Will Apple give in to Chinese superstition when naming the 2021 iPhone line?

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed some interesting tidbits about Apple with his weekly "Power On" email newsletter. Gurman, addressing the biggest unknown about the the 2021 iPhone series, made it known that he doesn't care for either possible name rumored to be under consideration for the upcoming handsets: iPhone 12s or iPhone 13. The former, he feels, diminishes the value of the line.

Gurman also says that the iPhone numbers are getting so large that using the "S" in the title is beginning to sound "awkward." He also notes that the number 13 is an unlucky number in many countries although in China the number 13 is believed to be lucky. And in the same country, 9 is considered to be an unlucky number. Gurman asks, "Notice how we never got an iPhone 9?" although that doesn't appear to be a real question being asked.

Actually, the reason for the jump from the iPhone 8 to iPhone X had to do with the re-designed tenth anniversary model of the device with the addition of an OLED display, the elimination of Touch ID, the launch of Face ID and the thinner bezel design. Dropping the iPhone 9 moniker was simply done to promote the tenth anniversary of the product while resetting the naming scheme at the same time that Apple reset the iPhone's design.

Will Apple go with the iPhone 12s or will it call the upcoming series the iPhone 13? Frankly, we might not be able to answer that with any sense of certainty for another two months from now.

Meanwhile, Gurman wrote that he has been told by some small accessory companies that Apple's proprietary charging pucks for the Apple Watch are in short supply. Third party companies purchase this part seeking to include them with their Apple Watch accessories. Thanks to the part shortage though, some of these Apple Watch accessories may be delayed most likely due to the pandemic's affect on the supply chain.

The Bloomberg writer said that Apple will report its fiscal third quarter earnings on July 27th. Previously Apple said that it could take a $3 billion-$4 billion hit during the three-month period due to component shortages. Perhaps the most interesting number Apple will release will be iPad revenue in the wake of the release of the M1 powered iPad Pro units and the overall resurgence of the tablet.

During the fiscal second quarter, Apple had an amazing earnings release with a 65.5% hike in iPhone revenue for the period, and a whopping 79% hike in iPad revenue during the same three month quarter. The pandemic helped the iPad as those stuck at home purchased tablets allowing them to do their jobs and school work remotely. And at the end of the day, the same device can be used for streaming music and video, playing games and more.

Besides using the new high-powered 5nm M1 chip equipped with 16 billion transistors, the 12.9-inch model features a mini LED display that delivers improved contrast, darker blacks, and more vivid colors.

Gurman also pointed out that Apple is making changes to its hiring policy, no longer counting on the allure of Silicon Valley to hire the best employees. Instead, of waiting for the best designers and engineers to find Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Apple will now go to where these people live. The goal, according to the Bloomberg analyst, is to decentralize the company.

Eddy Cue, Apple's head of online services, has been pushing for decentralization according to Gurman. He says that Cue has purchased in multiple L.A. offices for Apple, with one location in Nashville.