finance

Apple teams up with Alipay to boost iPhone sales in China

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iPhone XS box gold
Bag yours before they're all gone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has joined forces with Alipay in an effort to boost iPhone sales in China.

iPhone fans can now bag one of the company’s latest handsets with up to two years of interest-free finance. The loan allows customers to swap the costly upfront fee for much more affordable monthly payments. It’s available on purchases of 4,000 yuan (approx. $595) or more.

eBay promises Apple Pay support in 2018

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Antitrust investigators want to know if retailers were compelled to use Apple Pay
It’ll take years to roll out to everyone.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

eBay is giving shoppers the ability to purchase items with Apple Pay this fall.

The service will become a primary payment option on the eBay website and in the mobile app. A small group of Marketplace customers will get the chance to try it before it rolls out to everyone in a few years.

How to buy iPhone X without breaking the bank

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iPhone X on its box
iPhone X finally hits Apple's refurbished section.
Photo: Apple

iPhone X is Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date, with the cheapest 64GB model priced at $999, and the 256GB model priced at $1,149.

That’s $50 more than a 21-inch iMac. However, you don’t have to go hungry for the next few months to afford one. Here’s how to save money and get your hands on iPhone X without breaking the bank.

Apple is teaming with other tech giants for financial lobbying

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
There's money to be made in, err, money.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple, Amazon and Google aren’t exactly techie BFFs, as can be seen from that whole Android vs. iOS thing, or Amazon’s recent decision to boot Apple TV out of its online store.

But you know what can bring the heads of all three companies together? Let’s try a quick pop-quiz.

A) Team-building paintball trip.
B) Romantic candlelit dinner.
C) The promise of lots and lots of cash.

Click below to find out. (Hint: the answer is C.)

Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone 6s is one sexy beast

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It's all in here.
It's all in here.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus came out last week, and it’s been a fun ride getting to know what makes these sexy beasts tick.

Check out this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine for all the tips, tricks, reviews, news, and just plain great content with yet another digital issue of your favorite magazine.

Download the brand new Cult of Mac Magazine app from iTunes right now, and you’ll get all this, and more, absolutely free.

Apple Pay adds 23 regional banks and credit unions to growing roster

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Now even more of us not with major banks can use Apple Pay.
Now even more of us not with major banks can use Apple Pay.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you’re a user of a local or regional credit union like I am, you’ll be excited to hear that Apple continues to add smaller financial institutions to its ever-growing list of places that will let you pay for things using your iPhone or Apple Watch.

With these 23 new additions, Apple now has 255 Apple Pay partners available to those of us who love the future of payments.

Apple will make 15 cents for every $100 spent on Apple Pay

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

For every dollar spent on the iOS App Store, Apple makes thirty cents, but if you expect Cupertino to be collecting 30% of every buck spent on Apple Pay, you’re crazy. The world of finance is much more nuanced — and ruthlessly competitive — than selling apps: Apple will have to settle for just fifteen cents for every $100 spent. But that’s actually a lot of money in financial terms.

This Chart Is The Best Argument Yet For Why Apple Needs The iWatch

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Screen Shot 2014-03-30 at 6.04.39 PM

Here’s an interesting financial. Robert Paul Leitao, founder of the AAPL Independent Analysts, shows how Apple’s revenue has grown over 1,127% since 2006, and earnings per share has grown an incredible 2,457%.

Fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 have been particularly kind to Apple: 66% in 2011, and 54% in fiscal 2012, largely thanks to new deals such as the Verizon Wireless iPhone deal, and the announcement of a new product line in the iPad. In 2013, though, Apple grew only 9.2%, and so far, Apple’s guidance for the latest quarter suggests nearly no growth at all.

Leitao’s conclusion? Apple’s growth is dependent on the successful release of new and currently unannounced new products. “Apple is an episodic enterprise,” he writes. The best reason to believe that Apple has an iWatch coming this year is that, without one, Apple will stop growing.

Source: Posts At Eventide Via: CNN

Carl Icahn’s Ulterior Motive: He Might Want Apple To Buy Nuance

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Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

Investment tycoon Carl Icahn has been bullish on Apple lately. In mid-August, Icahn unexpectedly tweeted that Icahn Enterprises, his diversified holding company, believed Apple to be “extremely undervalued.” Immediately, share prices jumped 5.6%. The next week, Icahn announced on Twitter that he and Tim Cook would be meeting in September to discuss a larger buyback program of AAPL shares.

That’s all nice, but Icahn is a business magnate, not an Apple fanboy. So what the heck is he up to here? A new theory being put forward by some investors is that Icahn has ulterior motives for his sudden Apple love affair: he wants Apple to buy Nuance, a company Icahn has a large stake in.

Foxconn Profits Jump 41 Percent On The Back Of Strong iPhone Sales

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn workers in Shenzhen will not report next week until further notice.
Photo: Foxconn

Remember how just a few months ago, Foxconn profits were slumping because — as the anti-Apple brigade hysterically shrieked — the iPhone 5 was a dud, and the iPhone’s meteoric rise in popularity was finally done?

Yeah, well, Foxconn just posted a 41 percent year-over-year increase in profit, driven by strong iPhone sales.

Apple Curb Stomps Exxon, Once More World’s Most Valuable Company

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Apple logo on store
Apple has a backup plan.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Two years ago, Apple overtook Exxon as the world’s most valuable company. It was a heck of a feat for a Silicon Valley company: for the first time, the world seemed to value silicon computer chips more than the bubbling, black goo of long dead dinosaurs. The future seemed rosy, and in the following months, Apple’s share price eventually rose to over $700 a share… before cratering thanks to bizarre Wall Street pessimism.

Somehow, though, even though analysts are bleaker about Apple’s futures than they have ever been, Cupertino has once more managed to claw the title of world’s most valuable company from Exxon. How?

Bring Balance To Your Checkbook With Moneydance For Mac [Deals]

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CoM - MoneyDance

Plain and simple, managing your finances can suck. The app featured in this Cult of Mac Deals offer was created to change that.

Moneydance sports an easy-to-use interface and its syncing capabilities make for a streamlined experience that will get you saving your money, rather than washing it away. It easily handles online banking, account management, budgeting, and investment tracking all in this single application and the best part — you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars to hire a financial manager.

There’s another part that’s pretty great as well – Cult of Mac has it for just $25 for a limited time.

Springtomize Dev Releases Exquisitely Beautiful Non-Jailbreak Finance App For iPhone

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Balances-iPhone

Filippo Bigarella is best known for being the developer of some of the most popular jailbreak tweaks for iOS, including Springtomize, LivelyIcons, and PasswordPilot Pro. But he’s just launched his first official iPhone app through the App Store.

It’s called Balances, and it’s a wonderfully simply finance app with a gorgeous interface that’ll help you keep track of the money you owe and the money owed to you.

Samsung Reports Q4 2012 Financial Results: $52.45 Billion Revenue, $8.27 Billion Profit

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Samsung has today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012, which slightly exceed the estimations that were set by the Korean company earlier this month. It recorded an operating profit of 8.84 trillion won (approx. $8.27 billion) during the three-month period, on 56.06 trillion won (approx. $54.45 billion) in revenue. That’s a 10% increase in profit over the previous quarter, and a whopping 89.3% increase in profit over the fourth quarter of 2011.

Disney’s CEO Is Ditching His Company’s Stock And Buying Apple

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mickeybob
"Bob Iger, you just cashed in $17.9 million worth of Disney stock, what are you going to do next?"

If you’re really into investing and the stock market and all that fun, heart-wrenching stuff, then now might be a great time to buy some Apple stock if you believe Disney’s CEO Bob Iger knows what he’s doing.

On Monday, Iger bought $1 million worth of Apple shares, according to documents filed with the SEC. Along with being the CEO of Disney, Iger is also on Apple’s board of Directors. But he’s not just buying Apple stock; he’s ditching his Disney stock while he’s at it.

Apple Stock Surges After Analysts Claim Stock Price Is Insanely Cheap

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aaplrisingafterdiving

Despite posting one of their most profitable quarters ever, Apple’s stock (AAPL) has taken a dive over the last two months. It’s been down nearly 25% from it’s recent highs and some analyst have said that the stock is great buy right now.

This morning, Brian White from Topeka claimed that the sell-off in Apple’s stock over the past weeks has been “insanely insane” given how Apple is poised to have a record breaking holiday quarter. Since making his claim, Apple’s price has jumped up 5% today.

Hurricane Sandy Gave Navigation, News, Finance Apps A Massive Boost… But Not Weather?

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Mobile-Apps-Sandy-Velti
Use of weather apps actually decreased during Hurricane Sandy.

When Hurricane Sandy left millions of people across the East Coast of the United States without electricity, portable, battery-powered devices like smartphones and tablets were all they had to rely on. Not only did they provide a means of entertainment, but they also allowed those affected by the storm to follow the latest news and weather information.

With that being the case, Sandy had some interesting effects on app statistics. Compared with the preceding week in New York City, use of navigation apps more than doubled, while those in the finance category saw a 74% boost. Photography and news apps also became more popular, while, surprisingly, weather apps remained closed.

iPhone Sales Last Quarter Could Have Exceeded Expectations Thanks To iPhone 5

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iphone5impressions
Guess what? The iPhone's still a big seller.

The iPhone 5 has been a sell-out since it went on sale on September 21, and it’s still incredibly difficult to get hold of in some markets even a month later. With five million units sold, it’s the fastest-selling iPhone to date, so it’s no surprise one analyst is predicting that iPhone sales could be even better than originally expected.

Verizon Sold 3.1 Million iPhones During Q3 2012, 21% Of Which Were iPhone 5s

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The iPhone continues to do well on Verizon.
The iPhone continues to do well on Verizon.

Verizon announced its financial results for the third-quarter of 2012 today, and it has some impressive figures when it comes to the iPhone. The carrier sold more than 3.1 million iPhones in total during the three-month period, which is around 400,000 more then it sold during the second quarter. 21% of those were the new iPhone 5, according to Verizon, which translates to around 650,000 sales in less than a month.