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[00:06] This is Mac OS Ken. Another positive note on Apple, assessing the computer and Mac spaces and revisiting last fall's tumult. It is Thursday, the 23rd of April, 2026. I'm Ken Ray, and this is news from Mac OS Ken, brought to you by yours truly and sponsored by OneSkin, a new standard for your skin. Try it now with 15% off using code Mac OS Ken at oneskin.co/macosken. This show is also supported by people like you, Patrons through Patreon. Find out more and add your support at patreon.com/macosken. Another positive note heading into Apple's March quarter earnings report scheduled for next week. Apple 3.0 ran part of a post Wednesday from JP. Morgan analyst Sameek Chatterjee, wherein he called for a beat next week from Apple. That's numbers that will best not only analyst's expectations, but also Apple's own bullish guidance. Quoting his note, our expectations for March quarter earnings include beats on revenue relative to the telegraphed outlook, helped by both better demand for iPhones as well as better demand for Macs, including with the recent release of MacBook Neo. Having surprise to the upside, assuming they do, the analyst expects Apple to issue more bullish guidance for the June quarter. While investors will focus on gross margin delivery and guidance in the face of ongoing memory concerns, Tradergy and company think Apple will be positioned to surprise positively on that account with the help of inventory, as well as access to memory at favorable contractual prices on account of its scale. If they did well last quarter and guide well this quarter, team Tradergy expects investor confidence in the company's ability to navigate headwinds to improve. That's despite questions around margins, pricing and the next round of iPhones. Spoiler, the note expects iPhone prices to rise a bit this fall, though not nearly as much as competing phones. Mr. Tradergy has an overweight rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $325. Mid to late 2020, I was at the grocery store. It was the only place most of us were going at the time. There was a woman in the meat section talking to one of the store staff. I have no idea what she was getting, but whatever it was, wasn't usually in stock. We haven't had those lately, said the store employee. They've been hard to get. Oh, really? Asked the woman. Well, I was only going to get one, but maybe I'll get two. As a matter of fact, I did think about yelling at her, but whatever. I was reminded of that exchange thanks to a post late last week from CounterPoint Research. It came under the headline Global PC Shipments Grow 3.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2026 on preemptive buying before memory-led price increases. In other words, everybody knew that memory was going to be hard to get and prices were going to go up, leading to calculated buying, if not panic buying. That had to reduce the number of machines available, which may have contributed to the feared price increases. Now, it may sound like I'm knocking that calculated buying. I am not. If you know you're going to buy a new computer, or a bunch of them, if you're a business, and you suspect that prices are going to go up, pull the trigger before it rusts. Still, Ick. As for the one you likely care about, CounterPoint says Apple shipments jumped 11% year over year in the first quarter of 2026, delivering 6.7 million units, thanks to the initial shipments of the new MacBooks in March. Looking ahead, the ramp up in production and delivery of these models is set to drive even more significant growth in the following quarter. Of course, that assumes that they can keep up with demand. More on that in a moment. While 3% PC growth in the first quarter may look good on paper, growth is expected to be paper thin in 2026. Actually, there's not gonna be any. The Post has a counterpoint analyst saying March quarter PC demand benefited from short term tailwinds, particularly preemptive buying ahead of memory driven price increases, and the ongoing Windows 10 refresh cycle. The analyst says these factors are front loading demand rather than signaling sustained growth. The full year will see PC sales decline in the firm's estimation. Looking ahead to 2027, the same analyst says easing memory constraints combined with continued ramp of AI PCs should help stabilize the market and support a return to modest growth. With Missing Monday and the CEO shuffle announcements after that, I forgot my recent weekly ritual of checking availability for MacBook Neo. Did that yesterday and spotted something interesting. Weights are still lengthy for delivery. Ordering any color in either capacity on Wednesday, the 22nd of April, would have had the machine sent to my home between the 7th of May and the 14th. Looking at in-store pickup, ordering any color for the 512 GB model, the one with Touch ID, would have had me waiting until the 14th of May to swing by and grab it. But, I could have ordered a 256 GB model in any color yesterday, and picked it up from my local Apple Store yesterday. Does that mean no one wants the 256 without Touch ID? You might think so, except again, had I ordered a 256 for delivery, I'd have been waiting a minimum of two weeks to get it. Supply and supply chain intricacies are opaque, especially these days. Whatever the case, I've spotted movement in the MacBook Neo ordering gauntlet. Your mileage may vary. I wake an important security update this week but I honestly wondered whether Apple would make. Mac Rumors says Apple on Wednesday released iOS and iPadOS 26.4.2, along with iOS and iPadOS 18.7.8. Apple's notes offer the usual vague assurance that the releases provide bug fixes and security updates with a link to security update information. Following that link, though, is where things get interesting. Indicating that the update tackles an issue with notification services. Apple's notes say Impact, notifications marked for deletion, could be unexpectedly retained on the device. Description, a logging issue was addressed with improved data redaction. Remember the story we talked about last week had the FBI pulling message content off of iPhones when the messages themselves were deleted. A person tracking the story in a 404 media post said, we learned that specifically on iPhones, if one settings in the Signal app allow for message notifications and previews to show up on the lock screen, the iPhone will internally store those notifications or message previews in the internal memory of the device. Of course, there was no reason to think that that issue was specific to Signal. The way 404 media saw it, it was likely a more fundamental friction between secure messaging apps and how Apple stores notifications. Though Apple didn't mention that issue specifically in Wednesday's super small update notes, sounds like the company addressed the message preview extraction issue. Staying with the software updates, something for Mac OS musicians, another piece from 9to5Macs as GarageBand has been updated for the Mac. While release notes for GarageBand version 10.4.14 only mention stability improvements and bug fixes, it does change the application's logo. That moves from a detailed illustration of a sunburst electric guitar to a more stylized, less detailed sunburst electric guitar. Also, doesn't go back as far as it used to. Indications are that the update moves the minimum Mac OS version from Mac OS 14.4 to Mac OS 15.6. Finally, on the update front, you are not going to believe this. Apple has updated the Apple Sports app. I know, right? MacRumors says Apple on Monday updated the app, bringing more info for World Cup 2026, weather conditions for F1 races, and smaller widget options for both the iPhone's home screen and CarPlay. Now, how much would you pay? Well, that doesn't matter. The Apple Sports app is free. iPhones and CarPlay systems sold separately. More news in a moment, but first a word from today's sponsor, OneSkin, a new standard for your skin. Happened again yesterday morning. I went to the mirror excited to see how my face was looking. Happy to say, better than it has many days for many years. The dry, flaky skin that's really brought me down first thing in the morning is so much better now that I'm using OS OneFace, the essential moisturizer from OneSkin and part of their best seller pack. I am genuinely amazed by how quickly it's working for me with not one moment of irritation. I expected a day or two of inflammation. That's happened with past treatments I've tried. Certified safe for sensitive skin and dermatologist tested, OS OneFace leaves out ingredients that cause such irritation. I hoped that OneSkin would work for me. It's hard to believe it's worked as well and as quickly as it has. Check them out for yourself at oneskin.co. Mac OS Ken. With over a decade of research behind it, OneSkin's OS OnePeptide is proven to target the visible signs of aging, helping you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. For a limited time, try OneSkin with 15% off using code MacOSKen at oneskin.co. Mac OS Ken. That's 15% off oneskin.co. With code MacOSKen. When they ask where you heard about them, please tell them it was Mac OS Ken. Try OneSkin now with 15% off using code MacOSKen at oneskin.co/macosken. Movement on a couple of big stories from last fall. Remember when Apple, Google, and Facebook started removing apps tied to the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at the request of the current administration? Yeah, it looks to at least one judge as if the administration overstepped its authority. Stories from Engadget and Apple Insider have a judge from the US. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruling that the folks behind the iOS app Eyes Up and the Facebook group Ice Siding Chicagoland are likely to win in their case. That case, brought by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, argues that the First Amendment rights of the developers were violated by the administration. FIRE and ICE. I hope I got that when this story was fresh, though. Anger may have made me miss it. Anyway, the Engadget piece as the lawsuit cites social media posts by former US. Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that demanded and took credit for the removal of those apps. The Apple Insider piece as the judge's opinion and order deems that the government agencies reached out to Apple and Facebook and demanded the takedowns rather than requesting an investigation. Furthermore, both the tech giants had to deal with the thinly veiled threat of prosecution for failing to comply. Because of this, the piece continues, the court believes that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in claiming the government violated their First Amendment rights by coercing the platforms they use. With that, NGadget says, the developers have been granted a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from coercing platforms to take these projects down. Of course, there is the issue of their already being taken down. Plus, the administration is still the administration. They've made the threat. Checking the App Store, Eyes Up is not in Apple's App Store currently. Of course, the case isn't over yet either. For its part, FHIR says, it's extremely encouraged by this ruling. Both pieces have the organization saying, even though it's not the end of the case, it bodes well for the future of our legal fight to ensure that the First Amendment protects the right to discuss, record and criticize what law enforcement does in public. And finally today, the Apple TV drama about infiltrating and unmasking violent extremist groups is apparently gonna be released. We still don't know when, but show star and executive producer Jessica Chastain tells Variety that The Savant will be streamed. Apple never said why the show was postponed, so they shelved the series almost immediately after the assassination last September of right wing speaker Charlie Kirk. After careful consideration said Apple then, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant, we appreciate your understanding, and look forward to releasing the series at a future date. A day later, Chastain wrote in part, The Savant is about the heroes who work every day to stop violence before it happens and honoring their courage feels more urgent than ever. While I respect Apple's decision to pause the release for now, I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon. Until then, I'm wishing safety and strength for everyone, and I'll let you know if and when The Savant is released. Over half a year later, it looks like that is happening. Speaking with Variety this past weekend, Chastain said, Before it was like, I don't know if we're going to see it, but now I can say, we're going to see it. Though she didn't say when, unnamed sources tell Variety that The Savant should stream around July. Mac OS Ken, brought to you by me and sponsored by OneSkin, a new standard for your skin. Try it now with 15% off using code MacOSKen at oneskin.co/macosken. This show is also supported by people like you, patrons through Patreon. Find out more and add your support at patreon.com/macosken. Advertising handle by Backbeat Media. Online at backbeatmedia.com. You can find me on Mastodon, MacOSKen at mastodon.social. You can also send me an email, info at macosken.com. Until next time, that is news from Mac OS Ken. I'm Ken Ray. Collect your tokens, and let's get on in the next round.