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4 key reasons Apple’s China problem is going away

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Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Activist shareholders push Apple on why it booted Hong Kong protest app
Photo: Fredrik Rubensson/Flickr CC

Apple’s business in China is finally turning around, according to execs who say Cupertino’s troubles in the country might be a thing of the past.

“We feel positive about our trajectory,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during Tuesday’s earnings call, noting that the company’s “year-over-year revenue performance in Greater China improved relative to the December quarter.”

Then Cook laid out four reasons why Apple’s “China problem” is going away.

Apple still has mojo for attracting new customers

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new Apple customers
Apple Watch could be better than ever next year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

To listen to Apple’s Q2 earnings call is to get inundated with numbers. But the stockholder looking for a set of numbers giving them a reason to buy more shares should consider the rise of new Apple customers.

Apple CFO Luca Maestri delivered the usual dry intro into quarterly reports: the ups, downs, gross margins, basis points and other wonky indicators important to analysts listening in.

It was in his next breath where Maestri provided “color” that explained Apple’s optimism in the road ahead. There was double-digit growth in services, subscriptions and a blockbuster quarter for both the iPad and wearables, particularly, the Apple Watch Series 4.

iPad sales were the hero of Apple’s latest earnings report

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iPad Air 10.5
The new iPad Pro is officially a hit!
Photo: Apple

Apple surprised Wall Street with a better-than-expected Q2 earnings report this afternoon and one of the biggest factors was the iPad.

With revenues topping $58 billion Q2 (down 5% YoY), Apple is trying to become less reliant on its iPhone business. Services are expected to pick up most of the slack, but this last quarter Apple got some unexpected help from its iPad business that is experiencing a resurgence just at the right time thanks to the new iPad Pro.

Processor shortage cuts into Mac sales

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iMac
Apple would have sold more of these if it weren’t for Intel.
Photo: Apple

Apple saw a small but significant year-over year reduction in Mac sales during the first three months of 2019. This wasn’t because customers didn’t want to buy macOS notebooks and desktops however, but because Apple couldn’t get the Intel processors required to produce the computers.

Apple’s wearables is now the size of a Fortune 200 company

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Apple Watch arm wrestling
Apple's Apple Watch business grew 50% last quarter.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple’s wearables business continues to grow like gangbusters.

Sales of the Apple Watch grew 50% compared to the same quarter last year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Apple’s Q2 2019 quarterly analyst call Tuesday.

If Apple’s wearables business — which includes the Apple Watch and the popular AirPods earbuds — were a stand-alone company, it would be in the Fortune 200, Cook said.

Apple breezes past Wall Street forecasts with $58 billion in revenue

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Tim Cook with money bag
It's "Get a bag Tuesday" and Tim Cook is cashing in.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple revealed its Q2 2019 earnings report and despite some pessimism from analysts, the company managed to beat Wall Street’s expectations.

Revenue for the quarter came in at $58 billion, slightly above Apple’s own guidance to investors. Most of Wall Street analysts were predicting the company would only bring in between $54 billion to $57 billion for the quarter. Better yet, the company’s guidance for next quarter is stronger than expected, signifying that the doom-and-gloom may have been severely overstated.

New Instagram will take worry out of being liked

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Instagram fact checking
Instagram will use fact-checking teams to identify false information.
Photo: Instagram

Facebook is retooling Instagram to take some social pressure out of social media.

The photo-sharing app, which along with the iPhone sparked a revolution in instant photography, will reduce the pressure by making “likes” private so followers engage the content, not how popular it is. Instagram is also playing with ways to reduce the prominence of follower counts.

Oprah hints at Apple TV+ celebrity interview show

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Oprah Winfrey says Apple TV+ can have a genuine impact on humanity.
Oprah could go back in the interviewer’s chair, this time on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple

Oprah Winfrey is already creating original programming for the upcoming Apple TV+ service, and now she’s suggesting she might be doing even more. She says she’s interested in creating a series in which she interviews celebrities and politicians.

How to find video subtitles on Mac and iOS the easy way

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subtitles mac
Subtitles — like many accessibility features — can be useful to anyone.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Both macOS and iOS have excellent built-in support for subtitles. And many video player apps will play a subtitle file for you if you just drop it into the same folder as a movie, or even drag and drop it onto a movie that’s already playing.

But if your hearing is fine, why should you bother with subtitles? I came up with a short list:

  • The audio on the movie/TV show is unclear.
  • English isn’t your first language, and you appreciate the help.
  • You want to watch a movie with the sound low.
  • You don’t understand the accents in that British TV drama.

The good news is that subtitles are easy. And the bad news? There is none.

Get awesome deals on iPads, from entry-level to pro [Deals & Steals]

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The 11-inch iPad Pro is a total screamer.
Even if you don't need all the power of this iPad Pro, you can still save loads of cash.
Photo: Apple

Amazon is serving up sweet deals on iPads right now. You can grab the latest entry-level model for just $249. Or, if you can’t put that sweet 11-inch iPad Pro out of your mind, you can make the purchase price a lot less painful with today’s $300 discounts.

Also in today’s Deals & Steals roundup: Inexpensive HomeKit-compatible light bulbs and amazing deals on wireless chargers and USB-C cables!

Brilliant folding touchscreen MacBook concept is almost a reality

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Astro HQ’s MacBook concept has a flexible touchscreen in place of the keyboard and trackpad.
This MacBook concept has a flexible touchscreen in place of the keyboard and trackpad.
Photo: Astro HQ

Astro HQ, makers of Luna Display, dreamed up a macOS laptop concept with a foldable display that covers the entire interior of the MacBook. The design includes a touchscreen and Apple Pencil support.

Artists’ concepts are often impractical dreams for the future but a version of this can be assembled right now. Sort of.

Brace yourself for Apple’s next ugly earnings call

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Apple earnings
Apple's Q2 earnings are expected to be a bit of a downer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Wall Street is anxiously awaiting Apple’s earnings report for the second quarter of 2019 that will be delivered on Tuesday, April 30. Apple’s stock value has risen about 30% this year even though iPhone sales are slowing.

Most analysts predict that nearly all of Apple’s numbers will be down compared to the same quarter last year, but there are few bright spots that could cause the company’s stock price to surge. After looking at the analysts’ numbers, we’ve found a couple of key areas to watch for.

Apple will drop Aperture support after macOS Mojave

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Aperture support to end
Still using Aperture? It might be time to give it up.
Photo: Apple

Photographers still clinging to Apple’s discontinued imaging software, Aperture, must now deal with a ticking clock.

Apple announced Aperture will not get support from future MacOS past Mojave and have issued a support document encouraging Mac-based shooters to migrate their photo libraries.

Samsung reports its weakest profits since late 2016

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Galaxy S10 lineup
Samsung's latest flagship phones are doing well, though.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung has reported its weakest profits in two years as first quarter earnings suffered from weak smartphone and memory chip sales.

While Samsung said that it expects things will be get better in the second half of the year, the immediate outlook isn’t great. Samsung posted operating profits of $5.4 billion for the quarter, its smallest since late 2016. By comparison, this quarter last year raked in $13.4 billion.

Foxconn CEO may be headed to White House to discuss Wisconsin factory

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Plan for Foxconn's Wisconsin factory seem to have changed along the way.
Photo: CBS

Departing Foxconn chairman Terry Gou is reportedly heading to the U.S. where he will have a meeting at the White House. The subject of the meeting will be Foxconn’s plans to open a factory in Wisconsin.

Foxconn maintains that it’s working hard to deliver the factory it received $4 billion in tax breaks for. However, behind-the-scenes dealings suggest that the company may be trying to renegotiate terms.

Antitrust regulator hasn’t decided whether to approve T-Mobile and Sprint merger

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t-mobile
Date for completing the deal has been pushed back three months.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile and Sprint have pushed back the date for completing their proposed controversial merger to July 29. The reason? Because the U.S. Justice Department’s Antitrust Division chief says that he has not yet decided whether or not to approve the deal.

Previously, the deal was supposed to be completed this week. If it takes place, it will combine the no. 3 and no. 4 wireless providers in the United States.

Future iPhones could boast MicroLED displays

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iPhone XS Max
And Foxconn wants to build them for Apple.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple could use next-gen MicroLED displays for a future iPhone, a new report claims.

The report claims that Foxconn, Apple’s biggest supplier, is working hard to win MicroLED orders from Apple — and the iPhone is singled out as the likely recipient.

Robotics startup that graced the stage at WWDC closes

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Anki
These tiny robot cars once looked like the future of gaming.
Screenshot: Apple

Robotics startup Anki, which graced the stage at WWDC in 2013, has closed up shop. The company previously raised more than $200 million in funding, but it had seemingly burned through the money.

Anki revealed this week that it will lay off its entire staff of almost 200 people. The startup previously enjoyed acquisition interest from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Comcast.

VP helping lead the charge for a 5G iPhone departs company

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2020 could be Apple's greatest year so far
A veteran Apple VP who was a big proponent for a 5G iPhone is leaving.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Apple vice president in charge of sourcing 4G and 5G iPhone modems has left. The departure of Rubén Caballero comes as this part of Apple’s business is in transition, with Qualcomm once again available to provide these vital components.

It seems developing a 5G iPhone is going to continue to be more difficult than one might expect.

Thrilling iPhone 11 video shows off all the rumored features

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iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max rumors video
This concept video rolls together all the rumors about the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max.
Photo: Hassan Kaymak/ConceptsiPhone

A new video wraps up all the unconfirmed reports about Apples next handset. And there’s a lot to work with. Details about the iPhone 11 have been leaking out steadily, even though the launch is still half a year away.

Watch it now:

How to share podcast clips with Overcast

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Overcast clip sharing
Share podcast clips in Overcast.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You’re listening to an awesome podcast, and one of the hosts makes a super-smart point about a fascinating subject. It’s so good that you just want to share it with people. But how? Tweet a link to the podcast along with a timecode so folks can hunt down that pithy quip themselves? Good luck! People on Twitter are too lazy to… well, they’re just too lazy.

But if you use the Overcast podcast player app, then you can now share a short audio or video clip of any podcast, to Twitter, Instagram, or anywhere else. It’s dead easy, and it might be the best thing to happen to podcasts in quite a while.