<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/key-elements-of-the-us-china-trade-deal-a-pact-to-pause-the-economic-conflict-274516">Key elements of the US-China trade deal: A pact to pause the economic conflict</a>

China agreed to buy $200 billion more in US goods over two years than it did in 2017 before the trade war erupted, according to the agreement signed Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iranians-bury-dead-from-downed-plane-after-days-of-rage-on-the-street-274513">Iranians bury dead from downed plane after days of rage on the street</a>

Emotions have been running high as the victims of the January 8 crash are mourned. The national flag was ripped from the coffin of one victim when relatives collected the body and the mother shouted "Tear it off," an online video post showed.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-speed-news-watch-top-national-and-international-news-of-the-morning-january-16-2020-274518">Watch: Top national and international news of the morning - January 16, 2020</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/for-the-first-time-us-census-to-count-sikhs-as-separate-ethnic-group-274473">In a first, US census to count Sikhs as separate ethnic group</a>

US Census Deputy Director Ron Jarmin said, "It's clear that a separate code is needed to ensure an accurate count of Sikhs in the United States, recognising a unique identity."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/jamie-foxx-on-lack-of-diversity-at-oscars-we-dont-start-these-movies-to-win-awards-274519">Jamie Foxx on lack of diversity at Oscars: We don't start these movies to win awards</a>

The film 'Just Mercy' tackles the subjects of wrongful convictions and racism. It was snubbed by the Academy when nominations were revealed on Monday.

Key elements of the US-China trade deal: A pact to pause the economic conflict China agreed to buy $200 billion more in US goods over two years than it did in 2017 before the trade war erupted, according to the agreement signed Wednesday.

Key elements of the US-China trade deal: A pact to pause the economic conflict China agreed to buy $200 billion more in US goods over two years than it did in 2017 before the trade war erupted, according to the agreement signed Wednesday. Iranians bury dead from downed plane after days of rage on the street Emotions have been running high as the victims of the January 8 crash are mourned. The national flag was ripped from the coffin of one victim when relatives collected the body and the mother shouted "Tear it off," an online video post showed. Watch: Top national and international news of the morning - January 16, 2020 In a first, US census to count Sikhs as separate ethnic group US Census Deputy Director Ron Jarmin said, "It's clear that a separate code is needed to ensure an accurate count of Sikhs in the United States, recognising a unique identity." Jamie Foxx on lack of diversity at Oscars: We don't start these movies to win awards The film 'Just Mercy' tackles the subjects of wrongful convictions and racism. It was snubbed by the Academy when nominations were revealed on Monday.

News brief: Top news stories this Morning - January 16, 2020

US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../us-prez-donald-trump-holds-rally-in-wisconsin- 274347">Donald Trump</a> has joined the chorus for weakening device encryptions.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-backs-sanders-in-row-with-warren-over-prospect-of-female-us-president-274374">Trump backs Sanders in row with Warren over prospect of female US president</a>

And on his radar, this time is the technology giant Apple.

Also see-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/democratic-debate-in-iowa-274401">Democratic Debate in Iowa</a>

Trump asked Apple to help the federal agencies unlock phones that are used by criminals something that Apple has refused to do.

He said that his government had consistently helped apple in trade matters and so it was time for Apple to reciprocate.

The US president in his tweet, said:&nbsp;"We are helping Apple all of the time on trade&nbsp;and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, Now! Make America great again."

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We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1217228960964038658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump's latest comments came after attorney general William Barr said that Apple "refused to cooperate"&nbsp;in the Florida shooting case involving a Saudi gunman.

Apple says that they offered all the necessary data to the FBI, including cloud data and back-ups.

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But they have consistently denied easing encryption levels for law enforcement agencies.&nbsp;In a statement issued on Monday, the company said there would be no backdoor entry for the good guys.

This is the latest instance in a long stand-off between Apple and the American government.&nbsp;Back in 2015, a terrorist attack in San Bernardino claimed the lives of 14 people.&nbsp;The FBI obtained a court order asking Apple to unlock the attacker's I-phone.

But Apple did not comply, and the FBI ended up using a private company to bypass the encryption.

Apple had a stand-off with the Obama administration over the same problem, and now it has spilt over to the Trump regime.

Tech companies like Apple and Google argue that weaker encryption will jeopardize billions of devices across the world.

But US Senate in December warned that if tech companies do not cooperate with law enforcement, they would introduce laws to regulate encryption.

Even in India, the government is fighting a battle with tech giants over encryption.

The Indian government argued that a terrorist cannot have privacy in India, and so phones belonging to criminals must be decrypted by the parent companies.

The disputes reached the Supreme Court, where Facebook argued that it was not legally bound to share data with the Indian government.

The company said it was open to the government decrypting messages by itself, but not to wilfully sharing user data.&nbsp;The case is a reminder of an earlier row between Facebook and the Indian government&nbsp;over WhatsApp decryption row.

US President Donald Trump has joined the chorus for weakening device encryptions. Also read: Trump backs Sanders in row with Warren over prospect of female US president And on his radar, this time is the technology giant Apple.

US President Donald Trump has joined the chorus for weakening device encryptions. Also read: Trump backs Sanders in row with Warren over prospect of female US president And on his radar, this time is the technology giant Apple. Also see- Democratic Debate in Iowa Trump asked Apple to help the federal agencies unlock phones that are used by criminals something that Apple has refused to do. He said that his government had consistently helped apple in trade matters and so it was time for Apple to reciprocate. The US president in his tweet, said: "We are helping Apple all of the time on trade and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, Now! Make America great again." We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements. They will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country, NOW! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2020 × Trump's latest comments came after attorney general William Barr said that Apple "refused to cooperate" in the Florida shooting case involving a Saudi gunman. Apple says that they offered all the necessary data to the FBI, including cloud data and back-ups. × But they have consistently denied easing encryption levels for law enforcement agencies. In a statement issued on Monday, the company said there would be no backdoor entry for the good guys. This is the latest instance in a long stand-off between Apple and the American government. Back in 2015, a terrorist attack in San Bernardino claimed the lives of 14 people. The FBI obtained a court order asking Apple to unlock the attacker's I-phone. But Apple did not comply, and the FBI ended up using a private company to bypass the encryption. Apple had a stand-off with the Obama administration over the same problem, and now it has spilt over to the Trump regime. Tech companies like Apple and Google argue that weaker encryption will jeopardize billions of devices across the world. But US Senate in December warned that if tech companies do not cooperate with law enforcement, they would introduce laws to regulate encryption. Even in India, the government is fighting a battle with tech giants over encryption. The Indian government argued that a terrorist cannot have privacy in India, and so phones belonging to criminals must be decrypted by the parent companies. The disputes reached the Supreme Court, where Facebook argued that it was not legally bound to share data with the Indian government. The company said it was open to the government decrypting messages by itself, but not to wilfully sharing user data. The case is a reminder of an earlier row between Facebook and the Indian government over WhatsApp decryption row.

We help Apple on trade, yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers: Trump

President Donald Trump on January 15 has reignited battle over encryption, calling out Apple for refusing to create backdoors that would help law enforcement agencies unlock iPhones. In a tweet Tuesday, Trump wrote, "We are helping Apple all of the time on TRADE and so many other issues, and yet they refuse to unlock phones used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements."

Trump calls for weaker encryption, wants suspects 'iPhones unlocked

Alphabet Inc's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/google-pay-to-offer-checking-accounts-through-citi-stanford-federal-261964">Google</a> has settled a "longstanding" tax dispute with Australia's tax office, it said on Wednesday, after paying an extra A$481.5 million ($326.75 million) on top of its previous tax bill.

The settlement comes after an audit that looked into the tech giant's tax practices between 2008 and 2018, a Google spokeswoman said.

In a separate statement, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it has now netted A$1.25 billion after also settling tax disputes recently with other tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook under the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law (MAAL).

"Thanks to the efforts of our ATO officers under the Tax Avoidance Taskforce and the introduction of the MAAL, Australian sourced sales by these digital giants will now be returned to Australia’s tax base," the ATO said in a statement, calling the settlement "another e-commerce victory."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-to-welcome-its-first-ever-facebook-tv-18323">Facebook</a>, Google, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/amazon-offers-employees-10000-to-quit-launch-delivery-business-218463">Amazon</a> and other large technology companies have faced criticism globally for reducing their tax bills by booking profits in low-tax countries regardless of the location of the end customer. Such practices are frowned upon by many countries as unfair.

A Google spokeswoman said the settlement with the ATO will provide certainty for future tax treatment.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a statement the establishment of the tax avoidance taskforce in 2016 has helped strengthen tax compliance of multinationals and large corporations.

"Ensuring large companies and multinationals pay the right amount of tax means we can continue to deliver the essential services Australians rely on," Frydenberg said.

Alphabet Inc's Google has settled a "longstanding" tax dispute with Australia's tax office, it said on Wednesday, after paying an extra A$481.5 million ($326.75 million) on top of its previous tax bill.

Alphabet Inc's Google has settled a "longstanding" tax dispute with Australia's tax office, it said on Wednesday, after paying an extra A$481.5 million ($326.75 million) on top of its previous tax bill. The settlement comes after an audit that looked into the tech giant's tax practices between 2008 and 2018, a Google spokeswoman said. In a separate statement, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) said it has now netted A$1.25 billion after also settling tax disputes recently with other tech giants such as Microsoft, Apple, and Facebook under the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law (MAAL). "Thanks to the efforts of our ATO officers under the Tax Avoidance Taskforce and the introduction of the MAAL, Australian sourced sales by these digital giants will now be returned to Australia’s tax base," the ATO said in a statement, calling the settlement "another e-commerce victory." Facebook, Google, Amazon and other large technology companies have faced criticism globally for reducing their tax bills by booking profits in low-tax countries regardless of the location of the end customer. Such practices are frowned upon by many countries as unfair. A Google spokeswoman said the settlement with the ATO will provide certainty for future tax treatment. Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in a statement the establishment of the tax avoidance taskforce in 2016 has helped strengthen tax compliance of multinationals and large corporations. "Ensuring large companies and multinationals pay the right amount of tax means we can continue to deliver the essential services Australians rely on," Frydenberg said.

Google settles longstanding tax dispute with Australia

US tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet have been named in a lawsuit over the deaths of child labourers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC).

Cobalt, a rare metal, is widely used by firms to make smartphones, laptops and electric cars.

Tesla and Dell have also been named in the lawsuit as defendants.

The International Rights Advocates (IRA) in its website said it had &nbsp;filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of fourteen plaintiffs which it said were linked to were "either guardians of children killed in tunnel or wall collapses while mining cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

The IRA said it had "evidence" that the tech companies "in particular aided and abetted the mines that abused and profited from forcing Plaintiffs and other children to mine cobalt under conditions that led to their deaths or serious, crippling injuries."

The tech companies have been&nbsp;accused of child labour in "violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act."

The campaign group said Congo is "the world’s largest deposits of cobalt" which is being used as an essential element in lithium-ion battery for "tech and electric car companies". Due to the boom in demand cobalt in mined under "most extreme contrasts" in DRC by children paid a dollar or two a day to supply cobalt, it said.

IRA said&nbsp;that the said companies failed to regulate their supply chains and instead profited from exploitation. The case has been launched by families whose children were killed or maimed while mining for cobalt,&nbsp;some children were killed in tunnel collapses while others were paralysed or suffered life-changing injuries, the advocacy group added.

The majority of Congo’s cobalt comes from large mining sites where rock is dug up by trucks, however,&nbsp;a growing proportion comes from an estimated one&nbsp;lakh fifty thousand "artisanal"&nbsp;or informal miners who dig by hand&nbsp;with growing demand for the metal&nbsp;scrutiny of mining practices is also on the rise.

US tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet have been named in a lawsuit over the deaths of child labourers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC).

US tech giants Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet have been named in a lawsuit over the deaths of child labourers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). Cobalt, a rare metal, is widely used by firms to make smartphones, laptops and electric cars. Tesla and Dell have also been named in the lawsuit as defendants. The International Rights Advocates (IRA) in its website said it had filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of fourteen plaintiffs which it said were linked to were "either guardians of children killed in tunnel or wall collapses while mining cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo." The IRA said it had "evidence" that the tech companies "in particular aided and abetted the mines that abused and profited from forcing Plaintiffs and other children to mine cobalt under conditions that led to their deaths or serious, crippling injuries." The tech companies have been accused of child labour in "violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act." The campaign group said Congo is "the world’s largest deposits of cobalt" which is being used as an essential element in lithium-ion battery for "tech and electric car companies". Due to the boom in demand cobalt in mined under "most extreme contrasts" in DRC by children paid a dollar or two a day to supply cobalt, it said. IRA said that the said companies failed to regulate their supply chains and instead profited from exploitation. The case has been launched by families whose children were killed or maimed while mining for cobalt, some children were killed in tunnel collapses while others were paralysed or suffered life-changing injuries, the advocacy group added. The majority of Congo’s cobalt comes from large mining sites where rock is dug up by trucks, however, a growing proportion comes from an estimated one lakh fifty thousand "artisanal" or informal miners who dig by hand with growing demand for the metal scrutiny of mining practices is also on the rise.

US tech giants accused over cobalt mine child labour abuse

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-taking-a-deeper-look-at-map-policies-after-calling-crimea-part-of-russia-265344">Apple</a> supplier <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-supplier-japan-display-aims-to-seal-468-million-bailout-deal-by-end-october-ceo-254195">Japan Display Inc</a> said on Thursday it plans to receive up to 90 billion yen ($830 million) in financial support from Ichigo Asset Management, giving effective control to the Japanese asset manager.

Ichigo will join Apple and Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp in bailing out the advanced liquid crystal display (LCD) maker.

Apple's commitment to financially support Japan Display has reassured potential investors, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters.

"It's a vote of confidence," one of them said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-asks-united-states-to-waive-tariffs-on-chinese-made-watches-iphone-parts-airpods-259657">Apple</a>, which sources LCD panels for iPhones from Japan Display, has agreed to shorten payment periods and to put up $200 million. The U.S. tech giant has rarely intervened to help distressed suppliers.

It will soon use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens from Japan Display for the Apple Watch, diversifying supplies currently dependent on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-supplier-lg-display-slashes-investment-plans-as-losses-mount-154339">LG Display</a>.

The deal with Ichigo will be finalised in January and completed by March, Japan Display said.

One of the sources said Scott Callon, Ichigo's chief executive officer, would join Japan Display as the company's co-chairman.

"Ichigo has told us that they hope to see us turn around while keeping Japanese technologies with us," Minoru Kikuoka, Japan Display's chief executive, told reporters on Thursday.

The company said the $200 million financial support promised by "a customer", which sources said was Apple, may come in the form of purchasing equipment at a smartphone screen plant.

Japan Display owes Apple more than $800 million for the $1.5 billion cost of building the plant four years ago.

Japan Display has been losing money for the past five years because of its late shift to OLED and a slowing smartphone market. Last month, it reported its 11th consecutive quarterly loss.

Bailout talks have been repeatedly derailed as Chinese investment firm Harvest and several other potential investors pulled out of the plan.

Japan Display was formed in 2012 when the LCD businesses of Hitachi Ltd, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/toshiba-shares-jump-as-delisting-fears-ease-18745">Toshiba Corp</a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/microsoft-sony-partner-on-streaming-games-chips-and-artificial-intelligence-219300&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjEx-_fgbDmAhWCzTgGHRJiDmQQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3eGNW1u36gY8XK6JJdQDQ3">Sony Corp</a> merged in a government-brokered deal.

The company came under scrutiny last month after it began a review of past earnings reports following revelations that an executive, who was fired last year, had embezzled about $5 million.

Apple supplier Japan Display Inc said on Thursday it plans to receive up to 90 billion yen ($830 million) in financial support from Ichigo Asset Management, giving effective control to the Japanese asset manager.

Apple supplier Japan Display Inc said on Thursday it plans to receive up to 90 billion yen ($830 million) in financial support from Ichigo Asset Management, giving effective control to the Japanese asset manager. Ichigo will join Apple and Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp in bailing out the advanced liquid crystal display (LCD) maker. Apple's commitment to financially support Japan Display has reassured potential investors, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters. "It's a vote of confidence," one of them said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Apple, which sources LCD panels for iPhones from Japan Display, has agreed to shorten payment periods and to put up $200 million. The U.S. tech giant has rarely intervened to help distressed suppliers. It will soon use organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens from Japan Display for the Apple Watch, diversifying supplies currently dependent on LG Display. The deal with Ichigo will be finalised in January and completed by March, Japan Display said. One of the sources said Scott Callon, Ichigo's chief executive officer, would join Japan Display as the company's co-chairman. "Ichigo has told us that they hope to see us turn around while keeping Japanese technologies with us," Minoru Kikuoka, Japan Display's chief executive, told reporters on Thursday. The company said the $200 million financial support promised by "a customer", which sources said was Apple, may come in the form of purchasing equipment at a smartphone screen plant. Japan Display owes Apple more than $800 million for the $1.5 billion cost of building the plant four years ago. Japan Display has been losing money for the past five years because of its late shift to OLED and a slowing smartphone market. Last month, it reported its 11th consecutive quarterly loss. Bailout talks have been repeatedly derailed as Chinese investment firm Harvest and several other potential investors pulled out of the plan. Japan Display was formed in 2012 when the LCD businesses of Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba Corp, and Sony Corp merged in a government-brokered deal. The company came under scrutiny last month after it began a review of past earnings reports following revelations that an executive, who was fired last year, had embezzled about $5 million.

Apple supplier Japan Display to receive $830 million from asset manager Ichigo

A federal judge on Monday rejected<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/how-apple-disrupted-the-world-16525">&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;Inc's</a>&nbsp;bid to dismiss a proposed&nbsp;class-action&nbsp;lawsuit by customers who said it knew and concealed how the "butterfly"&nbsp;keyboards on its&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;laptop computers were prone to failure.

US&nbsp;District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California said&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;must face claims that its troubleshooting program did not provide an "effective fix" for&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;design defects, or fully compensate customers for their out-of-pocket expenses while seeking repairs.

Customers claimed that their<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/dont-fly-with-apples-old-macbook-pro-laptops-dgca-requests-passengers-245804">&nbsp;MacBook</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/apple-unveils-new-macbook-pro-with-touch-bar-hikes-price-8031/amp">MacBook&nbsp;Pro</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hold-on-is-apple-going-to-lauch-new-ipads-this-month-36267">MacBook&nbsp;Air</a> laptop&nbsp;keyboards suffered from sticky keys, unresponsive keys, and keystrokes that failed to register when tiny amounts of dust or debris accumulated under or near keys.

They also said&nbsp;Apple's service program was inadequate because the Cupertino, California-based company often provided replacement&nbsp;keyboards that had the same problems.

The lawsuit covers purchasers of model year 2015 or later&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;laptops, and model year 2016 or later&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;Pros laptops. It seeks a variety of damages for violations of several states' consumer protection laws.

Apple&nbsp;did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Benjamin Johns, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he was pleased with the decision and looked forward to pursuing the case.

Last month,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;introduced a&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;Pro with a larger screen and new "Magic"&nbsp;keyboard&nbsp;with the "scissor" mechanism more commonly found in the industry. The hinged butterfly mechanism resembles a butterfly's wings.

Mac sales, including various&nbsp;MacBook&nbsp;models, accounted for about 10 per cent&nbsp;of&nbsp;Apple's $260.2 billion of net sales in its fiscal year&nbsp;ended September&nbsp;28.

The case is In re MacBook&nbsp;Keyboard&nbsp;Litigation, US&nbsp;District Court, Northern District of California, No. 18-02813.

A federal judge on Monday rejected Apple Inc's bid to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit by customers who said it knew and concealed how the "butterfly" keyboards on its MacBook laptop computers were prone to failure.

A federal judge on Monday rejected Apple Inc's bid to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit by customers who said it knew and concealed how the "butterfly" keyboards on its MacBook laptop computers were prone to failure. US District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California said Apple must face claims that its troubleshooting program did not provide an "effective fix" for MacBook design defects, or fully compensate customers for their out-of-pocket expenses while seeking repairs. Customers claimed that their MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air laptop keyboards suffered from sticky keys, unresponsive keys, and keystrokes that failed to register when tiny amounts of dust or debris accumulated under or near keys. They also said Apple's service program was inadequate because the Cupertino, California-based company often provided replacement keyboards that had the same problems. The lawsuit covers purchasers of model year 2015 or later MacBook laptops, and model year 2016 or later MacBook Pros laptops. It seeks a variety of damages for violations of several states' consumer protection laws. Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Benjamin Johns, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said he was pleased with the decision and looked forward to pursuing the case. Last month, Apple introduced a MacBook Pro with a larger screen and new "Magic" keyboard with the "scissor" mechanism more commonly found in the industry. The hinged butterfly mechanism resembles a butterfly's wings. Mac sales, including various MacBook models, accounted for about 10 per cent of Apple's $260.2 billion of net sales in its fiscal year ended September 28. The case is In re MacBook Keyboard Litigation, US District Court, Northern District of California, No. 18-02813.

Apple fails to end MacBook 'butterfly' keyboard class action

US online sales are set to hit a new record on this week's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/between-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-pope-condemns-virus-of-consumerism-265592#excesses-of-con-265585">"Cyber&nbsp;Monday,"</a> Adobe Analytics said, as e-commerce outlets gear up to lure shoppers in the opening days of the holiday season.

Internet purchases are expected to reach $9.4 billion, a jump of nearly 19 per cent over last year's record-setting $7.9 billion take, according to a Sunday estimate from the company, which measures transactions from 80 of the 100 largest US online retailers.

US merchants have long viewed the days after the Thursday Thanksgiving holiday as a prime time to part shoppers from their money, particularly during the "Black Friday" sales following the holiday.

This year's expected record-setting shopping comes as Price Waterhouse Cooper found for the first time that a majority of people surveyed said they would rather shop online than in a brick-and-mortar store.

Shoppers spent $7.4 billion online on Friday, according to Adobe. Some 40 per cent of these purchases were made using smartphones. On Thanksgiving Day, US consumers spent $4.2 billion online.

Online sales on "Small Business Saturday" amounted to $3.6 billion, up 18 per cent over last year.

This increase was "fueled by strong gains from both large and small retailers alike," said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe.

"The weekend between Black Friday and&nbsp;Cyber&nbsp;Monday&nbsp;is emerging as a truly lucrative period for online commerce," he added.

The hottest toys included L.O.L. Surprise dolls and items linked to the Disney blockbuster movie <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/frozen-2-review-elsa-and-anna-grow-up-and-take-charge-of-things-263883">"Frozen 2."</a> In the video game category, the top sellers were FIFA 20, Madden 20 and Nintendo Switch.

The most popular electronics were <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-taking-a-deeper-look-at-map-policies-after-calling-crimea-part-of-russia-265344">Apple</a> laptops, AirPods and Samsung TVs.

Adobe expects shoppers to spend a total of $143.8 billion during the entire holiday season.

According to a study released on Sunday by the International Council of Shopping Centers,&nbsp;an estimated 160 million people flocked to stores over the Thanksgiving weekend and spent on average just over $500 each.

That's up from 151 million shoppers last year.

US online sales are set to hit a new record on this week's "Cyber Monday," Adobe Analytics said, as e-commerce outlets gear up to lure shoppers in the opening days of the holiday season.

US online sales are set to hit a new record on this week's "Cyber Monday," Adobe Analytics said, as e-commerce outlets gear up to lure shoppers in the opening days of the holiday season. Internet purchases are expected to reach $9.4 billion, a jump of nearly 19 per cent over last year's record-setting $7.9 billion take, according to a Sunday estimate from the company, which measures transactions from 80 of the 100 largest US online retailers. US merchants have long viewed the days after the Thursday Thanksgiving holiday as a prime time to part shoppers from their money, particularly during the "Black Friday" sales following the holiday. This year's expected record-setting shopping comes as Price Waterhouse Cooper found for the first time that a majority of people surveyed said they would rather shop online than in a brick-and-mortar store. Shoppers spent $7.4 billion online on Friday, according to Adobe. Some 40 per cent of these purchases were made using smartphones. On Thanksgiving Day, US consumers spent $4.2 billion online. Online sales on "Small Business Saturday" amounted to $3.6 billion, up 18 per cent over last year. This increase was "fueled by strong gains from both large and small retailers alike," said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe. "The weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is emerging as a truly lucrative period for online commerce," he added. The hottest toys included L.O.L. Surprise dolls and items linked to the Disney blockbuster movie "Frozen 2." In the video game category, the top sellers were FIFA 20, Madden 20 and Nintendo Switch. The most popular electronics were Apple laptops, AirPods and Samsung TVs. Adobe expects shoppers to spend a total of $143.8 billion during the entire holiday season. According to a study released on Sunday by the International Council of Shopping Centers, an estimated 160 million people flocked to stores over the Thanksgiving weekend and spent on average just over $500 each. That's up from 151 million shoppers last year.

'Cyber Monday' on track for record US online sales: Estimate

Apple Inc is "taking a deeper look at how we handle disputed borders" after it referred to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia in its Maps and Weather apps for Russian users, a company spokeswoman told on Friday.

Apple Inc is "taking a deeper look at how we handle disputed borders" after it referred to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia in its Maps and Weather apps for Russian users, a company spokeswoman told on Friday. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told that Apple has not made any changes to its maps outside of Russia and made the change for Russian users because of a new law that went into effect in that country. "We review international law as well as relevant US and other domestic laws before making a determination in labelling on our Maps and make changes if required by law. We are taking a deeper look at how we handle disputed borders in our services and may make changes in the future as a result," Muller told. Russia and Ukraine have both been highly sensitive to the way global companies identify Crimea, since Russian troops seized the territory and Moscow annexed it in March 2014 after a referendum that Kiev and its Western allies say was illegal. Russian and Ukrainian embassies in the United States did not immediately return requests for comment on Friday. Apple appeared to have changed the way it displays locations in Crimea in its software, in a nod to Russian politicians who have demanded the peninsula be referred to as part of Russia. Reporters in Moscow who typed the name of the Crimean provincial capital Simferopol into Apple's Maps and Weather apps on Wednesday saw it displayed as “Simferopol, Crimea, Russia”. Users elsewhere — including in Ukraine’s capital Kiev and in Crimea itself — see locations in Crimea displayed without specifying which country they belong to. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that Apple did not “give a damn” about the country's pain. The EU and United States do not recognise Crimea as Russian and have imposed sanctions against the peninsula and individuals they accuse of violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Apple 'taking a deeper look' at map policies after calling Crimea part of Russia

Iconic Designer Sir Jony Ive Quits Apple.

Gravitas: Is Apple Still The 'Apple Of The Eye'?

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-ordered-ukraine-deal-to-probe-biden-us-diplomat-sondland-263493">Ukraine</a> has lashed out at Apple for showing the annexed Crimea peninsula as part of Russia, saying the US tech giant did not "give a damn" about the pain of the Ukrainian people.

Russian lawmakers said on Wednesday that Apple had complied with a demand from Moscow for Crimea to appear as Russian territory on its maps and weather apps.

"Let me explain in your terms, @Apple," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko wrote on Twitter in response to the news.

"Imagine you're crying out that your design &amp; ideas, years of work &amp; piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy but then smb ignorant doesn't give a damn about your pain. That's how it feels when you call #Crimea a (Russian) land," he said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Let me explain in your terms, <a href="https://twitter.com/Apple?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Apple</a>. Imagine you're crying out that your design &amp; ideas, years of work &amp; piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy but then smb ignorant doesn't give a damn about your pain. That's how it feels when you call <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Crimea?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Crimea</a> a 🇷🇺 land.
— Vadym Prystaiko (@VPrystaiko) <a href="https://twitter.com/VPrystaiko/status/1199727752468930562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"@Apple, please, please, stick to high-tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side."

The Ukrainian Embassy in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-cut-spending-on-nato-budget-germany-to-pay-more-265077">United States</a> tweeted: "We guess Ukrainians (are) not giving any thanks to @Apple this #Thanksgiving!"

As of Wednesday, the Black Sea peninsula and its largest cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol were being displayed as Russian territory on Apple's apps when used in Russia.

Moscow has put pressure on foreign companies to recognise the peninsula as an integral part of its territory.

Some Ukrainians responded by calling for a boycott of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-intel-file-antitrust-case-against-softbank-owned-firm-over-patent-practices-263533">Apple</a> devices.

"Let's take our gadgets onto the square, pile them up and burn them," wrote Igor Kravchuk from Kharkiv on Facebook.

Another, Yevgen Petrov from Zhytomyr, said: "Let's boycott Apple and support Android, a creator of gadgets that don't cave in to the Kremlin!"

Google does not identify Crimea as belonging to either <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/olympic-chief-says-will-do-everything-to-ensure-russia-at-2020-games-265073">Russia</a> or Ukraine on its maps.

However, when used in Russia, it writes Crimean placenames in Russian and shows a line along the de facto border with Ukraine.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move condemned by most of the global community. The seizure of the peninsula helped spark a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 13,000 lives.

EU member Lithuania backed Ukraine, with its foreign minister Linas Linkevicius tweeting: "We call on Apple to revert this ignorant standpoint as status quo has not changed in Crimea: it's still occupied by #Russia."

Russian lawmakers backed Apple's actions, however.

An MP representing Crimea in Russia's parliament, Mikhail Sheremet, told RIA Novosti news agency that Apple "doesn't want to lose the highly profitable and promising Russian market".

US President Donald Trump "should follow Apple's example and take the only correct and lawful decision to recognise Crimea's status as Russian," a lawmaker in Crimea's parliament, Alexei Chernyak, told RIA Novosti.

Russia and Apple had been in talks over the last few months, with the US giant initially trying to show Crimea as undefined territory and removing any mention of Ukraine.

Russia in November passed a law that requires phones and computers to be sold with Russian software pre-installed, although it does not enter force until June next year.

Apple has threatened to leave the Russian market over the law, since it does not sell phones with other companies' software.

Russian experts have warned that it may become impossible to buy Apple products in stores in the country.

This could mean "farewell to iPhones", warned the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Ukraine has lashed out at Apple for showing the annexed Crimea peninsula as part of Russia, saying the US tech giant did not "give a damn" about the pain of the Ukrainian people.

Ukraine has lashed out at Apple for showing the annexed Crimea peninsula as part of Russia, saying the US tech giant did not "give a damn" about the pain of the Ukrainian people. Russian lawmakers said on Wednesday that Apple had complied with a demand from Moscow for Crimea to appear as Russian territory on its maps and weather apps. "Let me explain in your terms, @Apple," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko wrote on Twitter in response to the news. "Imagine you're crying out that your design & ideas, years of work & piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy but then smb ignorant doesn't give a damn about your pain. That's how it feels when you call #Crimea a (Russian) land," he said. Let me explain in your terms, @Apple. Imagine you're crying out that your design & ideas, years of work & piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy but then smb ignorant doesn't give a damn about your pain. That's how it feels when you call #Crimea a 🇷🇺 land. — Vadym Prystaiko (@VPrystaiko) November 27, 2019 × "@Apple, please, please, stick to high-tech and entertainment. Global politics is not your strong side." The Ukrainian Embassy in the United States tweeted: "We guess Ukrainians (are) not giving any thanks to @Apple this #Thanksgiving!" As of Wednesday, the Black Sea peninsula and its largest cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol were being displayed as Russian territory on Apple's apps when used in Russia. Moscow has put pressure on foreign companies to recognise the peninsula as an integral part of its territory. Some Ukrainians responded by calling for a boycott of Apple devices. "Let's take our gadgets onto the square, pile them up and burn them," wrote Igor Kravchuk from Kharkiv on Facebook. Another, Yevgen Petrov from Zhytomyr, said: "Let's boycott Apple and support Android, a creator of gadgets that don't cave in to the Kremlin!" Google does not identify Crimea as belonging to either Russia or Ukraine on its maps. However, when used in Russia, it writes Crimean placenames in Russian and shows a line along the de facto border with Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move condemned by most of the global community. The seizure of the peninsula helped spark a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. EU member Lithuania backed Ukraine, with its foreign minister Linas Linkevicius tweeting: "We call on Apple to revert this ignorant standpoint as status quo has not changed in Crimea: it's still occupied by #Russia." Russian lawmakers backed Apple's actions, however. An MP representing Crimea in Russia's parliament, Mikhail Sheremet, told RIA Novosti news agency that Apple "doesn't want to lose the highly profitable and promising Russian market". US President Donald Trump "should follow Apple's example and take the only correct and lawful decision to recognise Crimea's status as Russian," a lawmaker in Crimea's parliament, Alexei Chernyak, told RIA Novosti. Russia and Apple had been in talks over the last few months, with the US giant initially trying to show Crimea as undefined territory and removing any mention of Ukraine. Russia in November passed a law that requires phones and computers to be sold with Russian software pre-installed, although it does not enter force until June next year. Apple has threatened to leave the Russian market over the law, since it does not sell phones with other companies' software. Russian experts have warned that it may become impossible to buy Apple products in stores in the country. This could mean "farewell to iPhones", warned the tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Ukraine slams Apple for calling Crimea part of Russia

Trump-Cook bonhomie on display as both visit Apple facility

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-praises-apple-chief-tim-cook-for-great-job-in-austin-after-tirade-against-technology-firms-263491">Apple Inc</a> and Intel Corp on Wednesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, alleging the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/softbank-to-create-30-billion-tech-giant-with-yahoo-japan-line-corp-merger-262950">SoftBank</a> Group Corp unit stockpiled patents to hold up tech firms with lawsuits demanding as much as $5.1 billion.

The suit follows an earlier case that Intel filed against Fortress in October. Intel withdrew that suit and on Wednesday filed a new version in the US&nbsp;District Court for the Northern District of California with Apple joining as a plaintiff.

Intel and Apple allege that Fortress and firms it either owned or whose patent portfolios it effectively controlled - and which do no make any technology products - stockpiled patents for the primary purpose of suing technology companies and did so in a manner that violated US&nbsp;antitrust laws.

"Apple has suffered economic harm in the form of litigation costs and diversion of resources away from innovation to respond to these entities' serial nuisance suits," Apple wrote in the complaint.

Fortress and Japanese parent SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wall-street-set-for-weak-open-amidst-us-china-trade-war-and-hong-kong-crisis-261444">Intel</a> filed the similar lawsuit in October, a Fortress spokesman told Reuters the company was "confident in our business practices and our legal position and view this lawsuit as meritless".

In the filing on Wednesday, Apple said firms connected to Fortress had filed at least 25 lawsuits against the iPhone maker demanding $2.6 billion to $5.1 billion in damages. One of the suits, Apple wrote in its filing, alleged that Apple violated a step-counting patent in its devices with health-tracking apps.

Two Fortress-connected firms, Uniloc USA and Uniloc Luxembourg, "have disclosed that they believe they are entitled to damages of between $1.41 and $2.75 per Apple product, for total damages in the range of $375 to $732 million," Apple wrote in its complaint.

"The apparent precision of the per-unit damages request is a facade; Uniloc USA and Uniloc Luxembourg simply adopted the amounts that Apple sought from Samsung in litigation for Apple's patents," Apple wrote, referring to South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Intel said it could not comment beyond the court filing. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple Inc and Intel Corp on Wednesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, alleging the SoftBank Group Corp unit stockpiled patents to hold up tech firms with lawsuits demanding as much as $5.

Apple Inc and Intel Corp on Wednesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, alleging the SoftBank Group Corp unit stockpiled patents to hold up tech firms with lawsuits demanding as much as $5.1 billion. The suit follows an earlier case that Intel filed against Fortress in October. Intel withdrew that suit and on Wednesday filed a new version in the US District Court for the Northern District of California with Apple joining as a plaintiff. Intel and Apple allege that Fortress and firms it either owned or whose patent portfolios it effectively controlled - and which do no make any technology products - stockpiled patents for the primary purpose of suing technology companies and did so in a manner that violated US antitrust laws. "Apple has suffered economic harm in the form of litigation costs and diversion of resources away from innovation to respond to these entities' serial nuisance suits," Apple wrote in the complaint. Fortress and Japanese parent SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. When Intel filed the similar lawsuit in October, a Fortress spokesman told Reuters the company was "confident in our business practices and our legal position and view this lawsuit as meritless". In the filing on Wednesday, Apple said firms connected to Fortress had filed at least 25 lawsuits against the iPhone maker demanding $2.6 billion to $5.1 billion in damages. One of the suits, Apple wrote in its filing, alleged that Apple violated a step-counting patent in its devices with health-tracking apps. Two Fortress-connected firms, Uniloc USA and Uniloc Luxembourg, "have disclosed that they believe they are entitled to damages of between $1.41 and $2.75 per Apple product, for total damages in the range of $375 to $732 million," Apple wrote in its complaint. "The apparent precision of the per-unit damages request is a facade; Uniloc USA and Uniloc Luxembourg simply adopted the amounts that Apple sought from Samsung in litigation for Apple's patents," Apple wrote, referring to South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. Intel said it could not comment beyond the court filing. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple, Intel file antitrust case against SoftBank- Owned firm over patent practices

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-cook-meeting-culminates-with-visit-to-apple-factory-263332">President Donald Trump toured Apple's Texas</a> manufacturing plant Wednesday in a visit marking a brief truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook.

"He is a very special person as far as this country is concerned," Trump said of Cook as they stood side-by-side, adding that he's done a "great job."

The visit gave Trump a chance to hail American manufacturing and step back, at least temporarily, from his tirade against big technology firms, including Apple, which he criticizes for manufacturing its products abroad.

Trump praised what he said was an "incredible product that is made right here."

"When you build in the United States you don't have to worry about tariffs," he said, referring to those waged by China.

Apple announced in September it would keep making its Mac Pro computer in the United States, after obtaining tariff exemptions for some components in the high-end computers.

The developments show an unusual Trump-Cook relationship in sharp contrast with the president's attacks on other tech giants.

"On the face of it, it's an unlikely relationship," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates who follows the sector.

Cook, who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, has been able to sidestep much of Trump's anger by being "very diplomatic," Kay said.

"He's not saying 'I love Trump,' but he's not saying 'I hate Trump,'" said Kay.

"He hasn't made any disparaging public comments. By not ruffling Trump's feathers he's gotten quite a lot out of it."

Cook and Trump remain far apart on a number of issues including trade and immigration, with Apple opposing the White House plan to end protection for so-called "dreamers" who came to the US as children.

While Apple has acknowledged it has paid some tariffs imposed by Trump on goods imported from China, the iPhone maker has so far avoided a major impact from the trade friction.

Watch: Donald Trump calls Apple CEO Tim Cook as Tim Apple

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-calls-apple-ceo-tim-cooks-as-tim-apple-201910/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Sidestepping Trump tirades

Trump, who has called Google and social media firms "biased" and been especially critical of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos,&nbsp;accusing him of using his personal investment in The Washington Post for politics, has had mostly praise for the Apple CEO.

"Other companies hire very expensive consultants," Trump said in August. "But the only one who calls me is Tim Cook. He calls me whenever there's a problem."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-impeachment-inquiry-us-president-says-does-not-know-sondland-very-well-263475">Trump, who once referred to the CEO as "Tim Apple"</a>, appears to be forging a friendly relationship with Cook even when he offers criticism.

In one tweet, he seemed to fret over the design of the latest iPhones which no longer have a home button.

"To Tim: The Button on the iPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!" Trump wrote.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Cook has quietly cultivated his relationship with Trump through the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both of whom advise the president.

Trump appears to have softened some of his positions on tariffs after hearing Cook's argument that punishing Apple would help foreign rivals such as Samsung.

"Tim Cook has gone out of his way it seems to develop a relationship with President Trump because he was concerned I'm sure of the potential impact on the business" from Trump's policies, said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research.

Because most of Apple products are manufactured in China, "there was a potentially large impact on profitability," O'Donnell said.

"Tim Cook is trying to be pragmatic and trying to address the issue by tackling it head-on."

Apple, which benefited from legislation signed by Trump that reduced taxes on repatriated profits from 35 to 15 percent, has responded to White House efforts by pledging to invest $350 billion in the US economy by 2023 through its own manufacturing and from suppliers.

O'Donnell said that Cook's efforts to forge a relationship with Trump has some risks as well in Silicon Valley, where the president is unpopular.

"I think some people who are Apple fans and don't like Trump find it a little disconcerting," O'Donnell said.

Kay said however that Apple employees and customers understand the needs of the business, and that Cook's efforts might even ease some of the tensions between the White House and the tech industry.

"Maybe Tim can create&nbsp;a rosier halo around Silicon Valley," Kay said.

"If he puts a human face on Silicon Valley, it could give Trump a slightly different view."

President Donald Trump toured Apple's Texas manufacturing plant Wednesday in a visit marking a brief truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook.

President Donald Trump toured Apple's Texas manufacturing plant Wednesday in a visit marking a brief truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook. "He is a very special person as far as this country is concerned," Trump said of Cook as they stood side-by-side, adding that he's done a "great job." The visit gave Trump a chance to hail American manufacturing and step back, at least temporarily, from his tirade against big technology firms, including Apple, which he criticizes for manufacturing its products abroad. Trump praised what he said was an "incredible product that is made right here." "When you build in the United States you don't have to worry about tariffs," he said, referring to those waged by China. Apple announced in September it would keep making its Mac Pro computer in the United States, after obtaining tariff exemptions for some components in the high-end computers. The developments show an unusual Trump-Cook relationship in sharp contrast with the president's attacks on other tech giants. "On the face of it, it's an unlikely relationship," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates who follows the sector. Cook, who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, has been able to sidestep much of Trump's anger by being "very diplomatic," Kay said. "He's not saying 'I love Trump,' but he's not saying 'I hate Trump,'" said Kay. "He hasn't made any disparaging public comments. By not ruffling Trump's feathers he's gotten quite a lot out of it." Cook and Trump remain far apart on a number of issues including trade and immigration, with Apple opposing the White House plan to end protection for so-called "dreamers" who came to the US as children. While Apple has acknowledged it has paid some tariffs imposed by Trump on goods imported from China, the iPhone maker has so far avoided a major impact from the trade friction. Watch: Donald Trump calls Apple CEO Tim Cook as Tim Apple Sidestepping Trump tirades Trump, who has called Google and social media firms "biased" and been especially critical of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, accusing him of using his personal investment in The Washington Post for politics, has had mostly praise for the Apple CEO. "Other companies hire very expensive consultants," Trump said in August. "But the only one who calls me is Tim Cook. He calls me whenever there's a problem." Trump, who once referred to the CEO as "Tim Apple", appears to be forging a friendly relationship with Cook even when he offers criticism. In one tweet, he seemed to fret over the design of the latest iPhones which no longer have a home button. "To Tim: The Button on the iPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!" Trump wrote. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cook has quietly cultivated his relationship with Trump through the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both of whom advise the president. Trump appears to have softened some of his positions on tariffs after hearing Cook's argument that punishing Apple would help foreign rivals such as Samsung. "Tim Cook has gone out of his way it seems to develop a relationship with President Trump because he was concerned I'm sure of the potential impact on the business" from Trump's policies, said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research. Because most of Apple products are manufactured in China, "there was a potentially large impact on profitability," O'Donnell said. "Tim Cook is trying to be pragmatic and trying to address the issue by tackling it head-on." Apple, which benefited from legislation signed by Trump that reduced taxes on repatriated profits from 35 to 15 percent, has responded to White House efforts by pledging to invest $350 billion in the US economy by 2023 through its own manufacturing and from suppliers. O'Donnell said that Cook's efforts to forge a relationship with Trump has some risks as well in Silicon Valley, where the president is unpopular. "I think some people who are Apple fans and don't like Trump find it a little disconcerting," O'Donnell said. Kay said however that Apple employees and customers understand the needs of the business, and that Cook's efforts might even ease some of the tensions between the White House and the tech industry. "Maybe Tim can create a rosier halo around Silicon Valley," Kay said. "If he puts a human face on Silicon Valley, it could give Trump a slightly different view."

US President Donald Trump praises Apple chief Tim Cook for 'great job' in Austin after tirade against technology firms

President Donald Trump's visit to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/gary-oldman-to-star-in-apple-tv-drama-series-slow-horses-262526">Apple's Texas</a> manufacturing plant represents a truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook.

The visit will give the US leader a chance to hail American manufacturing and step back, at least temporarily, from his tirade against big technology firms.

Apple announced in September it would keep making its Mac Pro computer in the United States, after obtaining tariff exemptions for some components in the high-end computers.

The developments show an unusual Trump-Cook relationship in sharp contrast with the president's attacks on other tech giants.

"On the face of it, it's an unlikely relationship," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates who follows the sector.

Cook, who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, has been able to sidestep much of Trump's anger by being "very diplomatic," Kay said.

"He's not saying 'I love Trump,' but he's not saying 'I hate Trump,'" said Kay.

"He hasn't made any disparaging public comments. By not ruffling Trump's feathers he's gotten quite a lot out of it."

Cook and Trump remain far apart on a number of issues including trade and immigration, with Apple opposing the White House plan to end protection&nbsp;for so-called "dreamers" who came to the US as children.

While Apple has acknowledged it has paid some tariffs imposed by Trump on goods imported from China, the iPhone maker has so far avoided a major impact from the trade friction.

Sidestepping Trump tirades

Trump, who has called Google and social media firms "biased" and been especially critical of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos,&nbsp;accusing him of using his personal investment in the Washington Post for politics, has had mostly praise for the Apple CEO.

"Other companies hire very expensive consultants," Trump said in August. "But the only one who calls me is Tim Cook. He calls me whenever there's a problem."

Trump, who once referred to the CEO as "Tim Apple," appears to be forging a friendly relationship with Cook even when he offers criticism.

In one tweet, he seemed to fret over the design of the latest iPhones which no longer have a home button.

"To Tim: The Button on the iPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!" Trump wrote.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Cook has quietly cultivated his relationship with Trump through the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both of whom advise the president.

Trump appears to have softened some of his positions on tariffs after hearing Cook's argument that punishing Apple would help foreign rivals such as Samsung.

"Tim Cook has gone out of his way it seems to develop a relationship with President Trump because he was concerned I'm sure of the potential impact on the business" from Trump's policies, said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research.

Because most of Apple products are manufactured in China, "there was a potentially large impact on profitability," O'Donnell said.

"Tim Cook is trying to be pragmatic and trying to address the issue by tackling it head-on."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-co-founder-says-apple-card-algorithm-gave-wife-lower-credit-limit-261266">Apple</a>, which benefited from legislation signed by Trump that reduced taxes on repatriated profits from 35 to 15 per cent, has responded to White House efforts by pledging to invest $350 billion in the US economy by 2023 through its own manufacturing and from suppliers.

O'Donnell said that Cook's efforts to forge a relationship with Trump has some risks as well in Silicon Valley, where the president is unpopular.

"I think some people who are Apple fans and don't like Trump find it a little disconcerting," O'Donnell said.

Kay said however that Apple employees and customers understand the needs of the business, and that Cook's efforts might even ease some of the tensions between the White House and the tech industry.

"Maybe Tim can create&nbsp;a rosier halo around Silicon Valley," Kay said.

"If he puts a human face on Silicon Valley, it could give Trump a slightly different view."

President Donald Trump's visit to Apple's Texas manufacturing plant represents a truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook.

President Donald Trump's visit to Apple's Texas manufacturing plant represents a truce in the White House war on Silicon Valley and an unlikely "bromance" with chief executive Tim Cook. The visit will give the US leader a chance to hail American manufacturing and step back, at least temporarily, from his tirade against big technology firms. Apple announced in September it would keep making its Mac Pro computer in the United States, after obtaining tariff exemptions for some components in the high-end computers. The developments show an unusual Trump-Cook relationship in sharp contrast with the president's attacks on other tech giants. "On the face of it, it's an unlikely relationship," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates who follows the sector. Cook, who supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, has been able to sidestep much of Trump's anger by being "very diplomatic," Kay said. "He's not saying 'I love Trump,' but he's not saying 'I hate Trump,'" said Kay. "He hasn't made any disparaging public comments. By not ruffling Trump's feathers he's gotten quite a lot out of it." Cook and Trump remain far apart on a number of issues including trade and immigration, with Apple opposing the White House plan to end protection for so-called "dreamers" who came to the US as children. While Apple has acknowledged it has paid some tariffs imposed by Trump on goods imported from China, the iPhone maker has so far avoided a major impact from the trade friction. Sidestepping Trump tirades Trump, who has called Google and social media firms "biased" and been especially critical of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, accusing him of using his personal investment in the Washington Post for politics, has had mostly praise for the Apple CEO. "Other companies hire very expensive consultants," Trump said in August. "But the only one who calls me is Tim Cook. He calls me whenever there's a problem." Trump, who once referred to the CEO as "Tim Apple," appears to be forging a friendly relationship with Cook even when he offers criticism. In one tweet, he seemed to fret over the design of the latest iPhones which no longer have a home button. "To Tim: The Button on the iPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!" Trump wrote. According to the Wall Street Journal, Cook has quietly cultivated his relationship with Trump through the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, both of whom advise the president. Trump appears to have softened some of his positions on tariffs after hearing Cook's argument that punishing Apple would help foreign rivals such as Samsung. "Tim Cook has gone out of his way it seems to develop a relationship with President Trump because he was concerned I'm sure of the potential impact on the business" from Trump's policies, said Bob O'Donnell of Technalysis Research. Because most of Apple products are manufactured in China, "there was a potentially large impact on profitability," O'Donnell said. "Tim Cook is trying to be pragmatic and trying to address the issue by tackling it head-on." Apple, which benefited from legislation signed by Trump that reduced taxes on repatriated profits from 35 to 15 per cent, has responded to White House efforts by pledging to invest $350 billion in the US economy by 2023 through its own manufacturing and from suppliers. O'Donnell said that Cook's efforts to forge a relationship with Trump has some risks as well in Silicon Valley, where the president is unpopular. "I think some people who are Apple fans and don't like Trump find it a little disconcerting," O'Donnell said. Kay said however that Apple employees and customers understand the needs of the business, and that Cook's efforts might even ease some of the tensions between the White House and the tech industry. "Maybe Tim can create a rosier halo around Silicon Valley," Kay said. "If he puts a human face on Silicon Valley, it could give Trump a slightly different view."

Trump-Cook meeting to culminate with visit to Apple factory

Samsung's plan to&nbsp;outsource a fifth of its smartphone production to&nbsp;China&nbsp;next year may help it compete with low-cost&nbsp;rivals&nbsp;such as Huawei and Xiaomi but it's a strategy fraught with risks, people with familiar with the move said.

Samsung&nbsp;Electronics, which shut its last in-house Chinese smartphone factory in October, is quietly moving production of some Galaxy A models to contractors such as Wingtech, which are little known&nbsp;outside&nbsp;China.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/samsung-says-to-shut-down-united-states-cpu-research-division-260078">Samsung&nbsp;</a>has been coy about&nbsp;the volumes involved but sources said the South Korean tech giant plans to ship some 60 million&nbsp;phones&nbsp;made&nbsp;in&nbsp;China&nbsp;by so-called original design manufacturers (ODMs) next year&nbsp;out&nbsp;of a total of about&nbsp;300 million devices.

Wingtech and other ODMs make&nbsp;phones&nbsp;for multiple brands - including Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo - giving them the economies of scale to keep costs down, and the nimble contractors can develop and produce new budget&nbsp;phones&nbsp;quickly.

Critics of&nbsp;Samsung's strategy say it risks losing control of quality and undermining its manufacturing expertise by&nbsp;outsourcing, and may even help&nbsp;rivals&nbsp;by giving contractors the extra volume they need to lowers costs further for all.

Samsung&nbsp;can ill afford another quality crisis. It scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 in 2016 after reports the expensive&nbsp;phones&nbsp;were catching fire and delayed the launch of its folding phone this year after screen defects were identified.

But with margins razor-thin for budget smartphones, people familiar with&nbsp;Samsung's strategy say it has little choice but to follow&nbsp;rivals&nbsp;and use Chinese ODMs to shave costs.

"This is an inevitable strategy rather than a good strategy," a source with knowledge of&nbsp;Samsung's Chinese operations said.

Samsung&nbsp;said in a statement to Reuters that it has been making limited lines of smartphones&nbsp;outside its own plants to broaden its existing portfolio and "ensure efficient management in the market". It declined to say how many&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;phones&nbsp;are&nbsp;made&nbsp;by ODMs and said future volumes had yet to be determined.

Wingtech did not respond to a request for comment.

Research firm Counterpoint says ODMs can procure all the components needed for $100-$250 smartphones&nbsp;for 10 per cent&nbsp;to 15&nbsp;per cent less than major brands with their own factories in&nbsp;China.

One supply chain source said Wingtech can get some parts for up to 30 per cent less than&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;Electronics pays in Vietnam, where it has three factories churning&nbsp;out&nbsp;smartphones, TVs and home appliances.

Wingtech started making tablets and&nbsp;phones&nbsp;for&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;in 2017, accounting for 3&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of its smartphones. That's expected to hit 8 per cent, or 24 million units, this year, according to IHS Markit.

Samsung's&nbsp;outsourcing plans involve its lower and mid-range Galaxy A series, with Wingtech having a hand in both design and production, sources said. The A6S, one of the models to be&nbsp;outsourced, costs from 1,299 yuan ($185) in&nbsp;China.

The Wingtech&nbsp;phones&nbsp;will mainly go to Southeast Asia and South America, one source said.&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;is gaining share in both at the expense of Huawei, which is suffering from U.S. sanctions that bar it from putting all Google's services on new&nbsp;phones.

While&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;is anxious to remain global smartphone market leader, some analysts worry it might not be worth the risk is given that profits in the budget phone business are scarce for all.

"Low-end&nbsp;phones&nbsp;are a headache for&nbsp;Samsung," said CW Chung, head of research at Nomura in Korea.

Chung said they were now commodity products and it was "nonsense" to make them in-house. But he and other experts said if&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;gave ODMs&nbsp;more&nbsp;volume, that could cut contractors' costs further and boost their experience and knowledge.

"If ODM firms become&nbsp;more&nbsp;competitive,&nbsp;rivals&nbsp;will be&nbsp;more&nbsp;competitive," Tom Kang, an analyst at Counterpoint said, adding that once a company loses its expertise in making low-end&nbsp;phones&nbsp;by&nbsp;outsourcing, it is difficult to regain the know-how.

Chung said&nbsp;Samsung's strategic shift signalled the declining manufacturing prowess of the company, once a low-cost Asian manufacturer and now the world's top producer of high-end electrical consumer goods.

US rival Apple&nbsp;outsources production to Taiwan's Foxconn Technology, which has factories in&nbsp;China, but Apple still designs its&nbsp;phones&nbsp;in California.

Samsung&nbsp;said in an emailed response to Reuters that it will be involved in the oversight of the design and development of smartphones&nbsp;produced by ODMs.

One person familiar with&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;and Chinese ODMs said contractors save money by cutting some steps&nbsp;out&nbsp;of the manufacturing process, potentially raising quality issues. He declined to go into details.

With that in mind,&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;has been pairing South Korean component suppliers with Chinese contractors to keep closer tabs on quality control, the person said.

"We understand the logic of increasing the production volume with Chinese contractors is a strategic business decision but that doesn't mean all of us are happy about&nbsp;it," an executive at a Korean component supplier said.

Samsung&nbsp;told Reuters it has applied the same quality checks and standards it does with all its devices, adding that it was committed to delivering high-quality products.

Historically,&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;has designed and produced almost all its&nbsp;phones&nbsp;in-house in vast factories in Vietnam and,&nbsp;more&nbsp;recently, India while winding down production in South Korea and&nbsp;China&nbsp;where labour costs&nbsp;more.

But Roh Tae-moon, the youngest executive to become a president at&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;Electronics, is championing the new ODM strategy in his role as number two at the mobile division, two people familiar with the matter said.

"It is crucial to cut costs to maintain competitiveness with Huawei and other Chinese handset makers," said a&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;insider who declined to be named.

Other Korean firms have also embraced&nbsp;outsourcing. LG Electronics, whose smartphones&nbsp;have been losing money for several years, has said it plans to expand its ODM&nbsp;output from budget models to mid-priced&nbsp;phones.

"Smartphones&nbsp;have come down to a battle over costs.&nbsp;It's a game of survival now," said Kim Yong-serk, a former&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;mobile executive who is a professor at South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University.

Samsung's plan to outsource a fifth of its smartphone production to China next year may help it compete with low-cost rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi but it's a strategy fraught with risks, people with familiar with the move said.

Samsung's plan to outsource a fifth of its smartphone production to China next year may help it compete with low-cost rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi but it's a strategy fraught with risks, people with familiar with the move said. Samsung Electronics, which shut its last in-house Chinese smartphone factory in October, is quietly moving production of some Galaxy A models to contractors such as Wingtech, which are little known outside China. Samsung has been coy about the volumes involved but sources said the South Korean tech giant plans to ship some 60 million phones made in China by so-called original design manufacturers (ODMs) next year out of a total of about 300 million devices. Wingtech and other ODMs make phones for multiple brands - including Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo - giving them the economies of scale to keep costs down, and the nimble contractors can develop and produce new budget phones quickly. Critics of Samsung's strategy say it risks losing control of quality and undermining its manufacturing expertise by outsourcing, and may even help rivals by giving contractors the extra volume they need to lowers costs further for all. Samsung can ill afford another quality crisis. It scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 in 2016 after reports the expensive phones were catching fire and delayed the launch of its folding phone this year after screen defects were identified. But with margins razor-thin for budget smartphones, people familiar with Samsung's strategy say it has little choice but to follow rivals and use Chinese ODMs to shave costs. "This is an inevitable strategy rather than a good strategy," a source with knowledge of Samsung's Chinese operations said. Samsung said in a statement to Reuters that it has been making limited lines of smartphones outside its own plants to broaden its existing portfolio and "ensure efficient management in the market". It declined to say how many Samsung phones are made by ODMs and said future volumes had yet to be determined. Wingtech did not respond to a request for comment. Research firm Counterpoint says ODMs can procure all the components needed for $100-$250 smartphones for 10 per cent to 15 per cent less than major brands with their own factories in China. One supply chain source said Wingtech can get some parts for up to 30 per cent less than Samsung Electronics pays in Vietnam, where it has three factories churning out smartphones, TVs and home appliances. Wingtech started making tablets and phones for Samsung in 2017, accounting for 3 per cent of its smartphones. That's expected to hit 8 per cent, or 24 million units, this year, according to IHS Markit. Samsung's outsourcing plans involve its lower and mid-range Galaxy A series, with Wingtech having a hand in both design and production, sources said. The A6S, one of the models to be outsourced, costs from 1,299 yuan ($185) in China. The Wingtech phones will mainly go to Southeast Asia and South America, one source said. Samsung is gaining share in both at the expense of Huawei, which is suffering from U.S. sanctions that bar it from putting all Google's services on new phones. While Samsung is anxious to remain global smartphone market leader, some analysts worry it might not be worth the risk is given that profits in the budget phone business are scarce for all. "Low-end phones are a headache for Samsung," said CW Chung, head of research at Nomura in Korea. Chung said they were now commodity products and it was "nonsense" to make them in-house. But he and other experts said if Samsung gave ODMs more volume, that could cut contractors' costs further and boost their experience and knowledge. "If ODM firms become more competitive, rivals will be more competitive," Tom Kang, an analyst at Counterpoint said, adding that once a company loses its expertise in making low-end phones by outsourcing, it is difficult to regain the know-how. Chung said Samsung's strategic shift signalled the declining manufacturing prowess of the company, once a low-cost Asian manufacturer and now the world's top producer of high-end electrical consumer goods. US rival Apple outsources production to Taiwan's Foxconn Technology, which has factories in China, but Apple still designs its phones in California. Samsung said in an emailed response to Reuters that it will be involved in the oversight of the design and development of smartphones produced by ODMs. One person familiar with Samsung and Chinese ODMs said contractors save money by cutting some steps out of the manufacturing process, potentially raising quality issues. He declined to go into details. With that in mind, Samsung has been pairing South Korean component suppliers with Chinese contractors to keep closer tabs on quality control, the person said. "We understand the logic of increasing the production volume with Chinese contractors is a strategic business decision but that doesn't mean all of us are happy about it," an executive at a Korean component supplier said. Samsung told Reuters it has applied the same quality checks and standards it does with all its devices, adding that it was committed to delivering high-quality products. Historically, Samsung has designed and produced almost all its phones in-house in vast factories in Vietnam and, more recently, India while winding down production in South Korea and China where labour costs more. But Roh Tae-moon, the youngest executive to become a president at Samsung Electronics, is championing the new ODM strategy in his role as number two at the mobile division, two people familiar with the matter said. "It is crucial to cut costs to maintain competitiveness with Huawei and other Chinese handset makers," said a Samsung insider who declined to be named. Other Korean firms have also embraced outsourcing. LG Electronics, whose smartphones have been losing money for several years, has said it plans to expand its ODM output from budget models to mid-priced phones. "Smartphones have come down to a battle over costs. It's a game of survival now," said Kim Yong-serk, a former Samsung mobile executive who is a professor at South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University.

Samsung to outsource production to China to fend off rivals

Heavy snowfall in Pulwama and Shopian region of the union territory has caused massive damage to apple orchards in the Kashmir valley. 
 
Imtiyaz Ahmad, a local farmer claimed that the snowfall has been heavier than usual for this season and is adversely affecting the apple produce. 
 
Speaking to ANI, Ahmad said, "The heavy snowfall damaged the apple trees and smashed their branches. The unexpected snowfall in the month of November has been heavier than the normal snowfall. The snow gets accumulated on the tree branches and they collapse. Around 70 per cent of the production of apples has been affected." 
"This snowfall affecting our product is causing huge loss to us," another apple farmer Abdul Gaffar said. 
 
Chief Horticulture Officer of Pulwama R K Kotwal, said, "We have constituted a team to assess the damage, we will submit a report to government as soon as possible to provide relief to farmers. Our teams have been deployed on the field."

Heavy snowfall in Pulwama and Shopian region of the union territory has caused massive damage to apple orchards in the Kashmir valley. Imtiyaz Ahmad, a local farmer claimed that the snowfall has been heavier than usual for this season and is adversely affecting the apple produce.

Heavy snowfall in Pulwama and Shopian region of the union territory has caused massive damage to apple orchards in the Kashmir valley. Imtiyaz Ahmad, a local farmer claimed that the snowfall has been heavier than usual for this season and is adversely affecting the apple produce. Speaking to ANI, Ahmad said, "The heavy snowfall damaged the apple trees and smashed their branches. The unexpected snowfall in the month of November has been heavier than the normal snowfall. The snow gets accumulated on the tree branches and they collapse. Around 70 per cent of the production of apples has been affected." "This snowfall affecting our product is causing huge loss to us," another apple farmer Abdul Gaffar said. Chief Horticulture Officer of Pulwama R K Kotwal, said, "We have constituted a team to assess the damage, we will submit a report to government as soon as possible to provide relief to farmers. Our teams have been deployed on the field."

Jammu & Kashmir: Apple harvest suffers due to snowfall in Shopian, Pulwama

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-beats-profit-forecasts-amid-growth-in-services-wearables-258969">&nbsp;Apple Inc</a> co-founder Steve Wozniak joined in the online debate over accusations of gender discrimination by the algorithm behind the iPhone maker's credit card, fuelling scrutiny of the newly launched Apple Card.

The criticism started on Thursday, after entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson railed against the Apple Card in a series of Twitter posts, saying it gave him 20 times the credit limit his wife received.

The much-anticipated titanium credit card, part of a broader effort by Apple to derive greater revenue from services after years of heavy reliance on iPhone sales, was launched in August, in partnership with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

In an email, Goldman said Apple Card applicants were evaluated independently, according to income and creditworthiness, taking into account factors such as personal credit scores and personal debt.

It was possible for two family members to receive significantly different credit decisions, the bank said, but added, "We have not, and will not, make decisions based on factors like gender."

Hansson, who is the creator of web-application framework Ruby on Rails, did not disclose any specific income-related information for himself or his wife but tweeted that they filed joint tax returns and that his wife had a better credit score.

On Saturday, Wozniak chimed in with a similar experience, saying he got 10 times more credit on the card, compared with his wife.

"We have no separate bank or credit card accounts or any separate assets," Wozniak said on Twitter, in reply to Hansson's original tweet.

"Hard to get to a human for a correction though. It's big tech in 2019."

New York's Department of Financial Services said it was beginning an inquiry into Goldman Sachs' credit card practices.

"New York law prohibits discrimination against protected classes of individuals," Linda Lacewell, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, wrote in a blog post.&nbsp;

That barred an algorithm, like any other method of determining creditworthiness, from disparate treatment based on individual characteristics such as age, creed, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, among others, she added.

"We know the question of discrimination in algorithmic decisioning also extends to other areas of financial services."

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Sunday.

Apple Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak joined in the online debate over accusations of gender discrimination by the algorithm behind the iPhone maker's credit card, fuelling scrutiny of the newly launched Apple Card.

Apple Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak joined in the online debate over accusations of gender discrimination by the algorithm behind the iPhone maker's credit card, fuelling scrutiny of the newly launched Apple Card. The criticism started on Thursday, after entrepreneur David Heinemeier Hansson railed against the Apple Card in a series of Twitter posts, saying it gave him 20 times the credit limit his wife received. The much-anticipated titanium credit card, part of a broader effort by Apple to derive greater revenue from services after years of heavy reliance on iPhone sales, was launched in August, in partnership with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. In an email, Goldman said Apple Card applicants were evaluated independently, according to income and creditworthiness, taking into account factors such as personal credit scores and personal debt. It was possible for two family members to receive significantly different credit decisions, the bank said, but added, "We have not, and will not, make decisions based on factors like gender." Hansson, who is the creator of web-application framework Ruby on Rails, did not disclose any specific income-related information for himself or his wife but tweeted that they filed joint tax returns and that his wife had a better credit score. On Saturday, Wozniak chimed in with a similar experience, saying he got 10 times more credit on the card, compared with his wife. "We have no separate bank or credit card accounts or any separate assets," Wozniak said on Twitter, in reply to Hansson's original tweet. "Hard to get to a human for a correction though. It's big tech in 2019." New York's Department of Financial Services said it was beginning an inquiry into Goldman Sachs' credit card practices. "New York law prohibits discrimination against protected classes of individuals," Linda Lacewell, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, wrote in a blog post. That barred an algorithm, like any other method of determining creditworthiness, from disparate treatment based on individual characteristics such as age, creed, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, among others, she added. "We know the question of discrimination in algorithmic decisioning also extends to other areas of financial services." Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Sunday.

Apple co-founder says Apple Card algorithm gave wife lower credit limit

Apple said Monday it would commit $2.5 billion over the next two years to help address the shortage of affordable housing in California and reduce homelessness.

The move by Apple follows similar initiatives from Silicon Valley peers Google and Facebook, which each have pledged $1 billion for housing programs.

"Before the world knew the name Silicon Valley, and long before we carried technology in our pockets, Apple called this region home, and we feel a profound civic responsibility to ensure it remains a vibrant place where people can live, have a family and contribute to the community," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a statement.

"Affordable housing means stability and dignity, opportunity and pride. When these things fall out of reach for too many, we know the course we are on is unsustainable, and Apple is committed to being part of the solution."

Apple said data showed some 30,000 people left San Francisco between April and June of 2019 and that its efforts are geared to help "community members like teachers, firefighters, first responders and service workers" who cannot find affordable lodging.

Apple said it was working with California Governor Gavin Newsom on several programs to address housing and homelessness.

The iPhone maker said $1 billion will go to the state's affordable housing fund that will extend credit to develop and build additional housing faster and at a lower cost.

Apple also said it would make available land it owns in San Jose worth some $300 million for homes.

The company is committing $200 million to support new lower-income housing in the Bay Area, including $150 for a public-private partnership.

It will also offer $50 million to support the efforts to address homelessness in Silicon Valley with the nonprofit group Destination: Home.

"We have worked closely with leading experts to put together a plan that confronts this challenge on all fronts, from the critical need to increase housing supply, to support for first-time homebuyers and young families, to essential philanthropy to assist those at greatest risk," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president&nbsp;for environment and social initiatives.

Apple said Monday it would commit $2.5 billion over the next two years to help address the shortage of affordable housing in California and reduce homelessness. The move by Apple follows similar initiatives from Silicon Valley peers Google and Facebook, which each have pledged $1 billion for housing programs.

Apple said Monday it would commit $2.5 billion over the next two years to help address the shortage of affordable housing in California and reduce homelessness. The move by Apple follows similar initiatives from Silicon Valley peers Google and Facebook, which each have pledged $1 billion for housing programs. "Before the world knew the name Silicon Valley, and long before we carried technology in our pockets, Apple called this region home, and we feel a profound civic responsibility to ensure it remains a vibrant place where people can live, have a family and contribute to the community," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook in a statement. "Affordable housing means stability and dignity, opportunity and pride. When these things fall out of reach for too many, we know the course we are on is unsustainable, and Apple is committed to being part of the solution." Apple said data showed some 30,000 people left San Francisco between April and June of 2019 and that its efforts are geared to help "community members like teachers, firefighters, first responders and service workers" who cannot find affordable lodging. Apple said it was working with California Governor Gavin Newsom on several programs to address housing and homelessness. The iPhone maker said $1 billion will go to the state's affordable housing fund that will extend credit to develop and build additional housing faster and at a lower cost. Apple also said it would make available land it owns in San Jose worth some $300 million for homes. The company is committing $200 million to support new lower-income housing in the Bay Area, including $150 for a public-private partnership. It will also offer $50 million to support the efforts to address homelessness in Silicon Valley with the nonprofit group Destination: Home. "We have worked closely with leading experts to put together a plan that confronts this challenge on all fronts, from the critical need to increase housing supply, to support for first-time homebuyers and young families, to essential philanthropy to assist those at greatest risk," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president for environment and social initiatives.

Apple offers $2.5 bn to address California housing crisis

Apple Inc&nbsp;asked the Trump administration to waive tariffs on Chinese-made Apple Watches, iPhone components, and other consumer products, according to company filings with the US Trade Representative's Office.

The company on Thursday sought tariff exclusions from 11 products, including HomePod speakers, iMac computers, parts for use in repairing iPhones, iPhone smart battery cases, AirPods and others. The public has until November&nbsp;14 to submit comments on the requests.

Apple told the U.S. Trade Representative's Office the products were consumer electronic devices and "not strategically important or related to 'Made in China 2025' or other Chinese industrial programs."

The exclusions seek relief from 15 per cent&nbsp;tariffs that took effect on September&nbsp;1.

FitBit Inc&nbsp;asked the administration to waive tariffs on its fitness trackers. The company told the administration "the vast majority of global production capacity for wrist-wearable communications devices is in China."

The company added that "while Fitbit is aware of facilities currently producing such devices in Taiwan and South Korea, these facilities are fully owned by, or otherwise contracted to, Fitbit competitors that use them for their own branded production, rendering them unavailable to Fitbit." Alphabet Inc&nbsp;announced Friday it has reached a deal to acquire Fitbit.

Apple submitted the requests on the first day the Trump administration began accepting them. An Apple spokesman did not immediately comment.

Apple's wearables and accessories&nbsp;business,&nbsp;which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod - brought in $24.5 billion&nbsp;in its fiscal 2019 ended in September, or about 9.4 per cent&nbsp;of Apple's revenue. Sales in the segment were up 41% versus the prior year, and the devices have become an important driver of Apple's&nbsp;business&nbsp;as iPhone sales declined for the past four straight quarters.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said Wednesday on the company's earnings call the company is paying "some tariffs today, as you know, some that went into effect pre-September and some others that went into effect in September. So we are paying some."

Christie's Inc has asked the administration waive tariffs on Chinese sculptures, statues, paintings, antique furniture and silverware, and other collectible items.

Sea Eagle Boats Inc submitted requests to waive tariffs on inflatable stand up paddleboards.

Apple Inc asked the Trump administration to waive tariffs on Chinese-made Apple Watches, iPhone components, and other consumer products, according to company filings with the US Trade Representative's Office.

Apple Inc asked the Trump administration to waive tariffs on Chinese-made Apple Watches, iPhone components, and other consumer products, according to company filings with the US Trade Representative's Office. The company on Thursday sought tariff exclusions from 11 products, including HomePod speakers, iMac computers, parts for use in repairing iPhones, iPhone smart battery cases, AirPods and others. The public has until November 14 to submit comments on the requests. Apple told the U.S. Trade Representative's Office the products were consumer electronic devices and "not strategically important or related to 'Made in China 2025' or other Chinese industrial programs." The exclusions seek relief from 15 per cent tariffs that took effect on September 1. FitBit Inc asked the administration to waive tariffs on its fitness trackers. The company told the administration "the vast majority of global production capacity for wrist-wearable communications devices is in China." The company added that "while Fitbit is aware of facilities currently producing such devices in Taiwan and South Korea, these facilities are fully owned by, or otherwise contracted to, Fitbit competitors that use them for their own branded production, rendering them unavailable to Fitbit." Alphabet Inc announced Friday it has reached a deal to acquire Fitbit. Apple submitted the requests on the first day the Trump administration began accepting them. An Apple spokesman did not immediately comment. Apple's wearables and accessories business, which includes the Apple Watch, AirPods and HomePod - brought in $24.5 billion in its fiscal 2019 ended in September, or about 9.4 per cent of Apple's revenue. Sales in the segment were up 41% versus the prior year, and the devices have become an important driver of Apple's business as iPhone sales declined for the past four straight quarters. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said Wednesday on the company's earnings call the company is paying "some tariffs today, as you know, some that went into effect pre-September and some others that went into effect in September. So we are paying some." Christie's Inc has asked the administration waive tariffs on Chinese sculptures, statues, paintings, antique furniture and silverware, and other collectible items. Sea Eagle Boats Inc submitted requests to waive tariffs on inflatable stand up paddleboards.

Apple asks United States to waive tariffs on Chinese-made watches, iPhone parts, AirPods

Apple TV+, the iPhone maker's entry into the crowded streaming TV market, debuts on Friday as the first "all-original" subscription video service, according to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-beats-profit-forecasts-amid-growth-in-services-wearables-258969">Apple Inc</a> Chief Executive Tim Cook.

All of the programming is original because, unlike Netflix Inc and the forthcoming Disney+ from Walt Disney Co, Apple does not have rights to a back catalogue of TV shows and movies.

That makes Apple's offering relatively slim compared to other online video services. It is also cheaper than competitors at $4.99 per month. And anyone who has purchased an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV device, iPod touch or Mac after Sept. 10 can get a free subscription for one year.

Cook, in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, said he welcomes the wide range of competition in streaming video because he believes it will encourage more people to drop cable television and seek digital entertainment options.

"That really advantages not only Apple, but everyone in the streaming field," Cook said.

Launching in more than 100 countries and territories, Apple TV+ will debut with four TV series for adults, an episode of "Oprah's Book Club," a nature documentary, and three children's series. Additional programming will be added each month.

Here is what to expect on day one.

The Morning Show: One of Apple's most heavily promoted programs, the drama series stars Jennifer Aniston in her first TV role since "Friends," alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. The series, set behind the scenes of a morning news show, explores power dynamics between men and women in the workplace, ethics in the news business and ageism.

Reaction from TV critics has been mixed, with a 59 percent positive rating as of Thursday on the Rotten Tomatoes website, which aggregates reviews.

The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg said the show started with "a brutally dull pilot and a meandering second episode" before picking up steam in later episodes.

Judy Berman of Time magazine called the series "a sophisticated drama with A-list stars that capitalizes on hot topics and hot gossip."

The first three episodes of a planned 10-episode season debut on Friday. A new episode will be released each Friday thereafter.&nbsp;

For All Mankind: This 10-episode science-fiction drama series imagines a world where the Soviet Union wins the space race. That sets the stage for an alternate history with sweeping ripple effects on everything from women's rights and the environment to the Vietnam War.

Among reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website, 73 percent were positive as of Thursday.

"The sprawling, yet precisely calibrated alt history is Tim Cook and Apple's first total touchdown," wrote Dominic Patten of Deadline Hollywood.

As with "The Morning Show," the first three episodes debut on Friday, and a new episode will be released each Friday thereafter.

Dickinson: Set in the 19th Century, the series is a half-hour dark comedy that reimagines poet Emily Dickinson, played by Hailee Steinfeld, as a rebellious teenager.

It had a 76 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Thursday. All 10 episodes launch on Friday.

See: Starring "Aquaman" and "Game of Thrones" actor Jason Momoa, the epic drama takes place 600 years in the future after a virus has decimated most of humankind. Those who have survived are blind and must adapt while fighting to protect themselves from a powerful queen. Alfre Woodard co-stars.

"See" scored the lowest among TV critics, earning a 43 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Although the show creates a ruthless world - the action is brutal and visceral, and the story advances quickly - it's not inventive enough to overcome the stilted dialogue and stock characters," wrote Brian Lowry of CNN.com.

The first three of eight episodes debut on Friday, and a new one will be released every Friday thereafter.

Oprah's Book Club: In the first episode, Oprah Winfrey discusses the novel "The Water Dancer" with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book tells the story of a young man who was born into slavery and later joins the abolitionist movement and the underground railroad.

Apple TV+, the iPhone maker's entry into the crowded streaming TV market, debuts on Friday as the first "all-original" subscription video service, according to Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Apple TV+, the iPhone maker's entry into the crowded streaming TV market, debuts on Friday as the first "all-original" subscription video service, according to Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook. All of the programming is original because, unlike Netflix Inc and the forthcoming Disney+ from Walt Disney Co, Apple does not have rights to a back catalogue of TV shows and movies. That makes Apple's offering relatively slim compared to other online video services. It is also cheaper than competitors at $4.99 per month. And anyone who has purchased an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV device, iPod touch or Mac after Sept. 10 can get a free subscription for one year. Cook, in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, said he welcomes the wide range of competition in streaming video because he believes it will encourage more people to drop cable television and seek digital entertainment options. "That really advantages not only Apple, but everyone in the streaming field," Cook said. Launching in more than 100 countries and territories, Apple TV+ will debut with four TV series for adults, an episode of "Oprah's Book Club," a nature documentary, and three children's series. Additional programming will be added each month. Here is what to expect on day one. The Morning Show: One of Apple's most heavily promoted programs, the drama series stars Jennifer Aniston in her first TV role since "Friends," alongside Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell. The series, set behind the scenes of a morning news show, explores power dynamics between men and women in the workplace, ethics in the news business and ageism. Reaction from TV critics has been mixed, with a 59 percent positive rating as of Thursday on the Rotten Tomatoes website, which aggregates reviews. The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg said the show started with "a brutally dull pilot and a meandering second episode" before picking up steam in later episodes. Judy Berman of Time magazine called the series "a sophisticated drama with A-list stars that capitalizes on hot topics and hot gossip." The first three episodes of a planned 10-episode season debut on Friday. A new episode will be released each Friday thereafter. For All Mankind: This 10-episode science-fiction drama series imagines a world where the Soviet Union wins the space race. That sets the stage for an alternate history with sweeping ripple effects on everything from women's rights and the environment to the Vietnam War. Among reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website, 73 percent were positive as of Thursday. "The sprawling, yet precisely calibrated alt history is Tim Cook and Apple's first total touchdown," wrote Dominic Patten of Deadline Hollywood. As with "The Morning Show," the first three episodes debut on Friday, and a new episode will be released each Friday thereafter. Dickinson: Set in the 19th Century, the series is a half-hour dark comedy that reimagines poet Emily Dickinson, played by Hailee Steinfeld, as a rebellious teenager. It had a 76 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of Thursday. All 10 episodes launch on Friday. See: Starring "Aquaman" and "Game of Thrones" actor Jason Momoa, the epic drama takes place 600 years in the future after a virus has decimated most of humankind. Those who have survived are blind and must adapt while fighting to protect themselves from a powerful queen. Alfre Woodard co-stars. "See" scored the lowest among TV critics, earning a 43 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. "Although the show creates a ruthless world - the action is brutal and visceral, and the story advances quickly - it's not inventive enough to overcome the stilted dialogue and stock characters," wrote Brian Lowry of CNN.com. The first three of eight episodes debut on Friday, and a new one will be released every Friday thereafter. Oprah's Book Club: In the first episode, Oprah Winfrey discusses the novel "The Water Dancer" with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The book tells the story of a young man who was born into slavery and later joins the abolitionist movement and the underground railroad.

AppleTV+ debuts streaming TV service with Oprah and Aniston

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/samsung-electronics-ends-mobile-phone-production-in-china-253273">Samsung&nbsp;Electronics</a>, the world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker, saw&nbsp;net&nbsp;profits slump by more than half in the&nbsp;third quarter, it said Thursday, hit by an enduring downturn in the global chip market.

Net&nbsp;profits in the three months to September were $5.40 billion, it said in a statement,&nbsp;down&nbsp;52 per cent year-on-year.

"Earnings from the memory business slumped significantly year-on-year as memory chip prices continued its downward trend," the company said.

The firm is the flagship subsidiary of the giant&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates known as "chaebols" that dominate business in the world's 11th-largest economy.

But in recent months it has been battered by falling chip prices as global supply increases.

Samsung&nbsp;also faces challenges from the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-wants-china-trade-deal-in-same-time-frame-despite-apec-summit-cancellation-258895">US-China trade war </a>and tough export restrictions imposed by Tokyo on key supplies as part of a dispute with Seoul over wartime forced labour.

The South Korean tech titan leads the global smartphone market with a 23 per cent share, trailed by Chinese competitors Huawei and Oppo, with Apple in fourth place, according to sales tracker IHS Markit.

The premium smartphone market has grown fiercely competitive and overall sales have cooled as a lack of major innovation has seen buyers waiting longer before upgrading to new models.

But&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;said profits in its mobile division had been boosted by strong sales of the Galaxy Note 10 and its A series devices, along with bigger margins for mass-market models.&nbsp;

"The business also expanded its 5G product offerings and launched the Galaxy Fold, demonstrating&nbsp;Samsung's technology leadership," it added.

Samsung&nbsp;released its top-end S10 5G smartphone earlier this year after South Korea won the global race to commercially launch the world's first nationwide 5G network.

But in April it was embarrassingly forced to delay the release of the hotly anticipated Galaxy Fold after reviewers provided with early devices reported screen problems within days of use.

In another setback, earlier this month it also acknowledged a major flaw with its fingerprint system allowing non-users to open other people's top-end smartphones.

But Tom Kang, research director at Counterpoint Research, noted&nbsp;Samsung's flagship Note 10 device had sold far better than&nbsp;previous models,&nbsp;and that the firm would benefit from restrictions imposed by Washington on its key Chinese competitor.&nbsp;

"From September, Huawei's devices have been unable to have Google mobile services," he told AFP.&nbsp;

"This is&nbsp;also likely to continue giving&nbsp;Samsung's mobile phones a significant advantage.&nbsp;Samsung&nbsp;phones will appeal to high-end users."

Operating&nbsp;profit&nbsp;plunged 55.7 per cent to 7.8 trillion won in the&nbsp;third quarter, the firm said, while sales fell 5.3 per cent to 62 trillion won.&nbsp;

But analysts voiced optimism for the coming months, noting that falling inventory levels for semiconductors,&nbsp;which account for more than half of&nbsp;Samsung's&nbsp;profit,&nbsp;will help stabilise chip prices after double-digit drops this year.

Adding to the firm's difficulties, the retrial of its vice chairman Lee Jae-yong began last week over a sprawling corruption scandal that could see him return to prison.

He is not being held in custody during the trial, but it is expected to last for months and a guilty verdict could deprive the firm of its top decision-maker.

Samsung&nbsp;shares were up 1.79 per cent in morning trade.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker, saw net profits slump by more than half in the third quarter, it said Thursday, hit by an enduring downturn in the global chip market.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest smartphone and memory chip maker, saw net profits slump by more than half in the third quarter, it said Thursday, hit by an enduring downturn in the global chip market. Net profits in the three months to September were $5.40 billion, it said in a statement, down 52 per cent year-on-year. "Earnings from the memory business slumped significantly year-on-year as memory chip prices continued its downward trend," the company said. The firm is the flagship subsidiary of the giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates known as "chaebols" that dominate business in the world's 11th-largest economy. But in recent months it has been battered by falling chip prices as global supply increases. Samsung also faces challenges from the US-China trade war and tough export restrictions imposed by Tokyo on key supplies as part of a dispute with Seoul over wartime forced labour. The South Korean tech titan leads the global smartphone market with a 23 per cent share, trailed by Chinese competitors Huawei and Oppo, with Apple in fourth place, according to sales tracker IHS Markit. The premium smartphone market has grown fiercely competitive and overall sales have cooled as a lack of major innovation has seen buyers waiting longer before upgrading to new models. But Samsung said profits in its mobile division had been boosted by strong sales of the Galaxy Note 10 and its A series devices, along with bigger margins for mass-market models. "The business also expanded its 5G product offerings and launched the Galaxy Fold, demonstrating Samsung's technology leadership," it added. Samsung released its top-end S10 5G smartphone earlier this year after South Korea won the global race to commercially launch the world's first nationwide 5G network. But in April it was embarrassingly forced to delay the release of the hotly anticipated Galaxy Fold after reviewers provided with early devices reported screen problems within days of use. In another setback, earlier this month it also acknowledged a major flaw with its fingerprint system allowing non-users to open other people's top-end smartphones. But Tom Kang, research director at Counterpoint Research, noted Samsung's flagship Note 10 device had sold far better than previous models, and that the firm would benefit from restrictions imposed by Washington on its key Chinese competitor. "From September, Huawei's devices have been unable to have Google mobile services," he told AFP. "This is also likely to continue giving Samsung's mobile phones a significant advantage. Samsung phones will appeal to high-end users." Operating profit plunged 55.7 per cent to 7.8 trillion won in the third quarter, the firm said, while sales fell 5.3 per cent to 62 trillion won. But analysts voiced optimism for the coming months, noting that falling inventory levels for semiconductors, which account for more than half of Samsung's profit, will help stabilise chip prices after double-digit drops this year. Adding to the firm's difficulties, the retrial of its vice chairman Lee Jae-yong began last week over a sprawling corruption scandal that could see him return to prison. He is not being held in custody during the trial, but it is expected to last for months and a guilty verdict could deprive the firm of its top decision-maker. Samsung shares were up 1.79 per cent in morning trade.

Samsung Electronics third-quarter net profit slumps 52%

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-starts-selling-locally-assembled-iphone-xr-in-india-257374">Apple</a> on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected profits for the past quarter, fueled by growth in digital services and wearables that helped offset slower iPhone sales.

Profit in the quarter ending in September dipped four per cent from a year ago to $13.7 billion while revenues edged up two per cent to $64 billion.

Apple, set to launch a new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/jennifer-aniston-apple-explore-messy-world-of-tv-news-after-metoo-256491">streaming television service</a> this week, saw strong revenue gains in its services segment, which includes music, digital payments and software, and in its segment for wearables and accessories that includes its Home Pod, Apple Watch and ear buds.

Chief executive Tim Cook said Apple saw its best-ever revenue gains for the fiscal fourth quarter period.

"There were no blemishes in the quarter with Cook &amp; Co. delivering a masterpiece quarter despite its back against the wall with the company the poster child of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-wants-china-trade-deal-in-same-time-frame-despite-apec-summit-cancellation-258895">US/China trade battle</a>," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.

Apple shares rose some two percent in after-hours trade following the release.

Cook hailed the results as "the conclusion of a remarkable fiscal 2019 for Apple," and said the company "established new all-time highs for multiple services categories."

Apple, which has ceased reporting unit sales of iPhones, said revenue from its smartphones fell nine percent in the quarter to $33.4 billion.

Services accounted for 20 per cent of revenues, according to chief financial officer Luca Maestri, with 18 per cent growth in the segment to $12.5 billion.

The wearables and accessories category produced revenue growth of 54 percent to $6.5 billion, led by gains in sales of Apple Watch and the wearable Air Pods.

Apple saw modest sales declines in its "greater China" region and in Europe and Japan, but this was offset by gains in North America and elsewhere in Asia.

"Importantly on the iPhone front, China came in well above our and Street expectations and is on the path to showing growth in the region," Ives said.

Apple has been seeking to shift its revenue mix amid a slumping smartphone market and growing competition in the segment.

The company, which recently launched a lineup of iPhone 11 handsets, said it would allow customers to purchase the devices interest-free with its Apple Card and pay over 24 months.

"It's early but the trends look very good" for the iPhone, Cook said, when asked about sales of the new devices. "We're bullish."

Apple said it ended the quarter with some $260 billion cash on hand.

The report comes two days ahead of the launch of Apple TV+, a new streaming service which could challenge Netflix and will compete against an array of others including Disney+ and HBO Max.

Ives said Apple "has a compelling list of new shows coming out as we believe it has committed $6 billion annually to the original shows and movies to beef up its streaming content ambitions."

Apple has an opportunity to win users with its aggressive pricing of $5 monthly and some 900 million iPhone users worldwide, and is offering a year of Apple TV+ for free with new device purchases.

"We're really proud of the content, we'd like as many people as possible to view it," Cook told analysts.

The streaming television war is set to enter a new phase as titans Apple and Disney take direct aim at market leader &nbsp;Netflix, vying for consumers abandoning their cable TV bundles for on-demand services.

Apple on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected profits for the past quarter, fueled by growth in digital services and wearables that helped offset slower iPhone sales.

Apple on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected profits for the past quarter, fueled by growth in digital services and wearables that helped offset slower iPhone sales. Profit in the quarter ending in September dipped four per cent from a year ago to $13.7 billion while revenues edged up two per cent to $64 billion. Apple, set to launch a new streaming television service this week, saw strong revenue gains in its services segment, which includes music, digital payments and software, and in its segment for wearables and accessories that includes its Home Pod, Apple Watch and ear buds. Chief executive Tim Cook said Apple saw its best-ever revenue gains for the fiscal fourth quarter period. "There were no blemishes in the quarter with Cook & Co. delivering a masterpiece quarter despite its back against the wall with the company the poster child of the US/China trade battle," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors. Apple shares rose some two percent in after-hours trade following the release. Cook hailed the results as "the conclusion of a remarkable fiscal 2019 for Apple," and said the company "established new all-time highs for multiple services categories." Apple, which has ceased reporting unit sales of iPhones, said revenue from its smartphones fell nine percent in the quarter to $33.4 billion. Services accounted for 20 per cent of revenues, according to chief financial officer Luca Maestri, with 18 per cent growth in the segment to $12.5 billion. The wearables and accessories category produced revenue growth of 54 percent to $6.5 billion, led by gains in sales of Apple Watch and the wearable Air Pods. Apple saw modest sales declines in its "greater China" region and in Europe and Japan, but this was offset by gains in North America and elsewhere in Asia. "Importantly on the iPhone front, China came in well above our and Street expectations and is on the path to showing growth in the region," Ives said. Apple has been seeking to shift its revenue mix amid a slumping smartphone market and growing competition in the segment. The company, which recently launched a lineup of iPhone 11 handsets, said it would allow customers to purchase the devices interest-free with its Apple Card and pay over 24 months. "It's early but the trends look very good" for the iPhone, Cook said, when asked about sales of the new devices. "We're bullish." Apple said it ended the quarter with some $260 billion cash on hand. The report comes two days ahead of the launch of Apple TV+, a new streaming service which could challenge Netflix and will compete against an array of others including Disney+ and HBO Max. Ives said Apple "has a compelling list of new shows coming out as we believe it has committed $6 billion annually to the original shows and movies to beef up its streaming content ambitions." Apple has an opportunity to win users with its aggressive pricing of $5 monthly and some 900 million iPhone users worldwide, and is offering a year of Apple TV+ for free with new device purchases. "We're really proud of the content, we'd like as many people as possible to view it," Cook told analysts. The streaming television war is set to enter a new phase as titans Apple and Disney take direct aim at market leader Netflix, vying for consumers abandoning their cable TV bundles for on-demand services.

Apple beats profit forecasts amid growth in services, wearables

Apple Inc is mobilizing suppliers to launch its first 5G iPhone range, the Nikkei Asian Review said on Wednesday.

"It will be the first time Apple introduces 5G iPhones ... There will be three of them and the company has set an aggressive sales target," Nikkei&nbsp;quoted a source as saying.

The three new iPhones will carry a 5G modem chip designed by Qualcomm Inc, Nikkei added, citing four people familiar with the plan.

Apple and Qualcomm did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Apple Inc is mobilizing suppliers to launch its first 5G iPhone range, the Nikkei Asian Review said on Wednesday. "It will be the first time Apple introduces 5G iPhones .

Apple Inc is mobilizing suppliers to launch its first 5G iPhone range, the Nikkei Asian Review said on Wednesday. "It will be the first time Apple introduces 5G iPhones ... There will be three of them and the company has set an aggressive sales target," Nikkei quoted a source as saying. The three new iPhones will carry a 5G modem chip designed by Qualcomm Inc, Nikkei added, citing four people familiar with the plan. Apple and Qualcomm did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Apple mobilises suppliers to unveil first 5G iPhones: Report

President Donald Trump took a swipe at Apple chief Tim Cook with a Tweet lamenting the removal of the iPhone home button. "To Tim: The Button on the IPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!

President Donald Trump took a swipe at Apple chief Tim Cook with a Tweet lamenting the removal of the iPhone home button. "To Tim: The Button on the IPhone was FAR better than the Swipe!" he tweeted Friday. Trump switched from an Android mobile to an iPhone in March 2017, the same year Apple dropped the physical home button from its top models. This earlier shift seemed to be the target of presidential ire, rather Apple's latest iPhone 11 release in September. It is not the first time Trump has cast a critical eye over the tech giant's design choices. "I cannot believe that Apple didn't come out with a larger screen IPhone. Samsung is stealing their business. STEVE JOBS IS SPINNING IN GRAVE," he tweeted in September 2013. It also comes after a gaffe in March when he referred to Cook as "Tim Apple". Trump later claimed the naming was deliberate and a "time saving" measure.

Trump takes swipe at Apple for ditching iPhone home button

The killing of a non-local fruit dealer in Trenz area of Shopian by terrorists has shocked the people associated with the business in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of them feel uncertain about their harvest as they have been struggling to send their produce to the markets across India due to terror threats.

Yesterday, a group of terrorists attacked two apple dealers from Gurdaspur in Punjab when they were in the area to purchase apples from local growers. One among them, who has been identified as Charanjeet Singh died at a local hospital while his colleague Sanjay Kumar is battling his life in Srinagar hospital.

This isn’t the first target killing of a non-local in Kashmir valley after postpaid mobile connections were restored. &nbsp;During the same day, in broad daylight, a migrant labourer hailing from Chattisgarh was shot dead from a close range at Nihama village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama while another person who was accompanying him managed to save his life.

Sethi Kumar was working as a labourer at a brick kiln in the same district and was shot in the head. A similar incident took place on Monday evening when terrorists from the banned outfit, Jaish-e-Muhammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba killed a non-local driver from Rajasthan in Shopian when he arrived there to load apples and deliver them to Delhi.

Most affected by this have been the apple farmers, who have become a soft target of these groups at a time when their harvest was good and ready to move out of the valley.

“We suffered due to shutdown initially. Usually, these are the months to pick apples and sell them. Traders from outside would come to Kashmir and buy apples in bulk but now he (trader) isn’t sure if he would come back alive or not. How would he come?” asks Ali Mohammad, an apple fruit farmer.

Jammu and Kashmir police have now increased security in and around the areas where fruit traders operate and have also pasted posters of two terrorists namely Syed Naveed Mushtaq and Raheel Magray.&nbsp;

Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu was a constable with the Jammu and Kashmir police who joined banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit and became a commander. His name has surfaced in several cases earlier. 
These incidents have also left non-local workers and truck drivers in a tizzy. Several migrant labours had left Kashmir when article 370 was revoked fearing hostility. &nbsp;

The business community, in general, is worried too. Although the administration has published advertisements in the local dailies to encourage people to resume normal life, most of the shops are still shut. Officials say the fear of terrorists targeting them has kept the shutters down.

“I feel for the farmers and assure them that all possible security will be provided to sell their harvest and fruits. I would ensure security to those apple growers and others also; who want to indulge in business and this will be our responsibility” Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, Chinar Corps Commander told media at a function.

The Kashmir valley currently accounts for 71 per cent of national apple production. Horticulture contributes 8 to 10 per cent GDP ratio and yearly records 8,000 to 1,000 crore turnover. Official figures reveal that 7 lakh people are directly or indirectly associated with this business in the Himalayan state.

The killing of a non-local fruit dealer in Trenz area of Shopian by terrorists has shocked the people associated with the business in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of them feel uncertain about their harvest as they have been struggling to send their produce to the markets across India due to terror threats.

The killing of a non-local fruit dealer in Trenz area of Shopian by terrorists has shocked the people associated with the business in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of them feel uncertain about their harvest as they have been struggling to send their produce to the markets across India due to terror threats. Yesterday, a group of terrorists attacked two apple dealers from Gurdaspur in Punjab when they were in the area to purchase apples from local growers. One among them, who has been identified as Charanjeet Singh died at a local hospital while his colleague Sanjay Kumar is battling his life in Srinagar hospital. This isn’t the first target killing of a non-local in Kashmir valley after postpaid mobile connections were restored. During the same day, in broad daylight, a migrant labourer hailing from Chattisgarh was shot dead from a close range at Nihama village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama while another person who was accompanying him managed to save his life. Sethi Kumar was working as a labourer at a brick kiln in the same district and was shot in the head. A similar incident took place on Monday evening when terrorists from the banned outfit, Jaish-e-Muhammed and Lashkar-e-Toiba killed a non-local driver from Rajasthan in Shopian when he arrived there to load apples and deliver them to Delhi. Most affected by this have been the apple farmers, who have become a soft target of these groups at a time when their harvest was good and ready to move out of the valley. “We suffered due to shutdown initially. Usually, these are the months to pick apples and sell them. Traders from outside would come to Kashmir and buy apples in bulk but now he (trader) isn’t sure if he would come back alive or not. How would he come?” asks Ali Mohammad, an apple fruit farmer. Jammu and Kashmir police have now increased security in and around the areas where fruit traders operate and have also pasted posters of two terrorists namely Syed Naveed Mushtaq and Raheel Magray. Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu was a constable with the Jammu and Kashmir police who joined banned Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit and became a commander. His name has surfaced in several cases earlier. These incidents have also left non-local workers and truck drivers in a tizzy. Several migrant labours had left Kashmir when article 370 was revoked fearing hostility. The business community, in general, is worried too. Although the administration has published advertisements in the local dailies to encourage people to resume normal life, most of the shops are still shut. Officials say the fear of terrorists targeting them has kept the shutters down. “I feel for the farmers and assure them that all possible security will be provided to sell their harvest and fruits. I would ensure security to those apple growers and others also; who want to indulge in business and this will be our responsibility” Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, Chinar Corps Commander told media at a function. The Kashmir valley currently accounts for 71 per cent of national apple production. Horticulture contributes 8 to 10 per cent GDP ratio and yearly records 8,000 to 1,000 crore turnover. Official figures reveal that 7 lakh people are directly or indirectly associated with this business in the Himalayan state.

Killing of 3 non-locals shock apple traders in Jammu and Kashmir

Apple chief Tim Cook on Thursday <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-removes-police-tracking-app-used-in-hong-kong-protests-from-its-app-store-254882">defended the decision to pull an app</a> used by protesters in Hong Kong to track police, according to a leaked email to employees obtained by a tech news site.

Apple removed the HKmap.live mobile application from the App Store after criticism by Beijing, which is stepping up pressure on foreign companies deemed to be providing support to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-shopping-malls-metro-close-early-as-more-protests-planned-254952">pro-democracy movement</a>.

Critics blasted the tech giant's move as putting its business interests in China above human rights.

The app allowed for crowd-sourced reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest hotspots, and other information which, on its own, is "benign" information, Cook said in a copy of an email to Apple employees shared online at Pastebin and posted at tech news website The Verge.

"Over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimise individuals and property where no police are present," the email read.

Gravitas: Hong Kong Protests: Biggest Political Crisis In Xi Jinping's Career

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-hong-kong-protests-biggest-political-crisis-in-xi-jinpings-career-254353/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm."

Apple did not respond to a request for comment from AFP.

The makers of HKmap.live have countered that the app gathers information from users, social networks and news outlets to show where police have gathered, not where they aren't.

They have denied their app encouraged criminal activity, and lashed out at Apple's removal as "censorship" and "clearly a political decision to suppress freedom."

Chinese state media this week tore into the app, charging that it was helping "rioters."

Communist Party mouthpiece The People's Daily said by stocking the app, Apple was "mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts."

On Thursday the app was no longer available on Apple's Hong Kong App Store.

Hong Kong has been rocked by four months of increasingly violent protests, initially against a now-shelved extradition law, but whose focus has now shifted to broader pro-democracy aims.

Apple chief Tim Cook on Thursday defended the decision to pull an app used by protesters in Hong Kong to track police, according to a leaked email to employees obtained by a tech news site.

Apple chief Tim Cook on Thursday defended the decision to pull an app used by protesters in Hong Kong to track police, according to a leaked email to employees obtained by a tech news site. Apple removed the HKmap.live mobile application from the App Store after criticism by Beijing, which is stepping up pressure on foreign companies deemed to be providing support to the pro-democracy movement. Critics blasted the tech giant's move as putting its business interests in China above human rights. The app allowed for crowd-sourced reporting and mapping of police checkpoints, protest hotspots, and other information which, on its own, is "benign" information, Cook said in a copy of an email to Apple employees shared online at Pastebin and posted at tech news website The Verge. "Over the past several days we received credible information, from the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as from users in Hong Kong, that the app was being used maliciously to target individual officers for violence and to victimise individuals and property where no police are present," the email read. Gravitas: Hong Kong Protests: Biggest Political Crisis In Xi Jinping's Career "This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law. Similarly, widespread abuse clearly violates our App Store guidelines barring personal harm." Apple did not respond to a request for comment from AFP. The makers of HKmap.live have countered that the app gathers information from users, social networks and news outlets to show where police have gathered, not where they aren't. They have denied their app encouraged criminal activity, and lashed out at Apple's removal as "censorship" and "clearly a political decision to suppress freedom." Chinese state media this week tore into the app, charging that it was helping "rioters." Communist Party mouthpiece The People's Daily said by stocking the app, Apple was "mixing business with politics, and even illegal acts." On Thursday the app was no longer available on Apple's Hong Kong App Store. Hong Kong has been rocked by four months of increasingly violent protests, initially against a now-shelved extradition law, but whose focus has now shifted to broader pro-democracy aims.

Apple chief Tim Cook defends pulling app used by Hong Kong protesters

Apple on Wednesday removed an app that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-protesters-stage-peaceful-rallies-calling-for-liberation-254834">protestors in Hong Kong</a> have used to track police movements, saying the app violated its rules because it was used to ambush police and by criminals who used it to victimise residents in areas with no law enforcement.

Apple rejected the crowdsourcing app, HKmap.live, earlier this month but then reversed course last week, allowing the app to appear on its App Store.

The approval drew a sharply worded commentary from the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, on Tuesday with Apple criticised for allowing a "poisonous" app.

Apple said in a statement that "many concerned customers in Hong Kong" contacted the company about the mapping app. Apple said it immediately began investigating the app's use and found it "has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong."

"The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement," the statement said.

Gravitas: Hong Kong Protests: Biggest Political Crisis In Xi Jinping's Career

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-hong-kong-protests-biggest-political-crisis-in-xi-jinpings-career-254353/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Apple did not comment beyond its statement, and the app's developer did not immediately have a comment on the removal.

Under Apple's rules and policies, apps that meet its standards to appear in the App Store have sometimes been removed after their release if they were found to facilitate illegal activity or threaten public safety.

In 2011, Apple modified its app store to remove apps that listed locations for drunken driving checkpoints not previously published by law enforcement officials.

Asked for comment after the People's Daily piece was published, HKmap.live's developer, who has not revealed his or her identity, said the app merely consolidated information that was available in the public domain, such as groups on Telegram, another service protestors were using to communicate.

"Protest is part of our freedom of speech (sic) and I don't think the application is illegal in HK," the developer told Reuters in a direct message on Tuesday.

Apple on Wednesday removed an app that protestors in Hong Kong have used to track police movements, saying the app violated its rules because it was used to ambush police and by criminals who used it to victimise residents in areas with no law enforcement.

Apple on Wednesday removed an app that protestors in Hong Kong have used to track police movements, saying the app violated its rules because it was used to ambush police and by criminals who used it to victimise residents in areas with no law enforcement. Apple rejected the crowdsourcing app, HKmap.live, earlier this month but then reversed course last week, allowing the app to appear on its App Store. The approval drew a sharply worded commentary from the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, on Tuesday with Apple criticised for allowing a "poisonous" app. Apple said in a statement that "many concerned customers in Hong Kong" contacted the company about the mapping app. Apple said it immediately began investigating the app's use and found it "has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong." "The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement," the statement said. Gravitas: Hong Kong Protests: Biggest Political Crisis In Xi Jinping's Career Apple did not comment beyond its statement, and the app's developer did not immediately have a comment on the removal. Under Apple's rules and policies, apps that meet its standards to appear in the App Store have sometimes been removed after their release if they were found to facilitate illegal activity or threaten public safety. In 2011, Apple modified its app store to remove apps that listed locations for drunken driving checkpoints not previously published by law enforcement officials. Asked for comment after the People's Daily piece was published, HKmap.live's developer, who has not revealed his or her identity, said the app merely consolidated information that was available in the public domain, such as groups on Telegram, another service protestors were using to communicate. "Protest is part of our freedom of speech (sic) and I don't think the application is illegal in HK," the developer told Reuters in a direct message on Tuesday.

Apple removes police-tracking app used in Hong Kong protests from its app store

Apple supplier Japan Display Inc aims to seal a revised bailout deal by the end of this month for at least 50 billion yen ($468 million) in vital funding, its new chief executive said on Monday.

Minoru Kikuoka also told Reuters in an interview that liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are drawing renewed market interest, pointing to solid demand for affordable smartphones with low-cost screens.

"We are close to (raising) 50 billion and I believe we can cement the deal this month," Kikuoka, who took the helm of the cash-strapped display maker in September, said.

The deal, if realised, would ease immediate risks of a cash shortfall after Chinese investment firm Harvest Group last month withdrew from the consortium of investors behind the bailout.

Japan Display has said Hong Kong-based Oasis Management still plans to contribute $150-180 million, while a major Japan Display client, which sources said is Apple, intends to invest $200 million.

Orders for LCD screens from a major customer have been "stronger than previously planned," Kikuoka also said. The comment follows a recent Nikkei Asian Review report that Apple has asked suppliers to increase production of its iPhone 11 models by around 10%.

Apple supplier Japan Display Inc aims to seal a revised bailout deal by the end of this month for at least 50 billion yen ($468 million) in vital funding, its new chief executive said on Monday.

Apple supplier Japan Display Inc aims to seal a revised bailout deal by the end of this month for at least 50 billion yen ($468 million) in vital funding, its new chief executive said on Monday. Minoru Kikuoka also told Reuters in an interview that liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are drawing renewed market interest, pointing to solid demand for affordable smartphones with low-cost screens. "We are close to (raising) 50 billion and I believe we can cement the deal this month," Kikuoka, who took the helm of the cash-strapped display maker in September, said. The deal, if realised, would ease immediate risks of a cash shortfall after Chinese investment firm Harvest Group last month withdrew from the consortium of investors behind the bailout. Japan Display has said Hong Kong-based Oasis Management still plans to contribute $150-180 million, while a major Japan Display client, which sources said is Apple, intends to invest $200 million. Orders for LCD screens from a major customer have been "stronger than previously planned," Kikuoka also said. The comment follows a recent Nikkei Asian Review report that Apple has asked suppliers to increase production of its iPhone 11 models by around 10%.

Apple supplier Japan Display aims to seal $468 million bailout deal by end October: CEO

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-case-on-restrictive-abortion-law-253858">US</a> House of Representatives Judiciary Committee reached out to the music streaming service with broad requests for information, according to one source, who added the request to the company was narrowed in follow up telephone calls.

Spotify Technology SA filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union in March, but the contact with the committee marks its first known participation in congressional inquiries into the iPhone maker, whose Apple Music streaming service is Spotify's biggest rival.

Spotify and other developers have alleged that Apple engages in anticompetitive behavior by imposing rules that hamper distribution via its App Store, the only way for third-party developers to reach more than 900 million iPhone users.

At the same time, Apple sometimes copies the features of their apps for its own offerings, developers have said. Multiple apps in the App Store offered female cycle tracking before Apple added the same feature to its own health tracking app this fall, for example.

Spotify has been pressing for antitrust action against Apple for several years.

Its representatives have met with Justice Department officials, as well as members of the FTC's Technology Task Force, a group of some 17 attorneys that was set up in February to focus on online platforms and other Internet competition issues, according to one source.

App developers also complain that Apple's Siri, which response to verbal commands and can control Apple's own apps, has long had limited functionality with the vast majority of non-Apple apps, including Spotify.

Apple announced an update to its software in June that would allow Siri to access Spotify and other music services.

Beyond Spotify, the congressional probe has tapped many companies for details on the four big tech firms.

In addition to the Judiciary Committee probe, the big tech companies face a plethora of other antitrust investigations.

The Justice Department is probing Alphabet's Google, Facebook, and Apple while the Federal Trade Commission is investigating <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/paypal-abandons-facebook-backed-libra-cryptocurrency-group-253843">Facebook</a> and Amazon.com. Groups of state attorneys general have also been formed to probe <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-cant-escape-copyright-laws-frances-emmanuel-macron-253863">Google</a> and Facebook.

Spotify has complained also about the 30 per cent fee that Apple charges outside app developers who sell so-called digital goods such as music or e-books on the App Store, using Apple's in-app billing system. Apple bars app makers for collecting payment any other way on the App Store or showing users links or buttons to other ways to pay.

At one point, Apple told Spotify to stop sending emails to users who had just signed up for a free version of its streaming music prompting them to upgrade to the paid service, Spotify has said. Spotify has said the shifting rules, and Apple's threats to block routine app updates, have made it difficult to compete with Apple's own music service on a level playing field.

Asked for comment, Apple referred to its previous responses, published in March, to Spotify's claims. The company says it enforces its App Store rules evenly among all developers and that more than eight out of every 10 apps are free and pay nothing to Apple. Apple has said Spotify pays nothing for users of its free service or for paid Spotify members who signed up outside the App Store.

Apple has said Spotify pays a revenue share on about half a per cent of its 108 million premium users, paying 15 per cent&nbsp;fees on roughly 680,000 customers that Spotify acquired between 2014 and 2016 when it used Apple's payment systems.

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps.

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps. The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee reached out to the music streaming service with broad requests for information, according to one source, who added the request to the company was narrowed in follow up telephone calls. Spotify Technology SA filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union in March, but the contact with the committee marks its first known participation in congressional inquiries into the iPhone maker, whose Apple Music streaming service is Spotify's biggest rival. Spotify and other developers have alleged that Apple engages in anticompetitive behavior by imposing rules that hamper distribution via its App Store, the only way for third-party developers to reach more than 900 million iPhone users. At the same time, Apple sometimes copies the features of their apps for its own offerings, developers have said. Multiple apps in the App Store offered female cycle tracking before Apple added the same feature to its own health tracking app this fall, for example. Spotify has been pressing for antitrust action against Apple for several years. Its representatives have met with Justice Department officials, as well as members of the FTC's Technology Task Force, a group of some 17 attorneys that was set up in February to focus on online platforms and other Internet competition issues, according to one source. App developers also complain that Apple's Siri, which response to verbal commands and can control Apple's own apps, has long had limited functionality with the vast majority of non-Apple apps, including Spotify. Apple announced an update to its software in June that would allow Siri to access Spotify and other music services. Beyond Spotify, the congressional probe has tapped many companies for details on the four big tech firms. In addition to the Judiciary Committee probe, the big tech companies face a plethora of other antitrust investigations. The Justice Department is probing Alphabet's Google, Facebook, and Apple while the Federal Trade Commission is investigating Facebook and Amazon.com. Groups of state attorneys general have also been formed to probe Google and Facebook. Spotify has complained also about the 30 per cent fee that Apple charges outside app developers who sell so-called digital goods such as music or e-books on the App Store, using Apple's in-app billing system. Apple bars app makers for collecting payment any other way on the App Store or showing users links or buttons to other ways to pay. At one point, Apple told Spotify to stop sending emails to users who had just signed up for a free version of its streaming music prompting them to upgrade to the paid service, Spotify has said. Spotify has said the shifting rules, and Apple's threats to block routine app updates, have made it difficult to compete with Apple's own music service on a level playing field. Asked for comment, Apple referred to its previous responses, published in March, to Spotify's claims. The company says it enforces its App Store rules evenly among all developers and that more than eight out of every 10 apps are free and pay nothing to Apple. Apple has said Spotify pays nothing for users of its free service or for paid Spotify members who signed up outside the App Store. Apple has said Spotify pays a revenue share on about half a per cent of its 108 million premium users, paying 15 per cent fees on roughly 680,000 customers that Spotify acquired between 2014 and 2016 when it used Apple's payment systems.

Antitrust probers in Congress ask Spotify to detail alleged Apple abuses: Sources

Apple Inc has asked suppliers to increase the production of its iPhone 11 models by up to 8 million units, or about 10%, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Friday, citing better than expected demand.

"Previously, Apple was quite conservative about placing orders", which were less than for last year's new iPhone, said the Nikkei quoting a source.

"After the increase, prepared production volume for the iPhone 11 series will be higher compared to last year".

Sources cited by Nikkei said that the recent surge in iPhone orders is concentrated in the cheapest iPhone 11 model and the iPhone 11 Pro model, while Apple has slightly revised down orders for its top range model, the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has a starting price of $1,099.

The newspaper also reported that suppliers remain cautious and said they were concerned that the higher level of orders would not be sustained.

"Demand is good for now. But we have to be careful not to be too optimistic," an executive-level source said in the report. "I hope that this year's peak season lasts longer than last year."

Apple did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular US business hours.

The company launched its three new iPhone models in September and reduced the starting price of the model upgrade, despite better cameras, to $699, compared to $749 for last year's iPhone XR. 
&nbsp;

Apple Inc has asked suppliers to increase the production of its iPhone 11 models by up to 8 million units, or about 10%, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Friday, citing better than expected demand.

Apple Inc has asked suppliers to increase the production of its iPhone 11 models by up to 8 million units, or about 10%, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Friday, citing better than expected demand. "Previously, Apple was quite conservative about placing orders", which were less than for last year's new iPhone, said the Nikkei quoting a source. "After the increase, prepared production volume for the iPhone 11 series will be higher compared to last year". Sources cited by Nikkei said that the recent surge in iPhone orders is concentrated in the cheapest iPhone 11 model and the iPhone 11 Pro model, while Apple has slightly revised down orders for its top range model, the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has a starting price of $1,099. The newspaper also reported that suppliers remain cautious and said they were concerned that the higher level of orders would not be sustained. "Demand is good for now. But we have to be careful not to be too optimistic," an executive-level source said in the report. "I hope that this year's peak season lasts longer than last year." Apple did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular US business hours. The company launched its three new iPhone models in September and reduced the starting price of the model upgrade, despite better cameras, to $699, compared to $749 for last year's iPhone XR.

Apple raises iPhone 11 production by about 10%: Nikkei

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