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April 2024

Patently Apple Message

Hi guys, I’m currently in the hospital. I may know later today if I’ll need surgery and have a better idea of how long I’ll be away. I’ll update this notice when I can. 

Cheers!

Jack Purcher


A Counterpoint report on China's Smartphone Shipments for Calendar Q1-24 presents an extremely tight race amongst the Top Five OEMs

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This morning a Bloomberg report claimed that Apple iPhone shipments in China had reportedly declined by 19% for Calendar Q1-24, marking it the worst performance in the region since the onset of Covid around 2020. Bloomberg was quoting Counterpoint statistics that hadn't been published at the time of the Bloomberg report. Later this morning, Counterpoint released their report on China's smartphone shipments.  

Counterpoint reports that China’s smartphone sales grew 1.5% YoY in Q1 2024, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive YoY growth, according to Counterpoint’s Market Pulse Service.

Huawei stood out as the best performer among all OEMs during Q1, growing 69.7% YoY. Huawei’s growth was largely attributed to the successful launch of the 5G-capable Mate 60 series  that helped it to gain a massive share in the $600+ premium segment which is Apple's stronghold. Huawei rise of 69.7% for the quarter led it to fourth spot with 15.5% market share while Apple was in third spot with 15.7%. Honor reportedly edged out Apple for second spot with 16.1%. 

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Commenting on OEM performance, Senior Research Analyst Ivan Lam said, “vivo gained the top spot this quarter with 17.4% share driven by strong sales of the Y35 Plus and Y36 models in the low-end segment and the S18 in the mid-end segment. HONOR ranked second with a 16.1% share, followed by Apple with a 15.7% share. Apple’s sales were subdued during the quarter as Huawei’s comeback has directly impacted Apple in the premium segment. Besides, the replacement demand for Apple has been slightly subdued compared to previous years.” Counterpoint.

With the statistics from Oppo, Huawei, Apple and Honor being so closely calculated, it will take statistical reports from Canalys, TrendForce and/or IDC to actually verify the rankings as presented by Counterpoint.  

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Apple TV+ has Released the Trailer for Season Four of the acclaimed comedy 'Trying' that's set to debut in late May

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Apple was granted 46 Patents today covering Future Smartglasses with a dual gaze Tracking System and more

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Apple wins a Smartglasses patent covering an Optical System with Dispersion Compensation that delivers quality AR Imagery

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Meta offers their VR OS to hardware companies ahead of Google's announcement of a new XR OS next month at Google I/O

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A series of new Meta patents cover their possible future Wristband device for XR Headsets + Smartwatch & Smartglasses

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Apple Supplier ASE has won Exclusive orders for the iPhone 16's Capacitive Touch Buttons that replace Physical Buttons

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The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered Apple to remove Social Media apps like Telegram, WhatsApp & more from the App Store

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TSMC's President confirmed yesterday that their 2nm processor design that uses Nanosheet technology for the first time has been Finalized

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Apple's 2024 Environmental Progress Report states that it has cut its overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions by more than 55% since 2015

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Apple TV+ will launch a Darkly Comedic Drama in July titled "Sunny" that introduces us to the concept of Domestic Robots

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As Promised at WWDC23, AirPlay is now available in select IHG Hotels & Resorts to securely stream Apple TV shows, movies & more

1coverAppleGuests staying at select properties from IHG Hotels & Resorts can use AirPlay to stream their favorite shows and movies, listen to personal playlists, view vacation photos, and more.

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A Google memo reveals that 28 employees were Terminated after Multi-City Protests against the company's contract with the Israeli Government

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Apple invents a 'Smart Wallet' for iPhone that includes advanced security that notifies a user when a credit card is missing+

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Huawei's new Smartphones to launch on Monday with the industry's first super-concentrating retractable camera, Satellite connectivity+

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Apple Announced on their Singapore Website that they're Investing $250 Million in the expansion of their Campus in Ang Mo Kio

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A new Job Posting in China reveals that Apple could be opening a new Store in Hefei at some time in the future

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While Apple TV+ renews 'For All Mankind' for a 5th Season, its creators are spinning off a new Series called 'Star City' and more

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More than 18 gigawatts of clean electricity now power Apple’s global operations & manufacturing supply chain, more than 3X the amount in 2020

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A new Thriller Series titled "Down Cemetery Road" is coming to Apple TV+ starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson

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Apple has won a Patent that relates to a Future version of Vision Pro that works with a Drone and/or a Robotic Avatar

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Last week, Patently Apple posted a report titled "With Project Titan being Cancelled, Apple's Crystal Ball Points to developing Home Robotics." The report noted that "The robotics work is happening within Apple’s hardware engineering division and its AI and machine-learning group, which is run by John Giannandrea. Matt Costello and Brian Lynch — two executives focused on home products — have overseen the hardware development." While this seems like an odd project for Apple to pursue, a newly granted patent today points to a part of such a project. Apple notes at one point in their patent that the invention relates to "a drone or robotic avatar"  that appears to work with a future version of Vision Pro.

Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to health monitoring and, in particular, to systems, methods, and devices for monitoring the health of a user in a computer-generated reality environment. This is a difficult patent to get your head around and so to better understand Apple's granted patents, it's best to simply dive in to the examples that Apple provides.

In Apple's patent FIG. 4A below we see a CGR environment #400 based on a real environment surveyed by a scene camera of a device at a first time. In various implementations, the scene camera is part of a device that is worn by the user and includes a display that displays the first CGR environment. In various implementations, the device includes more than one scene camera. Thus, in various implementations, the user is physically present in the environment. In various implementations, the scene camera is part of remote device (such as a drone or robotic avatar) that transmits images from the scene camera to a local device that is worn by the user and includes a display that displays the CGR environment.

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At the second time, shown patent FIG. 4B above, the CGR environment #400 includes a reminder window #431 indicating that the user has not taken a scheduled dose of medication. Further, at the second time, the CGR environment includes a glow 432 directing the attention of the user to the medicine bottle 416.

Apple's patent FIG. 4E below illustrates the CGR environment #400 of FIG. 4A at a fifth time. At the fifth time, the CGR environment includes an options window #433 including a yes affordance #434 and a no affordance #435. The options window indicates to the user that the user is intoxicated and presents options for calling a rideshare vehicle (via the yes affordance #434) and dismissing the options window #433 (via the no affordance #435).

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Apple's patent FIG. 4F above illustrates the CGR environment #400 of FIG. 4A. This time, the user's hand (#490) is interacting with the no affordance #435 of the options window #433.

Apple's patent FIG. 4H below presents another example wherein the CGR environment #400 is adjusted to be brighter and/or sharper (e.g., the HMD increases the brightness, sharpness, saturation, and/or contrast of the display). In this example the  CGR environment includes a notification window #436 indicating that the CGR environment 400 has been adjusted and including an OK affordance #437.

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Apple's patent FIG. 4i below illustrates the CGR environment includes a navigation window #438 indicating that the HMD is navigating the user to water and a navigation arrow #439 (pointing out the door #418) indicating a direction for the user to follow to obtain water.

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For full details, review granted patent 11961290. If Apple's robotics  project is for real, then we're bound to see more patents surface over time.

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Today Apple was granted 53 patents covering a Possible new MagSafe Accessory Device for iPhones and iPads, more

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Apple won a Flexible Display patent for future Foldable Devices that includes a new Spring Layer concept to alleviate stresses in the fold

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Google is likely to reveal details of their upcoming Android XR Platform that will Power Samsung's XR Headset at this year's Google IO

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Apple in advanced talks with a Tata Group Company to assemble and possibly manufacture sub-components for iPhone camera modules

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Apple TV+ has Announced an Explosive 3-Part Documentary Series titled "Hollywood Con Queen' that's coming in May

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Apple's CEO is on Tour in Vietnam Today meeting with Application Developers and committing to strengthen its ties to the country

1-cover-Tim-Cook-in-VietnamApple's CEO at Hoan Kiem Lake, Vietnam - Click on image to Greatly Enlarge

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Apple won a series of design patents in Europe for a charging station, Apple Pencil, mounting units for audiovisual devices & EyeSight

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While Apple looks to surgeries as a key avenue for Vision Pro, the 1st-ever AR abdominal surgery was performed using a Meta Quest headset

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The Humane AI Pin developed by ex-Apple industrial designers was Utterly Annihilated in a new product review

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Huawei is planning to deliver a 3nm chip for smartphones with their new extensive chip equipment R&D center in Shanghai

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