O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: 2022

Apple widens hiring freeze, bonus payment changes, cost-cutting measures throughout departments

You can be one of the most profitable companies in the world, but still need to put the brakes on hiring and spending from time to time.

According to a number of sources that have spoken with Bloomberg, Apple has initiated a hiring freeze in several departments, as well as made changes to how it doles out promotions and bonuses to employees.

While other major names in tech are performing mass layoffs, such as Meta’s massive offloading of staff, Apple has tried to minimize how many people it lets go. Though it has worked so far, the iPhone maker seems to be preparing to take more steps to reduce its outlay.

One method to streamline finances is for the company to cut down on the number of times a year it performs bonus payouts from twice a year to just once. While this will vary between divisions, the trend will be eliminating the April payment in favor of just an October one. Even with the reduced number of payment instances, employees are still expected to receive their full bonus entitlement for the year.

Apple is also apparently going to refine its current hiring freeze policies. The company has already slowed down its hiring practices since 2022, with the company deciding to leave positions unfilled when employees exit to reduce the headcount.

At the time of the November reports, an Apple spokesperson insisted the company was continuing to hire but was taking a “very deliberate approach in some parts of the business.”

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and Bloomberg

March 15, 2023
Rumor: Apple to release revamped HomePod with 7-inch display in 2024

Apple may be shipping a revamped HomePod, complete with a 7-inch screen, come the first half of 2024.

According to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has been reportedly working on HomePods with screens before, perhaps bringing together the smart speaker with Apple TV+. Kuo doesn’t detail what the screen could be used for, but he does now put a date on its launch.

Kuo also stated that Tianma, which generally makes screens for Android devices, will create the 7-inch display panel:

“I predict that Apple will unveil a redesigned HomePod featuring a 7-inch panel in 1H24, with Tianma as the exclusive panel supplier,” he says. “The HomePod, which equips a panel, could enable tighter integration with Apple’s other hardware products, marking a significant shift in the company’s smart home strategy.”

Kuo stated that the backing for the prediction appears to have surfaced from information that Apple “is set to debut in Apple’s supply chain, becoming a new beneficiary of Apple’s revamped smart home strategy.”

Kuo also stated that “Tianma’s next orders from Apple may be iPad panels if the shipment goes well,” he surmises.

In 2022, Kuo did correctly predict that Apple would release a new HomePod model in late 2022 or, as it turned out, early 2023.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and Medium

March 13, 2023
Apple to release Apple Music Classical app on March 28

After years of rumors and anticipation, Apple has announced that the classical music version of Apple Music will arrive on March 28.

Originally promised for 2022, and continually rumored to be on the cusp of launching, Apple offered the following statement about the forthcoming app:

“Apple Music Classical makes it quick and easy to find any recording in the world’s largest classical music catalog with fully optimized search,” said Apple in a statement, “and listeners can enjoy the highest audio quality available, and experience many classical favorites in a whole new way with immersive spatial audio.”

“[It] is the ultimate classical experience with hundreds of curated playlists, thousands of exclusive albums, insightful composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works, intuitive browsing features and much more,” continued Apple.

The new Apple Music Classical app can be pre-ordered from the App Store now. It functions as a free download, and has been listed as being solely for the iPad. Upon preordering, the app will be automatically downloaded following its release.

Apple Music Classical requires iOS 15.4 or later, and any Apple Music subscription except the Apple Music Voice Plan. It will be available at launch wherever Apple Music is, except China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider

March 10, 2023
Apple offers yellow color option for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models

If you’re a fan of yellow, you’re going to like this.

Apple is adding another color option to its roster, with customers currently able to order the iPhone 14 in yellow.

Following leaks from March 3, Apple has confirmed it is performing its usual mid-cycle color update, with the iPhone 14 being offered for purchase in a new colorway.

The addition joins the other five colors the iPhone 14 is available in, adding on top of Midnight, Starlight, Purple, Blue, and (Product)Red.

The mid-cycle upgrade of color options follows an established pattern for Apple. For March 2022, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro added green, while 2021 focused on purple for the iPhone 12.

The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max colorways remain unchanged, with of Space Black, Silver, Gold, and Deep Purple all available.

The iPhone 14 retails for $799 for its base model while the iPhone 14 Pro retails for its respective base model. The new color is available for preorder through att.com and verizon.com on March 10 and will begin shipping on March 14.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and store.apple.com

March 9, 2023
Rumor: Apple to release new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air notebooks with M3 chip

The rumor mill’s buzzing with word of a new MacBook Air for a while, and according to a Bloomberg report on Sunday, updates to Apple’s ultralight notebook are “imminent” and that at least one of the new models would have the M3 chip.

According to sources close to the story, the new 13-inch MacBook Air (codenamed “J513”) is already in the works with an M3 chip. It will be announced along with a brand-new 15-inch version (codenamed “J515”), which will also have the M3 chip.

In the past, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that Apple could release its 15-inch MacBook Air powered by the M2 and M2 Pro chips in “early April.” Updated news from the sources has indicated that the 15-inch model will get the same entry-level M3 chip as the new 13-inch MacBook Air. The chip will have an 8-core CPU just like M1 and M2.

While there’s no evidence that any of the new MacBook Air variants will be equipped with the more powerful versions of the M3 chip, such as the M3 Pro, Apple is also said to be working on a 13-inch MacBook Pro with its newest Apple Silicon chip. The chip, codenamed “J504,” will offer the new entry-level MacBook Pro the same 8-core M3 chip as the new MacBook Air.

It’s also been rumored that Apple might skip the M2 chip for the iMac, and offer an updated model this year with the M3 chip.

It’s unknown as to exactly when Apple plans to introduce these new Macs, although Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has suggested that at least the new MacBook Air will be introduced in June at WWDC. Given both the 13-inch and 15-inch models will feature the M3 chip, it seems unlikely that Apple will announce new MacBooks before its developer conference.

Even so, the M2 chip was announced at WWDC 2022 along with the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, so Apple may repeat the cycle again.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via 9to5Mac and Bloomberg

March 8, 2023