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This chart reveals a growing problem for Apple — that ‘customers are getting less excited for each new generation of iPhone’

Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook
Getty/Justin Sullivan
  • New iPhone models haven’t sold out as quickly as they have in years past.
  • Citi analysts have used search trends to surmise that “customers are getting less excited for each new generation of iPhone.”

Apple launched the iPhone XR at 3 A.M. in the morning on Friday, and when morning came, nearly all of the models were still in stock, according to Macworld.

It’s a change for Apple, which usually requires customers to wake up in the early morning to put in a pre-order if they want the new iPhone on the first day. Lines outside Apple stores when the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max went on sale were smaller than they were in years past.

These data points can be taken as a sign that perhaps an iPhone launch doesn’t generate as much buzz as it used to.

That’s what analysts from Citi concluded in a note distributed earlier this week, based on Google searches.

“We observed there are significant spikes for web searches after the launch event each year. We also see the momentum has been decreasing over time,” the analysts wrote.

“We believe this indicates the market has been maturing, and customers are getting less excited for each new generation of iPhone,” they continued. “We suspect this is because of a slowdown in innovation and the saturation of iPhone in the addressable market.”

Their research can be summed up in this chart:

iPhone search trends Citi

There are a lot of reasons why search traffic might be decreasing year-over-year, and it doesn’t necessarily suggest that iPhone sales will sag. “We are not expecting a ‘Super Cycle,’ but we do believe sustainable single-digit unit growth of iPhone is achievable,” the Citi analysts write.

One issue might be that the overall smartphone market has matured. Apple’s big new features include water-resistance, a facial recognition scanner called Face ID, and a display that covers more of the front of the phone. But none of those banner features represent as much of a jump as iPhones from 4 or 5 years ago, when the camera was improving by leaps and bounds and the displays were getting much larger on an annual basis.

It’s also possible that these search trends were collected before the iPhone XR went on sale. The iPhone XR comes in a bunch of colors, and starting at $749, is expected to be the most popular new iPhone this cycle.

Regardless of why, there certainly does appear to be less buzz around new iPhone launches. Perhaps that’s why Apple is pouring so much money into research and development— to find the next big thing.

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Now is the worst time to buy any MacBook laptop from Apple

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macbook pro 2017 Apple

It is currently the worst time to buy a new MacBook laptop directly from Apple.

By MacBook laptop, I’m not just talking about the lightweight and portable MacBook. I’m referring to any model that Apple currently offers on its main website. That includes the early 2015 MacBook, the early 2015 MacBook Pro, the mid-2107 MacBook Pro, and the 2015/2017 MacBook Air.

It’s not just a question of age, even though age is a major reason why it’s not a good idea to buy some of these laptops. Some of Apple’s latest models also have unreliable keyboards, and it’s not an easy or cheap fix to get it repaired once the warranty runs out.

Check out why it’s not a good idea to buy any of the laptops you can buy directly from Apple right now:

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The current MacBook Pro models have unreliable keyboards that could cost you a lot of money to repair.

The current MacBook Pro models have unreliable keyboards that could cost you a lot of money to repair. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Just about everything about Apple’s recent crop of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros is great. The Touch Bar might be a little divisive, but you can buy models without the Touch Bar, or ignore it altogether. And the fact these models only come with USB-C ports is also a little divisive, but Apple isn’t likely to add all the ports from older models back onto its upcoming laptops.

The major thing that’s getting a lot of negative attention is Apple’s new “butterfly”- style keyboard on the newer 2016 and 2017 models. It’s a new design that lets Apple make thinner laptops, and it supposedly offers a better typing experience.

But some users – myself included – have reported that certain keys stop becoming responsive. AppleInsider also reported that the 2016 MacBook Pro keyboards with the butterfly-style keyboards were failing twice as often as older models.

In my 2016 MacBook pro, the “G” key became unreliable and would often skip when I pressed it. I brought it to the Apple store to get repaired, and thankfully it was still under warranty. Apple couldn’t simply replace the “G” key. It had to replace the entire top portion of my MacBook Pro, including the battery. An out-of-warranty repair can cost upwards of $700, according to AppleInsider.

Hopefully Apple fixes the keyboard issues in its next MacBook Pros. There’s no way of telling if they are, but if you’re looking for a new MacBook Pro now, it’s worth waiting until Apple comes out with new models to see if Apple resolves the keyboard issues.

The older MacBook Pro model you can buy, which has a better keyboard, is too old to justify its $2,000 price tag.

The older MacBook Pro model you can buy, which has a better keyboard, is too old to justify its $2,000 price tag. Apple

You can buy an older 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro from Apple for $2,000, which still has an older-but-reliable keyboard.

The problem with the 2015 model is that it’s from 2015. That means it’s running on parts that are almost three years old.

Now, that said, the three-year-old components in the 2015 MacBook Pro will work just fine, even in 2018. It won’t be as fast or future-proof as the recent models, but it’ll handle basic tasks well. But the other problem linked to the older parts is that the 2015 model still costs a whopping $2,000, which is a poor deal for an older computer, especially if you just want to run basic apps like a web browser, or if you plan on using the laptop for several years.

The MacBook Air is also too old, and there are rumors that Apple will soon announce an updated model.

The MacBook Air is Apple’s cheapest MacBook laptop at $1,000, but it’s an old and tired laptop in 2018.

The latest model that was refreshed in 2017 doesn’t actually have 2017 parts. It’s running on a 5th-generation Intel processor from 2014. To give you an idea, Intel is currently on its eighth generation of processors in 2018.

Even for $1,000 – Apple’s cheapest MacBook computer – the MacBook Air is bad value. It has a lower resolution display that basically looks fuzzy compared to Apple’s recent laptops with the company’s “Retina” display. The MacBook Air display also has comparatively poor color and contrast compared to the Retina displays on more recent MacBook laptops.

Plus, it’s rumored that Apple will soon release a new MacBook Air sometime in 2018. So, if you’re looking for a portable and capable machine like the MacBook Air, it’s worth waiting to see if Apple comes out with a newer model with better specs.

MacBooks are extremely light and portable, but they have the unreliable keyboard, and they’re expensive for their performance.

MacBooks are extremely light and portable, but they have the unreliable keyboard, and they're expensive for their performance. Apple

Apple’s MacBooks are incredibly light and portable, even more so than the MacBook Air. And that extra portability is reflected in its relatively high price tag.

But MacBooks also come with Apple’s butterfly-design keyboards and could potentially face the same issues as the butterfly-design keyboards on the recent MacBook Pros. Hopefully, Apple will redesign the butterfly-style keyboard to be more reliable.

For the price and despite their portability, MacBooks are also relatively underpowered and are only suited for basic productivity. They should only really be an option if you highly value their ultimate light weight and portability.

So what do you do if you need a new MacBook laptop right now?

So what do you do if you need a new MacBook laptop right now?
My refurbished 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider

You can still buy Apple’s latest MacBook Pros, but you should go into the purchase knowing that several users have reported problems with the new butterfly-style keyboard. You may find that you’re one of the lucky ones that don’t encounter a problem.

Either way, I’d suggest you look at Apple’s refurbished laptops. They come in pristine condition and you can get a few hundred dollars knocked off the price of a new laptop.

As for the older 2015 15-inch models, I’d only recommend buying them from Apple’s refurbished Mac store, as you can get them at a better price that reflects their older innards than buying them new.

Same thing goes for the MacBook Air: Check out the refurbished Mac store. Better yet, wait until Apple releases a new model.

MacBooks? As I mentioned earlier, you could face similar issues that others faced with Apple’s butterfly-style keyboard. MacBooks are also expensive relative to their performance. But if you prize portability over everything else, MacBooks are the Apple laptops of choice. Again, I’d check out the refurbished Mac store to get a little discount.

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People using their phones while driving is a huge problem, but a new iPhone feature is helping

Phone while driving Getty
  • 37% of trips include at least some significant phone usage while the car is moving, according to a new study.
  • But features like Apple’s “Do Not Disturb While Driving” can reduce phone use by as much as 8%.
  • The results show that small software changes on big platforms like Apple’s can nudge people to make safer decisions.

It shouldn’t be surprising that people love to use their phones while driving — if you commute in a car, you see it every day, either in your car or other people’s.

But it’s somewhat surprising how many people drive while distracted: there’s significant phone use during as many as 37% of trips logged by Everdrive, an app developed by car insurance company Everquote.

During those trips, people were using their phones for as much as 11% of the time, or about 3 minutes during a 29 minute drive on average, according to the Everdrive study released on Wednesday, which examined 781 million miles of driving data from sensors like your phone’s GPS and accelerometer.

But there is one silver lining to the study: Apple’s new “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature designed to reduce distracted driving is working. Basically, if your iPhone detects you’re in a moving car, it will turn off all notifications and you can set an automatic text response to tell your friends and family you can’t respond because you’re behind the wheel.

Everquote found that 70% of people in its study kept the DND While Driving feature turned on after Apple released it last September. And between September 19 and October 25 last year, people with DND on used their phones 8% less, according to the study.

So it’s not a silver bullet, but it turns out a software update can reduce distracted driving.

Other interesting stats from the study:

  • States with laws prohibiting phone use while driving showed the least phone use while driving.
  • Drivers tend to make a hard brake on 25% of trips.
  • The states with the worst driving scores are Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
  • The states with the best driving scores are Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and Idaho.

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New leaked images claim to show the screen of a massive ‘iPhone X Plus’

iPhone X Hollis Johnson
  • New leaked images claim to show parts from a 2018 iPhone.
  • The photos show a large notched display that would reportedly be for an “iPhone X Plus,” a massive 6.5-inch phone said to be coming later this year.
  • The parts may not be for an Apple phone however, since the original post claims they were manufactured by LG rather than Samsung.

New leaked photos claim to show the screen of an “iPhone X Plus,” a 6.5-inch iPhone said to be coming in 2018.

The photos first showed up on the MacX forums, although the post has since been taken down. MacRumors saved the images and said the original post claims the parts are from an LG facility in Vietnam, and are part of a “trial run of production equipment.”

Apple is said to be releasing three new iPhone models in 2018: an upgraded iPhone X with a 5.8-inch OLED screen, a larger model with a 6.5-inch OLED screen, and a third iPhone model with a less expensive LCD screen.

The leaked parts would seemingly be for the larger, 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus:

—MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) February 25, 2018 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js ” data-e2e-name=”embed-container” data-media-container=”embed”>

It’s clear from the photos that the screen is larger than the iPhone X but has the roughly the same size notch at the top of the screen. According to MacRumos, the part number printed on the flex cable attached to the screen is similar to Apple’s format. Still, there’s no way to verify whether these parts are legitimate and not made for an iPhone knockoff.

Plus, if the original post is to be believed, the parts were manufactured by LG in Vietnam. While Apple did reportedly invest $2.7 billion in LG Display to build the OLED displays, Samsung was Apple’s exclusive OLED supplier for the iPhone X.

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First-day preorders for the iPhone X sell out in minutes, Apple says demand is ‘off the charts’

iphone x YouTube/MKBHD

  • The iPhone X became available for preorder early Friday morning.
  • Only people who ordered in the first few minutes will get their preorder the first day it comes out, though.
  • Apple stores will also have stock next Friday, though Apple advises to get in line “early.”

Apple’s most advanced iPhone saw its shipping times slip to weeks in the minutes after it first went up for preorder on Friday morning.

The iPhone X starts at $999 and comes in two colors, with each color coming in two models with different amounts of storage.

Less than an hour after launch, models for all four US carriers on Apple’s online store were showing delivery times weeks after the device’s November 3 launch date.

In some cases, Apple’s website now says the iPhone X would be delivered in “2-3 weeks.” Other people got confirmation messages that said their iPhone X wouldn’t ship for four to five weeks.

Some people on social media reported issues with the official Apple Store app, which Apple retail officials had called the fastest way to preorder. Carriers such as AT&T also appeared to have limited inventory.

In a statement sent to media outlets, an Apple spokesperson said that demand was “off the charts.”

“We’re working hard to get this revolutionary new product into the hands of every customer who wants one, as quickly as possible,” the statement continued, mentioning that Apple stores will have stock on November 3.

iPhone X preorders Screenshot

The iPhone X will be in short supply for the rest of the year, according to reports from Apple’s factories in Asia. The reason for the shortage is that several of Apple’s components, like the 3D True Depth camera, are delicate and difficult to manufacture.

One analyst predicted that only 2 million to 3 million iPhone X units would be shipped by launch time.

The iPhone X is desired by Apple fans for several reasons:

  • It’s Apple’s highest-end iPhone.
  • It features a visually different design from older iPhones.
  • The screen covers a much larger percentage of the front than that of older iPhones.
  • The screen uses a new technology called OLED that sports blacker blacks and other benefits.
  • It has a longer battery life than the iPhone 7.
  • It has a 3D depth-sensing camera on the front of the phone called TrueDepth.
  • TrueDepth is used to unlock the phone, taking the place of the fingerprint sensor.

If you weren’t lucky enough to nab a preorder, your best bet is to line up at an Apple store or another authorized retailer on Friday. Just get there early.

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