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Trouble in China, iPhone slump and other Apple earnings surprises

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How will investors respond to Apple's relatively flat earnings?
How will investors respond to Apple's relatively flat earnings?
Photo: Ste Smith

Apple’s Q2 earnings report for 2017 just barely beat Wall Street’s expectations when the numbers were revealed this afternoon, but there are plenty of reasons to still be optimistic about AAPL.

During the company’s call with investors today, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri discussed some of the struggles the company experienced last quarter, from slumping iPhone sales to economic headwinds in China.

Here are the biggest takeaways:

Liveblog: Just how good (or bad) was Apple’s Q2?

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apple earnings
Apple's money-making machine is on a new level.
Photo illustration: Steve Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its second quarterly earnings report of 2017 this afternoon. And according to analysts, the numbers won’t be nearly as impressive as last quarter’s record-shattering results.

Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri will run through all the numbers with investors today at 2 p.m. Pacific. As usual, Cult of Mac will be liveblogging the action with all the analysis and snark we can muster.

Come join the fun:

Apple beats expectations in Q2 2017 earnings report

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple just posted its earnings for Q2 2017 and while the numbers aren’t as monstrous as last quarter’s, there’s a lot to love in the new report.

With revenues hitting $52.9 billion, Apple returned to growth for the second straight quarter with $11 billion in profit. iPhone sales were down year-over-year, but Apple CEO Tim Cook says demand for the iPhone 7 Plus is still high.

Apple plans to help you count calories

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RFID apple watch
RFID tags could communicate nutritional information with your Apple device.
Photo: USPTO/Apple

Future iPhones or Apple Watches may be able to help users with calorie counting, alongside the step-tracking and other information they already help us keep tabs on.

That’s according to a newly-published Apple patent, which describes device-readable RFID tags the company has invented. These could be used to send nutritional information — such as caloric value, fat and sugar content, and more — from food packaging to your NFC-enabled Apple device.

Travel battery will keep your iPhone and Apple Watch juiced

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Ready to give charge on both devices.
Ready to give charge on both devices.
Photo: Elevation Lab

The iPhone helps with an endless number of tasks, but with a finite amount of battery life. So extra power is easy to find, whether it’s in an external battery or a battery integrated iPhone case.

But that battery is one more thing you have to charge. Strap on an Apple Watch and soon you are looking for a bigger bag that makes room for the charging needs of your various devices.

Portland-based Elevation Lab has a travel battery that takes virtually no room and can charge both your Apple Watch and iPhone a few times before it needs to recharge.

Learn to code for Alexa and the smart home revolution [Deals]

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CoM - Amazon Alexa Coding Bundle- From Zero To Hero
Learn to code for the device that's leading the smart home revolution.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Like it or not, our houses are getting smarter. If you’re sharp and interested in coding, you’ll want to learn to develop for Alexa, the digital assistant popping up in homes around the world due to the amazing success of the Amazon Echo.

Echo and Alexa are the opening shots of the smart home revolution, and with this bundle of comprehensive coding lessons you can get positioned to make your mark. Right now, you can get access to the whole thing for just $19 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Samsung Bixby rap takes secret stab at Siri

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Bixby
Bixby Voice is on its way.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s new Bixby assistant finally found its voice in South Korea today, over a week after making its debut on the Galaxy S8. Unlike its rivals, Bixby has the ability to rap, and Samsung uses that to take a cheeky, secret stab at Siri.

Dine with Tim Cook at Apple Park … for a fee

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Tim Cook takes home $125 million for Apple’s best year since 2009
Tim Cook will wine and dine you -- for a price.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Want to have lunch with Tim Cook at the brand new Apple Park campus?

If you answered “yes,” and you happen to also be in possession of tons of disposable income, you’re in luck — because that’s what is being auctioned off as part of the 10th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Spring Auction on Charitybuzz.com. And it’s already open for bids!

Just two games dominated the App Store last year

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birthday
Pokémon GO was one of last year's biggest hits.
Photo: Pokémon GO

Two iOS games reportedly broke the $100 million mark in terms of their U.S. App Store revenue last year, with Clash Royale and Pokémon GO dominating when it came to raking in money.

Clash Royale, a real-time multiplayer game spinoff of Clash of Clans, earned $277.1 million from an estimated 19.1 million downloads. Augmented reality game Pokémon GO meanwhile pulled in $270.2 million from a whopping 42 million downloads.

Check out the rest of the top 10 list below.

Google Maps, Amazon and eBay quietly drop Apple Watch support

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Apple Watch with brown strap
Support for Apple Watch disappeared in April.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Google Maps, Amazon and eBay have all quietly dropped support for Apple Watch in their recent app updates.

So far, no reasons have been given for the decision, although Google noted that despite removing, “Apple Watch support from our latest iOS release [we] expect to support it again in the future.”

What to expect from Apple’s Q2 2017 earnings report

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Earnings call
Apple made a ton of money last quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to reveal its second quarterly earnings report of 2017 next Tuesday, and based on early estimates from analysts, Tim Cook might not have much to boast about.

Wall Street has been in love with Apple stock the last few months, sending it to all-time highs since the last earnings report came out. But with the holiday shopping season over and a lack of new products to boost sales, Apple’s numbers may look a bit flat.

These are the key areas to watch for:

Tynker’s new courses use games to teach kids Swift

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Tynker's new apps make coding fun.
Tynker's new apps make coding fun.
Photo: Tynker

Kids wanting to learn how to build apps can game their way to coding skills with a new set of courses designed to making programming fun.

Tynker, one of the world’s most popular coding educators, is supporting Apple’s Everyone Can Code initiative with two new games — Space Cadet and Dragon Spells — that teach kids the fundamentals of coding before graduating to Swift.

iPhone 8 sales could benefit from upgrade wave

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iPhone 8 rear shell
Ready for a new iPhone? This is supposedly a leaked photo of an iPhone 8's rear shell.
Photo: Weibo

The 10th anniversary of the iPhone will likely be good for iPhone 8 sales. But another sales bump could come from users long overdue for an upgrade.

Data from the Boston analytics firm Localytics shows 28 percent of all iPhone users own an iPhone 6, which will turn 3 this fall. Almost 16 percent are still using the iPhone 5 and 5s handsets.

Leaked Fitbit smartwatch looks too ugly to beat Apple Watch

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Fitbit's first true watch looks boring.
Fitbit's first true watch looks boring.
Photo: Yahoo

Photos of the first real smartwatch by Fitbit leaked to the internet today and based on the teaser images, Apple doesn’t have much to worry about.

Fitbit is supposedly planning to launch its proper smartwatch this fall along with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. The company originally planned to unveil the products this spring to get a head start on Apple, but it looks like they could use some more development.

Take a closer look:

Apple’s new Portrait Mode ad puts love in focus

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Portait Mode is for lovers.
Portait Mode is for lovers.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new iPhone 7 Plus ad will make you fall in love with falling in love.

The new minute-long ad showcases Portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus but it’s really about a couple’s romantic stroll through the city while “Sing to Me” by Walter Martin and Karen O plays through the background.

Check it out:

Apple’s cash pile heads for $250 billion milestone

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s second quarterly earnings report of 2017 will likely reveal the company now has over a quarter of a trillion dollars of cash stashed in the bank.

The iPhone-maker has so much cash its reserves exceed the foreign-currency reserves of the U.K. and Canada combined. During the last quarter of 2017, Apple’s money-making machine was earning $3.6 million per hour.

Cult of Mac will repair your broken iPhones, iPads and MacBooks!

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The high-quality, personalized service your device will receive with our new repair program!

Starting today, we are offering high-quality repair services for Apple products to all our U.S. readers. Following the great feedback we’ve received on our trade-in program — to date we’ve paid our readers almost $200,000 for their old devices — we are extending our partnership with MyPhones Unlimited to include repair services with unbeatable prices.

Shipping is always free, and there’s no need to worry about hidden fees. Plus, every repair comes with a 180-day warranty. Find out just how cheap iPhone, iPad and MacBook repairs can be!

Siri speaker might be an Echo for audiophiles

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The Amazon Echo may finally have competition from Apple.
The Amazon Echo may finally have competition from Apple.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A Siri smart speaker will bring better audio (and a higher price tag) than the Amazon Echo, and we might get our first look next month, according to a prominent analyst.

KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s increasingly likely Apple will debut its high-end audio device at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, paving the way for Siri to move into a prominent place in your home.

Take your tunes anywhere with this burly Bluetooth speaker [Deals]

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CoM - G-DROP Submersible Bluetooth Speaker
No matter where you go, this Bluetooth speaker can come along for the ride.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

When your music can go anywhere, whatever you use to play it on can get worn out. Not so with this rough-and-tumble Submersible Bluetooth Speaker from G-DROP. It’s a weather-proof, water-ready, shock-resistant portable speaker that’s fit for any environment.

That means your favorite tunes, shows and other sounds can go wherever you do. And right now you can get a G-DROP Submersible Bluetooth Speaker for $46.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.