Dear Friends,

I got a panicky phone call from a dear friend about her computer but the stress was really about the 3 feet of snow that had fallen and all the shoveling that she had to do. But the skiers were happy and the big dump was one of the largest in Vermont history. Emily is visiting down here in Key West and we are in the midst of a cold wave with temps way down in the 50s. Some of the folks here are pulling out their down for this one.

Apple hit a milestone this week with the common stock closing at an all-time high and the world’s most valuable company hitting a market value of $736.93 billion! Bigger is not necessarily better and I have noticed the subtle and not-so-subtle changes in Apple over the years as they have grown. It is harder to get decisions and it seems like Apple is a giant steamship who can only turn slowly where in the past they were a bit lighter on their feet and turned like a Segway.

With the rumors running rampart on the iPhone 8 with OLED screen and new iPads on the horizon it seems that the market is bullish on Apple. I am, too, as Apple continues to innovate and lead. One often overlooked area is Apple services which is a huge growth are for the company. Whether it is the App store, iTunes music store, Apple Pay or any of the other things that fall into Apple services, this area of Apple is growing very rapidly and very profitably for Apple.

This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive is your Apple HomeKit starter kit. If you haven’t used HomeKit you are missing out on some seamless home automation. We are adding more and more Apple HomeKit compatible products but this starter kit includes an Apple TV which acts as the hub so you can remotely control your home, an August lock, a HoneyWell Lyric thermostat and a Philips Hue white and color starter kit. With this gear you can control some lights, lock and unlock your door and set the temperature when you are home or remotely when you are out and about. Need any help installing? We are there to help by phone or in person. This start-up Apple HomeKit bundle is $679.99!