I apologize. I should have published this blog yesterday when I wrote it (and before Apple went through the roof today).
Yesterday, I watched Apple’s 105 minute Developers Keynote. I was engrossed. It was magnificent. I was turned on.
I haven’t bought anything from Apple in the last two years. Now I’m turned on. I bet everyone else is also. Here’s what I’m going to buy from Apple in the next few months:
+ Vision Pro — The light turned on in my tiny brain. I finally saw that Vision Pro is not only useful, but has a really serious future beyond movies and gaming. There’s a vision behind Vision Pro. (You like that?) I personally loved the gaming apps with incredible images of feudal Japan. Tourism at home without all the airport and jet lag hassles. I loved the idea of using Vision Pro to teach doctors how to do surgery. Maybe it can teach me to hit a forehand like Federer? No one else has.
+ New iPhone. My present iPhone 13 Pro Max is great for everything — except all the new AI stuff that Apple debuted yesterday. Apple’s AI stuff is ChatGPT on steroids. Apple must be pissing Microsoft off bigtime. Keep the competitive juices flowing. Apple Intelligence leaves Microsoft’s lame Copilot in the dust. Read about Apple Intelligence here.
+ Airpods Pros second generation (the ones with voice isolation and head nodding). I’ll wear them when I can’t wear my Vision Pro.
Read all about them here.
+ Apple TV. They have some remarkably good fare.
+ Maybe a new Mac laptop. If I were starting from scratch, I’d start with Apple and stay with all Apple. Their stuff — iPhone, Mac, and their apps — just merges seamlessly (I hate that word).
Apple has a lot of new features coming too — messages via satellite, when you’re out of cellphone range (or worse, still subscribing to Verizon). They have Tap To Cash. I put my iPhone next to yours and transfer money. They can sort my emails and photos every which way from Sunday. Siri is finally going to understand what I really want.
I’m not going to bore you with my enthusiasm for Apple’s new stuff. You can watch a replay of yesterday’s keynote here. Remember it’s 1 3/4 hours long. There’s a lot of new stuff.
Their Developers Conference is still going on this week. There are plenty of videos of each session, some even on YouTube.
My favorite restaurant is Fiesta in Chatham, NY
This week they held a birthday party for me — I turned 82 on Monday.
In celebration:
Here are 18 Things Harry has learned in 82 years
(with hefty edits from his brilliant son, Michael):
+ Saying NO is the most difficult word to say. But the most rewarding.
+ Nothing is difficult. If I keep thinking about it, it gets more difficult. So, stop thinking and just do it. There’s always a solution.
+ The second time is always 100x easier and faster than the first time.
+ Most pleasurable is reading. Constant lifelong learning is just wonderful. Second is writing (like this blog).
+ Losses are more painful than gains are happy making.
+ Daily exercise is the best. Eating less is even better. Eating no sugar and no deserts is nirvana.
+ A big percentage of professionals get it wrong. If they misdiagnose your ailment you can die. I nearly died in 2023 because a doctor got it wrong. Check. Check. Check.
+ Don’t worry about things you cannot control.
+ Keep it simple. Don’t overcomplicate your life / your investment portfolio / your relationships / etc.
+ Live within your means. Fancy things aren’t worth it. A Timex tells the time as well as a Rolex. But an Apple watch tells it even better.
+ Not everything is investible, e.g. China.
+ Owning your own business makes huge sense. You get two hits — a salary and when you sell/or go public.
+ Nobody listens. So, don’t bother with most of them. Live your life so you don’t get upset when they don’t listen. A few, however, do. Cherish them. Hopefully they’re your kids and your business partner.
+ Whom you marry is the most important decision of your life. Take your time to make the right decision. I did and I made the right decision.
+ Learn from others. Don’t make their mistakes. Help people when you can help them.
+ Don’t live in the past. The past is gone. Now is the time to make new accomplishments — and help make the world a better place.
Above all, Don’t do stupid.
When I left Australia in 1966 to come to school in the U.S, my Australian boss said I’d love the Americans. He said they were just like me. And just like me, the Americans substituted enthusiasm for intelligence. I only write about and invest in companies that excite me.
How can you not be enthusiastic for a country that has spawned Apple, Nvidia, Facebook, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and the pet rock?
They spied an owl outside my grandkid’s school in Boston. I asked everyone for a limerick about the owl. .. I gave ChatGPT the first line and asked it to complete my limerick:
I once saw an owl who cried fowl,
At a mouse who had stolen his trowel.
He hooted all night,
Till dawn’s early light,
Then flew off to prowl with a scowl.
It’s time for my afternoon nap. — Harry Newton
