Kibbles & Bytes Blog

  • WWDC is Next Week!

    I have been to a few of the Apple World Wide Developer conferences. I remember well, when Apple was small that I got an invite as part of the reseller advisory council. I still have my VIP badge on my wall here at the office. We haven’t been invited lately and the conference certainly has grown. But back in the days when Apple hadn’t yet introduced the iPhone, the conference was a spotlight for Apple software, hardware and the scene of some very significant announcements.

    A good indication of why WWDC has become so popular is that since 2008 when the App Store was introduced at WWDC, Apple has paid developers over $70 Billion in the 10 years. That means Apple has probably seen revenue of about $100 Billion since they take a 30% cut. This is great for developers and it has dramatically stimulated software development.

    The App Store was significant also because it marked a change in how software was distributed. It is hard to find any boxed software these days but before the App Store most software was sold in boxes with disks. Even Apple’s operating system software was distributed in that manner. We used to give away Ben & Jerry’s coupons with each upgrade. Now it is all electronic, faster and better for the environment, too.

    Even before that 2008 announcements big changes were announced at WWDC. Back in 2005 it was the very dramatic announcement that Apple would be moving to the Intel platform from Power PC. There were about 3800 attendees at that event. These days the event holds 5000 developers and is sold out instantly. There is even a lottery and scholarships to get tickets.

    The next year in 2006, the Mac Pro was announced and Mac OS X Leopard was shown with some of the amazing operating system features we take for granted now, like Time Machine, Boot Camp, Spaces and Spotlight.

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    While concentrating on software and MacOS and iOS there have been a long list of hardware announced at the conference including the Mac Pro (2 times), Apple Cinema Displays, upgrades to MacBook Pros and iPhones.

    Last year it was HomeKit, Swift and a slew of updates to MacOS, iOS, WatchOS and tvOS. What are we likely to see this year? Well, as usual I have to say I have absolutely no inside information but my crystal ball says we will again see some amazing enhancements to the operating systems for our devices. I think that Siri may take center stage with HomeKit enhancements and perhaps that Alexa competitor(killer?). I think we may see a significant enhancement or two to tvOS with hopefully more signs if healing between Apple and Amazon with the Amazon app coming to Apple TV.

    What hardware might we see? The past several years have all had rumors of significant hardware upgrades coming at WWDC only to see none actually happening. Those hardware upgrades occurred later in the year. This year might be different with new Macs and iPads being rumored as well as other peripherals. On the other hand, Apple has plenty to talk about just talking software so don’t be too disappointed if there are no hardware announcements.

    WWDC 2017 will be held on June 5 to June 9, 2017 at the San Jose Convention Center, in San Jose, California, which will be the first time since 2002 that the conference will be held in the city. You can watch the keynote Monday on your Apple TV.

  • _Dear Friends,_

    With all the rain and dreary weather you would think we were somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington but nope, here in the Green Mountains the forecast is rain and cloudy weather with cool temperatures. I don’t think the baby tomato plants want to go swimming. Nevertheless, I did get out on the motorcycle last weekend and quickly remembered why motorcycling in Vermont is the best with curvy roads, little traffic and lots and lots of eye candy in the mountains.

    Apple’s WWDC WorldWide Developers Conference is coming up next week and we will all get a peak at the latest from Apple. While this show is traditionally a showcase for software we could also see some hardware, too. I will review past WWDCs and give you a little wish list for this year’s event here in Kibbles.

    One of my dearest friends once handed me a book entitled ??Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless??. While I found the book to be poorly written, the concept is especially relevant in these days where it is a real battle to hang onto customers as everyone turns to buying online. We have always focused on making customers for life and I have been preaching to our employees that the small profit we make from a single sale pales in comparison to the life-cycle value of a loyal customer.

    You can be very satisfied with your purchase but unless we give you a lot of reasons to come back to Small Dog Electronics you will still, rightfully, search for the best deal for that new Mac or iPad. That is one reason I am so proud to have earned the Apple Premier Partner designation. We can offer you the entire Apple solution including all of the great products but also Apple Certified repairs, consultation and classes.

    We are also gadget freaks. We love the stuff we sell and we use it, too. Whenever a new vendor approaches us to handle their products, I talk about how valuable it is to get the products into the hands of my crew. Some vendors are great about that, Sonos is a great example where they give employees a good discount, others provide samples and some even come to Vermont to train us, too. We try to stay abreast of the latest trends in this fast-moving industry. Right now HomeKit and HealthKit are two areas where we are bringing in high quality products that integrate seamlessly with Apple products.

    I am surprised at how many customers tell me that they bought their first Mac from us 15 or 20 years ago, some even remembering driving up to Prickly Mountain when Small Dog’s offices were by my home. Thank you to all of our loyal customers, we truly appreciate not only your business but your friendship and loyalty.

    This week’s “**Kibbles & Bytes Special is a Chill Pill 3-pack!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002701/chill-pill-3-pack? I have done 6-packs before but maybe that is too many so this week you can get “3 Chill Pill Speakers”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002701/chill-pill-3-pack? one each of Black, Red and White for only “**$14.99!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002701/chill-pill-3-pack?

  • Some Philips Hue Lighting Tips

    I got back to Vermont and on my list was putting in some HomeKit gear for this house. I chose Philips Hue for…

  • It looks like rain is going to get in the way of our normal annual trek to Maine for lobsters but we will certainly get out on the bikes this holiday weekend. I’ll have to make a trek down to Worthy Burger for beer and burgers for sure. When it rains, it might be time for some David Lynch, checking out the new Twin Peaks episodes. None of my young staff seems to have watched Twin Peaks but then again it was 25 years ago. I know my kids remember it because we were regulars for that bizarre show.

    It sure is green here in the Green Mountains! Where the fall is so many shades of red, brown and orange, green is the color of spring and there are a million shades of green on the mountainsides now.

    Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend and don’t forget why this is a holiday.

    Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes team,

    _Don, Emily & Hadley_