Commotion of Links (Apple edition) for May 6, 2025
(Updated: now bursting with Commentary!)
Apple got spanked HARD, and righteously, and many apps instantly became a little less dumb as a direct consequence. Apple definitely did not get spanked during their quarterly earnings report. Apparently, that's not supposed to happen until Q3. ⓘ
Q2 2025 Earnings
Apple reports second quarter results
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/05/apple-reports-second-quarter-results/The overall takeaway was “We did fine, even great in areas like Services. But whoah Nelly the next quarter is going to be quite a hayride, man so, like, look out.”
Apple shares fall as buyback cuts, tariff fears fan investor jitters
https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-shares-fall-tariff-costs-add-more-agony-2025-05-02/Good, impersonal recap.
Beware the tariffs! Inside Apple’s latest financial results
https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/beware-the-tariffs-inside-apples-latest-financial-results/Great, not at all impersonal recap from Jason at Sixcolors.
This is Tim: Complete transcript of Apple’s Q2 2025 financial call
https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/this-is-tim-transcript-of-apples-q2-2025-financial-call/As I always say: an earnings call transcript is a company’s most interesting piece of public communications. It’s the one venue where (1) the CEO has to react to questions that they didn’t see in advance, and (2) if anybody lies, even by omission, they might wind up getting sued by their shareholders and maybe they’ll have to write a $490M check. Tim’s got a funny, funny story about that, in fact…
Apple Q2 2025 results and charts: $95.4B revenue
https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/apple-q2-2025-results-and-charts-95-4b-revenue/♫ Charts and graphs! Charts and graphs! Cheers and Laughs! Charts and graphs! Yeah! Yeah! YEAHHHHHH! ♫
Apple admits the Q2 surge in imports won't be enough to stop price hikes
https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/05/05/apple-admits-the-q2-surge-in-imports-wont-be-enough-to-stop-price-hikes
Morgan Stanley notes new guidance in Apple SEC filings: tariffs “can require the Company to take various actions, including... increasing the prices of its products and services.” Their analyst says the numbers back the conclusion that Apple’s either preparing to or planning to increase prices on hardware.
Judge Orders Apple To Comply With Her Order, As Ordered
US judge rules Apple violated order to reform App Store
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/us-judge-rules-apple-violated-order-reform-app-store-2025-04-30/I’ll go through this in a much longer blog post. But here’s what happened: Apple was out on parole and decided to drive around in a car with expired tags and a a huge duffel bag full of drugs and unlicensed handguns in the backseat. And why not crank up the car's 400-watt stereo to the max and do burnouts in the parking lot of a police station?
Apple started emailing developers about the impact of yesterday's injunction and you can tell whoever wrote this was bitter.
https://x.com/arielmichaeli/status/1918111355988832449Screenshots of the email that Apple sent to registered developers about immediate changes to App Store policies.
Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store
https://www.theverge.com/news/661237/epic-games-fortnite-apple-us-ios-app-store-eu-accountRemember, years ago, Apple terminated Epic’s US developer account during the overture to this symphony.
New Epic Games Store Webshops and Revenue Share Update
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/news/new-epic-games-store-webshops-and-revenue-share-updateEpic stops cackling long enough to add new services to its own developer portal. No fees for the first million bucks in revenue and a system that'll enable to open their own stores within the Epic Games portal.
Kindle’s iOS app just made buying books easier than ever on iPhone and iPad
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/06/kindles-ios-app-just-made-buying-books-easier-than-ever-on-iphone-and-ipad/Yes, after fifteen damn years, holy cats, it’s actually possible to buy a book through the Kindle app by tapping a button. Apple fought this tooth and nail. They’ve consistently promised that Its Users Are Better Off Without It and that if this sort of button should ever appear, an apocalypse of truly Biblical proportions would be instantaneous and inevitable. So good luck to all of us, I guess. But now the iPhone world is marginally less dumb. Other apps are following suit.
Apple clears Spotify update under new rules allowing purchases within apps
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/02/apple-clears-spotify-app-update-that-allows-purchases.htmlDitto. This is a terrific day for users; so many apps are able to become so much easier to use.
“No Apple tax means we will lower prices” - Proton promises price drop after US ruling against Apple
https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/no-apple-tax-means-we-will-lower-prices-proton-promises-price-drop-after-us-ruling-against-appleGood for Proton. But let’s see how many digital storefronts and subscription services choose to pass those App Store Tax savings on to consumers.
Apple Will Allow Crypto Payments in Apps After Latest US Court Ruling
https://beincrypto.com/court-ruling-boosts-crypto-payment-in-apples-ios-apps/Yeah, I know, crypto is the clammy handshake of digital commerce. But I’m keen to see if this shift becomes a boon for people who have something in that place where a human soul sits other than a gaping chill that can never be attenuated.
Apple hit with app developer class action after US judge’s contempt ruling
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/apple-hit-with-app-developer-class-action-after-us-judges-contempt-ruling-2025-05-05/
Mmm. Hard to pick a side here. I don’t want Apple to feel any pain, per se. But if part of the fallout from bullying developers and users for years and years through patently ridiculous App Store policies is that they have to deal with Saul Goodmans by the busload…I mean, I don’t hate the idea.
Company
Apple prices first bond offering in 2 years
https://www.reuters.com/business/apples-first-bond-offering-two-years-headlines-busy-primary-2025-05-05/Apple said it plans to use the proceeds to repurchase stock and repay outstanding debt. Why not just write a check? After asking around, my (non-expert and thus suspect) interpretation here is that Apple wants to keep their existing cash where it is, for a rainy day (such as: in case tariff impacts turn out to be even worse than they thought?). It’s frequently the reason for this kind of move. Or, the cash they’ll raise from selling these bonds is just “cheaper” than the cash they can source from their existing supply, for some reason. Or maybe rainbow sparkle raccoons? Are rainbow sparkle raccoons a finance thing?
Warren Buffett credits Apple CEO Tim Cook with making ‘a lot more money than I’ve ever made’ for Berkshire Hathaway
https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-credits-apple-ceo-165742234.htmlWarren Buffett is one of the good ones. Humility in a billionaire is a lovely change of pace from what we usually spot in that species, isn't it? We're used to billionaires who might, for example, scoff at people with so-called "education and expertise" in a given field. (“If those scientists are so smart, then why aren’t they billionaires? No, my plan to send humans to live in permanent colonies on the surface of Jupiter by 2030 is totally going to work. They’re all just too dumb to understand my vision.”)
Could Apple Exist Without Its Ties to China? Probably Not.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/technology/apple-china-tariffs.htmlApple can’t quit China. I don’t see the relationship ending well for Apple…but, no, Apple can’t quit China.
Apple must pay Optis $502 million lump sum in UK patent dispute, court rules
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/apple-must-pay-optis-502-million-lump-sum-uk-patent-dispute-court-rules-2025-05-01/
Freakin’ patent trolls. This sucks.
The Future, Soon
Apple Working on Under-Screen Face ID for iPhone 18 Pro, Says Leaker
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/05/05/apple-testing-under-display-face-id-iphone-18-pro/I don’t mind pinholes or notches or forehead bezels. Still, it’s an interesting problem to try to solve (and much cheaper phones have solved it). I just hope it doesn’t mean that broken screens will become even more expensive to replace…or that independent repair shops won’t be able to replace them.
[via The Information & Ming-Chi Quo] Apple to shake up iPhone release calendar with base iPhone 18 launch in spring 2027, six months after Pro models
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/05/iphone-calendar-shakeup-iphone-18-release-date/If true, I bet Apple’s keen to flatten out Jason’s yearly iPhone Revenue By Month graph. There’s this one spike in September and October that’s so prominent it ought to have Oliver Cromwell’s severed head on it. If rumors of a $2500 folding iPhone are true, it’s only going to get spikier.
[via The Information] iPhone 17 Air will revive discontinued Apple accessory to help with important tradeoff
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/03/iphone-17-air-will-revive-discontinued-apple-accessory-to-help-with-important-tradeoff/The rumored super-slim iPhone supposedly can’t get through a full day on a charge, so Apple’s considering bringing back the Smart Battery Case. Interesting tradeoff, but not a dealbreaker as far as I’m concerned. Get the super-stylish phone that might need an early-evening boost, or pick a normal phone with normal battery life.
Apple, Anthropic Team Up to Build AI-Powered ‘Vibe-Coding’ Platform
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-02/apple-anthropic-team-up-to-build-ai-powered-vibe-coding-platform
This is super exciting. I’ve been using Google Gemini alongside Xcode recently, and its contribution is transformative. The idea of a bespoke coding AI built in to Xcode that also understands the unique quirks of that specific environment is utterly savory.
Showbiz
Your favorites, at a glance
https://snapshot.apple.com/Two questions about Apple’s surprise new celebrity hub, if I may: first, huh? And a followup: “no, explain that again.” Even if I were, in fact, interested in discovering where to find my favorite celebrities throughout Apple’s ecosystem (assume it’s 1943 and I’m a 14-year-old girl, I guess), Snapshot won't let me search for them by name or scan a list. The interface is like sitting at one of those sushi restaurants where dishes roll past you on a conveyor belt. You just have to be patient, and hope that you eventually see something palatable.
Apple has made splashy bets in Hollywood. Are they paying off?
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-05-04/why-apple-tv-has-struggled-to-attract-subscribers
Apple’s been getting a lot of hard press recently, via producers and creators who've had a bad time working with Apple Productions and were eager to vent. Within that context, I gotta wonder if this overall quite positive piece wasn’t gestated inside the Spaceship.
Misc
Apple introduces the 2025 Pride Collection
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/05/apple-introduces-the-2025-pride-collection/I never seriously doubted that Apple would continue with this tradition, despite Trump declaring Pride Month ideologically unsound. But 2025 has been very weird. I don’t count on anything any more.
Google hopes to reach Gemini deal with Apple this year [via Sundar Pichai court testimony last week - AI]
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-take-stand-search-antitrust-trial-2025-04-30/Sundar Pichai said this last week, while testifying during the remediation phase of the Google Search antitrust proceedings. I think Apple’s inclusive attitude is a great strength of their AI strategy. They make half their money by selling phones, not through paid AI subscriptions. So why not let iPhone users use all of the LLMs that they already know and trust?
Researchers share new insights from Apple Women’s Health Study
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/05/researchers-share-new-insights-from-apple-womens-health-study/The study looks at the “cycle phasing” trend in women’s exercise…timing an exercise schedule around the two phases of the menstrual cycle. The study collected data from over 100,000 women over more than seven years, including workout and health data collected through Apple Watch.
Cringeworthy Google ad mocks the iPhone 17 design even before it launches
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/06/cringeworthy-google-ad-mocks-the-iphone-17-design-even-before-it-launches-video/Oh, come on…it’s funny! I like Google’s “Best Phones Forever” ad campaign. It’s gentle and (dare I say) good-hearted, in general. The ad might diss some element of the iPhone, but the Pixel usually shows support and kindness towards its friend.