Sometimes software bugs can be awfully revealing. This week, a security researcher noted how an iPhone-crashing bug occurred whenever some users used the Taiwanese flag emoji in iOS 11.3.
The bug is seemingly an abortive attempt to acquiesce to China’s rules for tech companies to follow, which includes its refusal to accept Taiwan as an independent country. While Apple hasn’t commented on the case, this isn’t the first time it has caved to China’s requests.
The major components for the iPhone 7 come from a variety of counties. Most at of the profit still goes to the U.S. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone is made in China, so most of the profit stays over there, right? Actually, everything in that sentence is wrong.
A new study finds that China makes less than $9 from each iPhone 7. Some of the rest goes to other Asian countries, but the lion’s share is earned by Apple and other U.S. companies.
Most Apple products are assembled in China, and sell well there too, but U.S. iPhone tariffs could bring up the cost in this country. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
It was widely reported yesterday that iPhones assembled in China are safe from having tariffs placed on them by the Trump administration. Now the White House trade advisor says he’s unaware of any such exemption.
Import taxes placed on the import of iPhone units could significantly raise the cost of these devices, if Apple chooses to pass these costs on to consumers.
Tim Cook meeting with China's vice premier. Photo: Tim Cook
Apple has more to lose than just about anyone from a U.S. trade war with China.
The country — which Tim Cook has made clear is Apple’s future biggest market — currently represents nearly 20 percent of Apple’s revenues. Last year, it shipped more than 41 million iPhones into China, as well as having 40 stores in the country, and a reliance on Asian manufacturers. In other words, the escalating trade war is pretty darn worrying!
Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Apple Store employees in China. Photo: Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been hard at work trying to make peace before the brewing trade war with the U.S. and China blows up.
In a new profile by the New York Times, details have emerged of how Tim Cook has been talking to both Trump’s administration and leadership in China to ensure Apple’s stability in both countries.
Nintendo’s newest console was by far the hottest product. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
We’re still eagerly anticipating Nintendo’s first The Legend of Zelda game for mobile. iOS users in China may have briefly believed the wait was over this week when Breath of the Wild landed in the App Store — except it wasn’t actually Breath of the Wild.
It turns out Apple approved a shameless Zelda clone that, unsurprisingly, doesn’t deliver everything its description promises.
Tim Cook has shared some of the details of his recent meeting with President Donald Trump, during which he reportedly criticized the White House’s trade war with China.
“I felt that tariffs were not the right approach there, and I showed him some more analytical kinds of things to demonstrate why,” Cook told Bloomberg Television. Cook is referring to the Trump administration’s 25 percent tariffs on around $50 billion worth of products entering the U.S. from China.
Apple stock is booming after today's report. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple blew analysts’ expectations out of the water this afternoon with its historic Q2 2018 earnings report that saw the company post the most revenue ever in the March quarter.
Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri were absolutely giddy during today’s call with investors. Everyone expected the iPhone X to be a bust, but even Apple was surprised by its success as it still dominates the iPhone sales charts. New products are on the horizon too as Apple’s executives teased new goodies coming down its pipeline:
How has Apple done in China this quarter? Analysts don't think too well. Photo: Apple
In a disastrous turn of events, Apple may have lost up to half its market share in Greater China, analysts report.
A combination of poor adoption of Apple’s latest generation of iPhone handsets and increased competition from domestic handset makers like Huawei and Oppo might have slashed Apple’s business in a market Tim Cook is convinced is Apple’s biggest hope.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was reportedly “most helpful” during his White House meeting with President Donald Trump earlier this week. Cook was enthusiastic about the Trump administration’s recent tax cuts, and also had some advice about business dealings in China.
“I really enjoyed the meeting,” Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC’s Squawk on the Street. “I spent a good amount of time with [Cook], and then we came back and we visited the POTUS.”
Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Shipments of iPhone in China increased 32 percent in the first quarter of this year. This was during a period when the overall Chinese handset market declined.
Many Chinese see Apple devices as status symbols and pick them over local brands that cost significantly less.
Apple Park is powered in part by a 17-megawatt rooftop solar installation. Photo: Apple
Apple has become the world’s first major tech company to be powered by 100% renewable energy.
The company has been investing heavily in renewable energy sources for years, and in a statement today, Apple says it has already achieved its goal to use 100% clean energy to power all of its global facilities.
Trump's tariff list doesn't include smartphones and laptops. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone and other major tech products are safe from Trump’s brewing trade war with China.
On Tuesday, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative revealed that it was slapping 25 percent tariffs on 1,300 products coming from China related to technology, transport and medical products. iPhone components were exempt from the list, but other products like magnetic hard drives and flat-panel television sets were hit hard.
Tim Cook meeting an iPhone manufacturer in China. Photo: Apple
Tim Cook is headed to China this weekend, alongside Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, and Ginny Rometty, head of IBM. Cook will be heading co-chairing the China Development Forum, an annual event which aims to build relationships between Western corporations and the Chinese government.
The event comes at a challenging time when the U.S. and China are duking it out concerning trade tariffs and import duties.
It is shaping up to be a spectacular month for battle royale games on iOS. After the hugely popular Fortnite landed in the App Store last week, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has made its way to iPhone and iPad.
After a round of beta testing in Canada, the free PUBG Mobile is now available on iOS (and Android) in the United States and other locations around the world.
Apple has had a number of challenges growing its market in China. Photo: Apple
Apple has completed the transition of iCloud accounts registered in China to state-run Chinese servers, and privacy and human rights advocates are (rightfully) worried.
In addition to transferring the accounts to state-run servers, Apple may have also transferred the digital keys to Chinese jurisdiction, although Apple says it retains control of them. Nonetheless, it’s a concerning event — especially at a time when people are already worried about Xi Jinping, ruler of the Communist Party of China, ramping up censorship as part of the bid to establish himself as president for life.
Apple could be embracing Chinese manufacturing to help grow its brand in the country. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple may be expanding its supply chain further by buying storage chips from the Chinese memory chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies, a new report states.
What makes this interesting is that the chips will reportedly be used only in iPhones and other devices for the Chinese domestic market. It suggests that Apple may be willing to modify its iPhone manufacturing process in order to please the Chinese government’s push toward more local manufacturing.
The Chinese governement is finally starting to crack down on fake Apple stores and service centers that look just like the real deal.
Authorities in Beijing fined a store 270,000 yuan (US$43,000) after it was found to be infrining on Apple’s intellectual property and fooling customers into thinking they were getting serviced directly by Apple.
Apple Pay is taking a backseat to Alipay in China. Photo: Apple
Apple is making a big change to the way it accepts payments at its stores in China this week.
As part of its effort to increase sales in the second most important iPhone market, Apple is now embracing Alipay at its 41 brick-and-mortar stores located throughout China.
Battery life on the iPhone X got you down? Consider downgrading to an iPhone X knock-off fresh out of China.
The Chinese company Oukitel unveiled its newest iPhone copycat this week that comes with a lot of the same features for a fraction of the cost, including a vertically stacked dual-lens camera and face unlocking.
Apple's Q1 2020 earnings report will probably break some records. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The first big Apple earnings report for 2018 is nearly here. And, based on analysts’ expectations, it will likely be Apple’s biggest moneymaking quarter ever.
After weeks of waiting, investors will finally get their first look at how well the iPhone X is selling. Apple’s holiday sales probably hit historic levels. But with recent reports that Apple slashed iPhone X orders in half, there could be quite a few surprises in store.
As usual, Cult of Mac will be here to liveblog all the action as it transpires on Thursday, February 1, at 2 p.m. Pacific. Get ready to watch for these six things during the call: