Amid array of challenges, Apple unveils new products

Apple CEO Tim Cook strode through a slickly produced video Tuesday to launch a new iPhone, with few hints of the exceptional string of troubles facing his company including policy reversals, a spyware attack and legal fights.

Cook, from an empty, darkened auditorium, raved over upgraded cameras, brighter screens and new features for some of the Silicon Valley giant's other devices such as the iPad.

"These are the best iPhones we've ever created," Cook said, noting Apple's work to design the "very best products and services to enrich people's lives."

Yet a head-spinning series of problems have occupied the recent public discussion of one the world's most valuable companies. 

Due to a long and loud fight over its online app marketplace, a judge ordered Apple last week to allow developers to sidestep its hefty commission on purchases.

It delayed a plan to scan its customers' devices as part of a child abuse prevention move, after privacy advocates howled over the risk of opening a backdoor for government surveillance.

And then Monday it was forced to roll out an urgent fix after cybersecurity researchers found a weakness that allowed Pegasus spyware to infect Apple devices without users so much as clicking a malicious message.

That said, Apple still possesses massive reach in the digital world and beyond, and manages to be worth over $2 trillion.

Its fans cheered the release of the updated products Tuesday, including analyst Daniel Ives who noted "the supercycle for Cupertino," referring to the California city that is home to Apple's headquarters.

"Apple remains in the midst of its strongest overall product cycle in roughly a decade," he added.

- Array of challenges - 

It is true the company has racked up massive profits driven by the demand for its devices as much of the world hunkered down at home due to the pandemic. 

At the same time legal battles, new laws and the scrutiny of regulators around the world has added up to a series of challenges against the company. 

As Cook expounded on iPhone developments, a group fighting to loosen Apple's control over its App Store tweeted its verdict on the new handset.

"Today's rollout of the iPhone 13 only tells us one thing: new iPhone, same bad App Store," wrote Coalition for App Fairness. 

"It's time for @Apple to #OpenTheAppStore and level the playing field for app developers and innovators."

Apple has started to cede ground on its App Store dominance, including in an agreement with Japanese regulators.

It also faces the legislation adopted by South Korean lawmakers, which banned Apple and Google from forcing app developers to use the tech giants' payment systems. 

Yet when the verdict came in a California court Friday, Apple barely complained about the ruling ordering it to ease control over its App Store.

Instead it heaved a public sigh of relief the judge had not found it to be an illegal monopoly, which could have opened doors for regulators and prosecutors to go after the tech giant. 

"We consider this a huge win for Apple," it told reporters. 

Agence France-Presse

Apple says sold 3 million iPads since Friday

Apple Inc said it sold a total of three million iPads in the three days since Friday, when it launched the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad.

This was double the first weekend sales of 1.5 million for Wi-Fi only models for the third generation iPad sold in March, Apple said on Monday.

“Demand for iPad mini exceeded the initial supply and while many of the pre-orders have been shipped to customers, some are scheduled to be shipped later this month,” Apple said.

“We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand,” CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.

The 7.9-inch iPad mini marks Apple’s first foray into the smaller-tablet segment, and is the company’s first major new device since the death of co-founder Steve Jobs last year.

Apple shares were up nearly 1 percent at $582.27 in trading before the bell.

source: interaksyon.com

iPad mini won’t upset low-end market: analysts

Apple Inc’s latest product will attract new customers but the higher-than-expected price is unlikely to make it a threat to low-cost tablets such as Amazon.com Inc’s Kindle, analysts said, in a muted reaction to the new tablet.

Only a few analysts revise their price targets for Apple’s shares ahead of the company’s quarterly results announcement on Thursday. The shares were flat at $615 in morning trade on the Nasdaq.

Canaccord Genuity raised its target on the stock to $800 from $797, while Barclays Capital cut its to $800 from $810.

The 7.9-inch mini version of the iPad has most of the functions and features of the full-size $499 iPad but is cheaper by $170.

However, the $329 price for the Wi-Fi only model was higher than many analysts had expected and some said the gadget might struggle to compete with the cheaper Amazon Kindle Fire and Google Inc’s Nexus 7, which have prices starting in the $159-$199 range.

The device may also lure buyers away from Apple’s flagship 10-inch tablet, they said.

“We were hoping the price would be at least a little lower given its competition is situated as low as $99, with many starting in the $199-$249 range,” Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes said.

His new price target of $800 is more in line with those of other analysts, although most targets are still well above Apple’s current share price.

Demand for Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire is unlikely to be much affected by the launch of the mini given the significant price gap, Nomura Equity Research said.

On a positive note, the high price made it less likely that the device would eat into Apple’s margins, the brokerage said.

Barclays estimated iPad mini sales at more than 5 million units in the December quarter, while Canaccord Genuity forecast sales of 9.25 million units during the three months. Apple sold about 17 million iPads in the quarter ended June.

The iPad mini will help Apple reach a new customer base that may not have been able to afford the higher-end version, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley said.

“While we believe these strong sales will come largely at the expense of Apple’s competition, we concede iPad Mini will likely cannibalize iPad and iPod Touch sales,” Walkley wrote in a research note.

Despite the cannibalization, the mini should greatly expand the market for iPads, whose sales have exceeded 100 million units in just two-and-a-half years after the tablet was introduced, Needham & Co analyst Charlie Wolf said.

Apple will enjoy a very happy holiday season on its refreshed product line and because of the “hopelessly backlogged” iPhone 5 orderbook, he said.

source: interaksyon.com

iPad Mini production may hit 4M per month – DigiTimes

Apple Inc. may be manufacturing up to four million units of a seven-inch version of its iPad tablet starting September, a Taiwan-based tech site reported.

DigiTimes cited sources in the supply chain who said the supply volume for the 7.85-inch iPad is in preparation for the holiday buying season.

"The sources pointed out that the supply chain already started supplying a small volume of 7.85-inch iPad in June with a monthly volume at around several hundreds of thousand," it said.

Apple has been rumored to be making the smaller iPads to compete with smaller and cheaper tablets like the Kindle Fire.

DigiTimes noted rumors in the IT market showing Apple will launch its 7.85-inch iPad in October with a thinner screen frame.

This will allow the new iPad to have a bigger display area than other competing products.

Also, the mini iPad is expected to have a resolution similar to that of the iPad 2.

DigiTimes also said the device is being priced at $299, way above the $199 of Amazon and Google's 7-inch tablet PCs, but added its sources expect the smaller iPad to "create a strong impact on the two devices." — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com