Categories
Apple finance

Apple Earnings Report Q1 2024

Apple today announced earnings revenue of $119.6 billion. Investors and analysts weren’t expecting any records after Apple warned that revenue would be flat following the longest sales slump in the last couple decades but, it turns out, it was their second biggest revenue report ever.

From Apple Newsroom press release:

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2024 first quarter ended December 30, 2023. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $119.6 billion, up 2 percent year over year, and quarterly earnings per diluted share of $2.18, up 16 percent year over year.

“Today Apple is reporting revenue growth for the December quarter fueled by iPhone sales, and an all-time revenue record in Services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments. And as customers begin to experience the incredible Apple Vision Pro tomorrow, we are committed as ever to the pursuit of groundbreaking innovation — in line with our values and on behalf of our customers.”

Tim Cook also hinted at some upcoming announcements in AI.

As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these [Vision Pro] and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we’re excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.

Apple has long been working on custom chips that specialize in machine learning but were caught somewhat flat-footed at the speed and popularity of large language models. Perhaps Siri will finally get the overhaul we’ve been waiting for since her introduction on the iPhone 4s in October of 2011. It will be interesting to see the reveal at WWDC this June.

As always, the pretty charts via SixColors.

Categories
Art

Pong Wars

When you first look at Pong Wars you might think, neat… but I get it. However, if you watch for a couple of minutes you’ll find yourself routing for one side or the other and become mesmerized with the back and forth nature of the game.

(via Waxy)

Categories
Apple

40th Anniversary of the Mac

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of Steve Jobs unveiling the Macintosh, the first successful mass-marketed computer with a graphical user interface. My first “Mac” wasn’t until my 2015 MacBook Pro but as a third grade kid my parents got me an Apple II1 which I loved and on which I learned to code BASIC.

Pricing for the original Macintosh started at $2,495, equivalent to over $7,000 today. Key specs and features included an 8 MHz processor, 128 KB of RAM, a 400 KB floppy disk drive for storage, and serial ports for connecting a printer and other accessories.

  1. Technically it was a third party clone of an Apple II but at that age I didn’t really know the difference[↩]
Categories
Politics

His Grandpa was a Nazi

I found it shocking — having grown up in multicultural Canada — when an older relative of mine, who grew up in Germany during the war, shared that Hitler wasn’t all bad and had a lot of good ideas. I pushed back but mostly chalked it up to them being in their 90s and maybe losing a bit of their senility.

Bastian Allgeier, a designer and developer from Neckargemünd, Germany shares his grandfather’s story and ultimately how the world is cultivating Nazis like it’s 1930.

Nazism isn’t dead, it’s just dormant searching for willing hosts.

(via)

Categories
books pandemic

The Wisdom of Plagues

Book cover for The Wisdom of Plagues or Lessons from 25 years of covering pandemics

Donald G. McNeil released his new book, The Wisdom of Plagues, last week.

He summarizes it thusly:

Some sections are memoir. I describe moments like trying to get my New York Times colleagues to believe me that a pandemic was coming. Moments like almost being kidnapped in a gorilla-hunting village in Cameroon. And moments like recently discovering that, at the very dawn of the pandemic, some top scientists misled me when I was trying to check out rumors that the virus might have escaped from a Chinese lab.

Some sections are historical. I describe the roots of human illnesses in our decision 11,000 years ago to domesticate animals, and enumerate the effects of pandemics on Athens and Sparta, the crumbling Roman Empire, the Renaissance, Napoleon’s conquests and World Wars I and II.

Some sections are journalistic. I describe why the world failed for decades to protect women in Africa against AIDS. I detail successes like Vietnam’s fight against tuberculosis, Egypt’s against hepatitis C and Cuba’s against AIDS.

Some are prescriptive. I explain why I think we need a Pentagon for disease, should ban religious exemptions to vaccines, should sometimes let Big Pharma break antitrust laws, and should recruit “witch doctors” into the medical system.

Categories
comics

The Jenkins

“The Jenkins” comic strip originally centred around three brothers — Barney, Butch and Junior Jenkins — living in their parents’ basement but it’s also just absurd. Here are a some gems:

See more at thejenkinscomic.net.

Categories
culture

Notifications

This morning I got a notification that King Charles has an enlarged prostate. Shortly after that my phone tells me Princess Kate is recovering from some form of abdominal surgery. I can’t help but think that maybe I’m getting too many notifications.

Categories
article travel

Banyan Tree Sprouts New Leaves

I’ve been reading the novel Hawaii by James Michener which takes place in Lahaina, Maui and it got me thinking about the fire there last August. I visited there in 2019 and loved seeing the largest Banyan tree in the US.

I remember seeing aerial photos of the damage and wondering if the tree survived.

From Hawaii Public Radio last month:

The heart of Lahaina, the historic town on Maui that burned in a deadly wildfire that killed at least 100 people, reopened Monday to residents and business owners holding day passes.

[…]

The reopened areas include Banyan Tree Park, home to a 150-year-old tree that burned in the fire but that is now sprouting new leaves, Lahaina Public Library, King Kamehameha III Elementary School and popular restaurants.

Great news.

Categories
recipe

Towering Parfaits

My daughter found this recipe in The Disney Princess Cookbook and she was delighted when I ran out to get some whipped-cream for the dessert she suggested. As per the original directions, we substituted Greek vanilla yogurt for the pudding but then we also added some chocolate granola on top. It was beautiful and delicious but I forgot to snap a photo of our creations.

Directions

  1. Spoon a little pudding into the bottoms of two parfait glasses.
  2. Top the pudding with a layer of fresh berries, followed by a big dollop of whipped cream.
  3. Repeat step 1.
  4. Add one more layer of pudding.
  5. Top each parfait with a small blob of whipped cream garnished with 1 or 2 fresh berries.
Categories
recipe

Quick Irish Stew

This tasty stew warms your heart and fills your stomach on a cold day.

Quick Irish Stew
with Herb Garlic Crostini
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C)
  • Wash and dry all produce
Irish Stew ingredients on my counter for four
Irish Stew ingredients for four
Ingredients Two Person Four Person
Ground Beef 250 g 500 g
Mirepoix 113 g 227 g
Red Potatoes 300 g 600 g
All-Purpose Flour 2 TBSP 4 TBSP
Garlic 1 clove 2 cloves
Parsley and Thyme 14 g 21 g
Beef Broth Concentrate 1 packet 2 packets
Artisan Rolls 2 4
Sherry Vinegar 1 TBSP 2 TBSP
Soy Sauce ½ TBSP 1 TBSP
Unsalted Butter 1 TBSP 2 TBSP
Oil 1 tsp 2 tsp
Salt and Pepper
Roast Potatoes

Cut potatoes into quarters. Toss potatoes with 1 TBSP oil (dbl for 4ppl) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the middle of the oven, until golden-brown, 25-28 min.

Prep & Cook Beef

While potatoes roast; strip 1 TBSP thyme leaves (dbl for 4ppl) off stems. Roughly chop parsley. Peel, then mince or grate garlic.

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

When hot, add 1 tsp oil (dbl for 4ppl), then beef. Cook, breaking up beef into smaller pieces, until no pink remains, 4-5 min.

Season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a large bowl. Discard any remaining beef fat in the pot.

Cook Mirepoix

Reduce heat to medium, then add 1 TBSP butter (dbl for 4ppl), mirepoix, thyme and half the garlic to the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mirepoix softens slightly, 3-4 min. Add beef and any juices from the bowl. Sprinkle with flour. Cook, stirring often, until flour coats veggies and beef, 1-2 min.

Cook Stew

Add broth concentrates, vinegar, soy sauce and 2 cups water (db| for 4ppl) to the pot.

Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring together, until stew thickens slightly and veggies are tender, 10-12 min.

Make Garlic Toast

While stew cooks, combine remaining garlic and 1 TBSP oil (double for 4 people) in a small bowl.

Cut each roll in half lengthwise. Place rolls cut-side up on another baking sheet and brush with garlic oil. Toast in the top of the oven, until lightly golden-brown, 5-6 min.

(TIP: Keep an eye on your toast so that it does not burn!)

Finish and Serve

Add roasted potatoes to the stew and stir to combine. Divide stew between bowls. Serve with garlic toast alongside. Sprinkle parsley over both the stew and garlic toasts.