All Apple All Day

I like Slate . I really do. It's been around a long time, and it has given us some great political and pop-cultural columns. I've never gotten the idea that Slate was intentionally trying to create controversy to drive clicks. Until yesterday.

The price of an iPad Mini has been dropping rather quickly. And based on Apple's established  modus operandi , that probably means that a new version is on the way.

Well, that answers THAT question!  Mark your calendars. In total, Apple will have gone over seven months between keynotes, which is an unusually long time - almost double the "typical" wait over the last 10 years.

Slate has an article this morning noting that Apple retail sales are doing really, really well . Not just "good", but "twice as good as the 2nd place finisher", in terms of sales per square foot. (2nd place was Tiffany, 3rd place was lululemon.) The author - correctly - notes that when your revenue is that far out of line with the rest of the industry, you're leaving money on the table. Add a bunch of Apple stores, and while the average revenue per sq. ft. will drop, you'll sell more stuff and make more money overall. But Apple is a unique case. And aggressive expansion into new markets - both in retail and in low-end devices - would cause long-term damage the most profitable brand in tech. 

We've been working with our village's government in order to find out what permits we're going to need on our hardscaping project. Turns out - not very many. But, built-in fire pits are strictly prohibited. Permanent outdoor fireplaces, on the other hand, are fine. And on second thought.... they're a lot better looking, too.

There is a serious problem with iCloud at the moment - and it's not that it's boring, crashes too often or that its overall purpose is vague and difficult to understand. No.... the problem is that iCloud has a data leak. It will CONSTANTLY use your cellular data - even when the phone is sitting idle. Even when all iCloud services are turned off!

We're only a few weeks away from the next Apple keynote - and it's fair to say that there's more anticipation around THIS keynote, in particular, than usual.