Apple’s “F1 The Movie” Scores at Box Office, A Big Win for Tim Cook and Eddy Cue, Apple’s Controversial Apple Pay Promotion
Happy Monday. It feels good to be back after some time off. Fortunately, it looks like the news flow was on the light side last week. We will use the down time to follow-up on several topics in addition to focusing on a few new topics.
Let’s jump right in.
Apple’s “F1 The Movie” Scores at Box Office
Here’s Variety:
“It’s lights out and away we go at the box office as ‘F1,’ a big-budget racing drama starring Brad Pitt, impressively revs to $55.6 million in its domestic opening weekend.
With great reviews and a promising ‘A’ grade on CinemaScore exit polls, ‘F1’ landed in the middle of expectations of $50 million to $60 million. At the international box office, the film collected a strong $88.4 million from 78 markets. Those initial ticket sales are significant given ‘F1’ is an adult-skewing tentpole that’s not part of an existing film franchise — a rarity in today’s I.P.-dominated movie theater landscape…
‘F1’ also marks the first commercial hit for Apple, the tech giant that financed the nearly $250 million-budgeted movie. (Apple put the production budget at $200 million but others have reported the number is closer to $300 million). That’s not including the many millions on promotional efforts, including a globe-spanning press tour. And since Apple doesn’t have a distribution arm, the company is paying a fee to Warner Bros. to put the film in theaters. WB will also receive a percentage of theatrical revenues that increases with certain box office benchmarks.”
While we still need to see how “F1 The Movie” performs over the next few weeks, including the all-important long Fourth of July weekend, there is no question that the film will become Apple’s highest-grossing movie, surpassing “Napoleon” which grabbed $221M.
It’s rational to conclude Apple’s unprecedented marketing push contributed to the film’s opening weekend success. Apple leveraged nearly every one of its content distribution services to let users know about the film in some way (as Apple should do). Hollywood is envious of Apple today as anyone behind a potential blockbuster film craves Apple’s ability to use its ecosystem to promote a film. There is a larger discussion to be had when it comes to Apple using its products and services to inform users of other Apple products, services, and content. We will tackle that topic tomorrow.
While extensive marketing certainly helps a film’s prospects at theaters, box office success has become far more complicated.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the AVALON, Podcasts, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Apple Goes All-In on “F1 The Movie,” Why Apple Is Doing Apple TV+, Betting on Storytelling in a Sea of TikToks
Hello everyone.
A quick programming alert: Episode 3 of my all-new AVALON podcast has been released. The weekly podcast, which is my first unscripted podcast, is loosely modeled after Apple’s Monday morning executive meetings. Episode 3 was focused on Siri, digital voice assistants, chatbots, and more. The episode came in at 86 minutes. If you enjoy podcasts and Above Avalon, I think you are going to really like AVALON. Bundle the podcast with your membership for just +$6/month or +$60/year (both are 40% off regular AVALON pricing) by filling out this form. Bundle the Podcasts add-on and receive both the Above Avalon Daily and AVALON podcasts for just +$10/month (a really great deal).
Let’s jump into today’s discussion which will take us to Apple TV+ land.
Apple Goes All-In on “F1 The Movie”
Apple is going all-in on promoting its upcoming film, “F1 The Movie.” Apple Studios is one of four production companies behind the film with Apple Original Films joining Warner Bros. Pictures on the distribution front. (Apple is handling the streaming video on demand component.)
Consider the following marketing events:
WWDC keynote: The opening video was used to market the film.
June 10th: Apple held a pre-screening of the film at Steve Jobs Theater for WWDC attendees and media/press.
June 11th: Apple released an innovative “F1 The Movie” haptic trailer that works with the iPhone Taptic Engine. This is the first-of-a-kind trailer. It's pretty cool. Give it a try (on an iPhone) here.
This past Sunday: Following a “Severance” panel at Apple’s flagship store in NYC, Tim Cook and Brad Pitt made a surprise appearance to push F1 The Movie.
This past Monday: A number of senior Apple executives were front-and-center at the worldwide premiere in NYC.
These events, in addition to traditional press, combine to represent a marketing push from Apple unlike anything we have seen with a prior Apple TV+ film or movie. In some ways, Tim Cook and Eddy Cue are going all-in and in the process positioning “F1 The Movie” as a barometer of Apple’s six-plus-year bet on original video.
We will see how the movie ticket numbers pan out. If “F1 The Movie” brings people out to the theaters, Cook and Cue are going to receive a major boost of validation. (If there are any heat waves in the U.S., that will help get people into AC-equipped theaters.) If the movie flops, the list of Apple PR headaches will grow.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the AVALON, Podcasts, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
My Reaction to Apple’s Post-Keynote Press at WWDC, Apple Talks iPad vs. Mac
Taking a quick step back to recap where we are from an analysis perspective.
Last week’s Above Avalon Daily updates went over my thoughts on WWDC news and announcements. This week’s updates cover interesting observations from the various Apple executive interviews that took place after the keynote.
My plan, as of now, is to use slower news periods in July to revisit some WWDC announcements that can benefit from more thorough examination.
Let’s jump right in.
My Reaction to Apple’s Post-Keynote Press at WWDC
Monday’s update was focused specifically on Apple’s explanation regarding more personal Siri being delayed. For today’s update, we will look more broadly at Apple’s post-WWDC press strategy.
Craig Federighi, SVP software engineering, and Greg Joswiak, SVP worldwide marketing, handled the bulk of Apple’s WWDC 2025 press. Tim Cook and Eddy Cue have been busy with "F1 The Movie" marketing. More on that in tomorrow’s update.
Instead of Federighi and Joswiak appearing on John Gruber’s “The Talk Show,” which had become something of a tradition during WWDC, Apple went with:
Tom’s Guide (Mark Spoonauer) and Tech Rader (Lance Ulanoff). The video is available here.
WSJ (Joanna Stern). The video is available here.
In addition to those two “big” video interviews, Federighi and Joswiak did a handful of other video interviews with non-U.S. press and a few other media personalities. A week later, there are still new interviews appearing on my radar. We should begin to see some written press interviews as well as those tend to take a bit longer to turn around.
Each year, Apple makes some adjustments in its PR strategy, including the choice of outlets that receive interviews.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the AVALON, Podcasts, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Apple Talks Siri Delay, Remaining (Siri Delay) Questions, Takeaways
Hello everyone. Welcome to a new week. We will begin this week’s updates with a look at Apple’s post-keynote press at WWDC. Specifically, we will talk about Apple’s comments regarding the Siri delay.
Let’s jump right in.
Apple Talks Siri Delay
Back in March, Apple officially delayed a handful of Siri features that had been framed at WWDC 2024 as a more personal Siri. At the time, Apple did not give much of an explanation for the delay.
Here was Apple’s full statement:
“Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge and added an integration with ChatGPT. We’ve also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It’s going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.”
At the time, that statement came across to me as Apple has a workable product in hand because they wouldn’t otherwise say the features will be available in the coming year. This also led me to conclude that reliability issues found with a more contextually aware and intelligent Siri using on-device LLMs on iOS 18 was the reason for the delay versus the features simply not working.
As a refresher, the “more personal” Siri features that were delayed included:
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Interesting Notes and Tidbits From Apple’s WWDC Keynote
Happy Friday everyone. As this crazy busy week comes to an end, today’s update will have a more informal feel as we go over my remaining notes from Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote.
To recap my WWDC analysis as found in the daily updates:
Tuesday: Major themes.
Wednesday: Four features that provide clear signs of where Apple is headed.
Today: My remaining notes from the keynote and event.
Let's jump into today's update.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Apple’s Master Plan (As Revealed Through WWDC 2025 Announcements)
Hello everyone.
Episode 2 of my all-new AVALON podcast is now available. This is my first unscripted audio podcast, focused on Apple product analysis and strategy. The podcast is loosely modeled after Apple’s Monday morning meetings. If you enjoy podcasts and Above Avalon, I think you would like AVALON. Episode 2, focused on WWDC, came in at 80 minutes.
Check out AVALON on social media for a few clips that will give you a taste of the show.
AVALON is 100% supported by its listeners. Special pricing for AVALON is available to Above Avalon members. Instead of paying $10/month or $100/year for AVALON on a standalone basis, bundle AVALON with your membership for just +$6/month or save even more by going with the +$60/year plan by filling out this form here. Another great deal is found with the Podcasts add-on that now provides access to both AVALON and the Above Avalon Daily podcasts (these updates in audio form) for +$10/month or +$100/year. You can fill out the form here to bundle the Podcasts add-on with your membership. That price amounts to getting AVALON for free as the Podcasts add-on was previously $10/month or $100/year just for Above Avalon Daily.
In today’s update, we will go over the handful of WWDC announcements that jumped out at me as signs of where Apple and the broader industry are headed.
Let’s jump in.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Three Themes From WWDC 2025
Hello everyone.
In today’s update, we will talk about three themes from the WWDC 2025 keynote. Two of the themes relate to items found in the keynote. The third theme is about something that wasn’t found in the keynote. In tomorrow's update, we will talk about some of my observations attending the keynote.
A few quick thoughts on the main takeaway from the WWDC 2025 keynote.
While Apple probably didn’t satisfy those who wanted the company to follow other Big Tech companies onto certain AI tracks, the announcements announced on the virtual WWDC stage were significant. In addition to unveiling its first universal redesign across its platforms, intelligence-infused features were sprinkled throughout the presentation in a multitude of ways. The frosting on the cake was a handful of visionOS and watchOS features that serve as great clues for where Apple, and the tech industry, are headed. Instead of an all-powerful, always talking chatbot that thinks for us while eschewing screens, we received proactive, spatial experiences that connect with us on an emotional level.
Liquid Glass Adds Vitality to the Apple Ecosystem
Alan Dye, Apple VP human interface design, was given the digital stage to unveil the largest redesign to Apple’s ecosystem since iOS 7 in 2013. One way to put that timeline in perspective: Above Avalon was still a year or so away from launching. The new design language, Liquid Glass, will define the way we use Apple devices for at least the next decade. There were signs found with a few iPhone features in recent years that a broader redesign was in the works.
If the iOS 7 design was about simplifying things
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Takeaways From Apple’s Global App Store Study, An Opposing View of the App Store, My Reaction
Hello everyone.
Welcome to a special Friday edition of the Above Avalon Daily newsletter.
Let’s jump into today’s update.
Takeaways From Apple’s Global App Store Study
Last week, Apple released a study that looked at the U.S. App Store ($406B in billings and sales in 2024). Yesterday, Apple released another App Store study that looked at global App Store trends. Both studies, which were funded by Apple, were from the same authors.
On a global basis, the App Store is estimated to have facilitated $1.3T in billings and sales in 2024, double the total seen in 2019. Billings refers to paid apps and in-app purchases while sales reflect the much larger amount of cash spent buying goods and services via apps.
The last published estimate for global App Store billings and sales was $1.1T in 2022.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Apple’s App Store Emergency Motion Denied, Early Tests Show IAP Beats Web Payments, Indie Developers May Continue to Prioritize IAP
Hello everyone. Today’s update will take us into App Store land.
One quick update - All incoming requests for the AVALON podcast, Podcasts add-on, and other membership-related questions have been either fulfilled or addressed. If you signed up for AVALON (using this online form), you received one welcome email that can be used to get the podcast up and running in your favorite podcast player. You can also be notified via email when new episodes are released on Tuesdays. If you signed up for the Podcasts add-on (using this online form), you received two welcome emails –use both emails as the add-on provides access to two distinct podcasts (AVALON and Above Avalon Daily).
Let's jump into today's update.
Apple’s App Store Emergency Motion Denied
Apple received more bad news from a U.S. court regarding the App Store. The company’s emergency motion for a partial stay pending its appeal of the App Store anti-steering injunction ruling was denied.
“Apple on Wednesday failed to persuade a U.S. appeals court to pause key parts of a federal judge's order requiring the iPhone maker to immediately open its lucrative App Store to more competition.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Apple's request to put the provisions on hold as the tech company appeals the judge's order, which came in a long-running antitrust lawsuit brought by ‘Fortnite’ maker Epic Games…
In its emergency appeal, Apple said the ruling blocked the company from ‘exercising control over core aspects of its business operations’ and forced it to give free access to its services.
Epic Games countered that Apple was trying to continue evading competition and collecting fees that the judge had barred.”
The court said: "After reviewing the relevant factors, we are not persuaded that a stay is appropriate."
A few notes:
1) Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ injunction ruling directives, which Apple is following, will now stand for however long the appeal process takes. Expectations are for an appeal to take around six months. Apple was hoping its emergency motion for a partial stay would be granted so that the App Store would be brought back to its pre-injunction ruling status for the duration of the appeal. If Apple loses its appeal, the company can ask for the Supreme Court to review. The changes dictated by Judge Gonzalez Rogers would remain available to developers throughout that process.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
Anduril Partners With Meta on Military Headsets, A Headset Drought?, Apple Is Needed (Once Again)
Hello everyone. We will kick off today’s update with an interesting tie-up between Anduril Industries, a U.S. weapons manufacturer, and Meta. The discussion will then turn to a few broader points regarding the headset industry.
Let’s jump right in.
Anduril Partners With Meta on Military Headsets
In a press release issued on May 29th, here’s Anduril:
“Anduril and Meta are partnering to design, build, and field a range of integrated XR products that provide warfighters with enhanced perception and enable intuitive control of autonomous platforms on the battlefield. The capabilities enabled by the partnership will draw on more than a decade of investment by both companies in advanced hardware, software, and artificial intelligence. The effort has been funded through private capital, without taxpayer support, and is designed to save the U.S. military billions of dollars by utilizing high-performance components and technology originally built for commercial use.
This partnership comes at a pivotal moment in the evolution of national defense. America’s national security has benefited from U.S. technological leadership at every phase of the computing revolution, from the first microchips and PCs to today’s internet and mobile devices. As a new era of computing takes shape—built atop AI and body-worn devices—Meta and Anduril are committed to maintaining America’s technological edge while reinforcing our economic and national security.
‘Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,’ said Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta. ‘We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.’”
My initial reaction to this news: Meta is willing to further dilute its HW focus, which is already diffused across what are likely too many unreleased products and categories, to now work on military technology with a weapons manufacturer. Across Silicon Valley, the concept of focusing remains highly underrated. Instead, accolades and applause are being handed out far too easily to companies that simply announce things.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.
OpenAI COO Talks Screenless Devices, OpenAI’s Strategy Document From 2024, Apple Appeals EU Interoperability Rules
Happy Tuesday.
My original plan to finalize Monday’s update after spending a few hours at the local amusement park for an end-of-year school event didn’t exactly go to plan. I can say with confidence that I have officially reached the “Dad probably should think twice about going on that ride” age. What was supposed to be Monday’s update is now ready. We will simply shift the updates back a day this week.
My new audio podcast, AVALON, launches today. The first episode will likely be out by time you read this email.
Based on a few incoming member questions regarding AVALON and Above Avalon membership, it’s worth clarifying a few things. Please bear with me as odds are good other members may have similar questions. I want to make sure this information is seen.
AVALON is my all-new, paid audio podcast ($10/month or $100/year) available as a standalone subscription. This means someone who isn’t an Above Avalon member can subscribe just to AVALON for $10/month or $100/year.
AVALON, my first unscripted podcast, is very different from these daily updates (officially called the Above Avalon Daily newsletter and the cornerstone of Above Avalon membership). The two utilize dramatically different creation processes and consumption patterns.
Listening to AVALON as a member. For Above Avalon members who are interested in listening to AVALON, to avoid needing to keep track of two different subscriptions, the podcast can be bundled with your Above Avalon membership at a special rate (just +$6/month or +$60/year). This isn’t too different from Above Avalon members bundling an Inside Orchard subscription with their membership at a special rate (just +$5/month or +$50/year).
Using add-ons to customize your membership. From Day 1, Above Avalon memberships have been anchored by these written daily updates (1,800+ have been published to date). There is no change to that dynamic. Over the years, members have seen a growing number of ways to customize membership to suit different interests, workflows, and schedules.
This is accomplished by attaching add-ons to one’s membership:
Inside Orchard – my broader views on tech available via written essays and audio podcast (+$5/month or +$50/year – 50% off). Fill out this form to attach the add-on to your membership.
AVALON – a weekly, unscripted podcast about Apple product strategy and analysis – loosely modeled after Apple’s Monday morning meetings (+$6/month or +$60/year – 40% off). Fill out this form to attach the add-on to your membership.
Podcasts - listen to two podcasts (Above Avalon Daily + AVALON) +$10/month or $100/year. This is a huge increase in value-add found with the add-on, as the Above Avalon Daily podcast was previously $10/month or $100/year on its own. Fill out this form to attach the add-on to your membership.
Financial Models – access my earnings model and three installed base models (iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch) +$850/year. If you have the Podcasts and Inside Orchard add-ons, you get a $150 discount. Fill out this form to attach the add-on to your membership.
In summary:
Above Avalon membership (access to the daily newsletter called Above Avalon Daily, the archive, and other benefits including email access)
Inside Orchard add-on (access to everything at InsideOrchard.com)
AVALON add-on (access to the all-new AVALON podcast)
Podcasts add-on (access to both the AVALON podcast and Above Avalon Daily podcast - the daily newsletter in audio form)
Financial Models add-on (access to four of my Apple financial models)
If you have questions, please shoot them my way. Also, if at any time you would like information about your membership and are unsure about the add-ons that you may or may not have, reach out - email works fine, although you can DM on Discord as well.
Let's jump into today's update with OpenAI.
OpenAI COO Talks Screenless Devices
Here’s the WSJ:
“OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap said the AI revolution has ushered in an opportunity to create a new set of devices.
Lightcap, speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything event on Thursday, said that OpenAI is focused on building AI that is ‘truly personal.’
Right now, users access ChatGPT through web browsers and apps on a smartphone. OpenAI wants to build an ‘ambient computer layer’ that can detach people from always having to be looking at a screen, he said. ‘There’s a lot that we have to do to develop models to succeed in that environment.’
Lightcap said he has ‘no idea’ what device Chief Executive Sam Altman is working on with former Apple designer Jony Ive. The pair announced earlier this month that OpenAI is acquiring Ive’s company io in an all-equity deal that values it at $6.5 billion."
This 28-minute interview (available here via YouTube) provided a good summary of how OpenAI is thinking about business strategy. One reason the talk jumped out at me is Lightcap didn’t come across as trying to sell me something which is common in many AI-focused chats and talks.
Become a member to continue reading today’s update. Already a member? Read the full update here.
An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership.
Member Privileges and Benefits
Become an Above Avalon member and receive the following privileges and benefits:
Exclusive Analysis. Receive the Above Avalon Daily newsletter, widely-recognized as the leading daily newsletter dedicated to Apple. Now in its tenth year.
Archive Access. Access previous newsletters sent to members.
Member Forum Access. Access all channels in the Above Avalon forum in Discord.
Email Access. Receive timely responses from Neil to email inquiries.
Access to Add-ons. Customize a membership with the Podcast, Inside Orchard, and Financial Models add-ons.
Above Avalon Support. Play an active role in supporting Above Avalon as an independent voice and resource.