Apple poised for strong earnings despite supply constraints, Omicron

Apple Inc navigated pandemic-related supply chain issues better than rivals at the end of 2021, likely helping the iPhone maker surpass Wall Street revenue growth targets of 6 percent, some analysts estimate.

Apple, which is set to post quarterly earnings on Thursday, was buoyed by strong iPhone 13 sales globally, sales in China and continued growth in Mac shipments, several analysts told Reuters.

The market is closely watching earnings at Apple, Tesla and other tech companies to see if they quell the sell-off that has wiped out nearly $3 trillion in value from the Nasdaq 100. Investors are dumping tech stocks on fears that the Fed will hike interest rates fairly aggressively and erode the value of their future earnings. Some are concerned that the surge of pandemic at-home tech buying will not last as conditions improve.

"We expect Apple to reach its highest market share in China since Apple entered the market in 2008," said analyst Nicole Peng of Canalys.

Investment firm Wedbush Securities forecasts record iPhone sales of more than 40 million units during the holiday period from Black Friday to Christmas. Morgan Stanley estimates total holiday quarter iPhone shipments at 83 million, representing a 4 percent increase from the previous year.

Wall Street analysts expect Apple to post about $118.7 billion in revenue, representing 6.48 percent year-over-year growth, and quarterly earnings per share of $1.89, according to Eikon data as of Tuesday.

Apple posted a rare revenue miss in the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 25, which Chief Executive Tim Cook attributed to pandemic-related supply constraints and manufacturing disruptions that together cost the company an estimated $6 billion in sales.

Cook at the time forecast an even bigger drag in the holiday quarter, but analysts expect strong growth compared to competitors in the just-ended quarter, which began days after Apple started shipping the iPhone 13.

"Since Apple has many customized components going into the iPhones, Macs, Apple Watch and others and the scale (volume and price) at which it procures, Apple has been able to lock-in suppliers’ capacities to timely produce those parts with lesser delays," said Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research.

Shah added that Apple is seeing the highest demand for iPhones since the 2015 "supercycle."

Smaller rivals are struggling to keep up with production, leading to Apple market share gains in regions such as China, said Angelo Zino of CFRA Research in a research note.

Apple has said it expects iPads to be its only product with lower sales compared with a year ago due to supply constraints. Analysts say Apple likely prioritized iPhone units for components.

Preliminary holiday quarter data from IDC indicates almost 9 percent growth in Mac shipments, compared with a 1 percent rise in the PC market as a whole. 

Analysts played down concerns about the impacts of the Omicron variant surge, saying closings of some retail stores did not likely have a big impact on Apple's online-heavy business. Analysts also are watching for signs that rising Omicron cases in China could impact Apple's production.

Apple, the first company worth $3 trillion, has been losing value along with the broader stock market. Apple stock has fallen 10 percent this month and the S&P 500 index has dropped 9 percent.

Analysts may also ask Apple management about App Store payment rules, after regulators in the Netherlands found that the US company had abused its market dominance by requiring dating app developers to exclusively use Apple's in-app payment system.

-reuters-

Why Apple’s iPad is the gadget of the pandemic

In a flatlining economy, the $399 iPhone that Apple introduced last week might sound attractive. But there’s a better gadget deal in the pandemic: the iPad.

Remember the iPad? You would be forgiven if you had forgotten.

Apple unveiled a new entry-level model of the tablet computer last year for $329. Yet it barely got a mention at the company’s glitzy product event in September, when Apple highlighted new iPhones that cost $699 to $1,099. The iPad, which always seemed like an optional accessory sitting between your computer and smartphone, has long been treated as that “other” device.

Now it’s time for us to reconsider the iPad. Last week, I wrote about how the coronavirus had revealed our most essential tech and weeded out the excess. The tech we have turned to over and over boils down to a computing device, communication tools, entertainment and an internet connection. The iPad delivers on all of those needs even better than a smartphone.

With a bigger screen than an iPhone, the iPad excels at videoconferencing with apps like FaceTime and Zoom, and it’s great for watching movies and programs on Netflix and YouTube. When you attach it to a good keyboard, it becomes an excellent budget computer with a zippy internet connection for browsing the web, writing emails and composing documents. All for half the price of a regular iPhone.

“It’s really in that sweet spot of being relatively affordable and having everything I think most people will need,” said Nick Guy, a writer for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication that tests products.


So even though Apple is releasing its new iPhone SE this week, with its sped-up internals and a better camera than its predecessor, now may not be the ideal time to buy one. After all, what good is an improved camera if you can’t leave the house?

It’s tough to recommend buying any tech in the coronavirus outbreak, actually. But if your gadgets are failing to fulfill your needs in any of the aforementioned areas and you have the money to spend, an iPad is one of the few products I can endorse for its practicality. (Apple declined to comment on this column.)

I picked up an iPad for a $100 discount last Black Friday. Over the past few weeks, it has been my go-to device. Here’s why I’m naming it the gadget of the pandemic.

STAYING IN TOUCH

I’ve never been much of a video chatterer, but the pandemic has forced just about all of us to use videoconferencing with the people we care about and work with.

Initially, I preferred doing video calls on my office-provided laptop because the screen angle could be adjusted. But after about a week, I realized that video calls on a laptop were a lousy experience. They are a power sucker; a half-hour call on Google Hangouts used 25 percent of my laptop battery.

What’s more, security researchers have found that Zoom, the most popular video chatting app, has major security vulnerabilities on computers but not on mobile devices like the iPad. That’s because mobile apps operate in a more restricted environment with limited access to your data.

This made me eventually shift all my video calls to the iPad, which was by far a better experience. The iPad has much longer battery life than a laptop. And compared with a smartphone, the tablet has a big screen for video calls and can easily be propped up with a protective cover.

My wife and I recently used an iPad for a two-hour FaceTime call with my brother-in-law while we played a video game together. At the end of the session, the iPad still had more than 70 percent of its battery remaining.

GETTING WORK DONE

After I started doing video calls on the iPad, many of my work tasks also began shifting over to the tablet, including composing email, taking notes and even doing expenses. I appreciated the device’s prolonged battery life and preferred the way apps took up the full screen, which helped me concentrate on tasks.

Not all credit goes to the iPad alone. The gadget has only a virtual keyboard, and using it to type on a slab of glass is no fun.

Fortunately, I had researched several iPad keyboards before the pandemic and settled on the $100 Logitech Slim Folio keyboard, which was simple to attach. Typing on it feels the same as using a normal keyboard, and its case protects the tablet while propping it up.

I still do most of my writing on the laptop because the software is more suitable for multitasking. But I can do a surprising amount of my job on the tablet thanks in large part to finding the right keyboard.

ENTERTAINING OURSELVES

I normally read lots of books, but lately I’ve been in the mood to shut off my brain by reading comics. The Comixology and Comic Zeal apps on the iPad make digital comics a better experience than reading in print: You can zoom in on individual panels, plus the screen is bright enough that you won’t need to turn on a reading lamp.

While I prefer watching video on a television screen, it has been nice to have an iPad to stream an HBO show while my wife is using the television to watch “Love Is Blind.”

I also now spend several hours a day watching YouTube videos about everything from baking to DIY home improvement. Thanks to this new obsession, I finally optimized homemade pizza dough, learned how to install a part in my motorcycle and even managed to install a bidet for my toilet. The iPad has been a great video-playing companion through this journey.

ABOVE THE REST

So why the iPad and not another tablet computer? After all, many of the same tasks can be done on cheaper tablets, like Amazon’s $50 Fire HD 8.

Yet those other devices are generally much slower and have inferior screens. The iPad is ultimately the best tablet on the market.

There are just two caveats, both of which add to the gadget’s price. The first is that a keyboard drives its cost up an extra $100. The second is that I recommend more storage (128 gigabytes instead of 32) to carry more apps and games, which adds another $100.

That brings the total to $529.

Don’t let that put you off. The iPad is still cheaper than most iPhone models and a better value than just so-so laptops from Lenovo, Dell and HP, which cost about $500.

Ryne Hager, an editor for the tech blog Android Police, said he bought an iPad for his girlfriend last Christmas and noticed that she was using it more frequently during the lockdown to video chat with her family. The device’s ease of use and value were so compelling that he broke the Android Police site’s tradition of writing exclusively about Android products and wrote an article about why people should buy an iPad for the pandemic.

“In a thousand little ways it offers a much better experience,” he said about the Apple tablet. “It’s kind of invaluable right now.”


2020 The New York Times Company

Apple unveils updated iPad with lowest-ever price

Apple Inc unveiled an updated version of its iPad tablet with a brighter screen on Tuesday, available to order from Friday and with a $329 starting price that is the lowest ever for a full-sized tablet from Apple.

Apple also said its smaller iPhone SE model will be available in 32 and 128 gigabyte (GB) versions, replacing the 16 GB and 64 GB models.

The hardware updates are incremental improvements that were announced without a major media event. Apple is widely expected to unveil an update to its flagship iPhone this fall that might have new features such as wireless charging, 3-D facial recognition and a curved display.

The new iPad model starts at 32 GB of storage and replaces the iPad Air 2. It will be slightly less expensive than the smaller iPad Mini 4, which starts at $399 for a 128 GB model.

Apple also announced a new app for creating videos and sharing them with friends on its iOS devices. The new feature, along with extra iMessage features released in recent years, pushes Apple closer to competing with the features in social networking apps like Snap Inc.

The new app, called Clips, lets users add captions and speech bubbles to videos and share them on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Apple's own messaging app, where videos can be sent to contacts with a single tap. But unlike Snap or other messaging apps, users can add captions to videos using their voice.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar and Frances Kerry)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tablet market shrinks as demand grows for hybrids

SAN FRANCISCO - The tablet market shrank in the recently-ended quarter, as shipments of bargain-priced computers with detachable screens hit a record high, according to market analysis firm International Data Corporation.

Tablet makers shipped 43 million units in the quarter, down 14.7 percent from the number shipped in the same period a year earlier, according to an IDC global quarterly report.

Meanwhile, shipments of "detachables," computers with screens that can dock into keyboards to be used laptop style or undocked and used tablet style, priced less than $200 surged, IDC analysts said.

Precise numbers for detachable computers were not provided in the IDC release.

"The race to the bottom is something we have already experienced with slates and it may prove detrimental to the market in the long run as detachables could easily be seen as disposable devices rather than potential PC replacements," said IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani.

Apple dominated the tablet market with a share of 21.5 percent, some 9.3 million iPads, strengthening its position despite shipping 6.2 percent fewer than in the same quarter last year, IDC reported.

Samsung held on to the number two position, prompting IDC to conclude that there appeared to be no "bleed over" from a massive Galaxy Note 7 recall that has tarnished the South Korean giant's image.

Samsung shipped 6.5 million tablets in a drop of 19.3 percent from the same quarter a year earlier, according to IDC.

Meanwhile, online retail titan Amazon shipped more than three times as many of its Fire tablets -- a total of 3.1 million in the quarter -- with credit given to low prices and deep discounts.

Lenovo tablet shipments were down 10.8 percent in the quarter to 2.7 million, while fifth-place Huawei shipped 2.4 million tablets in an increase of 28.4 percent from the third quarter of last year as the Chinese companies filled out the top five spots in the market, IDC reported.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How much was Pope Francis' iPad sold at auction?

MONTEVIDEO - An Apple iPad which belonged to Pope Francis fetched $30,500 at auction on Tuesday, with proceeds going to a school for the poor in Uruguay, the local auction house selling the item said.

The Castells auction house in Montevideo said the winning bid was placed by telephone, but declined to disclose the buyer's identity or nationality.

It is not the first time Pope Francis, who has often criticized orthodox market economics for fostering inequality, has donated a personal belonging. Last year, a Harley-Davidson motorbike he had received as a gift fetched 241,500 euros ($257,681).

"May you do something good with it," Uruguayan priest Gonzalo Aemilius recalled being told by the Argentina-born pope when he handed over the iPad.

Aemilius in turn donated the tablet to the Francisco de Paysandu high school, located about 370 kilometers (230 miles)north of the capital, Montevideo.

School officials said that after a string of failed attempts to sell the iPad through auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's they were offering the iPad through local auction house Castells.

The device carries the inscription "His Holiness Francisco. Servizio Internet Vatican, March 2013," and has a certificate signed by the Pope's personal secretary, Fabian Pedacchio Leaniz.

Pope Francis has called the Internet a "gift from God," but confesses to being a "disaster" with technology.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Apple adding USB ports to iPads?

Apple Inc will delay the start of production on a larger, 12.9-inch iPad until around September because of delays involving the supply of display panels, according to two media reports.

Production on the bigger tablet had been scheduled to begin this quarter, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the company's plans.

Apple suppliers have been told to start production of the larger-screen iPad in the second half of this year as the company explores new designs and features for the enterprise market, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Apple is now considering adding USB ports and adopting a faster technology that promises to transfer data up to 10 times faster than current USB ports, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company has also been considering adding ports to connect to a keyboard and mouse, the Journal report said.

While suppliers are gearing up to ship the new 12-inch MacBook Air in large quantities in the second quarter, Apple's launch schedule remains unclear, the newspaper said.

Reuters could not immediately reach Apple for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Apple plans iPad event on Oct. 16: report

SAN FRANCISCO - On the heels of a major launch of large-screen iPhones, Apple has scheduled an October 16 event to update its iPad line, technology news website Re/code reported Friday.

The event also will include a look at next-generation software for powering Macintosh computers, Re/code said, citing unnamed sources.

The gathering is to take place in an auditorium at Apple's headquarters in the California city of Cupertino, according to the report.

Apple did not reply to an AFP request for comment.

If the report is on target, the iPad event will take place a day before Apple begins selling its latest iPhones in China.

Apple launched the large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 19 and has rolled the smartphones out to an array of countries, but not China where it took some time to clear licensing hurdles.

Apple's revenue in Greater China -- which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- is second only to the United States, and chief executive Tim Cook has said he expects it to become the company's biggest market in time.

Apple, which popularized tablets with its iPad, remained the largest single global vendor in the second quarter but its market share fell to 26.9 percent from 33 percent last year, as Android makers boosted their share, according to the research firm IDC.

- iPhone 6 sales soar -

The first day of global sales for the phones was a huge success, with Apple breaking its sales record for an opening weekend of a new iPhone model, delivering 10 million in three days and boasting it could have sold more if it had them.

Both new iPhones have larger screens as Apple catches up with the "phablet" trend pioneered by competitors such as Samsung, which has had success with its Galaxy Note series.

The iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6 Plus is 5.5 inches, reflecting a growing preference for big screens on smartphones.

Main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets, which are popular in Asia.

Apple made a rare apology last week for a software bug in a freshly released version of iOS mobile operating system that saw iPhone users lose service, and sought to quell a storm over reports that its new handsets are susceptible to bending.

Apple downplayed reports on bending of its newly released oversize iPhone -- one analyst described the damaging claims as "a black eye" for Apple --- saying it had only received nine complaints about the matter.

The statement said that "with normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus."

Apple released fully updated iOS 8.0.2 software to fix trouble with the original version of the mobile operating system for its gadgets.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Microsoft makes big bet on Apple's iPad

Microsoft is placing its bets on the iPad.

In his first press appearance, Microsoft's newly-minted CEO Satya Nadella shared the news that the company was bringing its popular "Office" suite to Apple's tablet.

"Our commitment going forward is to drive Office 365 everywhere -- that means across the web. Across all phones, across all tablets, across PCs," Nadella said.

A Microsoft employee demo-ed how Office for iPad works. Users can download it as a free app.

But to create or edit in applications like Word, Excel and Powerpoint, users will need to purchase a subscription from Microsoft.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead says the company's strategy is spot on.

"The interesting thing here is that you can't actually buy Office 365 off of the iPad. What you can do is you can engage and sign up if you have an Office 365 application. So it's not actually transacting business inside of the iTunes store which is a pretty smart move for Microsoft," Moorhead, the president of Moor Insights & Strategy, said.

Among analysts, expected revenues range from between just less than a billion dollars a year to as much as nearly seven billion dollas.

Sources tell Reuters this "touch-first" version had been ready for years -- but that Microsoft didn't want to hurt its legacy Windows operating system.

Professor J.P. Eggers of New York University's Stern School of Business said Thursday's announcement could be its death knell:

"In some ways it's actually getting rid of the old. The piece that was the legacy business - the biggest legacy for the company - and going and saying look, it's back to what the firm has done well for a long time, which is the Office suite. But it's kind of saying we're going to favor one of the children of the company as opposed to the other, as opposed to trying to keep them together as they've been doing for the last 20-something years," Eggers said.

He also expects the deal will deal a big blow to Microsoft's tablet: the Surface, which has suffered poor sales.

This, even as Microsoft's purchase of Nokia's devices and services business has yet to close.

"Based on what we saw today and what we've been seeing, you have to think that Nadella would want to undo the deal with Nokia if they could - that there's just no good reason to go down that path - because that really was a strong push to try and have a real space in the actual physical operating system for the mobile platform," Eggers said.

Eggers said he'll likely have to accept that transaction -- headed up by Nadella's predecessor Steve Ballmer -- as a sunk cost.

But his willingness to refine the company's strategy could mean large dividends ahead.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Globe to offer iPad Air, iPad Mini

MANILA - Globe Telecom Inc. announced on Monday that it will start selling two of Apple's newest iPad tablet computers this Christmas season.

In a statement, Globe said it will offer the iPad Air and the iPad Mini will retina display starting December 19.

The devices will come with data plans that will let customers connect to Globe's Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, it added.

The iPad Air and the iPad Mini with retina display were launched in the United States last October 23 and November 12, respectively.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Apple's iPad Air takes off

TOKYO - For one Japanese man, being at the front of a Tokyo queue as the new iPad debuted around the world Friday was his way of saying "thank you" to Apple after a year that turned his life around.

Takaaki Sasaki was one of hundreds who poured into Apple's flagship store in the glitzy Ginza district as the doors opened on the latest tablet offering from the sector's agenda-setter.

The launch had little of the razzmatazz of previous iPads or iPhones, with potential customers perhaps swayed by a critical reception that was largely positive but dominated by the theme that the iPad Air was no game-changer.

The worldwide rollout kicked off Down Under, with Apple in Australia saying there were queues outside its stores when the doors opened, with several hundred people reportedly lining up outside its flagship Sydney outlet.

At the sprawling, three-storey Apple shop in downtown Beijing -- the largest Apple store in Asia -- each customer was greeted with cheers and applause from around 25 employees in bright blue shirts, with another dozen workers standing ready to give a second round of applause at the cash registers downstairs.

In Singapore, Edmond Ong, a spokesman for retailer Epicentre, said sales were muted compared with last year's iPad launch.

"We are not too worried as we still see a steady stream of customers coming in to get the iPad this morning," he said.

The new iPad Air is thinner than the version it replaces, weighs around 450 grammes (one pound), and is "screaming fast," Apple vice president Phil Schiller said at the unveiling in San Francisco on October 23.

Apple also unveiled an upgraded iPad Mini, which has a vividly rich retina display along with faster computing power and graphics.

Both new iPads feature the Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit "desktop-class architecture", the company said. The Mini will go on sale later in the month.

Reviewers have generally been positive about the upgrades, with website TechCrunch labelling them "a huge improvement", while Time said the Air was "so much svelter".

Damon Darlin in the New York Times summed up the feelings of many with a review that lauded the Air's lower weight, thinner profile and souped up operating system.

But, he said: "I can't really tell you to replace your old iPad; the improvements on the new one are incremental, not revolutionary."

However, in Japan, home to perhaps some of Apple's most enthusiastic fans, the launch had its usual fanfare and tales of people queueing for days.

Kodai Taguchi, a 20-year-old university student, said he has more than a dozen Apple products after "queuing every time a new version is released".

"As soon as I held the box, I could already tell how light it is," he said. "I think I like this the most among all my Apples."

For queue leader Sasaki, the open-air vigil had all been worth it.

"So many miracles have happened to me this year thanks to my Apple products," he said.

Tears filled his eyes as he held his iPad Air, surrounded by a clutch of Japanese journalists.

Unemployed Sasaki, who travelled from northern Iwate, said after years of drifting Apple had brought him a run of luck, when he wrote a hit app.

The app -- a searchable version of Japan's constitution -- was voted as the best in App Store's business category and its sudden rise to prominence became fodder for a book he authored in August.

"I wanted to show my gratitude to Apple by being first in line," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Soon you can use iPad during takeoff, landing

US FAA to allow expanded electronic device use on flights

WASHINGTON - Airline passengers will soon be able to use certain electronic devices throughout their entire flight after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ended a long-standing ban on Thursday.

Mobile phone calls remain barred under Federal Communications Commission rules. But fliers will be free to keep smartphones, tablets and e-readers running in "airplane" mode.

Delta Air Lines Inc and JetBlue Corp quickly filed plans with the FAA to show that their aircraft can tolerate radio signals from electronic devices, a condition required by the regulator.

The change is likely to boost the use of gadgets such as Amazon Inc's Kindle readers or Apple Inc's iPad.

"Most commercial airlines can tolerate radio interference from portable electronic devices," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said at a news conference at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. "It's safe to read downloaded materials, like e-books, calendars and to play games."

Passengers will be able to connect with an airline's WiFi network and can use Bluetooth accessories, such as wireless mouse and headphones.

"ALWAYS-ON" CONNECTIVITY ON THE HORIZON

A big winner from the change could be Gogo Inc, whose shares closed 4.5 percent higher. The company supplies Internet service to about 80 percent of U.S. aircraft.

The FAA's move is "another favorable tailwind," Gogo Chief Executive Michael Small told Reuters.

The FAA's decision is likely to move more passengers toward "always-on" connectivity, said Jonathan Schildkraut, an analyst at Evercore Partners in New York.

"Any increase in time spent connected is viewed as a positive," he said.

Technology fans have recently decried the "high cost to the traveling public" of passengers not having unfettered access to their mobile devices.

"More than 105 million hours of disrupted technological activity on domestic flights is projected in 2013 - an estimated 104 percent increase since 2010 - due to the FAA ban on the use of devices during takeoffs and landings," according to a May 2013 study by the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitcan Development at Chicago's DePaul University.

The FCC in May started deliberations on a proposal that would offer a new type of in-flight broadband service promising U.S. fliers higher Wi-Fi speeds and better connections. The proposal, which has been pushed for years by wireless equipment maker Qualcomm Inc, seeks to open up more radio airwaves for airborne Internet access.

In a statement, acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clybourn said the agency continues to study how best to promote consumers' and businesses' ability to use wireless devices on aircraft and elsewhere.

As a practical matter, cellphones should be kept in airplane mode during flight, the FAA's Huerta said. Without this setting, cellphones would continue to search vainly for a signal while aloft, draining batteries.

Huerta said the guidance applies to U.S. airlines throughout their domestic and international routes.

POLICY WAS 50 YEARS OLD

Huerta said he sought updated guidance on the matter, since the current policy was put in place about 50 years ago.

Among those giving input to the FAA for the long-awaited decision were representatives of airlines, plane manufacturers, passengers, flight attendants and the mobile technology industry.

A committee set up to recommend how the rules should change started work in January on what was to be a 6-month project. It later got a 2-month extension to work on guidance on how airlines could assess the safety risk posted to critical flight systems.

A backer of the change, the Consumer Electronics Association on Wednesday urged the agency to ease restrictions before the busy holiday travel season. It said the FAA's move "will bring policy on in-flight use of devices up to speed with the 21st century."

Huerta said that in some cases of extremely low visibility, for perhaps 1 percent of all U.S. flights, some landing systems may not be able to tolerate radio interference, and in those cases passengers should follow the advice of flight crews.

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA applauded the decision as it pushed for "uniform technical, operational, and training standards that will allow for the safe, managed expansion of PED usage by passengers."

The U.S. Travel Association, an industry group, praised the move as a "common-sense, win-win" policy.

But one lawmaker warned airlines and fliers to curb their enthusiasm and focus on safety first.

"Having access to e-mail or a movie is not worth compromising the safety of any flight," said Senator Jay Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Apple unveils iPad Air

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc on Tuesday offered free upgrades for life on its operating system and business software, and unveiled thinner iPads and faster Mac computers ahead of a competitive holiday shopping season.

The debut of the one-pound iPad Air and MacBook Pro with sharper 'retina' display repeats a pattern of recent launches with improvements in existing lines rather than totally new products, and Apple shares fell 0.3 percent for the day.

Apple said upgrades to its Mac operating system and iWork software suite, which compete with Microsoft Corp's Excel, Word and other applications, will now be offered for all MacBooks and Mac computers.

That brings Apple's model of free system software upgrades on phones and tablets to the computer market, where Apple is still the underdog to Microsoft's Windows.

Apple may be trying to safeguard its grip on mobile software as Microsoft revs up its Windows-powered Surface Pro, which runs applications, such as Word or Excel, that are the standard for business customers, analysts said.

"We are turning the industry on its ear, but this is not why we're doing it," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told media and technology executives at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center.

"We want our customers to have our latest software."

The market is awash in inexpensive tablets running Google Inc's Android software, but the company may be focused on fending off a threat from the high end.

"In the tablet PC market, they do think Microsoft is a bigger threat than Android," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. "The iPad Air will compete with Surface Pro, not some rinky-dink Android tablet."

Gartner estimates that Apple's share of the global tablet market will slip to 47.2 percent in 2014, with Android-based tablets just overtaking Apple's this year. The IT research outfit expects Microsoft tablets to grab 3.4 percent of the market this year, double the 1.7 percent forecast for 2013.

PRESSURE

Microsoft gets 65 percent of its Windows revenue, which totaled $19.2 billion last fiscal year, from PC manufacturers which put the system on its machines, and 35 percent from other sources, chiefly people and businesses buying its software separately to install themselves.

The latest version of Windows, when bought separately to install on an old computer, starts at $120 for a home version and goes up to $200 for the full 'Pro' version. The latest Windows 8.1 upgrade was free for customers running Windows 8.

Apple's product launches on Tuesday were evolutionary, with the new iPads equipped with faster processors and better screens. Cook, at an industry conference in May, had hinted at "several more game changers" from Apple which could include wearable computers, but had not given a time frame.

"As always with Apple, expectations on systematic breakthrough hardware innovations are irrational," said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said. "Apple is good at inventing new products and at maximizing profitability of its product range over time through software innovations and clever marketing."

Apple's new iPad Air - its full-size tablet - is about 20 percent thinner than the previous generation of tablets, weighs one pound and starts at $499. It will go on sale on Nov. 1.

The iPad mini now has a "retina" high-resolution screen and starts at $399, compared with $329 for the previous mini model. The two new tablets would face stiff competition, with Microsoft, Nokia and Amazon.com Inc all plugging rival devices in coming months.

Apple also showed off a new Mac Pro, a premium and high-powered cylindrical desktop computer that will be assembled in United States. It had shown the computer at a previously event.

For the first, Apple will launch the new iPads simultaneously in the United States and China, its biggest market, which is also a key growth region.

Apple, which jumpstarted the tablet computing market in 2010 with the first iPad, has already come under increasing pressure from cheaper devices ranging from Amazon's Kindle Fire to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's Note.

But while Apple is ceding market share to rivals, its superior library of apps and content should safeguard its lead for years to come, analysts say.

Longer term however, investors hope to see real device innovation from a company that has not unveiled a new breakthrough product in years.

Cook on Tuesday dismissed the competition as directionless.

"Our competition is different: they're confused," he said. "Now they're trying to make PCs into tablets and tablets into PCs. Who knows what they'll do next?"

"We have a very clear direction and a very ambitious goal. We still believe deeply in this category and we're not slowing down on our innovation."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Atlanta woman says she is the voice of Apple's Siri

ATLANTA - Siri, whose voice do you have?

The question has intrigued millions of Apple iPhone and iPad fans, who use the devices' voice-activated personal assistant for help with everything from finding restaurants and directions to organizing their day.

On Friday, CNN reported it has discovered the original voice. The person had never before been identified publicly.

The network named Susan Bennett, a voice-over actress from Atlanta, as the voice behind Siri, which was first introduced on Apple's iPhone 4S in 2011.

"I'm the voice actor who provided the voice of Siri," Bennett told CNN in an interview.

Trudi Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment on the CNN report. Bennett could not be immediately reached for comment.

CNN said an audio-forensics expert "has studied both voices and says he is '100 percent' certain the two are the same."

Bennett told the network she worked four hours a day for the entire month of July 2005 recording segments in her home recording booth. She said she was paid by the hour but would not reveal the amount.

"A colleague e-mailed me [about Siri] and said, 'Hey, we've been playing around with this new Apple phone. Isn't this you?'" Bennett told CNN.

Her voice may also be familiar to airline passengers who have passed through a Delta Airlines terminal.

The CNN reporter who helped identify Bennett as the voice of Siri met her while researching a story about voices at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's busiest.

Bennett also provided the radio and TV voice of First National Bank's "Tillie the All-Time Teller," the first ATM machine, she told CNN.

"I began my career as a machine many years ago," Bennett told the network. "I'm sure that you hear my voice at some point every day."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New iPad Mini faces delays

TAIPEI/TOKYO - Apple Inc will be unable to widely roll out a new version of the iPad Mini with a high-resolution "retina" display this month, people who work in the company's supply chain said, leaving the gadget without the sharper screen found on rival tablets from Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

Apple's supply chain is only now gearing up to make retina displays for the iPad Mini, which means the gadgets could be available in only limited quantities this year, if at all, and the company may miss the chance to cash in on the year-end holiday shopping season, the sources said.

Cupertino, California-based Apple has come under pressure to preserve market share and bolster sales against rivals that are rapidly raising specifications and lowering prices.

It remains unclear exactly what new features and modifications could find their way into the next iPad Mini, which the sources said was due to be unveiled this month.

But higher-resolution screens and cameras, as well as thinner and lighter dimensions, are among the improvements users have come to expect with updated smartphones and tablets.

"If they don't put in retina ... there will be howls," said Frank Gillett, an analyst with Forrester.

Apple declined to comment about any product launches and the sources at companies in Apple's supply chain declined to be identified due to the confidentiality of the matter.

DISPLAY DISAPPOINTMENT

Apple defines retina display as resolution that is detailed enough that the human eye can't detect pixelation.

The feature is available on some full-sized iPads, and similar resolutions are available on iPad Mini competitors such as Google's Nexus 7, as well as Amazon's seven-inch Kindle Fire HDX due to go on sale this month.

The reason behind the delays in manufacturing the retina display screens for the iPad Mini were unclear. One source at a supplier said there were delays in Apple's certification of panel producers, which were given strict power-saving requirements.

LG Display Co Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's display unit and Sharp Corp all vied to manufacture the panels, supply chain sources said.

The three display makers declined to comment.

Given the time required to ramp up screen production, a retina display-equipped iPad Mini would not be available in large volumes until early next year, the sources said.

The sources expected Apple to either wait until early next year for a full-fledged launch of a retina display iPad Mini, or to make a retina version only available in limited quantities before the end of the year.

Apple has also told suppliers to reduce costs, two of the sources said, with one person saying the U.S. firm is looking at rolling out an iPad Mini with a smaller 8 gigabytes of memory.

Less memory may allow Apple to lower the price of the Mini to boost sales in emerging markets like China where cheaper tablets, many of them running Google's Android operating system, are gaining market share.

"Right now the iPad Mini is more expensive than everyone else in the 7- to 8-inch tablet segment," said Arthur Liao, an analyst for Fubon Securities in Taipei. "If it could reduce its price by even just $50, it would appeal to more consumers."

The iPad's total market share almost halved to 32.5 percent in the second quarter from a year ago, while Android devices, including Samsung's Galaxy series, gained nearly a quarter to 62.6 percent, a survey by tech research company IDC showed.

Amazon's new 7-inch Kindle Fire is priced from $229 for 16GB wifi-only models, while Google's second-generation Nexus 7 offers a similar screen size and storage capacity at the same price. By comparison, the cheapest model in Apple's current 7.9-inch iPad Mini lineup with 16GB storage size starts at $329.

Anyone expecting Apple to dramatically cut prices is likely to be disappointed, analysts said, pointing to the higher-than-expected price tag for the iPhone 5C unveiled this month.

"Don't expect the prices to be significantly lower," said one of the sources. "Even though Apple aims to cut down on component costs, it still ends up around the same as the current Mini because the new Mini will have upgraded specifications."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Grand Theft' game comes to Apple screens

SAN FRANCISCO, California - The maker of the popular "Grand Theft Auto" videogames said Thursday that a version of the game was being offered for users of Apple's iPhone and iPad devices.

Rockstar Games said "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition" was available for download.

It is the successor to Grand Theft Auto III and "is everything we loved about the 80s packed into a sprawling open world action game," said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games.

"We're thrilled to let mobile and tablet players experience everything Vice City has to offer."

The franchise has sold more than 114 million copies since its debut in 1997.

Rockstar is coming out with "GTA V" for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 videogame consoles or personal computers sometime between March and July.

The videogame franchise has won legions of fans and cadres of critics with game play in which triumph depends on acts such as carjacking, gambling and killing.

Play in Grand Theft Auto games has included simulated sex with prostitutes and drunken driving.

The franchise's appeal is fueled by captivating story lines and an open-world format that lets players go wherever they wish in game worlds.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Apple expected to debut 'mini' iPad

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple on Tuesday is expected to pull back the curtain on a "mini" version of its iPad to battle Amazon and Google in the hot, crowded arena of tablet computers with smaller screens.

As is its style, Apple has remained mute regarding what it plans to unveil at the media event, which will be held in the California city of San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Invitations bore only time and location details along with the message "We've got a little more to show you."

However, rampant rumor fueled by industry insiders foretells the arrival of an "iPad Mini" priced from $249 to $399.

"I don't think they have any choice," said independent analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.

"The reality is that the smaller tablets seem to be much more popular because they are lower priced and easy to hold."

Apple set the tablet computer market ablaze with the first iPad in early 2010 and stuck with its 9.7-inch (24.6-centimeter) screen while rivals introduced lower-price tablets with screens closer to seven-inches (18 centimeters).

Amazon's seven-inch Kindle Fire proved popular last year, and a new version was launched last month.

Meanwhile, a Google Nexus 7 powered by Android software joined the Samsung Galaxy in the seven-inch tablet market.

With Kindle and Nexus tablets starting at $199, Apple will be forced to keep its price low for its new model and "will not have its normal profit margin," said Roger Kay, a consultant and analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates.

Some blogs say Google may come out with a tablet as low as $99.

"Apple is kind of late to the market with a small tablet," Enderle said.

"This is the first launch of a product that is all Tim Cooks' but it is a very crowded arena with prices hard for Apple to meet."

Cook took over as Apple chief last year in the months before a battle with cancer claimed the life of Steve Jobs, the Cupertino, California-based company's legendary co-founder and leader.

An iPad Mini could wind up cannibalizing sales of larger models while budget-sensitive shoppers opt for competing devices at prices too low for Apple to meet or beat, according to analysts.

Kay said that Apple would be making a "defensive" move with the new device, but that it is unclear whether it will trounce established products from Amazon, Samsung and others.

"Apple wouldn't have gone into this if others hadn't," he said.

"The bar has been set by Amazon. Even though the Kindle is not the same kind of device, it does what it does very well."

Analyst Shaw Wu at Sterne Agee said the iPad Mini "is the competition's worse nightmare" but that sales will depend on how Apple prices the device.

"We do not believe Apple needs to price as low as $199 to match Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD but believe a price point of $299 or $349 makes sense," he said.

Ben Reitzes at Barclays said the Mini may erode some sales of the larger iPad but will grow the market.

An unconfirmed report out on Monday indicated Apple planned to woo teachers, students and schools with the iPad Mini, fitting it better to tight budgets and winning young devotees to its company's products.

"We believe a smaller iPad could be useful in promoting Apple's agenda in education with e-textbooks," he said.

"Also, the form factor could make more sense for gaming."

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Consumer watchdog warns iPads hot to handle

SAN FRANCISCO — A vaunted consumer watchdog organization on Tuesday warned that Apple’s new iPad is a bit hot to handle.

US nonprofit product testing group Consumer Reports reported that the new-generation iPad with its more powerful processor hit temperatures as high as 116 degrees Fahrenheit, particularly when running videogames.

“It does run warmer than its predecessor,” Consumer Reports spokesman James McQueen said of the third-generation iPad.

“People need to exercise caution,” he continued. “We are not saying it is a dangerous product, but 116 degrees can be a little uncomfortable.”

Consumer reports said the new iPad got about 12 degrees warmer than the iPad 2 tablet while performing the same intensive tasks, such as videogames or downloading large files.

One rear corner of the new iPad appeared to be a hot spot.

Apple did not respond to AFP requests for comment, but prior to the release of the Consumer Reports thermal analysis issued a public statement saying that the new iPad operates “well within our thermal specifications.”

Operating temperatures of the latest iPads were hot topics among Apple gadget owners at online forums.

“It does get pretty warm,” a person using the screen name ShadowJeff wrote in a public chat at website MacRumors.com. “Hope Apple fixes it or something.”

California-based Apple announced on Monday that it sold three million of its new iPad tablet computers over the course of its first weekend on the market.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold — the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Philip Schiller.

The new iPad went on sale on Friday with Apple fans lining up from Sydney to San Francisco to snap up the latest model of the hot-selling tablet computer.

The new iPad is available in Australia, the United States, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Britain and Hong Kong. It will go on sale in another two dozen countries on March 23.

source: interaksyon.com

New iPad to go on sale Friday — Apple

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple on Wednesday made an official announcement that the third-generation iPad will arrive at Apple’s retail stores and its online store on Friday in the United States and nine additional countries and regions.

According to the company, the new iPad will hit the store on Friday at 8:00 a.m. local time in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, China’s Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Britain, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Customers who buy a new iPad at an Apple retail store will be offered free personal setup service, said Apple. Customers in the U.S. could shop and buy the device anywhere they are and pick up their purchase at any Apple retail store.

In the U.S., the new iPad will also be available at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart, Apple said.

Starting March 23, the new device will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, China ‘s Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Last Wednesday, Apple introduced the new iPad featuring Retina display, A5X chip and improved camera which can shoot high- definition videos. The 4G model will support 4G LTE networks in the U.S. and Canada, making it Apple’s first 4G device. Meanwhile, iPad 2 is still available at a reduced price.

Market research firm Gartner estimated that 103.5 million tablet devices will be sold in 2012 with Apple accounting for two- thirds.

source: interaksyon.com

New, faster Apple iPad expected next week

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc is hosting a media event next Wednesday, where it is expected to unveil a faster, better-equipped version of its popular iPad tablet to thwart increasing competition from deep-pocketed rivals such as Amazon.com Inc.

The invitation-only event will be held at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on March 7 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where the company also introduced the last two generations of iPads.

Apple, which sent the invitation to reporters by email on Tuesday, did not divulge details of the event beyond saying: “We have something you really have to see. And touch.”

The invitation featured a partial picture of the touchscreen of a device resembling an iPad.

Apple launches are some of the hottest events on the tech calendar, scrutinized by fans, investors, the media and industry insiders alike.

The iPad has dominated the nascent tablet computer market, but Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which sells at half the cost, has chipped away at the lower end of the market.

The third iteration of a device that has helped put pressure on demand for traditional laptops and computers is expected to boast a faster, quad-core processor and a higher-definition screen.

Some analysts and industry experts expect 4G wireless capability, ensuring that the iPad remains current as cutting-edge broadband technology from Verizon Wireless and other carriers gains momentum. Verizon Wireless is a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc.

“The picture is zoomed in on an icon and I don’t see any pixels in that icon,” Avi Greengart, analyst at Current Analysis, said, underscoring how industry experts pick apart even Apple’s communiques for hints of what to expect.

“You don’t need exceptional foresight to guess that Apple is likely looking at a higher resolution display.”

TAKING ON PCS

The company’s market value has climbed steadily in past weeks, buoyed by anticipation over its latest gadget as well as by hopes that Apple will finally accede to shareholders’ demands it return some of its $98 billion war chest of cash and securities.

On Tuesday, Apple shares closed at a record high of $535.41 in heavy trading on the Nasdaq, up 1.8 percent on the day.

Apple iPad tablet sales doubled in the December quarter to 15.43 million units. The company has sold about 55 million iPads since it introduced the device in 2010.

It may be looking to “make further inroads into the general computing market” with the newest iPad, Greengart said.

Chief Executive Tim Cook has often said that he expects tablets to outsell personal computers eventually. Cook, who took the company’s helm after visionary Steve Jobs died in October, will likely lead the event, with ample help from marketing chief Phil Schiller and other executives.

With the iPad 2 starting at $499, investors will also be watching to see if Apple plans to discount it, creeping farther down the price chain and closer to the Fire, to broaden the iPad’s appeal.

source: interaksyon.com

Court says Apple can still sell iPads in Shanghai

SHANGHAI — A Shanghai court has rejected a request in a trademark case to stop Apple selling its iPad tablet computers in the city, averting an embarrassing suspension of iPad sales in its own flagship stores.

The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court denied a request by Proview Technology (Shenzhen) for the injunction and agreed to Apple’s request that the trademark infringement case be suspended pending a ruling in a separate case in a higher court.

The decision, announced on Thursday on the court’s website, gives Apple some leeway in a larger battle over the iPad trademark in China, which is important to Apple not only as a consumer market, but also because the country is a major production base for the iPad and other of its products.

Its attention will now shift to the appeal it has filed against an earlier decision in Proview’s favor by a court in Shenzhen, in the southern province of Guangdong.

“It’s a great help to Apple by giving it some breathing space,” said Ren Wenfeng, a lawyer at Guo Ce Law Office, which is not involved in the Proview-Apple dispute.

“But it’s not clear whether Apple will eventually win the trademark infringement case in China, as the crucial thing will be the ruling by the Guangdong higher court.”

The dispute, which dates back to a disagreement over what was covered in a deal for the transfer of the iPad trademark to Apple in 2009, has seen iPads seized by authorities in some Chinese cities.

Proview, which maintains that it holds the iPad trademark in China, has been suing Apple in various jurisdictions in the country for trademark infringement, while also using the courts to get retailers in some smaller cities to stop selling the tablet PCs.

IMPORTANT PRECEDENT

An injunction on iPad sales in cosmopolitan Shanghai would have dealt a bigger blow than the earlier cases, as it would have forced the U.S. tech giant to remove the tablet PCs from the shelves of its three own stores in Shanghai, one of its biggest markets.

“This is a wrong decision,” Roger Xie, Proview’s lawyer, said by telephone. “We will submit an application for the court to reconsider its decision.”

The outcome of the broader dispute, which Proview has said it is willing to settle out of court, will now hinge largely on the decision of the higher court in Guangdong, with a hearing in that case scheduled for February 29.

A decision against Apple in that case would set a precedent that would create an uphill battle in other cases in lower courts around the country.

Proview and its eight main creditors, which include lenders such as Bank of China, China Minsheng Banking Corp and China Merchants Bank Co Ltd, would prefer an out-of-court settlement with a sum of compensation, executives close to the situation said.

Proview’s parent, Hong Kong-listed Proview International Holdings Ltd, was the first Taiwanese technology company to list in Hong Kong, and by the end of the 1990s numbered itself among the top five computer monitor makers.

In 1999 it partnered with U.S. chip maker National Semiconductor to launch the I-PAD, a stripped-down desktop computer whose main selling points were its Internet connectivity and ease of use.

Proview continued to grow, shifting from computer monitors to become the world’s third-largest OEM manufacturer of flat panel TVs, but by August 2009, when Apple began trademark talks through a proxy, Proview had been badly hammered by the financial crisis.

Trading of its stock was suspended in Hong Kong in August 2010 after creditors in China went to court to recover assets. The company faces delisting in June if it cannot provide the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a viable rescue plan.

source: interaksyon.com