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Apple experiences most significant quarterly revenue decline since 2019

In its Q1 2023 earnings report, Apple revealed that its overall sales during the typically lucrative holiday quarter were five percent lower than last year.

This marks the company’s first year-over-year decline since 2019.

In a press release, Apple CEO Tim Cook cited three factors for the company’s weak sales: production issues in China affecting iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max manufacturing, the strong dollar and the worldwide macroeconomic environment.

Given the lengthy order times across all of Apple’s iPhone 14 devices (and some other products, too), the tech giant specifically citing supply constraints as a key reason for eight percent year-over-year downtown in iPhone earnings isn’t surprising.

Apple’s Mac sales also declined a substantial 28.66 percent year- over-year, which, again, makes sense, given the MacBook Pro (2021) revamp that was well-received by critics (including myself) didn’t launch in 2022. That said, the company did release the M2 MacBook Air and Mac Studio in 2022.

On the plus side, Apple’s iPad division received a 29.66 percent boost, likely due to the revamped entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro (2022) being bumped up to the M2 chip. This year, new iPad releases are expected to be scarce, though 2024 is rumoured to mark the reveal of a foldable iPad.

“As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best lineup of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in the company’s earnings press release.

Below is a breakdown of earnings across all of Apple’s various divisions:

  • Revenue: $117.15 billion USD (roughly $156 billion CAD) vs. $121.10 billion USD (about $161.3 billion CAD) estimated, down 5.49 percent year-over-year
  • iPhone: $65.78 billion USD (roughly $87.6 billion CAD) vs. $68.29 billion USD (approximately $90.9 CAD) estimated, down 8.17 percent  year-over-year
  • Mac: $7.74 billion USD (about $10.31 billion CAD) vs. $9.63 billion USD (roughly $12.47 billion CAD) estimated, down 28.66 percent year-over-year
  •  iPad: $9.40 billion USD (approximately $12.52 billion CAD) vs. $7.76 billion USD (about $10.34 billion CAD) estimated, up 29.66 percent year-over-year
  • Services revenue: $20.77 billion USD (about $27.6 billion CAD) vs. $20.67 billion USD (roughly $27.5 billion CAD) estimated, up 6.4 percent year-over-year
  • Other Products: $13.48 billion USD (about $17.9 billion CAD) vs. $15.23 billion USD (approximately $20 billion CAD) estimated, down 8.3 percent year-over-year

Looking to 2023, Apple is expected to finally reveal its virtual reality/augmented reality headset, rumoured to be called the Reality Pro. The tech giant’s iPhone 15 line will also reportedly switch to USB-C.

Source: Apple Via: CNBC

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New GPT-3.5-powered Teams Premium feature can take notes for you

Microsoft is adding more features to its Premium paid version of Teams.

Notably, the paid platform gives users access to advanced AI capabilities powered by OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 language model. The tool is used in a new “intelligent recap” feature, that automatically generates notes, tasks, and meeting highlights, making it easier for users to catch up on missed meetings or meetings where they weren’t paying attention.

Microsoft started offering a 30-day free trial of Teams Premium last month, and the platform will soon have access to exclusive features like live translated captions, custom Together Mode scenes, and virtual appointment options, in addition to intelligent recap.

The recap includes a full transcript with each speaker’s contributions highlighted in a timeline, as well as personalized markers for mentions. Most of the intelligent recap features are available now, although some won’t be available until Q2 2023.

Regular Teams features that are moving to Teams Premium are:

  • Live translated captions
  • Timeline markers in Teams meeting recordings for when a user left or joined meetings
  • Custom organization Together mode scenes
  • Virtual Appointments: SMS notifications
  • Virtual Appointments: Organizational analytics in the Teams admin center
  • Virtual Appointments: Scheduled queue view

Apart from the intelligent recap, Teams Premium also features meeting privacy and protection tools. As shared by The Verge, safeguard in place are watermarking and labeling of sensitive content during meetings, in addition to the ability to restrict users from recording meetings and/or copying text from meeting chat.

Microsoft Teams Premium is now available in the U.S. for $10 (roughly $13 CAD). It is currently unknown when the plan would launch in Canada, though you can sign up on Microsoft’s website to stay informed about developments.

Image credit: Microsoft

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Direct could stream next week

A new Nintendo Direct could stream this coming week.

Gian Bomb‘s Jeff Grubb, an often reliable source of video game leaks, recently said that “everything I’m hearing, and it’s all just sort of reiterating it, it continues to be the week of February 6th,” during his Game Mess Twitch show.

Given Nintendo has held Direct showcases in February in the past, it makes sense that the Japanese gaming giant would stream one again this year. On his show, Grubb mentions that Advance Wars 1+2 could be shown off. The game was originally scheduled to launch last year, but was pushed back to an unknown date due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, Grubb says the star of this Direct will be the Switch’s most anticipated title, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom given its May release date is slowly drawing closer. If a new Direct is coming, it likely won’t be long before Nintendo reveals its official broadcast date.

In other Game Mess-sourced news, Grubb also discussed Vancouver’s The Coalition cancelling two games and shifting its focus to Gears 6.

Source: Giant Bomb

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Vancouver’s The Coalition has reportedly canceled two games, shifted focus to Gears 6

Vancouver-based The Coalition has reportedly cancelled two games to focus on Gears 6.

Credible Giant Bomb reporter Jeff Grubb made the claims on the latest episode of his “Game Mess Mornings” show. According to Grubb, the Xbox-owned developer has cancelled a “smaller project, as well as another project.” It’s unclear exactly what these might have been, but a since-updated LinkedIn profile from a Coalition developer indicated that at least one of these titles was a new IP.

Part of this, he says, comes down to the widespread layoffs made by Microsoft last month, which were said to have affected The Coalition to an unclear degree.

Now, Grubb says that The Coalition is “fully” focused on Gears 6. Interestingly, Grubb says it still “feels like it’s very far away,” predicting that it will likely come “in the next three years.” The last mainline Gears game was 2019’s Gears 5.

However, The Coalition has since worked on a variety of projects beyond what Grubb says was cancelled. On top of releasing Gears 5‘s well-received Hivebusters DLC at the end of 2020, the Canadian developer assisted on development with 2020’s Gears Tactics and 2021’s Halo Infinite. The Coalition also worked with Epic Games on the now-delisted photorealistic Unreal Engine 5 Matrix Awakens tech demo featuring Canada’s own Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Beyond Gears 6, we also know that The Coalition is working with Netflix on a live-action Gears of War movie and animated series.

Therefore, The Coalition is clearly busy, so it remains to be seen when we might actually get a reveal of Gears 6. Xbox recently confirmed that it will hold its traditional major summer showcase in June, so perhaps we’ll get an update there.

Image credit: Xbox

Source: Giant Bomb

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Best Buy’s new Happy Hour sale with customer-voted products live now

Best Buy Canada is holding a ‘Happy Hour’ sale with items that have been voted by shoppers on a limited-time discount.

The sale starts today, Thursday, February 2nd, at 3pm ET/12pm PT, and will end later today at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

Check out the winning offers below:

Vankyo – Leisure E30TB Wireless Native 1080P Full HD Projector with Bonus 100-inch Screen: $199.99 (save $200)

Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for 60″ – 70″ TVs: $249.99 (save $70)

Costway TV Stand Entertainment Center for TV’s up to 65” with Sliding Mesh Doors: $199.99 (save $125)

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 7 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – Grey: $229.99 (save $270)

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 7 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – Blue: $229.99 (save $270)

Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 7 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker – Black: $229.99 (save $270)

Razer Level Up Gaming Bundle with Keyboard, Mouse & Mousepad: $59.99 (save $40)

American Tourister Exoline 3-Piece Hard Side Expandable Luggage Set – Black: $249.99 (save $450)

Check out the sale event page here.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

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Seth Rogen is letting people rent an Airbnb to get high with him

Seth Rogen has teamed up with Airbnb to give regular folks a chance at smoking weed with him.

On February 7th, Airbnb users will be able to book a one-night, $42 USD (about $56 CAD) stay at a Los Angeles residence that’s inspired by the Vancouver-born actor’s Houseplant cannabis company. While there, you’ll be able to take part in one of Rogen’s favourite pastimes, pottery, with Rogen himself, soak in the sun and raid the fridge. Rogen says that he’ll also sample Vol. 2 of his unreleased Vinyl Box Set, a trio of vinyl records with tracklists curated by both him and longtime collaborator, fellow Vancouverite Evan Goldberg.

Unfortunately, there’s a catch. The three bookings that will go live to the public on the 7th are only available to U.S. residents. Yes, that means that Rogen’s fellow Canadians are excluded. There isn’t any other option, either, like some sort of contest to fly Canadians to the LA retreat. That’s despite the fact that the partnership comes in support of Hilarity for Charity, Rogen’s non-profit to support families affected by Alzheimer’s through comedy-related initiatives.

It’s unclear why Canada has been shafted, although it’s potentially due to Houseplant’s exit from the Canadian market in 2021 after a split with co-producer Canopy Growth. At the time, Rogen said the goal was to relaunch in Canada, noting it was an opportunity to “evolve the brand.” There hasn’t been any word since on a Canadian relaunch.

So to any potential U.S. readers — good luck on getting to blaze with Rogen. For our Canadian readers, though, we have to sadly accept that Rogen has forsaken us.

Source: Airbnb

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Galaxy phones won’t get iPhone-like satellite until it’s ‘ready’

Samsung president TM Roh says the company is waiting for satellite connectivity to be “ready” before adopting it on the Galaxy smartphone line.

Speaking to CNET ahead of the February 1st Galaxy S23 launch, Roh suggested it was too early, with satellite connectivity on phones still being fairly limited.

“When there is the right timing, infrastructure and the technology [is] ready, then of course for Samsung Galaxy, for our mobile division, we would also actively consider adopting this feature as well,” said Roh.

Samsung’s decision not to ship satellite features in the new Galaxy S23 devices comes as a surprise given the company’s penchant for packing just about every feature you can imagine into its devices and trying out new features — even if they’re far from being ready — just to see if people like them.

It also puts us in the rare position where Apple was first to pioneer a new feature with Samsung waiting for it to be “ready” before shipping it.

Anyway, Galaxy fans may not have to wait long. Qualcomm recently announced its ‘Snapdragon Satellite’ feature that will enable satellite connectivity on the latest Snapdragon chips later this year. Notably, Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 series run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, which likely will be one of the chips to support Snapdragon Satellite when it launches.

Still, Roh doesn’t seem totally convinced, telling CNET that he doesn’t believe satellite “is the end-all or be-all of the solutions to ensure peace of mind among users.” Instead, Roh pointed to Samsung’s other efforts to improve communications, such as enhancing the sensors inside its phones and broadening 5G coverage.

Source: CNET Via: 9to5Google

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Razer’s new wireless gaming mouse is its lightest ever

Razer today announced the upcoming release of its latest wireless gaming mouse, and it’s the company’s lightest mouse ever.

The Razer Viper Mini Signature Edition, according to the company, is the “best lightweight performance gaming mouse ever created,” coming in at just 49g. “Built as a result of years of meticulous craftsmanship and engineering, the Viper Mini Signature Edition is an ultra-high-end, hyper-lightweight wireless performance gaming mouse that is turbocharged with Razer’s best-in-class technologies,” reads the company’s press release. “After evaluating plastics, carbon fiber, and even titanium, we ultimately chose magnesium alloy for its exceptional properties,” said Charlie Bolton, Head of Industrial Design at Razer.

The gaming peripheral company says that it went beyond its normal design process to look at material selection and alternate industry designs. It went with an ultra-durable magnesium alloy exoskeleton chassis in the fan-favourite Viper Mini shape, resulting in a mouse that might become to perfect choice for gamers who demand both performance and comfort.

Each unit of the Viper Mini Signature Edition is crafted using an injection-moulded exoskeleton that is then CNC machined, polished, and passivated to reduce corrosion susceptibility. It is then painted and assembled while being inspected meticulously at each step.

When it comes to performance, the mouse features a Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor, Razer Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3, and “true” 4,000Hz wireless polling rates. For reference, the Razer’s Viper V2 Pro has a max polling rate of 1,000Hz. In addition, the mouse features a fast 2C charging rate that allows it to charge fully in under 90 minutes. Razer says this is “four times the peak charging capacity of most other wireless mice.”

The Viper Mini Signature Edition comes with a pre-paired Razer HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, a set of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Mouse Feet, a microfiber cleaning cloth, two Razer Mouse Grip Tape sets, and two alcohol prep pads. The mouse also comes with a three-year extended warranty, which might justify its $389.99 CAD price tag.

The mouse will be exclusively available on Razer’s website, with the first drop going live at 8pm PT/11pm ET on February 11th, 2023.

Learn more about the mouse here.

Image credit: Razer

Source: Razer

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Nick Offerman didn’t play The Last of Us because of a Banjo-Kazooie addiction

Nick Offerman has a confession: he doesn’t play video games.

But unlike several of his The Last of Us co-stars, who were advised to avoid the PlayStation game upon which it’s based, Offerman has a surprisingly different reason for not being a gamer.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday to promote his acclaimed January 29th episode of the HBO series, “Long, Long Time,” Offerman revealed that he has a history with games. When Kimmel asked if Offerman had played The Last of Us, the Parks and Recreation star said that an addiction to Nintendo 64 classic platformer Banjo-Kazooie actually made him quit games entirely:

“Twenty-five years ago, I played my last video game and I’m very indulgent. I lost a couple of weeks to a video game called Banjo-Kazooie. Two weeks went by and I was like, ‘oh my god, the slow dopamine drip is so delicious,’ then it’s over and you’re like ‘yes, I won!’ and immediately I’m like, ‘what have I done with my life?’ So I decided I was never going to do that again. And so thankfully, because games have gotten so good, like The Last of Us, that I think I’d be in a basement and I wouldn’t even be going to audition for shows like this.” 

Elsewhere in the interview, Kimmel showed amusing clips of people reacting emotionally to “Long, Long Time.” Both Offerman and co-star Murray Bartlett have garnered significant praise for their respective roles of Bill and Frank, two partners surviving together over the years during the post-apocalypse. In fact, many of those who have seen all nine episodes of the series have said it’s the best of the bunch.

Overall, The Last of Us has already become one of HBO’s most popular shows, and its second-biggest premiere after House of the Dragon. The massive early success has led HBO to already renew the series for a second season, which will adapt The Last of Us Part II video game.

Co-created by Neil Druckmann (the original The Last of Us game) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl), The Last of Us follows Joel (The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal, a hardened man who’s hired to smuggle a young teenager, Ellie (Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey), across a pandemic-ravaged U.S.

Despite that American setting, though, the series was actually filmed entirely in Alberta, a fact that Mazin, Pascal and Ramsey raved about to MobileSyrup in a recent interview. The series’ production designer even said he was surprised at how “clean” the province ended up being. And to promote the province, Travel Alberta has also created an interactive map to let you view exact filming locations from the series.

The Last of Us is now streaming on Crave. Banjo-Kazooie, meanwhile, is available in the Rare Replay collection on Xbox and on Nintendo Switch via a Switch Online Expansion Pack membership.

Image credit: HBO, Xbox

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Protect your new Galaxy S23 in style with Casetify’s new cases

Smartphone accessory maker Casetify detailed a new set of products for Samsung’s recently unveiled Galaxy S23 series.

First up, Casetify is launching ‘Impact,’ ‘Ultra Impact’ and new ‘Clear’ case options for the S23 series, as well as screen protectors and more. Moreover, the Impact and Ultra Impact cases support Casetfiy’s ‘EcoShock’ tech, a plant-based material with a patent-pending twister design that better absorbs impacts when you drop your phone.

The main difference between the Impact and Ultra Impact cases, for those unfamiliar with the brand, is the corners. Impact cases — like the ones I tried on my Pixel 7 — don’t have added cushion on the corners, while the Ultra Impact cases do. Casetify says its Ultra Impact S23 cases were tested to withstand over 130 drops of up to 11.5 feet, while the Impact cases tested for 104 drops from 8.2 feet.

Both the Impact and Ultra Impact cases can also be customized with different colours and Casetify’s unique patterns and design options. Colours include ‘Matte Black,’ ‘Clear Black,’ ‘Sheer Lilac’ and ‘Midnight Green.’ Patterns and designs, on the other hand, have a much wider selection with a ton of different options.

Casetify Impact case on Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Impact and Ultra Impact cases are available now and you can find them at the links below.

As for Casetify’s new clear cases, they won’t be available until March and have a lower drop protection rating of 6.6 feet since Casetify couldn’t include the EcoShock tech. Casetify talked a big game about equipping the clear cases with ‘UV Defender technology’ to protect against UV light and staining liquids like mustard, red wine and coffee. Casetify said that unlike other clear cases, which turn yellow after a short time, its clear cases are optimized to prevent yellowing and will last a long time.

I’ll be interested to see how well the clear cases stand up to the sun when I get my hands on some to test later this year.

Finally, Casetify says its screen protectors for the S23 series are made of 9H tempered glass and are ultra-thin, scratch-resistant, and anti-shatter. The protectors also include a ‘Defensify’ antimicrobial coating to prevent germs and an anti-fingerprint coating to, well, prevent fingerprints. You can check those out here.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links.