Apple upgrades low-end iPhone SE with 5G, and high-end Mac Studio computer with faster chip

NEW YORK - Apple Inc on Tuesday added 5G connectivity to its low-cost iPhone SE and iPad Air and introduced a faster chip for a new desktop, a high point in Apple's move to power its devices with microprocessors designed in house.

The new Studio desktop starts at $3,999 with the new M1 Ultra chip. The iPad Air also got Apple's M1 chip that was developed for laptops.

"Apple Silicon strategy is the key highlight," said analyst Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research. "Apple is scaling the portfolio of its in-house semiconductor capabilities to power a broader set of richer devices from affordable iPhone SE to the most powerful product Mac Studio."

Apple's Mac Pro still runs on Intel Corp INTC.O microprocessors.

Apple slightly hiked the price on the iPhone SE to $429 from $399 for the previous model. The new phone starts shipping March 18. 

The iPhone SE comes with an A15 Bionic chip, which Apple says is the fastest among competition, a 4.7-inch retina display and a home button with touch ID.

"This is important for our existing users who want a smaller iPhone at a great value," Chief Executive Tim Cook said.

Nabila Popal, an analyst at IDC, said the new iPhone SE will cater to consumers looking for a budget 5G device, and it could be particularly popular given the economic uncertainty caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"A cheaper iPhone with 5G is good news for Apple, especially in these times of uncertainty," Popal said.

But demand for larger screens could negatively impact iPhone SE sales, Popal added. Some consumers might instead opt for older iPhone models with bigger screens in the same price range.

The M1 Ultra is made by connecting two M1 Max chips and is eight times faster than M1 chips. Its first use will be in the creative professional-focused Mac Studio computer.

Apple will offer two versions of the Mac Studio, one with the M1 Max chip and the other utilizing the M1 Ultra chip.

Mac Studio pricing starts at $1,999 for the version with the M1 Max chip and $3,999 for the M1 Ultra loaded computer.

Apple also debuted a new monitor called Studio Display that can be paired with any Mac, including Macbook Air and Macbook Pro models, and which is priced at $1,599.

Apple shares were about flat for the day in mid-afternoon trading.

The company which has been broadening its services and other products also said its Apple TV+ product would begin showing Major League Baseball games on Friday nights. The weekly double header will be available in eight countries.

The new iPad Air gets its first refresh in two years with a new design, 5G connectivity and the M1, popular in MacBooks. The starting price remained $599 and it will be available starting March 18.

The new iPad Air also features a 12-megapixel front camera.

Apple also announced new iPhone 13 models in two new finishes, including alpine green.

During the presentation, Cook made no mention of the conflict in Ukraine. Apple said on March 1 it had paused all product sales in Russia in response to the Russian invasion. The Russian state media, RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the Apple Store outside Russia. Read full story

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”

(Reporting by Danielle Kaye in New York and Nivedita Balu and Kanika Sikka in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ashwini Raj, Ahmed Farhatha, Shivansh Tiwary and Nilanjana Basu in Bengaluru; Editing by Karishma Singh, Peter Henderson and Lisa Shumaker)

-reuters-

Apple bundles TV, music, news and more in services push

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple on Tuesday said it is putting TV, music, news and more in a subscription bundle as it increases its push into services tied to its iPhone "ecosystem."

An Apple One bundle to be available later this year will start at $15 monthly and include a freshly launched fitness service tied to Apple Watch.

The Silicon Valley titan made no mention of a keenly anticipated iPhone 5G considered vital to the company's fortunes, with analysts expecting that debut next month, due to disruption in production caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The subscription bundle highlights Apple's efforts to put more emphasis on digital content and services amid a sluggish global smartphone market.

The $15 Apple One bundle includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, the Apple Arcade game service and iCloud storage. A $20 family plan can be shared by up to six people.

An upgraded $30 bundle adds Apple Fitness+, Apple News+ and additional cloud storage.

"With Apple One, you can access the best of Apple entertainment across all your favorite devices with one simple subscription," said Apple senior vice president of internet software and services Eddy Cue.

The Fitness+ service introduced by Apple is tied to its smartwatch line-up, which was enhanced with a Watch SE at $279, a price lower than that of its flagship wrist devices.

Apple also unveiled its Series 6 smartwatch, starting at $399, and added new features including monitoring sleep and blood oxygen levels as well as detecting when wearers are washing their hands.

"Handwashing detective recognizes the motion and sound when washing your hands and encourages you to continue for the recommended 20 seconds," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said during a presentation streamed from the company's spaceship campus in Silicon Valley.

Apple touched on roles its smartwatch, services and iPad in working or learning remotely and staying healthy as the pandemic continues to disrupt people's lives.

Apple Watch also serves as an anchor to the tech giant's mobile software, since it syncs with the iPhone.

"The key part for Apple is to keep the base of iPhone users and sell them a ton of accessories like AirPods and get services," said analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights and Strategy.

Apple also announced its eighth-generation iPad with its A12 Bionic chip starting at just $329, and a more powerful iPad Air from $499 with powered by the A14 Bionic chip.

Agence France-Presse

Apple announces new iPad Air, iPad Mini

MANILA -- Apple quietly announced on its website on Tuesday a pair of iPads, including a 10.5 slate that packs most of the features of the top end models but at roughly half the price.

The 10.5-inch iPad Air will cost P29,990 when it is released. It's screen is smaller that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which costs at least P64,490, according to Apple's website.

The iPad Air also has larger top and bottom bezels compared to the Pro and lacks facial recognition, retaining the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple also refreshed the 7.9-inch iPad Mini. Like the iPad Air, the Mini comes with an LCD Retina display and the A12 series processor found on the iPhone XS and iPad Pro lines.

The iPad Air and iPad Mini retain much of the dimensions of older models, but with more powerful internals. Apple has largely kept the 9.7-inch iPad (simply called iPad) largely the same for years, save for upgrades in processor speed.

There was no immediate word on local availability for the new iPad Air and iPad Mini.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

iPad Air, new iPad Mini hits PH stores

MANILA – Apple’s latest iPads were finally released in Philippine stores on Thursday, nearly two months after they went on sale in the United States.

In an email blast to Filipino subscribers, Apple touted the new iPad Air as “the most powerful and capable iPad yet.”

At the same time, Apple also released the latest line of iPad Minis, which now come with Retina display.

The new iPad Air is about 20 percent thinner than the previous generation of tablets and weighs only one pound.

Apple reseller Power Mac Center also announced the arrival of the new gadgets, as well as cases and other accessories, in its social media accounts.

“Discover every bit of beauty in the iPad Air. Visit your favorite Power Mac Center store today,” it said as it posed a photo of the new gadget.

The retailer also told its followers of zero-percent installment plans for both the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

The release of the new gadgets in stores comes just days after local telcos also started offering the two gadgets to their customers.

Globe Telecom announced on Monday that is offering the iPad Air 16GB for as low as P1,624 monthly at Plan 499 with P1,125 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period, which already includes 85 hours of LTE surfing.

Meanwhile, the 32GB variant is available for as low as P1,790 monthly at Plan 499 with P1,291 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period, also bundled with 85 hours of LTE surfing.

The iPad Mini with Retina display 16GB, on the other hand, is offered at P1,499 monthly at Plan 499 with P1,000 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period, complete with 85 hours of LTE surfing.

The 32GB variant is available at P1,665 monthly at Plan 499 with P1,166 monthly cashout over a 24-month contract period also bundled with 85 hours of LTE surfing.

Smart Communications, Inc., for its part, is offering the iPad Air and the iPad Mini with Retina Display on Smart Bro’s iPad Plan 1499 (16GB) and iPad Plan 1699 (32GB), which both come with 65 hours of LTE Internet surfing every month and an Anti-Bill Shock Guarantee that ensures subscribers don't have to worry about excessive data charges on their monthly bills.

Subscribers only need to pay a one-time fee of P1,000 for the iPad Mini or P5,000 for the iPad Air upon application.

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

Apple's iPhone sales up for scrutiny

Apple Inc's iPhone sales and revenue forecasts, due to be released on Monday, may offer clues as to whether its low-cost 5C model missed the mark or whether the world's largest tech company can continue its run of smash-hit gadgets.

Signs have emerged that demand for the cheaper model is lagging the top-tier iPhone 5S - both of which went on sale in September - because its $100 discount is proving to be insufficient to motivate emerging market and price-conscious customers.

But some analysts say the concerns are overblown and that a greater proportion of iPhone 5S shipped, translates into better margins and earnings overall.

Apple will be reporting results just a week after taking the wraps off an incrementally improved iPad Air. But it is the iPhone, which accounts for more than half the company's profit and is its highest-margin gadget, that takes center stage.

Apple is expected to report sales of 33 million to 36 million iPhones in its fiscal fourth quarter that ended in September, rising to more than 50 million in the typically strong holiday quarter - the first full quarter of sales of the two new phones.

"Media reports of 5C production cuts are misleading, in our view, given what we think has been strengthening overall 5S/5C production with 5S vectors continuing to strengthen even real time," Timothy Arcuri, an analyst at Cowen & Co, said in a research note.

Apple has come under pressure over the past year or two to bolster sales of its iPhones and iPads as perennial rival Samsung Electronics and cheaper gadgets based on Google Inc's Android software chip away at its once-leading market share.

Its stock has gained 12.5 percent since August, when famously aggressive activist investor Carl Icahn disclosed a large position in the iPhone maker and began making calls for a new, stepped-up $150 billion share buyback program - boosting hopes of a bigger return of cash to shareholders than anticipated.

But the stock is still down about 1 percent this year, vastly underperforming the S&P 500's 23 percent gain.

Longer-term, investors wonder whether the company that revolutionized the cellphone industry and popularized the tablet computer has another groundbreaking device left in it.

Analysts say it will take a genuinely new device – like the oft-rumored smartwatch or some sort of TV – to revive the stock. Investors also hope that Apple will seal a deal to sell phones through China Mobile Ltd, gaining access finally to the country’s largest telecoms operator.

"We do see fewer positive catalysts for the stock as the company finishes its annual product line refresh," Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Financial, said in a Friday note to clients.

REALISM

Apple is expected to have moved 15 million iPads in the September quarter, which would be an increase of 1 million over the year-ago quarter.

A month ago, on the back of strong initial sales of its new iPhones, Apple polished its fiscal fourth-quarter financial forecast, saying it expected revenue toward the high end of its previous forecast for $34 billion to $37 billion.

Investors will also look at Apple's December quarter forecasts - once ludicrously conservative but now a better indication of management's expectations - for an idea of the company's holiday-quarter hopes.

Apple is cutting production orders for the plastic-backed, multi-hued model just a month after launch, a source familiar with its supply chain said a week ago, fueling speculation its discount to the 5S may not be enough to drive demand during the crucial shopping season. (Full Story)

Pegatron Corp, which assembles the model, had seen orders reduced by less than 20 percent, said the source, who asked not to be identified because the information is sensitive. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, another major assembly contractor for the 5C, had its orders for the same period reduced by a third, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Beyond holiday projections, analysts want evidence on Monday that profit margins can be sustained as the competition intensifies, and evidence of its ability to innovate.

Wall Street is expecting fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $36.8 billion, up from $36 billion a year ago, and earnings per share of $7.93, down from $8.67 a year ago, as profit margins come under pressure.

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