Swiss watch exports had their biggest decline in six years in October, led by a 39 percent slump in shipments to Hong Kong, the industry’s largest market. […] “2015 has been one to forget for the watchmakers,” said Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich.

Corinne Gretler | „Swiss Watch Exports Fall Most in Six Years on Hong Kong Drop“

Niemand ist (hoffentlich) so naiv Apple Watch direkt für die schwächelnde Uhrenindustrie verantwortlich zu machen. Der erste (deutliche) Rückgang nach sechs Jahren ist dennoch eine Erwähnung wert, insbesondere wenn man die bisherige Arbeitsweise der Schweizer Hersteller berücksichtigt:

Since the 1990s, watch companies “have been making increasing efforts to in-source as many steps in the production process as possible,” ranging from individual watch components to retail distribution, according to a Credit Suisse report on the Swiss watch industry. “The manufacturers’ objective is to have the greatest possible control over the entire value chain and to decrease their dependence on external suppliers.”

Rdio meldete am Montag Insolvenz an. Die jetzt veröffentlichten Details lesen sich…verheerend:

The bulk of Rdio’s revenue came from its $9.99 per month subscriptions. The company took in $1.5 million per month there. Advertising only accounted for $100,000-$150,000 per month.That was dwarfed by the nearly $4 million in monthly operating expenses, including payroll for 140 employees, royalty payments to rights owners and service maintenance costs.

That meant that Rdio was losing anywhere between $1.85 to $2.4 million each month, and Peters reports Rdio „no longer has the economic means of funding such significant operating cash flow shortfall.“

Eriq Gardner | „Rdio Was Losing $2 Million Each Month Before Bankruptcy“

Der Musik-Streaming-Dienst, der Risikokapital in Höhe von 125 Millionen US-Dollar einsammelte und zwischenzeitlich mit 500 Millionen US-Dollar bewertet wurde, verschleppte unbezahlten Rechnungen in Höhe von 220 Millionen US-Dollar. weiterlesen

➝ Video

The iPad Pro isn’t the ultimate evolution of the original iPad and it isn’t the beginning of the end of MacBooks. It’s an transition point. It’s the moment when tablets that are highly accessible also became highly capable.

Rene Ritchie

Zugegeben: Die Gegenüberstellung mit einem MacBook liegt auf der Hand. „Ersetzt das iPad Pro den Laptop?“ ist eine bewegende Frage. Es bleibt gleichzeitig aber auch eine sehr theoretische Diskussion, die übersieht, das iPads schon heute eine Realität sind.

Nochmal Rene:

There are still limitations, there are still caveats. That’s the tradeoff when you try to pull the future into the present. But the iPad Pro really is the iPad gone IMAX. It’s Apple’s biggest window yet into apps and the web, and it’s got potential as epic as its display.

Firmen lieben hochspezialisierte Software auf Geräten, die keine kontinuierliche Administration benötigen, augenblicklich Starten, kinderleicht Zugriffsrechte setzt und bei der man sich sich nicht um Virensoftware oder App-Updates kümmern muss. weiterlesen

So, ‚real work‘ changes with new tools – first the tools fit the work, and then the work changes to fit the tools.

Benedict Evans | „Mobile, ecosystems and the death of PCs“

48 Stunden vermitteln lediglich einen ersten Eindruck. Ich bin noch weit davon entfernt zu wissen wie das iPad Pro in meinen (Arbeits‑)Alltag passt. Ein Grund mehr an dieser Stelle erst einmal eine Handvoll unsortierter Beobachtungen festzuhalten.

• Ich konnte bislang keine App-Store-App finden, die den A9x (und die vier verlöteten Gigabyte an Arbeitsspeicher) herausgefordert hätte. Auch die gegenüber dem iPad Air 2 verdoppelte Grafikperformance merkt man…indem man sie nicht bemerkt. Das iPad Pro verzieht keine Miene wenn man mit Pixelmator eine Arbeitsfläche in der Größe 8192 x 8192px erstellt und anschließend darauf Bilder, Filter und Malereien wirft. Mein (geliebtes) Acorn auf dem Mac warnt dagegen bei einem Bild in dieser Dimension „ob’s wirklich so groß sein soll“.

Den ersten Testbericht, den ich zum iPad Pro lese, stammt natürlich von jemandem, bei dem die Arbeit (fast) ausschließlich auf einem iPad stattfindet.

The device I’ve used every day for a year to get my work done for this site now seems tiny and limited, with small apps, less content shown on screen, and a constrained multitasking interface. I know that it’s only been a week, and I do believe that the Air 2 is a great device for lots of people, but I feel like all the work I’ve done on the iPad and iOS has led me to this point. I’m ready to take my iPad setup to the next level, and I think my workflow can benefit from improved hardware and a more capable version of iOS. […]

Those who will only compare the iPad a Pro to a laptop will miss the big picture – this is a large tablet that can be used at a desk and that runs iOS. The richness of the iOS ecosystem is what sets the iPad Pro apart, and the reason why, ultimately, people like me will prefer it over a MacBook.

Ich mag Tim Cooks (kampflustiges) Statement gegenüber The Telegraph:

“I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?”, asks Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, who has just flown into Britain for the launch of the iPad Pro.

“Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones,” Cook argues in his distinctly Southern accent.

Und auch seine Kommentare drüben bei The Independent:

The iPad Pro is the most expensive tablet yet, £679 and up. At a time when iPad sales are flat, was he tempted to do as some competitors have done and released, say, a £50 tablet? “No, there are no good £50 tablets. We’ve never been about making the most, we’ve been about making the best. This was a way of making a product that people can do a lot of things with. I think it will attract a lot of PC users and people who are not currently using Apple products.