China - page 5

AirTags on the radar for roll out in the second half of 2020

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New evidence shows AirTags closer than ever to release
Here's how AirTags will work on your iPhone.
Photo: MacRumors

Apple’s fall product launch will include a tiny gadget with a big responsibility: knowing the whereabouts of your devices when you lose them.

AirTags, a circular Bluetooth tracking keychain attachment similar to Tile, got on the radar of supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reported news Tuesday on the supplier charged with producing the circuitry.

Low-cost iPhone skirts virus-related delays for March release

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iPhone assembled in India
Coming soon with a 2?
Photo: Indian Express

The long-awaited successor to the popular iPhone SE remains on track for launch sometime next month, a top analyst on Apple’s supply chain in China said.

TF International Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors that coronavirus has not impeded production of the budget-friendly iPhone. The new handset is known as either the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9.

Beijing Apple stores reopen with temperature scans and free masks

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coronavirus
Apple stores in China are taking coronavirus concerns very seriously.
Photo: Eunice Yoon/ CNBC

Apple retail stores in Beijing are taking customers’ temperatures and requiring them to wear surgical masks as the area tries to normalize amidst the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Five Apple stores in Beijing reopened their doors with limited hours today after being closed since last month. CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon posted a video from one of the newly reopened stores and the inside is shockingly empty.

Take a look at the entrance process:

5 Apple Stores in China are reopening — but customers must wear surgical masks

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Apple store in Shanghai
Apple reopens select stores in Beijing, but stores in other cities remain closed.
Photo: FullbridgeProgram/Flickr CC

Apple will reopen five of its retail stores in Beijing tomorrow, although only for limited hours. The stores will open between 11am and 6pm local time, compared with the usual 10am through 10pm 12-hour opening hours.

Apple made the decision to close all 42 of its Apple Stores in China as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus. Originally, it planned to reopen them on February 10. However, retail chief Deidre O’Brien later revealed that this reopening time was being pushed back further.

China develops a data-hungry app for tracking coronavirus

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The novel coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in China.
Can an app help stop the spread of coronavirus in China?
Photo: Apple

The Chinese government developed an app that lets users check whether they are at risk of infection from the novel coronavirus spreading across the country.

The location-aware “close contact detector” app reveals whether users have been close to another person suspected of having coronavirus. The data-hungry app serves as yet another illustration of China’s surveillance-heavy approach to controlling its citizens.

iPhone-maker shuts down Shenzhen facilities amid coronavirus crisis

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

The Chinese company that assembles most of the world’s iPhones has ordered employees in one region of the country not to return to work next week to prevent further spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Foxconn sent text messages to Shenzhen-based employees that those sites will remain closed until further notice. While Foxconn’s main iPhone factory is in Zhengzhou, a portion is assembled in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is also the headquarters for Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

Coronavirus in China could exacerbate AirPods supply problems

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They AirPods Pro fit in their case like nothing ever happened.
New AirPods Pro orders aren't shipping until March.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s current AirPods Pro supply woes could soon get much worse, thanks to the new coronavirus spreading throughout China.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Apple ordered suppliers to produce 45 million AirPods units to catch up with the huge demand. Then, manufacturers shut down production lines through February 10 due to the fast-spreading virus. Now a new report cautions that suppliers might not have enough components to fulfill Apple’s order when production resumes.

Coronavirus could have a surprisingly positive impact on App Store revenue

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Coronavirus could have a surprisingly positive impact on App Store revenue
At least, according to one Morgan Stanley analyst.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The spread of the new coronavirus is bad news, but a particularly bullish analyst thinks there’s an upside — for Apple’s bottom line.

In a note to clients, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty suggests that the spread of coronavirus within China will give people more time to buy apps from the App Store.

Apple suppliers in China eye February 10 restart after coronavirus shutdown

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Terry Gou
But there's a definite chance of further delays.
Photo: Foxconn

Apple’s manufacturing partners in China hope to jump back into action next week, after the coronavirus epidemic forced temporary shutdowns in the country, according to a new report.

Foxconn, LG Display and others “plan to resume full-scale production” on February 10. But with the viral outbreak only worsening as the weeks go on, there’s a definite chance of further delays.

Reuters: Coronavirus shutdowns may have ‘big’ impact on Foxconn iPhone production

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iPhone XS crazy performance means speed at your fingertips.
Apple can
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A major manufacturer of Apple products could halt production for another week if the new coronavirus outbreak grows. One source warns that the epidemic could have a “big” impact on the tech giant’s product availability, according to a published report Monday.

Reuters cites sources at Taiwan-based Foxconn who say “almost all” production of the iPhone in China has ceased until at least February 10 and could extended even further.

Bullish Apple analysts aren’t panicking about China coronavirus … yet

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Bullish Apple analysts aren’t panicking about coronavirus… yet
No need to panic. Right now, at least.
Photo: CNBC

Wedbush analyst and Apple enthusiast Dan Ives isn’t worried about the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak on Apple’s share price. At least, not yet. In an interview for CNBC show Squawk Box, Ives said he views any dips in Apple’s share price as “buying opportunities.”

And he’s not alone in being optimistic at a time when lots of others are nervous.

Low-cost iPhone in trial production: reports

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apple logo
Apple is ramping up production on a budget iPhone.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is already in trial production of a budget-friendly iPhone with mass production set to begin in a couple of weeks, according to supply-chain insiders.

Rumors of either an iPhone SE2 or iPhone 9 have been swirling for months with an unveiling likely in March.

Apple closes 3 China stores over coronavirus worries

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apple store in shangahi
The Shanghai Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

Government-ordered quarantines in place to contain a deadly coronavirus outbreak in China have forced Apple to temporarily close three stores in the country.

Apple’s good news about a record-breaking quarter this week have been tempered as executives monitor conditions in a country critical to the mass production of its most popular devices, especially the iPhone.

Ming-Chi Kuo: Coronavirus could hurt Apple 2021 iPhone production

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iPhone sales
The impact of coronavirus in China could hurt Apple in 2021.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo warns that Apple could experience product shipment delays and other risks if the deadly coronavirus spreading in China is not significantly contained before March.

In a note to investors Wednesday obtained by Cult of Mac, the respected soothsayer also warned that the coronavirus has caused consumer confidence in a market Apple has been trying to grow, especially with smartphones.

The biggest surprises from Apple’s shockingly good earnings report

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quotes on Apple
Tim Cook is the CEO of getting a bag.
Illustration: Cult of Mac

The first Apple earnings report of 2020 was a smashing success that shattered most of Apple’s previous records. Thanks to shockingly strong iPhone sales and a surging wearables business that is bigger than the Mac and the iPad, Apple managed to surpass even the most optimistic expectations.

Apple CEO Tim Cook held a call with investors after the numbers came out to dive deeper into the impressive quarterly results. Cook dished on everything from the success of Apple TV+ and problems with AirPods Pro supplies to the Wuhan coronavirus affecting China. If you didn’t get a chance to join the call, don’t worry, Cult of Mac has you covered with all the need-to-know info.

Apple may ramp up iPhone production amidst coronavirus concerns

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Apple boots smelter and refiners in crackdown on conflict minerals
Apple could increase iPhone manufacturing by 10% in first six months of the year.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly wants its suppliers to manufacture more than 80 million iPhones in the first half of 2020, a new report from Nikkei claims. If those figures are accurate, it would mean ramping up iPhone production by more than 10% compared to last year.

These units would mostly be Apple’s current-gen iPhone 11 series units. However, there would reportedly also be up to 15 million of the new iPhone SE 2 low-cost device Apple will supposedly introduce in March.

Apple donates to coronavirus relief efforts

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Mac attacks are on the up!
Apple is doing what it can to help those affected by the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Thousands of people in China contracted the Wuhan coronavirus, and several cities are been locked down in attempts to keep it from spreading during the Lunar New Year. Apple CEO Tim Cook promises his company will donate to relief efforts in China.

Apple ramps up A13 chip orders to cope with iPhone 11 demand

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iPhone-11-red
Customers can't get enough of iPhone 11.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has been forced to increase A13 chip orders to meet higher-than-anticipated demand for iPhone 11, according to a new report.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Apple’s primary chip supplier, has been asked to churn out more chips this quarter as iPhone outperforms market and Apple expectations.

Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices

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Hong Kong police arrest smugglers with $1 million of iPhones and other devices
This was one of the biggest hauls of smuggled electronics goods in Hong Kong history.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Police have arrested three people in Hong Kong after discovering a massive shipment of undeclared iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and assorted luxury items. The suspected smugglers were attempting to sneak the products into China to avoid paying tax on imports.

The South China Morning Post describes it as one of the “biggest hauls of electronic goods” in Hong Kong history. The total value of the tech products was $1 million. Other smuggled goods, including tech components and edible bird’s nests, were worth an extra $2.2 million.

Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais: Apple ‘runs sweatshops in China’

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Tim Cook Golden Globes
Tim Cook got all dressed up for the Golden Globes.
Photo: NBC/Golden Globes

Apple’s first night at the Golden Globes didn’t go exactly as Tim Cook may have hoped — with none of the nominations for Apple TV+ show The Morning Show resulting in award wins. Adding insult to injury, returning host Ricky Gervais quipped that Apple used sweatshops to make its products. And even drew parallels to terrorist group ISIS.

CEO Cook was in attendance for the ceremony.

Mac Pros bought in Europe are assembled in China, new users find

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Apple CEO Tim Cook talked Mac Pro with President Trump
Apple’s CEO took Pres. Trump on a tour of the US Mac Pro assembly plant.
Screenshot: White House

The 2019 Mac Pro is famously assembled in the United States. Apple CEO Tim Cook took President Trump on a tour of the plant in Texas where these powerful computers are put together.

But the situation is reportedly quite different if you place an order in Europe.