- screen with the iPhone 6
tiatives like the company’s
long-rumored but yet-to- and an even-larger 5.5-
materialize streaming TV
service. inch screen with the 6 Plus.
Apple could use a shot in
the arm. IPhone sales are Last year’s iPhone 6S and
levelling off, after surging
last year to record lev- 6S Plus also had those larg-
els that made Apple the
world’s biggest company er screens, but otherwise
by stock market value.
And many are wondering weren’t dramatically dif-
if Cook can come up with
another big hit. ferent.
And the very next day,
Apple is set to square off Still, some analysts say the
in court against the FBI
over its demand that the new phone could help Ap-
company help it unlock a
mass shooter’s encrypted ple as it struggles to match
iPhone. While that dispute
has drawn heated rhetoric, last year’s sales. While
most Apple watchers say
it’s unlikely to play a major shoppers bought a record
role at Monday’s product
launch. In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook waves during the Apple event at 74.8 million iPhones in the
“There’s been a lot less final three months of 2015,
noise” around Monday’s the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Associated Press Apple has signaled de-
event, compared with simi-
lar gatherings in the past, mum about its plans, sev- the market for Apple’s on- “We think the numbers mand in the current three-
said Gartner tech ana- eral analysts expect the line services, including Ap- will be modest,” said RBC month period will fall short
lyst Brian Blau. Even so, he company will introduce an ple Music, Apple Pay and Capital Markets analyst of the 61 million iPhones
cautioned against ruling upgrade to its older, four- the highly profitable mo- Amit Daryanani. So does sold in the January-March
out any surprises. “Apple is
such a secretive company. inch iPhone 5S — aimed bile App Store. Steven Milunovich of UBS, quarter last year.
They do keep things under at consumers who haven’t
wraps as long as possible.”
While Apple has been sprung for the bigger- YouTube now on T-Mobile’s ‘Binge On’ after
screen iPhone 6 models
earlier spat that Apple introduced two
years ago. The new phone
may come with features
like Apple Pay and the TALI ARBEL video from companies that cluding Verizon, AT&T and
company’s fastest proces- AP Technology Writer hadn’t joined Binge On. Comcast, to exempt some
sor, which have previously NEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile YouTube, as well as oth- video or other online activi-
been offered only on ver- and YouTube have come ers including digital-rights ties from data caps. They
sions of the iPhone 6. to terms after a public spat group Electronic Frontier worry that could lead to
Analysts and tech blogs over the phone company’s Foundation, criticized this some Internet companies
say Apple also may unveil “Binge On” video stream- as throttling, which the gov- paying cable and phone
a new model of the iPad ing service. As a result, most ernment’s net neutrality businesses for better ac-
Pro, which the company T-Mobile customers can, rules don’t permit. T-Mobile cess to consumers, hurting
introduced last year with starting Thursday, watch CEO John Legere said in other Internet companies
several features — like a YouTube videos without avideo posted online that that can’t afford to pay.
detachable keyboard and using up their cellphone that charge was “a game (T-Mobile doesn’t charge
stylus — designed for busi- data. T-Mobile in Novem- of semantics” because video companies to partic-
ness users. ber had started letting cus- customers could opt out ipate in Binge On, howev-
A four-inch iPhone isn’t like- tomers stream video from and stream higher quality er.) T-Mobile has changed
ly to see the kind of block- a couple dozen provid- video if they wanted. Cus- its service to appease You-
buster demand that Apple ers, including Netflix, Hulu tomers would use up more Tube. Now T-Mobile allows
enjoyed with its large- and HBO, without using up data if they did that. Propo- video providers to manage
screen iPhone 6 and 6S their phone data. YouTube, nents of net neutrality, the video streams themselves,
models, according to sev- which is owned by Alpha- concept that Internet ser- which YouTube is doing.
eral financial analysts, but bet, didn’t like that T-Mobile vice providers should treat That helps YouTube make
it could help Apple boost then delivered all video in all traffic equally, are con- sure that video doesn’t
overall sales and draw DVD-level quality, which cerned about efforts by T- take a long time to load for
some additional users into is worse than HD — even Mobile and other ISPs, in- viewers.
