Apple's Q2 2024 Earnings Call Takeaways

[citysnaps]

Oh yeah, I'm sure there is nothing misleading in that statement at all

With respect to: "KLM is using ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ to train aircraft engine mechanics"

Why would you find that misleading, or surprising? AR has been used in a wide range of training disciplines for years.

 

[Surf Monkey]

That's your reality. Not knowing that Apple has been privately marketing to commercial/business customers, going back 40 years. Even though you don't personally see that occurring.

The majority of AR uses are in commercial/business/medical/industrial spaces. That's why Apple has been reaching out to them and also collaborating with Stanford University's AR/VR laboratory for the last eight years in developing AVP.

I get it. You're happiest believing Apple is stupid, and went into this market blindly thinking a $3.5K device would sell like iPhones at 600,000 units per day.

And that it never occurred to Apple senior leadership, having not done any research at all over the last 8-9 years, the bulk of the AR market (right now), is in commercial/business/industrial/medical spaces - many of which I outlined last year on this forum. And that Apple is now wondering all of a sudden, hmmmm, I wonder if there might be some commercial/business opportunities with AR devices? Let's give it a try!

And that's OK. Keep on believing that!

Hmmm... As an aside, I wonder if Microsoft markets to businesses? I've never witnessed that on this forum, after all.

Spin spin spin.

Apple has engaged in a hard pivot to enterprise when it comes to Vision Pro. That isn’t a “belief.” It’s a conclusion drawn from the evidence.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Oh yeah, I'm sure there is nothing misleading in that statement at all

Im sure its like the BMW app that their race team is supposedly using, that just looks like a consumer grade demo for the VisionPro ...

Uh oh. You’re going to make some people here VERY hostile talking like that.

 

[Surf Monkey]

I’m sure a lot of people would consider it a poor use of money. Probably the same people that would also wonder, “Why use iPads, printing out paper documents must be a cheaper, less breakable solution!?” But, one would have to know how airplane maintenance fits into the larger commercial airline busses to understand how an Apple Vision Pro could possibly be consider cheaper.

And, Apple will likely sell more face iPad PDF viewers than Mac Studios this year. (Actually, looking at reported numbers, they already have)

No, the bigger point is that there’s nothing to hype if people are just using it to do what an iPad can already do. The implication of Apple’s comment is that these companies are using SPACIAL COMPUTING, not just floating some windows in it. Thing is, there’s very little evidence that that’s what’s actually happening.

 

[Surf Monkey]

The reality is that they’re using it as a face iPad. Which, apparently according to them, is as much better than the iPad as iPad was better than the paper documents and clipboards that came before them. Only people that don’t understand the aviation industry would expect it to have spatial computing functions whatever those are. It’s maintenance, not gazing at dinosaurs!

Sure. Anyone can improvise an “explanation” like that. But again, Apple implies that people are using spatial computing in an enterprise context. Floating iPad windows are not especially innovative and don’t really offer any unique functionality and aren’t “spatial computing.”

 

[CarAnalogy]

Hi just FYI I work for an organization that has many Mac users and we have a capable, communicative, helpful and talented IT department. They make handling any issue a breeze, and I have never felt like I am my own admin there. So some workplaces value Mac users and pay/train the support staff for us.

I have worked elsewhere, however, where I would 100% agree with your first statement though. My current experience is much better than my previous workplace. And I'm sure there are many many other places like that, where Mac users are basically on their own.

In my little pond I am the one IT guy that doesn't dislike the Mac users. I get **** on all sides for it, but it's definitely job security because now nobody else even tries when it's a Mac or iPhone.

I will say iPhone is a hell of a lot easier to admin than Android, for me. Love that consistency.

 

[citysnaps]

Spin spin spin.

Apple has engaged in a hard pivot to enterprise when it comes to Vision Pro. That isn’t a “belief.” It’s a conclusion drawn from the evidence.

Yeah, right. For the last 8-9 years the senior leadership at Apple had absolutely no idea there were vibrant commercial markets and opportunities in AR that have existed for years (all the while working with some at Stanford's AR/VR laboratory during that period of time). Instead believing that a $3.5K AVP would sell like iPhone (600K units per day) to consumers would be good enough.

And Apple's business marketing department, that has been quietly engaging commercial clients for 40 years, never thought to reach out to them. Yeah...that makes a ton of sense.

So what's your "evidence?" Be specific, other than you haven't heard about it on MR?

 

[svish]

iPad sales should definitely help during the 3rd quarter. MacBook Air sales also helped during the 2nd quarter.

 

[Sarafay]

Strange, that share holders allow management to keep main KPIs secret.

 

[vinegarshots]

With respect to: "KLM is using ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ to train aircraft engine mechanics"

Why would you find that misleading, or surprising? AR has been used in a wide range of training disciplines for years.

Do you know how complex aircraft engines are? We're talking about something like 40,000 parts on average. Let's assume that there existed an app, specifically created for the AVP's "spatial" technology. That means taking all of the engine variants for all of KLMs planes, modeling them all in 3D, and building an interactive environment where they could be assemebled and disassembled in a virtual space, with instructions for all of that. Plus scenarios for troubleshooting failing components. Do you really think that an app of that complexity would be complete in a matter of months? Don't you think that Apple would be showing off something like that, rather than just mentioning that KLM is "using" AVP? The whole thing is extremely, extremely suspect.

 

[citysnaps]

Do you know how complex aircraft engines are? We're talking about something like 40,000 parts on average. Let's assume that there existed an app, specifically created for the AVP's "spatial" technology. That means taking all of the engine variants for all of KLMs planes, modeling them all in 3D, and building an interactive environment where they could be assemebled and disassembled in a virtual space, with instructions for all of that. Plus scenarios for troubleshooting failing components. Do you really think that an app of that complexity would be complete in a matter of months? Don't you think that Apple would be showing off something like that, rather than just mentioning that KLM is "using" AVP? The whole thing is extremely, extremely suspect.

Of course I do.

I think it's very possible as AR devices and apps having been used in similar scenarios, as well as diagnosing issues in industrial plants, etc for years. I don't have a timeline for KLM, nor do I know when their relationship with Apple began. Years ago wouldn't be surprising.

With respect to engines, that would require assistance from the engine manufacturer (Rolls Royce, GE, Pratt and Whitney, etc). I suspect they are well-documented.

No doubt KLM (or GE/Rolls-Royce/Pratt and Whitney) have been working closely with Apple long before AVP was released to the general public - under NDA, of course. As I mentioned in previous posts, Apple often works closely with commercial customers, which is something you'd never hear about on MR. They've been doing that for decades.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Yeah, right. For the last 8-9 years the senior leadership at Apple had absolutely no idea there were vibrant commercial markets and opportunities in AR that have existed for years (all the while working with some at Stanford's AR/VR laboratory during that period of time). Instead believing that a $3.5K AVP would sell like iPhone (600K units per day) to consumers would be good enough.

And Apple's business marketing department, that has been quietly engaging commercial clients for 40 years, never thought to reach out to them. Yeah...that makes a ton of sense.

So what's your "evidence?" Be specific, other than you haven't heard about it on MR?

Doubling down on your attempt to rewrite recent history isn’t going anywhere. Apple positions the Vision as a CONSUMER device. It can’t handle multiple users, it’s extremely expensive for enterprise deployment, the external display is a pure consumer feature… I can go on. The bottom line is that you’re wrong. B2B is not Apple’s plan for Vision. The fact that Tim Cook chose to focus on it says a LOT about the device’s “success” in the consumer market whether you want to admit it or not.

 

[Surf Monkey]

With respect to: "KLM is using ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ to train aircraft engine mechanics"

Why would you find that misleading, or surprising? AR has been used in a wide range of training disciplines for years.

Because it is misleading. As noted above there are a ton of assumptions you have to make in order to accept this as fact. First that KLM is buying every engine mechanic trainee a Vision Pro. Second that KLM has developed some kind of custom spatial computing application or applications for the device. Third that they’re not simply exaggerating the use of one or two Visions as an experiment.

These are just the first three that come to mind. Taking even a glancingly critical approach to this item proves it can’t hold up to scrutiny… unless one is inclined to take everything Apple says at face value.

 

[citysnaps]

Because it is misleading. As noted above there are a ton of assumptions you have to make in order to accept this as fact. First that KLM is buying every engine mechanic trainee a Vision Pro. Second that KLM has developed some kind of custom spatial computing application or applications for the device. Third that they’re not simply exaggerating the use of one or two Visions as an experiment.

These are just the first three that come to mind. Taking even a glancingly critical approach to this item proves it can’t hold up to scrutiny… unless one is inclined to take everything Apple says at face value.

I get it. You don't want it to be true because it would paint Apple in a positive light. You'd rather believe, and are personally invested in the notion Apple systems engineers and leadership are stupid and had no clue that AR has been used for years in commercial applications. And believed AVP would sell like iPhones to consumers.

As an aside...KLM doesn't make jet engines. That would be Rolls-Royce, GE, or Pratt and Whitney. As I keep pointing out, Apple has been quietly working with commercial business customers going back decades. I have personal experience with that in aerospace/defense.

Working with KLM and one of the three engine manufactures, likely under NDA, would not be unusual. It's not KLM going solo with a new device having little experience/knowledge about AR.

 

[citysnaps]

Doubling down on your attempt to rewrite recent history isn’t going anywhere. Apple positions the Vision as a CONSUMER device. It can’t handle multiple users, it’s extremely expensive for enterprise deployment, the external display is a pure consumer feature… I can go on. The bottom line is that you’re wrong. B2B is not Apple’s plan for Vision. The fact that Tim Cook chose to focus on it says a LOT about the device’s “success” in the consumer market whether you want to admit it or not.

That's how Apple initially and publicly positioned it... to CONSUMERS. You apparently refuse to believe Apple has a business marketing department that quietly works directly with business customers. You would likely be shocked that Microsoft similarly directly works with commercial/business customers. Because you didn't hear about that on MR.

 

[citysnaps]

The bottom line is that you’re wrong. B2B is not Apple’s plan for Vision. The fact that Tim Cook chose to focus on it says a LOT about the device’s “success” in the consumer market whether you want to admit it or not.

Yeah... As I wrote above, you believe Apple has no clue AR has commercial/business applications. And doesn't market to commercial businesses. Because you didn't read about it on MR or other consumer-focused tech forums.

 

[b17777]

You are Apple’s hero. They are counting on strong iPad sales.

I won’t get one because I merely use it to watch videos, email, message, and make calls. So they can’t add anything attractive for people like me with minimal needs.

My iPad 5 does't hold a charge very long anymore and is pretty slow. I got a lot of use out of it in the last seven years.