In a bid to expand its manufacturing operations in the country, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer Foxconn going to start mass production of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-lauds-iphone-photos-at-chennai-photo-biennale-by-school-children-201776">Apple's iPhone</a> in India.

“In the future, we will play a very important role in India's smartphone industry,” Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou said at an event in Taiwan.&nbsp; 
 
Apple's Bengaluru plant has been producing the older model of the phones but now will expand manufacturing to more recent models.

Foxconn is prepared to begin preliminary creation of the most recent iPhones in the nation before it begins full-scale assembly at its industrial facility outside Chennai at Sriperumbudur. 
 
A report in December said Apple would begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019.

Founded in 1974, the Foxconn group has grown to become the world`s biggest contract manufacturer with T$5.2 trillion ($168.52 billion) in annual revenue, assembling goods for Apple, SoftBank Group Corp and other global tech firms. It relies on Apple for more than half of annual revenue, according to analysts.

Foxconn Technology chairman Terry Gou, who owns 9.4 per cent of Foxconn as its top shareholder, is Taiwan's richest person with a net worth of $7.6 billion, according to Forbes.

Last month, Foxconn reported a smaller than expected fall in quarterly profit, despite warning signs from key customers including Apple that demand for tech electronics was softening.

In a bid to expand its manufacturing operations in the country, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer Foxconn going to start mass production of Apple's iPhone in India.

In a bid to expand its manufacturing operations in the country, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer Foxconn going to start mass production of Apple's iPhone in India. “In the future, we will play a very important role in India's smartphone industry,” Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou said at an event in Taiwan. Apple's Bengaluru plant has been producing the older model of the phones but now will expand manufacturing to more recent models. Foxconn is prepared to begin preliminary creation of the most recent iPhones in the nation before it begins full-scale assembly at its industrial facility outside Chennai at Sriperumbudur. A report in December said Apple would begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019. Founded in 1974, the Foxconn group has grown to become the world`s biggest contract manufacturer with T$5.2 trillion ($168.52 billion) in annual revenue, assembling goods for Apple, SoftBank Group Corp and other global tech firms. It relies on Apple for more than half of annual revenue, according to analysts. Foxconn Technology chairman Terry Gou, who owns 9.4 per cent of Foxconn as its top shareholder, is Taiwan's richest person with a net worth of $7.6 billion, according to Forbes. Last month, Foxconn reported a smaller than expected fall in quarterly profit, despite warning signs from key customers including Apple that demand for tech electronics was softening.

A shift from China to India: Foxconn set for mass production of iPhones in Chennai

Earlier, Madras HC had issued an Interim Order. Apple, Google asked to ban this application.

WION Wallet: Supreme court refuses to stay ban on Tik Tok

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-authorises-1-bn-for-trumps-border-wall-205641">Pentagon authorises $1 billion for Trump's border wall</a>

The Pentagon has authorised $1 billion for US President's Donald Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border. The authorisation was made by acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-mps-vote-to-seize-control-of-brexit-for-a-day-205630">British MPs vote to seize control of Brexit for a day</a>

British lawmakers wrested control of the parliamentary agenda from the government for a day in a highly unusual bid to find a way through the Brexit impasse after Prime Minister Theresa May's EU divorce deal was rejected again.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/55-indians-happy-with-way-things-are-going-in-the-country-public-satisfaction-dips-15-points-us-survey-205636">55</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/55-indians-happy-with-way-things-are-going-in-the-country-public-satisfaction-dips-15-points-us-survey-205636">%</a><a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/55-indians-happy-with-way-things-are-going-in-the-country-public-satisfaction-dips-15-points-us-survey-205636"> Indians happy with way things are going in the country, public satisfaction dips 15 points: US survey</a>

Fifty-five per cent of Indians are happy with the way things are going in the country even as the public satisfaction level has gone down by 15 points to 70 per cent, according to a Pew survey released late Monday night.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/stormy-daniels-lawyer-charged-with-trying-to-extort-20-million-from-nike-205631">Stormy Daniels' lawyer charged with trying to extort $20 million from Nike</a>

Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with US President Donald Trump, was charged on Monday with what prosecutors said was an attempt to "shakedown" Nike Inc for over $20 million.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-unveils-apple-tv-streaming-service-credit-card-205624">Apple starts streaming service to take on Netflix, Amazon</a>

Apple unveiled a new streaming-video service with original TV-series content called Apple TV+ on Monday, aiming to join the audiovisual streaming market mainly dominated by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

Pentagon authorises $1 billion for Trump's border wall The Pentagon has authorised $1 billion for US President's Donald Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border. The authorisation was made by acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan.

Pentagon authorises $1 billion for Trump's border wall The Pentagon has authorised $1 billion for US President's Donald Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border. The authorisation was made by acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan. British MPs vote to seize control of Brexit for a day British lawmakers wrested control of the parliamentary agenda from the government for a day in a highly unusual bid to find a way through the Brexit impasse after Prime Minister Theresa May's EU divorce deal was rejected again. 55% Indians happy with way things are going in the country, public satisfaction dips 15 points: US survey Fifty-five per cent of Indians are happy with the way things are going in the country even as the public satisfaction level has gone down by 15 points to 70 per cent, according to a Pew survey released late Monday night. Stormy Daniels' lawyer charged with trying to extort $20 million from Nike Attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with US President Donald Trump, was charged on Monday with what prosecutors said was an attempt to "shakedown" Nike Inc for over $20 million. Apple starts streaming service to take on Netflix, Amazon Apple unveiled a new streaming-video service with original TV-series content called Apple TV+ on Monday, aiming to join the audiovisual streaming market mainly dominated by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-includes-300-magazines-in-subscription-news-service-205608">Apple unveiled</a> a new streaming-video service with original TV-series content called Apple TV+ on Monday, aiming to join the audiovisual streaming market mainly dominated by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

The tech giant's presentation of its new product was made by film director Steven Spielberg - who announced that he will produce content for Apple TV+ - along with other celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Jason Momoa.

Apple TV+ will be available in more than 100 countries starting this fall, it will not include ads and - so far - the company has not announced what will its price be.

The company also unveiled another streaming service called Apple TV Channels, which includes programming from Epix, HBO, Showtime, and Starz, among others, in addition to the traditional subscription channels in the US market.

On the consumer finance front, Apple is partnering with Goldman Sachs to market its own credit card - the Apple Card - which will have both physical and digital versions and will not charge fees of any kind.

To get the card, users must request it through their iPhone's digital wallet, also known as the Apple Wallet.

In addition to Goldman Sachs, the company run by Tim Cook also reached an agreement with Mastercard to carry out the payment process.

The card can be used at any establishment that accepts the company's payment system Apple Pay and will offset all purchases with 2 per cent cashback - 3 per cent in the case of purchasing Apple products - when using the digital version and 1 per cent when using the physical card.

The tech giant also introduced a new news service, Apple News+, the main novelty of which is the addition of magazine articles, something that the currently available free Apple News service does not provide.

"Magazines are iconic and a part of our culture ... all of these magazines come to life in an all-new service that we call Apple News+," Cook, CEO of the Cupertino, California-based tech giant, said during the presentation of the new subscription-based news service.

News+ will allow users to access articles from 300 different magazines, including National Geographic, Time, Vogue, People, Popular Science, Billboard, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, TechCrunch and New York Magazine.

In addition to magazines, subscribers will also be able to access paid articles from two major US newspapers - The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times - but not those from The New York Times and The Washington Post, the latter of which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

One of the elements that were emphasized by the tech giant's executives was the "respect" that the new service has for the privacy of its online users, given that it does not collect data on what readers are consuming or allow advertisers to monitor people's habits, the executives said.

Such comments were made in reference to Facebook and Google, Apple's main competitors, who have been harshly criticized in recent months for their management of data collected from users.

Apple News+ is available as of Monday in English and French in the United States and Canada for $9.99 per month, with the first month free, and it will expand into the European and Australian markets this year. A single subscription can be used by several members of the same family.

Apple unveiled a new streaming-video service with original TV-series content called Apple TV+ on Monday, aiming to join the audiovisual streaming market mainly dominated by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

Apple unveiled a new streaming-video service with original TV-series content called Apple TV+ on Monday, aiming to join the audiovisual streaming market mainly dominated by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. The tech giant's presentation of its new product was made by film director Steven Spielberg - who announced that he will produce content for Apple TV+ - along with other celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Jason Momoa. Apple TV+ will be available in more than 100 countries starting this fall, it will not include ads and - so far - the company has not announced what will its price be. The company also unveiled another streaming service called Apple TV Channels, which includes programming from Epix, HBO, Showtime, and Starz, among others, in addition to the traditional subscription channels in the US market. On the consumer finance front, Apple is partnering with Goldman Sachs to market its own credit card - the Apple Card - which will have both physical and digital versions and will not charge fees of any kind. To get the card, users must request it through their iPhone's digital wallet, also known as the Apple Wallet. In addition to Goldman Sachs, the company run by Tim Cook also reached an agreement with Mastercard to carry out the payment process. The card can be used at any establishment that accepts the company's payment system Apple Pay and will offset all purchases with 2 per cent cashback - 3 per cent in the case of purchasing Apple products - when using the digital version and 1 per cent when using the physical card. The tech giant also introduced a new news service, Apple News+, the main novelty of which is the addition of magazine articles, something that the currently available free Apple News service does not provide. "Magazines are iconic and a part of our culture ... all of these magazines come to life in an all-new service that we call Apple News+," Cook, CEO of the Cupertino, California-based tech giant, said during the presentation of the new subscription-based news service. News+ will allow users to access articles from 300 different magazines, including National Geographic, Time, Vogue, People, Popular Science, Billboard, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Fortune, TechCrunch and New York Magazine. In addition to magazines, subscribers will also be able to access paid articles from two major US newspapers - The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times - but not those from The New York Times and The Washington Post, the latter of which is owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. One of the elements that were emphasized by the tech giant's executives was the "respect" that the new service has for the privacy of its online users, given that it does not collect data on what readers are consuming or allow advertisers to monitor people's habits, the executives said. Such comments were made in reference to Facebook and Google, Apple's main competitors, who have been harshly criticized in recent months for their management of data collected from users. Apple News+ is available as of Monday in English and French in the United States and Canada for $9.99 per month, with the first month free, and it will expand into the European and Australian markets this year. A single subscription can be used by several members of the same family.

Apple starts streaming service to take on Netflix, Amazon

Apple launches credit card and 'Arcade' gaming service

Apple launched a subscription news service Monday that includes more than 300 magazines as part of the iPhone maker's pivot to services.

The Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.99 per month will include the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, digital news sites and magazine titles including Rolling Stone, Time, Wired and The New Yorker.

The new offering was announced at an event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California where the tech giant was revealing a new emphasis on digital content and other services to offset slumps in smartphone sales.

Apple News+ is being offered in the US and Canada with an expected launch later this year in Britain and Australia.

Apple also prepared to lift the curtain on a television and movie streaming service that will allow users of its 1.4 billion gadgets to stream television shows and movies, both Apple originals and those from other creators, in a first step to challenge streaming video leaders Netflix and Amazon.

Chief Executive Tim Cook introduced Monday's event at the glass-enclosed Steve Jobs Theater at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters, saying the event would focus on the technology company's services, not its hardware. He said Apple's strength was "the seamless integration of hardware, software and services."

By highlighting services that run on its 1.4 billion consumer devices, rather than the devices themselves, Apple's strategy change is a momentous shift in emphasis under Chief Executive Tim Cook, who succeeded the late Steve Jobs in 2011.

Apple launched a subscription news service Monday that includes more than 300 magazines as part of the iPhone maker's pivot to services. The Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.

Apple launched a subscription news service Monday that includes more than 300 magazines as part of the iPhone maker's pivot to services. The Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.99 per month will include the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, digital news sites and magazine titles including Rolling Stone, Time, Wired and The New Yorker. The new offering was announced at an event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California where the tech giant was revealing a new emphasis on digital content and other services to offset slumps in smartphone sales. Apple News+ is being offered in the US and Canada with an expected launch later this year in Britain and Australia. Apple also prepared to lift the curtain on a television and movie streaming service that will allow users of its 1.4 billion gadgets to stream television shows and movies, both Apple originals and those from other creators, in a first step to challenge streaming video leaders Netflix and Amazon. Chief Executive Tim Cook introduced Monday's event at the glass-enclosed Steve Jobs Theater at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters, saying the event would focus on the technology company's services, not its hardware. He said Apple's strength was "the seamless integration of hardware, software and services." By highlighting services that run on its 1.4 billion consumer devices, rather than the devices themselves, Apple's strategy change is a momentous shift in emphasis under Chief Executive Tim Cook, who succeeded the late Steve Jobs in 2011.

Apple includes 300 magazines in subscription news service

Apple chief executive Tim Cook on Saturday urged China to keep opening up its economy as local rivals bit into the profits of the US tech giant caught in the crosshairs of a trade spat between Beijing and Washington.

"We have seen China continue to change and evolve... We encourage China to continue to open up," he said during a speech at the annual China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday.

"We see that as essential not only for China to reach its full potential, but also for the global economy to thrive."

Apple in January revealed that it took a hit in the "Greater China" region, where revenue plunged almost 27 per cent in the most recent quarter.&nbsp;

The dip had been expected following the company's revenue warning in December, where Apple admitted that iPhone sales and overall earnings would be below most forecasts, citing economic weakness in China and trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.

Lower priced local rivals such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo have also been nibbling at the California tech giant's market share in China.&nbsp;

Cook has been a critic of the US-China trade war that has spooked global markets. Last year, he used the China Development Forum as a venue to urge leaders of China and the US to let "calm heads prevail" and to avoid an escalation of tariffs.

Most of Apple's flagship products are assembled in China, leaving the California tech giant acutely vulnerable to Trump's tariffs.

During his speech on Saturday, Cook called for partnerships based on "openness and trust" where world players can work together to solve some of the biggest problems facing the planet including poverty, inequality and climate change.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook on Saturday urged China to keep opening up its economy as local rivals bit into the profits of the US tech giant caught in the crosshairs of a trade spat between Beijing and Washington.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook on Saturday urged China to keep opening up its economy as local rivals bit into the profits of the US tech giant caught in the crosshairs of a trade spat between Beijing and Washington. "We have seen China continue to change and evolve... We encourage China to continue to open up," he said during a speech at the annual China Development Forum in Beijing on Saturday. "We see that as essential not only for China to reach its full potential, but also for the global economy to thrive." Apple in January revealed that it took a hit in the "Greater China" region, where revenue plunged almost 27 per cent in the most recent quarter. The dip had been expected following the company's revenue warning in December, where Apple admitted that iPhone sales and overall earnings would be below most forecasts, citing economic weakness in China and trade frictions between Washington and Beijing. Lower priced local rivals such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo have also been nibbling at the California tech giant's market share in China. Cook has been a critic of the US-China trade war that has spooked global markets. Last year, he used the China Development Forum as a venue to urge leaders of China and the US to let "calm heads prevail" and to avoid an escalation of tariffs. Most of Apple's flagship products are assembled in China, leaving the California tech giant acutely vulnerable to Trump's tariffs. During his speech on Saturday, Cook called for partnerships based on "openness and trust" where world players can work together to solve some of the biggest problems facing the planet including poverty, inequality and climate change.

Apple's Tim Cook urges China to continue to open up its economy

Asian shares hit 6-1/2-month highs on Friday after upbeat US data and optimism in the tech sector lifted Wall Street stocks, helping calm some of the jitters sparked by the Federal Reserve's cautious outlook on the world's biggest economy.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.3 per cent, led by 0.5 per cent gains in the infotech sector, while Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend and lost 0.2 per cent.

On Wall Street, the S&amp;P 500 gained 1.09 per cent while the Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.42 per cent, both hitting five-month highs.

Apple Inc led the tech sector's advance, rising 3.7 per cent, ahead of the company's expected streaming service debut next week.

The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index soared 3.5 per cent, coming within a striking distance from its all-time high marked about a year ago.

"I'd think optimism in the tech sector is the biggest driver now. It reflects expectations that the US and China will eventually reach a trade deal," said Soichiro Monji, senior economist at Daiwa SB Investments.

A US trade delegation headed by Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will visit China on March 28-29, which will be followed by a trip by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to Washington in early April.

Thursday's US economic data was also upbeat as initial claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected and mid-Atlantic factory activity rebounded sharply.

The figures mollified worries about the US economic outlook after the Fed on Wednesday surprised investors by adopting a sharp dovish stance, anticipating no further interest rate hikes this year and ending its balance sheet rolloffs.

The dollar also jumped back, with its index against a basket of six major currencies rising to 96.327 from Wednesday's 1-1/2-month low of 95.735.

The euro traded at $ 1.1374, flat on the day and off Wednesday's 1-1/2-month high of $1.14485.

The dollar stood at 110.74 yen, having hit a five-week low of 110.30 on Thursday.

The benchmark US 10-year notes yield stood at 2.530 per cent after having slipped to as low as 2.500 per cent on Thursday, its lowest since early January last year.

The five-year yield dropped to 2.34 per cent, below the current Fed funds rate around 2.40 per cent, as fed funds rate futures price in about 50 per cent chances of a rate cut this year.

"The main market reaction to the Fed's announcement was that it has become a consensus that the Fed's next move is a rate cut," said Naoya Oshikubo, senior manager at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset.

"As economic data from China and elsewhere has not bottomed out yet, investors will be looking at economic fundamentals for now. If there are improvements, then markets could roll back expectations of a Fed rate cut," he said.

DoubleLine Capital's chief executive Jeffrey Gundlach, known as the "Bond King," said on Thursday that the stock market "likes the fact that they (the Fed) aren't going to give them any problems," for now.

He added, however, the Fed's cautious stance on raising rates could backfire by creating uncertainty in the economy and hurt the U.S. central bank's credibility.

Another cloud hanging over markets was Britain's fraught moves to exit from the European Union, as the British pound was bruised anew by rising worries about a no-deal Brexit.

EU leaders said Britain could leave the European Union without a deal on April 12 if lawmakers fail next week to back Prime Minister Theresa May's agreement with Brussels.

EU leaders gave May an extra two months, until May 22, to leave if she wins next week's vote in parliament.

The pound traded at $1.3136, having dropped to $1.3004 the previous day. Against the euro, it hit one-month low of 0.8722 to euro on Thursday and last stood at 0.8664.

Oil dipped but held near 2019 highs reached the previous day, supported by a broad risk-on mood, OPEC production cuts and US sanctions on key producers Iran and Venezuela.

Brent crude oil futures edged down 0.3 per cent to $67.65 per barrel while US crude futures fell 0.3 per cent to $59.81.

Asian shares hit 6-1/2-month highs on Friday after upbeat US data and optimism in the tech sector lifted Wall Street stocks, helping calm some of the jitters sparked by the Federal Reserve's cautious outlook on the world's biggest economy.

Asian shares hit 6-1/2-month highs on Friday after upbeat US data and optimism in the tech sector lifted Wall Street stocks, helping calm some of the jitters sparked by the Federal Reserve's cautious outlook on the world's biggest economy. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.3 per cent, led by 0.5 per cent gains in the infotech sector, while Japan's Nikkei bucked the trend and lost 0.2 per cent. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 1.09 per cent while the Nasdaq Composite rallied 1.42 per cent, both hitting five-month highs. Apple Inc led the tech sector's advance, rising 3.7 per cent, ahead of the company's expected streaming service debut next week. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index soared 3.5 per cent, coming within a striking distance from its all-time high marked about a year ago. "I'd think optimism in the tech sector is the biggest driver now. It reflects expectations that the US and China will eventually reach a trade deal," said Soichiro Monji, senior economist at Daiwa SB Investments. A US trade delegation headed by Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will visit China on March 28-29, which will be followed by a trip by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He to Washington in early April. Thursday's US economic data was also upbeat as initial claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected and mid-Atlantic factory activity rebounded sharply. The figures mollified worries about the US economic outlook after the Fed on Wednesday surprised investors by adopting a sharp dovish stance, anticipating no further interest rate hikes this year and ending its balance sheet rolloffs. The dollar also jumped back, with its index against a basket of six major currencies rising to 96.327 from Wednesday's 1-1/2-month low of 95.735. The euro traded at $ 1.1374, flat on the day and off Wednesday's 1-1/2-month high of $1.14485. The dollar stood at 110.74 yen, having hit a five-week low of 110.30 on Thursday. The benchmark US 10-year notes yield stood at 2.530 per cent after having slipped to as low as 2.500 per cent on Thursday, its lowest since early January last year. The five-year yield dropped to 2.34 per cent, below the current Fed funds rate around 2.40 per cent, as fed funds rate futures price in about 50 per cent chances of a rate cut this year. "The main market reaction to the Fed's announcement was that it has become a consensus that the Fed's next move is a rate cut," said Naoya Oshikubo, senior manager at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset. "As economic data from China and elsewhere has not bottomed out yet, investors will be looking at economic fundamentals for now. If there are improvements, then markets could roll back expectations of a Fed rate cut," he said. DoubleLine Capital's chief executive Jeffrey Gundlach, known as the "Bond King," said on Thursday that the stock market "likes the fact that they (the Fed) aren't going to give them any problems," for now. He added, however, the Fed's cautious stance on raising rates could backfire by creating uncertainty in the economy and hurt the U.S. central bank's credibility. Another cloud hanging over markets was Britain's fraught moves to exit from the European Union, as the British pound was bruised anew by rising worries about a no-deal Brexit. EU leaders said Britain could leave the European Union without a deal on April 12 if lawmakers fail next week to back Prime Minister Theresa May's agreement with Brussels. EU leaders gave May an extra two months, until May 22, to leave if she wins next week's vote in parliament. The pound traded at $1.3136, having dropped to $1.3004 the previous day. Against the euro, it hit one-month low of 0.8722 to euro on Thursday and last stood at 0.8664. Oil dipped but held near 2019 highs reached the previous day, supported by a broad risk-on mood, OPEC production cuts and US sanctions on key producers Iran and Venezuela. Brent crude oil futures edged down 0.3 per cent to $67.65 per barrel while US crude futures fell 0.3 per cent to $59.81.

Asian shares hit 6-1/2-month high on tech hopes

Apple Inc, in a surprise move on Monday, launched a new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-gives-aging-macs-ipad-pros-an-update-in-new-york-174496">10.5-inch iPad Air</a> and updated its iPad Mini ahead of a March 25 event where it is expected to launch a television and video service.

So far in its annual March event, Apple has been making announcements related upgrades for its product lines, but this year the focus is likely to shift to services, especially after it reported its first-ever drop in iPhone sales in January.

The new iPad models, geared with Apple's latest A12 Bionic chip and support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, are already available for order at apple.com and in the Apple Store app in the United States and the United Kingdom, along with a few other countries.

"That it announced the new lineup in advance of next week's event suggests it wants to focus on the content next week over hardware," DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said.

"Refreshing its lower-end lineup in advance of its streaming video content announcement next week speaks to the potential for Apple in streaming video content, with a strong installed hardware base, iPhones, iPads and Macs."

The 10.5-inch iPad Air, starts at $499 for the 64GB WiFi model and $629 for the WiFi plus cellular model. The new iPad mini starts at $399 for the WiFi model and $529 for the WiFi plus cellular model, the iPhone maker said in a statement.

With the new launch, the iPad will come in four different screen sizes, ranging from 7.9 inch to 12.9 inch.

"More iPad sales won't make a big impact on the company's enormous bottom line, but it can help to show consumers and investors that Apple still has the ability to create popular devices and features," said Clement Thibault, a senior analyst at Investing.com.

In the year ended September 2018, Apple made about $19 billion in revenue from iPad sales, a very small portion compared with the nearly $167 billion it generated from the sale of iPhones.

Shares of Apple rose 0.63 per cent at $187.22 on early Monday trading.

Apple Inc, in a surprise move on Monday, launched a new 10.5-inch iPad Air and updated its iPad Mini ahead of a March 25 event where it is expected to launch a television and video service.

Apple Inc, in a surprise move on Monday, launched a new 10.5-inch iPad Air and updated its iPad Mini ahead of a March 25 event where it is expected to launch a television and video service. So far in its annual March event, Apple has been making announcements related upgrades for its product lines, but this year the focus is likely to shift to services, especially after it reported its first-ever drop in iPhone sales in January. The new iPad models, geared with Apple's latest A12 Bionic chip and support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, are already available for order at apple.com and in the Apple Store app in the United States and the United Kingdom, along with a few other countries. "That it announced the new lineup in advance of next week's event suggests it wants to focus on the content next week over hardware," DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said. "Refreshing its lower-end lineup in advance of its streaming video content announcement next week speaks to the potential for Apple in streaming video content, with a strong installed hardware base, iPhones, iPads and Macs." The 10.5-inch iPad Air, starts at $499 for the 64GB WiFi model and $629 for the WiFi plus cellular model. The new iPad mini starts at $399 for the WiFi model and $529 for the WiFi plus cellular model, the iPhone maker said in a statement. With the new launch, the iPad will come in four different screen sizes, ranging from 7.9 inch to 12.9 inch. "More iPad sales won't make a big impact on the company's enormous bottom line, but it can help to show consumers and investors that Apple still has the ability to create popular devices and features," said Clement Thibault, a senior analyst at Investing.com. In the year ended September 2018, Apple made about $19 billion in revenue from iPad sales, a very small portion compared with the nearly $167 billion it generated from the sale of iPhones. Shares of Apple rose 0.63 per cent at $187.22 on early Monday trading.

Apple launches new 10.5-inch iPad Air; updates iPad Mini

US President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/alastair-cook-confident-england-can-end-world-cup-drought-198370">Donald Trump&nbsp;referred Tim Cook as "Tim Apple" in a conference </a>on Wednesday, and hours later the Apple CEO took the joke to the next level.

Tim Cook replaced his surname on Twitter with an emoji of Apple company logo.

<img alt="Tim Cook" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fdd9f9f5-0ecc-47e3-aecc-486e64cf83d8" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Tim%20Cook.JPG" />

On Wednesday while addressing an inaugural meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House, Trump said, "I used to say, 'Tim, you've got to start doing it over here,' and you really have. You really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple."&nbsp;

All this while, Tim Cook was sitting right next to Trump.

The video soon went viral sparking a row of hilarious memes on social media.

However, as Tim Cook embraced his new name, the logo was only visible to Apple users. To Android and Windows users, a blank or grey square was appearing.

The reason for this is that Apple company logo is a private use area character of the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) which is a character encoding standard for electronic communication that is supported on iOS and macOS only.

This is not the first time Trump has goofed-up someone's&nbsp;last name with the name of the company&nbsp;they were associated with.

Last year, he referred to aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin's CEO Marilyn Hewson as "Marilyn Lockheed."

US President Donald Trump referred Tim Cook as "Tim Apple" in a conference on Wednesday, and hours later the Apple CEO took the joke to the next level. Tim Cook replaced his surname on Twitter with an emoji of Apple company logo.

US President Donald Trump referred Tim Cook as "Tim Apple" in a conference on Wednesday, and hours later the Apple CEO took the joke to the next level. Tim Cook replaced his surname on Twitter with an emoji of Apple company logo. On Wednesday while addressing an inaugural meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House, Trump said, "I used to say, 'Tim, you've got to start doing it over here,' and you really have. You really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple." All this while, Tim Cook was sitting right next to Trump. The video soon went viral sparking a row of hilarious memes on social media. However, as Tim Cook embraced his new name, the logo was only visible to Apple users. To Android and Windows users, a blank or grey square was appearing. The reason for this is that Apple company logo is a private use area character of the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) which is a character encoding standard for electronic communication that is supported on iOS and macOS only. This is not the first time Trump has goofed-up someone's last name with the name of the company they were associated with. Last year, he referred to aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin's CEO Marilyn Hewson as "Marilyn Lockheed."

After Trump goof-up, Tim Cook renames his Twitter handle as 'Tim Apple'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday referred to the tech giant Apple's&nbsp;CEO as ''Tim Apple'' instead of Tim Cook.

Trump was addressing the inaugural meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House when he misspelt the name.

"I used to say, 'Tim, you've got to start doing it over here,' and you really have. You really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple," Trump said while he was sitting right next to the Apple CEO.

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Trump just called Apple CEO Tim Cook “Tim Apple” <a href="https://t.co/gTHHtjWvc9">pic.twitter.com/gTHHtjWvc9</a>
— Sean O'Kane (@sokane1) <a href="https://twitter.com/sokane1/status/1103421841505505280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Soon the video went viral on social media, and people started tweeting hilarious reactions and memes.

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Tim Apple <a href="https://t.co/aa4fCL0Fff">pic.twitter.com/aa4fCL0Fff</a>
— Jake G (@incubatedeleph1) <a href="https://twitter.com/incubatedeleph1/status/1103478562521145344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Here are some other historic figures similar to Tim Apple <a href="https://t.co/9Ya6U1uX76">pic.twitter.com/9Ya6U1uX76</a>
— Jack Fink (@Mrjackfink) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mrjackfink/status/1103464932568313856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Tim Apple with President Orange 
🍏🍊 <a href="https://t.co/1cI1QkA0an">pic.twitter.com/1cI1QkA0an</a>
— suppelsa (@suppeIsa) <a href="https://twitter.com/suppeIsa/status/1103452454497275905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Getting the whole gang together: 
 
Tim Apple 
Jeff Amazon 
Elon Tesla 
Mark Facebook 
Jack Twitter 
Sundar Google 
Larry Oracle 
Mark Salesforce 
Daruber 
Satya Soft 
Reed Flix
— timmy apple (@RMac18) <a href="https://twitter.com/RMac18/status/1103427158146351105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Unfortunately,&nbsp;this is not the first time Trump has goofed-up someone's&nbsp;last name with the name of the company&nbsp;they were associated with.

Last year, he referred to aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin's CEO Marillyn Hewson as "Marillyn Lockheed."

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday referred to the tech giant Apple's CEO as ''Tim Apple'' instead of Tim Cook. Trump was addressing the inaugural meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House when he misspelt the name.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday referred to the tech giant Apple's CEO as ''Tim Apple'' instead of Tim Cook. Trump was addressing the inaugural meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House when he misspelt the name. "I used to say, 'Tim, you've got to start doing it over here,' and you really have. You really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple," Trump said while he was sitting right next to the Apple CEO. Trump just called Apple CEO Tim Cook “Tim Apple” pic.twitter.com/gTHHtjWvc9 — Sean O'Kane (@sokane1) March 6, 2019 × Soon the video went viral on social media, and people started tweeting hilarious reactions and memes. Tim Apple pic.twitter.com/aa4fCL0Fff — Jake G (@incubatedeleph1) March 7, 2019 × Here are some other historic figures similar to Tim Apple pic.twitter.com/9Ya6U1uX76 — Jack Fink (@Mrjackfink) March 7, 2019 × Tim Apple with President Orange 🍏🍊 pic.twitter.com/1cI1QkA0an — suppelsa (@suppeIsa) March 7, 2019 × Getting the whole gang together: Tim Apple Jeff Amazon Elon Tesla Mark Facebook Jack Twitter Sundar Google Larry Oracle Mark Salesforce Daruber Satya Soft Reed Flix — timmy apple (@RMac18) March 6, 2019 × Unfortunately, this is not the first time Trump has goofed-up someone's last name with the name of the company they were associated with. Last year, he referred to aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin's CEO Marillyn Hewson as "Marillyn Lockheed."

Trump calls Apple CEO 'Tim Apple', Twitter responds with funniest memes

Spotify Technology SA, the world's most popular paid music streaming service, said it racked up more than 1 million unique users in India across its free and premium tiers since launching less than a week ago.

Spotify launched in India on Tuesday, stepping into a price-sensitive market crowded by well-funded players such as Reliance Industries' JioSaavn and Apple's Apple Music.

The Swedish company is offering a free version that will run with ads, alongside a premium ad-free variant that will charge users 119 Indian rupees ($1.68) per month.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion and more than 400 million smartphone users, is a potentially huge market for the Swedish company.

According to media reports, Tencent-backed Gaana leads the Indian streaming market with over 80 million monthly users. Spotify has 207 million monthly active users globally and 96 million subscribers.

In India, the streaming service also competes with other players including Amazon's Prime Music, Alphabet Inc's Google Play Music and Xiaomi-backed Hungama.

Spotify Technology SA, the world's most popular paid music streaming service, said it racked up more than 1 million unique users in India across its free and premium tiers since launching less than a week ago.

Spotify Technology SA, the world's most popular paid music streaming service, said it racked up more than 1 million unique users in India across its free and premium tiers since launching less than a week ago. Spotify launched in India on Tuesday, stepping into a price-sensitive market crowded by well-funded players such as Reliance Industries' JioSaavn and Apple's Apple Music. The Swedish company is offering a free version that will run with ads, alongside a premium ad-free variant that will charge users 119 Indian rupees ($1.68) per month. India, with a population of 1.3 billion and more than 400 million smartphone users, is a potentially huge market for the Swedish company. According to media reports, Tencent-backed Gaana leads the Indian streaming market with over 80 million monthly users. Spotify has 207 million monthly active users globally and 96 million subscribers. In India, the streaming service also competes with other players including Amazon's Prime Music, Alphabet Inc's Google Play Music and Xiaomi-backed Hungama.

Spotify adds 1 million unique listeners in India in less than a week

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants.

French news weekly L'Express reported that Apple had paid nearly 500 million euros ($570 million) to resolve the case in a confidential settlement reached in December.

Apple declined to disclose the amount paid, but a source familiar with the case confirmed the figure to AFP.

"The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the company's French accounts and an adjustment will be published in our public accounts," Apple said in a statement.&nbsp;

"We know the important role taxes play in society and we pay our taxes in all the countries where we operate, in complete conformity with laws and practices in force at the local level," added the company.

French authorities declined to comment further, citing the confidentiality of tax matters.

French tech tax looms&nbsp;

Apple is one of several American technology giants in the line of fire in Europe over their tax strategies, which see them route their income through low-tax nations such as Ireland or Luxembourg.

In 2016, it was ordered by the European Commission to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland.

The European Commission said Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million.

The deal in France comes as the government prepares to push ahead with its own unilateral "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- faced with the failure of EU members to agree on how to get technology companies to pay more tax on their European operations.

The tax, to be put to parliament in a bill later this month, would affect companies with global sales of more than 750 million euros and 25 million euros in France, according to the government.

It would be retroactive to January 1 and is expected to raise 500 million euros this year.

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has called the question of how and where global companies pay their taxes "a major issue in the 21st century".

But an agreement among EU members has proved elusive.

Ireland, Denmark and Sweden have all blocked plans for a levy for fear of dissuading investment and Germany has proved lukewarm on the issue, fearing US retaliation against its car industry.

The issue has been referred to the OECD, which aims to come up with an international tax by 2020.

Scramble to settle&nbsp;

Apple is the second major technology company to reach a tax deal with French authorities within the past year, reflecting the growing pressure from voters on governments to bring foreign companies to book.

In February 2018, Amazon said it had settled a French claim for nearly 200 million euros and would start declaring all its earnings in the country, ending a dispute that had dragged on for years.

In 2017, however, France's tax collection drive suffered a setback with a local court ruling that Google was not liable to pay 1.1 billion euros in taxes claimed on revenues transferred from France to Ireland.

According to L'Express, the deal between France and Apple was clinched after several months of talks, and concerned the small amount of revenue the firm booked in France while the sales it reported in Europe ballooned.

The report said Apple's European revenues exploded seven-fold, from 6.6 billion euros in 2008 to 47.7 billion in 2017, most of which was booked in Ireland where it has its European headquarters.

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants.

Apple said Tuesday it had reached an agreement with French authorities to settle 10 years of back taxes, becoming the latest US company to reach a deal with France which has led a European push for higher taxes on tech giants. French news weekly L'Express reported that Apple had paid nearly 500 million euros ($570 million) to resolve the case in a confidential settlement reached in December. Apple declined to disclose the amount paid, but a source familiar with the case confirmed the figure to AFP. "The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the company's French accounts and an adjustment will be published in our public accounts," Apple said in a statement. "We know the important role taxes play in society and we pay our taxes in all the countries where we operate, in complete conformity with laws and practices in force at the local level," added the company. French authorities declined to comment further, citing the confidentiality of tax matters. French tech tax looms Apple is one of several American technology giants in the line of fire in Europe over their tax strategies, which see them route their income through low-tax nations such as Ireland or Luxembourg. In 2016, it was ordered by the European Commission to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland. The European Commission said Apple paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 -- equivalent to just 50 euros for every million. The deal in France comes as the government prepares to push ahead with its own unilateral "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- faced with the failure of EU members to agree on how to get technology companies to pay more tax on their European operations. The tax, to be put to parliament in a bill later this month, would affect companies with global sales of more than 750 million euros and 25 million euros in France, according to the government. It would be retroactive to January 1 and is expected to raise 500 million euros this year. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire has called the question of how and where global companies pay their taxes "a major issue in the 21st century". But an agreement among EU members has proved elusive. Ireland, Denmark and Sweden have all blocked plans for a levy for fear of dissuading investment and Germany has proved lukewarm on the issue, fearing US retaliation against its car industry. The issue has been referred to the OECD, which aims to come up with an international tax by 2020. Scramble to settle Apple is the second major technology company to reach a tax deal with French authorities within the past year, reflecting the growing pressure from voters on governments to bring foreign companies to book. In February 2018, Amazon said it had settled a French claim for nearly 200 million euros and would start declaring all its earnings in the country, ending a dispute that had dragged on for years. In 2017, however, France's tax collection drive suffered a setback with a local court ruling that Google was not liable to pay 1.1 billion euros in taxes claimed on revenues transferred from France to Ireland. According to L'Express, the deal between France and Apple was clinched after several months of talks, and concerned the small amount of revenue the firm booked in France while the sales it reported in Europe ballooned. The report said Apple's European revenues exploded seven-fold, from 6.6 billion euros in 2008 to 47.7 billion in 2017, most of which was booked in Ireland where it has its European headquarters.

Apple agrees 500-million-euro tax settlement with France

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it had banned<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-paid-teens-to-track-smartphones-in-order-to-beat-competition-report-193942"> Facebook Inc from a program designed</a> to let businesses control iPhones used by their employees, saying the social networking company had improperly used it to track the web-browsing habits of teenagers.

Apple offers what are known as certificates that let businesses have deep controls over iPhones, with the potential to remotely install apps, monitor app usage and access, and delete data owned by a business on an iPhone. Apple designed the program for organizations whose staff use iPhones for official duties, when privacy needs are different from phones for personal use.

On Tuesday, technology news site TechCrunch reported that Facebook was paying users as young as 13-years-old to install an app called Facebook Research. The app used Apple's business tools to ask for an iPhone user's permission to install so-called virtual private network software that can track browsing habits.

Apple ejected Facebook from the business app program, saying in a statement on Wednesday the program was "solely for the internal distribution of apps within an organization."

"Facebook has been using their membership to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear breach of their agreement with Apple," Apple said in the statement.

The ban does not affect Facebook's apps in Apple's App Store, which Facebook depends on to distribute Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps to iPhone users. But it does mean that Facebook will not be able to distribute internal apps to its own employees.

In a statement, Facebook said key aspects of the research program were being ignored and that it had secured users' permission.

"Despite early reports, there was nothing 'secret' about this," Facebook said in a statement. "It was literally called the Facebook Research App. It wasn't 'spying' as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear on-boarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate."

Facebook said fewer than 5 per cent of the participants in the program were teens and that all of those teens had signed parental consent forms. 
&nbsp;

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it had banned Facebook Inc from a program designed to let businesses control iPhones used by their employees, saying the social networking company had improperly used it to track the web-browsing habits of teenagers.

Apple Inc said on Wednesday it had banned Facebook Inc from a program designed to let businesses control iPhones used by their employees, saying the social networking company had improperly used it to track the web-browsing habits of teenagers. Apple offers what are known as certificates that let businesses have deep controls over iPhones, with the potential to remotely install apps, monitor app usage and access, and delete data owned by a business on an iPhone. Apple designed the program for organizations whose staff use iPhones for official duties, when privacy needs are different from phones for personal use. On Tuesday, technology news site TechCrunch reported that Facebook was paying users as young as 13-years-old to install an app called Facebook Research. The app used Apple's business tools to ask for an iPhone user's permission to install so-called virtual private network software that can track browsing habits. Apple ejected Facebook from the business app program, saying in a statement on Wednesday the program was "solely for the internal distribution of apps within an organization." "Facebook has been using their membership to distribute a data-collecting app to consumers, which is a clear breach of their agreement with Apple," Apple said in the statement. The ban does not affect Facebook's apps in Apple's App Store, which Facebook depends on to distribute Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps to iPhone users. But it does mean that Facebook will not be able to distribute internal apps to its own employees. In a statement, Facebook said key aspects of the research program were being ignored and that it had secured users' permission. "Despite early reports, there was nothing 'secret' about this," Facebook said in a statement. "It was literally called the Facebook Research App. It wasn't 'spying' as all of the people who signed up to participate went through a clear on-boarding process asking for their permission and were paid to participate." Facebook said fewer than 5 per cent of the participants in the program were teens and that all of those teens had signed parental consent forms.

Apple bans Facebook from tech tools for tracking teen browsing habits

Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah sparked a spectacular England collapse as Virat Kohli-led India registered a marvellous victory in the fourth Test by 157 runs at The Oval on Monday (September 6).&nbsp;

India now leads the&nbsp;five-match series by 2-1.

Chasing a mammoth target of 368, the hosts fell short despite making a strong start with a century opening partnership by Rory Burns (50) and Haseeb Hameed (63) as they were restricted by a disciplined and superb bowling attack.&nbsp;

Burns took two runs off Thakur to bring up his 50 but the seamer angled the next ball in and the opener could only edge it behind.

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/with-this-record-ravindra-jadeja-joins-the-league-of-kumble-bedi-and-chandrasekhar-411188">With this record, Ravindra Jadeja joins the league of Kumble, Bedi and Chandrasekhar</a>

Left-arm spinner Jadeja started the rapid decline when he bowled Haseeb Hameed for 63 with a fine delivery.&nbsp;

Ollie Pope, who made 81 in the first innings, was then bowled for two by Bumrah that gave the fast bowler his 100th Test wicket.&nbsp;

Bumrah then took his second wicket in five deliveries when a brilliant yorker clean bowled Jonny Bairstow for a duck.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indvseng-jasprit-bumrah-breaks-kapil-devs-record-to-become-quickest-indian-fast-bowler-to-get-100-test-wickets-411173">INDvsENG: Jasprit Bumrah breaks Kapil Dev's record to become quickest Indian fast bowler to get 100 Test wickets</a>

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4th Test. It's all over! India won by 157 runs <a href="https://t.co/OOZebPnBZU">https://t.co/OOZebPnBZU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ENGvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ENGvIND</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1434904158277148673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Moeen Ali was powerless to prevent further collapse, the all-rounder also falling for nought when he deflected a Jadeja delivery that turned and bounced out of the rough straight to short leg.

The fifth and final Test is scheduled to start on September 10 in Manchester.&nbsp;

Brief scores

India 1st Innings 191 (S Thakur 57, V Kohli 50; C Woakes 4-55, O Robinson 3-38)

England 1st innings 290 (O Pope 81, C Woakes 50; U Yadav 3-76)

India 2nd Innings 466 (R Sharma 127, C Pujara 61, S Thakur 60, R Pant 50; C Woakes 3-83)

England 2nd Innings (H Hameed 63, R Burns 50; U Yadav 3-60)

Result: India won by 157 runs

Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah sparked a spectacular England collapse as Virat Kohli-led India registered a marvellous victory in the fourth Test by 157 runs at The Oval on Monday (September 6).

Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah sparked a spectacular England collapse as Virat Kohli-led India registered a marvellous victory in the fourth Test by 157 runs at The Oval on Monday (September 6). India now leads the five-match series by 2-1. Chasing a mammoth target of 368, the hosts fell short despite making a strong start with a century opening partnership by Rory Burns (50) and Haseeb Hameed (63) as they were restricted by a disciplined and superb bowling attack. Burns took two runs off Thakur to bring up his 50 but the seamer angled the next ball in and the opener could only edge it behind. ALSO READ | With this record, Ravindra Jadeja joins the league of Kumble, Bedi and Chandrasekhar Left-arm spinner Jadeja started the rapid decline when he bowled Haseeb Hameed for 63 with a fine delivery. Ollie Pope, who made 81 in the first innings, was then bowled for two by Bumrah that gave the fast bowler his 100th Test wicket. Bumrah then took his second wicket in five deliveries when a brilliant yorker clean bowled Jonny Bairstow for a duck. ALSO READ | INDvsENG: Jasprit Bumrah breaks Kapil Dev's record to become quickest Indian fast bowler to get 100 Test wickets 4th Test. It's all over! India won by 157 runs https://t.co/OOZebPnBZU #ENGvIND — BCCI (@BCCI) September 6, 2021 × Moeen Ali was powerless to prevent further collapse, the all-rounder also falling for nought when he deflected a Jadeja delivery that turned and bounced out of the rough straight to short leg. The fifth and final Test is scheduled to start on September 10 in Manchester. Brief scores India 1st Innings 191 (S Thakur 57, V Kohli 50; C Woakes 4-55, O Robinson 3-38) England 1st innings 290 (O Pope 81, C Woakes 50; U Yadav 3-76) India 2nd Innings 466 (R Sharma 127, C Pujara 61, S Thakur 60, R Pant 50; C Woakes 3-83) England 2nd Innings (H Hameed 63, R Burns 50; U Yadav 3-60) Result: India won by 157 runs

Apple to cut price of some iPhone models outside US to offset strong dollar

Apple Inc reported sharp growth in its services business and Chief Executive Tim Cook said trade tensions between the United States and China were easing, helping the technology company's shares up after hours even as iPhone sales dipped in the holiday shopping quarter for the first time.

Apple said sales for the current quarter would most likely be lower than Wall Street expected, a signal that it continues to face weak demand for its iPhone, especially in China, the world's biggest smartphone market.

But investors focused on the company's growing services, which include Apple Music and its App Store.

"The services number is good, and that is the growth engine going forward that people will continue to focus on," said Ivan Feinseth, an analyst with Tigress Financial Partners.

Cook, who is in regular contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, said trade tensions with China, which may have depressed sales of its phones, were easing.

"If you were to graph up trade tension it's clearly less in January than it was in December," Cook told Reuters in an interview. "I'm optimistic that the two countries will be able to work things out."

The company's shares rose 6 percent to $163.50 in after-hours trading. They had fallen more than 30 percent since November on concerns about weak iPhone sales and a general decline in high-tech stocks.

"It appears that the bears pressed way too hard on the negative bets and even this more negative report couldn't drive the stock lower," said Hal Eddins, chief economist for Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel.

Apple Inc reported sharp growth in its services business and Chief Executive Tim Cook said trade tensions between the United States and China were easing, helping the technology company's shares up after hours even as iPhone sales dipped in the holiday shopping quarter for the first time.

Apple Inc reported sharp growth in its services business and Chief Executive Tim Cook said trade tensions between the United States and China were easing, helping the technology company's shares up after hours even as iPhone sales dipped in the holiday shopping quarter for the first time. Apple said sales for the current quarter would most likely be lower than Wall Street expected, a signal that it continues to face weak demand for its iPhone, especially in China, the world's biggest smartphone market. But investors focused on the company's growing services, which include Apple Music and its App Store. "The services number is good, and that is the growth engine going forward that people will continue to focus on," said Ivan Feinseth, an analyst with Tigress Financial Partners. Cook, who is in regular contact with U.S. President Donald Trump, said trade tensions with China, which may have depressed sales of its phones, were easing. "If you were to graph up trade tension it's clearly less in January than it was in December," Cook told Reuters in an interview. "I'm optimistic that the two countries will be able to work things out." The company's shares rose 6 percent to $163.50 in after-hours trading. They had fallen more than 30 percent since November on concerns about weak iPhone sales and a general decline in high-tech stocks. "It appears that the bears pressed way too hard on the negative bets and even this more negative report couldn't drive the stock lower," said Hal Eddins, chief economist for Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel.

Apple reports sharp growth in its services business

Apple is aiming to show it can do more than just make iPhones in a quarterly update Tuesday for investors who are skeptical over whether the culture-changing company can regain the momentum from its glory days.

In recent weeks, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/apple-in-crisis-users-complaining-of-swollen-iphone-8-and-8-plus-21175">Apple shares have been hammered</a> on concerns that its best days are over, with smartphone sales slipping and no new "big thing" on the horizon.

Amid turbulence in the tech sector, Apple has lost its trillion-dollar status and slid behind rivals Microsoft and Amazon on the list of most valuable corporations.

The California tech giant has been trying to shift focus to growth in the side of its business devoted to selling music, movies, apps, and services to the vast "install base" of Apple gadget owners as well as via other internet-linked devices.

Apple delivered a stunning admission earlier this month that iPhone sales and overall revenues would be below most forecasts, citing economic weakness in China and trade frictions between Washington and Beijing.

Some analysts believe iPhone sales over the quarter to December will show an unprecedented decline, although the exact figures won't be visible because Apple has decided to leave off unit sales.

Resilience? 
Gene Munster and Will Thompson of the investment firm Loup Ventures said that despite lower iPhone sales, Apple can make up for lost revenues from its growing services segment.

"This is unprecedented and representative of a resilient business," Munster and Thompson write in a blog post.

The saturated global smartphone market is forcing Apple to seek another reinvention.

"This is not 'the fall of Apple' -- it's just the shift of smartphones to boring maturity, as we look for what's next," Benedict Evans of the investment firm Andreessen Horowitz said in a recent blog post.&nbsp;

Rumors buzzing about the company include its plans to produce it own shows, potentially challenging streaming television giants Netflix and Amazon Prime, which have invested heavily in original content.

"There are other ways to make money but it's not clear how Apple is going to do that," noted analyst Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates.

Apple has consistently touted the success of its eponymous smartwatch, engineering the wristwear with health and fitness features.

Apple Pay has been steadily adding to the roster of businesses that let people tap handsets to consummate transactions.

Another important source of income is the surging market for app downloads, where Apple gets 30 percent of the action.

Meanwhile, Apple remains under pressure as fans and analysts wonder whether the company lost its ability to wow the world when co-founder and chief Steve Jobs died in late 2011.

The China factor 
Apple had been growing in China until recently, but the combination of trade frictions and a slowing Chinese economy are cutting into its sales there.

Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassee said the surprise on Chinese sales was a massive mistake for CEO Tim Cook.

"I distinctly recall Cook telling analysts during a quarterly earnings call that, having studied the country for 30 years, he knew China," Gassee said in a blog.

"How could Apple, which is more embedded than most Western companies, not see a Chinese economy slowdown that started well before the 2018 holiday quarter?"

Apple is likely to face questions on whether it boosted prices too far, lifting its newest handsets to $1,000 or more, in a market that is seeing tougher competition.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners said its survey showed 65 percent of iPhone buyers chose the newer models over the less expensive ones, and that the average selling price of the devices rose to "well over $800."

Apple is aiming to show it can do more than just make iPhones in a quarterly update Tuesday for investors who are skeptical over whether the culture-changing company can regain the momentum from its glory days.

Apple is aiming to show it can do more than just make iPhones in a quarterly update Tuesday for investors who are skeptical over whether the culture-changing company can regain the momentum from its glory days. In recent weeks, Apple shares have been hammered on concerns that its best days are over, with smartphone sales slipping and no new "big thing" on the horizon. Amid turbulence in the tech sector, Apple has lost its trillion-dollar status and slid behind rivals Microsoft and Amazon on the list of most valuable corporations. The California tech giant has been trying to shift focus to growth in the side of its business devoted to selling music, movies, apps, and services to the vast "install base" of Apple gadget owners as well as via other internet-linked devices. Apple delivered a stunning admission earlier this month that iPhone sales and overall revenues would be below most forecasts, citing economic weakness in China and trade frictions between Washington and Beijing. Some analysts believe iPhone sales over the quarter to December will show an unprecedented decline, although the exact figures won't be visible because Apple has decided to leave off unit sales. Resilience? Gene Munster and Will Thompson of the investment firm Loup Ventures said that despite lower iPhone sales, Apple can make up for lost revenues from its growing services segment. "This is unprecedented and representative of a resilient business," Munster and Thompson write in a blog post. The saturated global smartphone market is forcing Apple to seek another reinvention. "This is not 'the fall of Apple' -- it's just the shift of smartphones to boring maturity, as we look for what's next," Benedict Evans of the investment firm Andreessen Horowitz said in a recent blog post. Rumors buzzing about the company include its plans to produce it own shows, potentially challenging streaming television giants Netflix and Amazon Prime, which have invested heavily in original content. "There are other ways to make money but it's not clear how Apple is going to do that," noted analyst Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates. Apple has consistently touted the success of its eponymous smartwatch, engineering the wristwear with health and fitness features. Apple Pay has been steadily adding to the roster of businesses that let people tap handsets to consummate transactions. Another important source of income is the surging market for app downloads, where Apple gets 30 percent of the action. Meanwhile, Apple remains under pressure as fans and analysts wonder whether the company lost its ability to wow the world when co-founder and chief Steve Jobs died in late 2011. The China factor Apple had been growing in China until recently, but the combination of trade frictions and a slowing Chinese economy are cutting into its sales there. Former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassee said the surprise on Chinese sales was a massive mistake for CEO Tim Cook. "I distinctly recall Cook telling analysts during a quarterly earnings call that, having studied the country for 30 years, he knew China," Gassee said in a blog. "How could Apple, which is more embedded than most Western companies, not see a Chinese economy slowdown that started well before the 2018 holiday quarter?" Apple is likely to face questions on whether it boosted prices too far, lifting its newest handsets to $1,000 or more, in a market that is seeing tougher competition. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners said its survey showed 65 percent of iPhone buyers chose the newer models over the less expensive ones, and that the average selling price of the devices rose to "well over $800."

Apple's best days behind it?

Apple Inc said on Monday it will issue a software patch later this week for a bug that lets iPhone users hear audio from users who have not yet accepted a video call.

The bug, which Reuters was able to replicate, allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple's FaceTime video-calling feature to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call.

The bug appears to rely on Apple's group video-calling feature.

In certain situations, the bug also broadcast both video and audio from the recipient's phone, the technology news website the Verge noted.

"We're aware of this issue and have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," an Apple spokesperson said.

Apple's group FaceTime was temporarily made unavailable due to an ongoing issue, according to Apple's system status webpage.

The Cupertino, California-based company was not immediately available to comment on the update on its system status page.

Users took to Twitter to tweet jokes and comments about the bug affecting Apple's group FaceTime service.

"Disable FaceTime for now until Apple fixes," Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted.

Apple announced the feature last summer, but then removed it from early test versions of its iOS 12 operating system. The company launched the feature in October.

Apple Inc said on Monday it will issue a software patch later this week for a bug that lets iPhone users hear audio from users who have not yet accepted a video call.

Apple Inc said on Monday it will issue a software patch later this week for a bug that lets iPhone users hear audio from users who have not yet accepted a video call. The bug, which Reuters was able to replicate, allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple's FaceTime video-calling feature to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call. The bug appears to rely on Apple's group video-calling feature. In certain situations, the bug also broadcast both video and audio from the recipient's phone, the technology news website the Verge noted. "We're aware of this issue and have identified a fix that will be released in a software update later this week," an Apple spokesperson said. Apple's group FaceTime was temporarily made unavailable due to an ongoing issue, according to Apple's system status webpage. The Cupertino, California-based company was not immediately available to comment on the update on its system status page. Users took to Twitter to tweet jokes and comments about the bug affecting Apple's group FaceTime service. "Disable FaceTime for now until Apple fixes," Twitter Inc CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted. Apple announced the feature last summer, but then removed it from early test versions of its iOS 12 operating system. The company launched the feature in October.

Apple to patch privacy bug in video-calling feature

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/unpaid-work-done-by-women-globally-worth-43-times-apples-annual-turnover-oxfam-191775&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiCnI7QrojgAhVMuI8KHaWzBtcQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw2lVuPlQ6uybpzP_U5Vk1UD">Apple</a>&nbsp;has dismissed more than 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group, Project Titan, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The dismissals are seen, internally, as anticipated restructuring under the relatively new leadership of Project Titan, CNBC said.

"As the team focuses their work on several key areas for 2019, some groups are being moved to projects in other parts of the company, where they will support machine learning and other initiatives, across all of Apple," the company said in a statement.

However, Apple didn't confirm or deny the layoffs.

Last year, the iPhone maker hired Doug Field, an Apple veteran and a Tesla engineering vice president, to lead the Project Titan team alongside Bob Mansfield.

Apple has dismissed more than 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group, Project Titan, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The dismissals are seen, internally, as anticipated restructuring under the relatively new leadership of Project Titan, CNBC said.

Apple has dismissed more than 200 employees from its autonomous vehicle group, Project Titan, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The dismissals are seen, internally, as anticipated restructuring under the relatively new leadership of Project Titan, CNBC said. "As the team focuses their work on several key areas for 2019, some groups are being moved to projects in other parts of the company, where they will support machine learning and other initiatives, across all of Apple," the company said in a statement. However, Apple didn't confirm or deny the layoffs. Last year, the iPhone maker hired Doug Field, an Apple veteran and a Tesla engineering vice president, to lead the Project Titan team alongside Bob Mansfield.

Apple dismisses over 200 staff from autonomous vehicle group: Report

Unpaid work done by women across the globe amounts to a staggering $10 trillion a year, which is 43 times the annual turnover of the world's biggest company Apple, an Oxfam study said Monday.

In India, the unpaid work done by women looking after their homes and children is worth 3.1 per cent of the country's GDP. Women spend 312 minutes per day in urban areas and 291 minutes per day in rural areas on such unpaid care work, it added.

In comparison, men spend only 29 minutes in urban and 32 minutes in rural areas on unpaid care work.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-richest-1-get-richer-by-39-in-2018-just-3-rise-for-bottom-half-oxfam-191688">Wealth of 9 richest Indians equal to poorer 50% of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-richest-1-get-richer-by-39-in-2018-just-3-rise-for-bottom-half-oxfam-191688">population</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-richest-1-get-richer-by-39-in-2018-just-3-rise-for-bottom-half-oxfam-191688">, says Oxfam report</a>

The report, released by the international rights group before the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in this Swiss ski resort town, also said women and girls are hardest hit by rising economic inequality, including in India.

Oxfam said inequality has a "female face" in India, where women are less likely to have paid work when compared to men, while even among the richest there are only 9 women in the country's 119-member billionaires club.

The paid work women do bring them less earnings as compared to men due to the existing wage gap and therefore households that rely primarily on female earners tend to be poorer, it said, referring to the country's gender pay gap at 34 per cent.

It observed that various intersections of caste, class, religion, age and sexual orientation have further implications on women inequality as a process.

The Oxfam study also referred to India's poor 108th ranking on the WEF's Global Gender Gap Index of 2018, saying it was 10 notches less than in 2006 and far below the global average and behind its neighbours China and Bangladesh.

Oxfam said India has many laws that deal with violence against women, but their implementation remains a challenge, including due to a deeply patriarchal society.

It said a law to deal with sexual harassment at workplace was passed in 2013 after a struggle by women's rights organisations and group of lawyers for 17 years, but it is the recent #MeToo movement in India that has opened the doors for the organised workforce to ensure that mechanisms are in place and due process is followed.

Oxfam said a large majority of women are in the informal sector that does not have any formal mechanisms for dealing with sexual harassment. Consequently, where there is an option, women drop out of the labour force, else continue under exploitative conditions.

Citing a 1,000-household survey undertaken in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, Oxfam said 53 per cent of those surveyed said it was acceptable to harshly criticise a woman if she failed to care well for the children and 33 per cent felt it was acceptable to even beat a woman for this reason.

Similarly, 60 per cent felt it was acceptable to harshly criticise a woman if she left a dependent or ill adult unattended and 36 per cent felt it was acceptable to beat her for the same reason.

Also, 41 per cent felt it was acceptable to beat a woman if she did not prepare a meal for the men in the family while 68 per cent felt it was acceptable to criticise her harshly.

Besides, 42 per cent said a woman should be beaten if she failed to fetch water or fuelwood for her family and 65 per cent felt she deserved to be criticised harshly.

A whopping 54 per cent felt it was okay to beat a woman if she left the house without asking and 86 per cent felt she should be criticised harshly for doing so.

Observing that these issues put severe restrictions on women's ability to go out and undertake paid work, Oxfam said women's ability to undertake paid work is not merely determined by economic considerations but also by social norms.

"It is understood that a woman's primary role is to take care of the house and her family and any income-generating work is secondary to this role," it added.

The study also found that cutting taxes on wealth predominantly benefits men who own 50 per cent more wealth than women globally and control over 86 per cent of corporations.

Conversely, when public services are neglected, poor women and girls suffer the most.

"Girls are pulled out of school first when the money is not available to pay fees, and women clock up hours of unpaid work looking after sick relatives when healthcare systems fail," it said.

Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, one of the key participants at the WEF summit, said, "While corporations and the super-rich enjoy low tax bills, millions of girls are denied a decent education and women are dying for lack of maternity care."

"Economic inequality plagued by caste, class, gender and religion need to be tackled on a war-footing," Oxfam India chief Amitabh Behar said.

Oxfam is part of the Fight Inequality Alliance -- a coalition of social movements, environmental groups, women's rights groups, trade unions and NGOs.

The alliance is organising events in over 30 countries from January 18-25, around the same time as the WEF meet in Davos.

Unpaid work done by women across the globe amounts to a staggering $10 trillion a year, which is 43 times the annual turnover of the world's biggest company Apple, an Oxfam study said Monday.

Unpaid work done by women across the globe amounts to a staggering $10 trillion a year, which is 43 times the annual turnover of the world's biggest company Apple, an Oxfam study said Monday. In India, the unpaid work done by women looking after their homes and children is worth 3.1 per cent of the country's GDP. Women spend 312 minutes per day in urban areas and 291 minutes per day in rural areas on such unpaid care work, it added. In comparison, men spend only 29 minutes in urban and 32 minutes in rural areas on unpaid care work. Also read: Wealth of 9 richest Indians equal to poorer 50% of population, says Oxfam report The report, released by the international rights group before the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in this Swiss ski resort town, also said women and girls are hardest hit by rising economic inequality, including in India. Oxfam said inequality has a "female face" in India, where women are less likely to have paid work when compared to men, while even among the richest there are only 9 women in the country's 119-member billionaires club. The paid work women do bring them less earnings as compared to men due to the existing wage gap and therefore households that rely primarily on female earners tend to be poorer, it said, referring to the country's gender pay gap at 34 per cent. It observed that various intersections of caste, class, religion, age and sexual orientation have further implications on women inequality as a process. The Oxfam study also referred to India's poor 108th ranking on the WEF's Global Gender Gap Index of 2018, saying it was 10 notches less than in 2006 and far below the global average and behind its neighbours China and Bangladesh. Oxfam said India has many laws that deal with violence against women, but their implementation remains a challenge, including due to a deeply patriarchal society. It said a law to deal with sexual harassment at workplace was passed in 2013 after a struggle by women's rights organisations and group of lawyers for 17 years, but it is the recent #MeToo movement in India that has opened the doors for the organised workforce to ensure that mechanisms are in place and due process is followed. Oxfam said a large majority of women are in the informal sector that does not have any formal mechanisms for dealing with sexual harassment. Consequently, where there is an option, women drop out of the labour force, else continue under exploitative conditions. Citing a 1,000-household survey undertaken in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, Oxfam said 53 per cent of those surveyed said it was acceptable to harshly criticise a woman if she failed to care well for the children and 33 per cent felt it was acceptable to even beat a woman for this reason. Similarly, 60 per cent felt it was acceptable to harshly criticise a woman if she left a dependent or ill adult unattended and 36 per cent felt it was acceptable to beat her for the same reason. Also, 41 per cent felt it was acceptable to beat a woman if she did not prepare a meal for the men in the family while 68 per cent felt it was acceptable to criticise her harshly. Besides, 42 per cent said a woman should be beaten if she failed to fetch water or fuelwood for her family and 65 per cent felt she deserved to be criticised harshly. A whopping 54 per cent felt it was okay to beat a woman if she left the house without asking and 86 per cent felt she should be criticised harshly for doing so. Observing that these issues put severe restrictions on women's ability to go out and undertake paid work, Oxfam said women's ability to undertake paid work is not merely determined by economic considerations but also by social norms. "It is understood that a woman's primary role is to take care of the house and her family and any income-generating work is secondary to this role," it added. The study also found that cutting taxes on wealth predominantly benefits men who own 50 per cent more wealth than women globally and control over 86 per cent of corporations. Conversely, when public services are neglected, poor women and girls suffer the most. "Girls are pulled out of school first when the money is not available to pay fees, and women clock up hours of unpaid work looking after sick relatives when healthcare systems fail," it said. Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, one of the key participants at the WEF summit, said, "While corporations and the super-rich enjoy low tax bills, millions of girls are denied a decent education and women are dying for lack of maternity care." "Economic inequality plagued by caste, class, gender and religion need to be tackled on a war-footing," Oxfam India chief Amitabh Behar said. Oxfam is part of the Fight Inequality Alliance -- a coalition of social movements, environmental groups, women's rights groups, trade unions and NGOs. The alliance is organising events in over 30 countries from January 18-25, around the same time as the WEF meet in Davos.

Unpaid work done by women globally worth 43-times Apple's annual turnover: Oxfam

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/apple-cuts-first-quarter-production-plan-for-new-iphones-by-10-nikkei-asian-review-189136">Apple's mobile phones</a> are recently going through a price reduction wave on the Chinese market due to the company's weak business performance, with the latest iPhone model dropping as much as 1400 yuan (about $207) in some places.

Due to the unexpected low sales, Apple's mobile phones experienced a big price cut in the Chinese market. In an electronics store in Shanghai, all the iPhone products, from iPhone 7 to the latest model XS MAX, have been labelled with a price drop. Among them, the price of 256G iPhone XS MAX dropped from 10,999 yuan to 9,899 yuan (from $1626.4 to $1463.7).

"People's apple craze is on the wane, so we have to lower the price to ensure sales," said Zhou Shunliang, owner of the electronics store.

"The reason behind the price drops is that more people have turned to home-made brands," said a resident.

Various Chinese major e-commerce platforms have also launched price reduction strategies to promote sales. On Su'ning and Tmall online platforms, some iPhones are 1400 yuan ($354.9) cheaper than on Apple's official website. On Jingdong, the price of 64G iPhone 8 dropped by 700 yuan ($103.5), and the price of iPhone 8 plus dropped by 900 yuan ($133).

Some residents, however, said that the price reduction is still not enough, considering the extra high original price.

"The price drop is far from enough. I think it should be reduced by at least 30 per cent, then it would be a worthy price. The original price is too high," said a citizen.

"The latest model didn't sell well, as it is way too expensive," said another citizen.

'People's apple craze is on the wane, so we have to lower the price to ensure sales,' said the owner of the electronics store.

Apple's mobile phones are recently going through a price reduction wave on the Chinese market due to the company's weak business performance, with the latest iPhone model dropping as much as 1400 yuan (about $207) in some places. Due to the unexpected low sales, Apple's mobile phones experienced a big price cut in the Chinese market. In an electronics store in Shanghai, all the iPhone products, from iPhone 7 to the latest model XS MAX, have been labelled with a price drop. Among them, the price of 256G iPhone XS MAX dropped from 10,999 yuan to 9,899 yuan (from $1626.4 to $1463.7). "People's apple craze is on the wane, so we have to lower the price to ensure sales," said Zhou Shunliang, owner of the electronics store. "The reason behind the price drops is that more people have turned to home-made brands," said a resident. Various Chinese major e-commerce platforms have also launched price reduction strategies to promote sales. On Su'ning and Tmall online platforms, some iPhones are 1400 yuan ($354.9) cheaper than on Apple's official website. On Jingdong, the price of 64G iPhone 8 dropped by 700 yuan ($103.5), and the price of iPhone 8 plus dropped by 900 yuan ($133). Some residents, however, said that the price reduction is still not enough, considering the extra high original price. "The price drop is far from enough. I think it should be reduced by at least 30 per cent, then it would be a worthy price. The original price is too high," said a citizen. "The latest model didn't sell well, as it is way too expensive," said another citizen.

iPhones go through price reduction wave in China

The S&amp;P 500 jumped to a three-week high on Tuesday, led by Apple, Amazon, Facebook and industrial shares on bets that the United States and China would strike a deal to end their trade war.

The three-day rally kicked off on Friday following robust US&nbsp;jobs data and dovish comments on interest rates by Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell has lifted the S&amp;P 500 by over 9 per cent from 20-month lows touched around Christmas.

The S&amp;P 500 has gained in seven of the past nine sessions.

The United States and China will extend trade talks in Beijing for an unscheduled third day, a member of the US&nbsp;delegation said, as the world's two largest economies looked to resolve their bitter trade dispute. So far, officials from both sides have sounded optimistic, with President Donald Trump saying talks were going well.

"You're seeing some negotiations happen and the market is starting to think that perhaps we'll start to see a framework evolve," said Anik Sen, global head of equities at PineBridge Investments.

The trade-sensitive S&amp;P industrials sector rose 1.41 percent. Boeing Co&nbsp;shares jumped 3.79 per cent, contributing the most to the Dow's rise, after the company said it had delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018.

Apple Inc &nbsp;rose 1.91 per cent, regaining some ground after the company last week warned of weaker-than-expected demand for its iPhones. But tech sector gains were limited by a drop in chip stocks after Samsung blamed an estimated 29 per cent drop in quarterly profit on weak chip demand.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor index slid 0.49 per cent. Adding to the woes, Goldman Sachs forecast a tough year for chipmakers, particularly in the first half.

Other investors remained upbeat about upcoming US&nbsp;quarterly results.

"It's the new year and investors are really stepping back and taking a look at the fundamentals, and realizing it's not as bad a story as maybe we thought toward the end of the year," said Jeff Kravetz, a regional investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.

The communication services index climbed 1.58 per cent, with Facebook Inc adding 3.25 per cent after JPMorgan said the social media company was among its favourite internet picks for 2019.

Amazon.com Inc&nbsp;rose 1.66 per cent, increasing its market capitalization to $810 billion and cementing its position as the most valuable US&nbsp;company.

The S&P 500 jumped to a three-week high on Tuesday, led by Apple, Amazon, Facebook and industrial shares on bets that the United States and China would strike a deal to end their trade war.

The S&P 500 jumped to a three-week high on Tuesday, led by Apple, Amazon, Facebook and industrial shares on bets that the United States and China would strike a deal to end their trade war. The three-day rally kicked off on Friday following robust US jobs data and dovish comments on interest rates by Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell has lifted the S&P 500 by over 9 per cent from 20-month lows touched around Christmas. The S&P 500 has gained in seven of the past nine sessions. The United States and China will extend trade talks in Beijing for an unscheduled third day, a member of the US delegation said, as the world's two largest economies looked to resolve their bitter trade dispute. So far, officials from both sides have sounded optimistic, with President Donald Trump saying talks were going well. "You're seeing some negotiations happen and the market is starting to think that perhaps we'll start to see a framework evolve," said Anik Sen, global head of equities at PineBridge Investments. The trade-sensitive S&P industrials sector rose 1.41 percent. Boeing Co shares jumped 3.79 per cent, contributing the most to the Dow's rise, after the company said it had delivered a record 806 aircraft in 2018. Apple Inc rose 1.91 per cent, regaining some ground after the company last week warned of weaker-than-expected demand for its iPhones. But tech sector gains were limited by a drop in chip stocks after Samsung blamed an estimated 29 per cent drop in quarterly profit on weak chip demand. The Philadelphia Semiconductor index slid 0.49 per cent. Adding to the woes, Goldman Sachs forecast a tough year for chipmakers, particularly in the first half. Other investors remained upbeat about upcoming US quarterly results. "It's the new year and investors are really stepping back and taking a look at the fundamentals, and realizing it's not as bad a story as maybe we thought toward the end of the year," said Jeff Kravetz, a regional investment strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. The communication services index climbed 1.58 per cent, with Facebook Inc adding 3.25 per cent after JPMorgan said the social media company was among its favourite internet picks for 2019. Amazon.com Inc rose 1.66 per cent, increasing its market capitalization to $810 billion and cementing its position as the most valuable US company.

Apple, Facebook propel Wall Street to three-week peak

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/samsung-electronics-apologises-to-workers-over-cancer-cases-in-semiconductor-factories-178875">Samsung Electronics </a>on Tuesday flagged its first quarterly profit drop in two years and painted a grim outlook owing to mounting competition from Chinese smartphone makers and declining chip prices.

The shock warning added to concerns about the broader tech sector after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/apple-inks-deal-with-samsung-to-distribute-itunes-shows-on-tvs-188696">Apple sent shudders</a> through world markets last week by slashing its revenue forecast blaming weak sales in China and citing the trade war.

Samsung — the world's top maker of smartphones and memory chips — has enjoyed record profits in recent years despite a series of setbacks, including a humiliating recall and the jailing of its de facto chief.

But operating profit during the October to December period was expected to be around 10.8 trillion won ($9.8 billion), down 28.7 per cent from a year earlier, Samsung said in an earnings estimate.

The figure was below market consensus of about 13.5 trillion won, according to market researcher FnGuide.

Sales dropped more than 10 per cent to 59 trillion won in the period, Samsung said.

It cited "lacklustre demand in the memory business and intensifying competition in the smartphone business" for the dismal outlook.

"Memory earnings fell significantly... due to weaker-than-expected demand amid inventory adjustments at data-centre customers," which led to a "greater-than-expected" drop in chip prices, it said.

"We expect earnings to remain subdued in the first quarter of 2019 due to difficult conditions for the memory business but strengthen in the second half."

But analyst Kim Sun-woo of Meritz Securities said worsening supply and demand for semiconductors and the structural challenges facing Samsung's smartphone business will hit profits throughout 2019.

Demand for DRAM memory chips "will hit a low in the fourth quarter of 2019", he added.

Samsung withholds net profit and sector-by-sector business performance data until it releases its final earnings report, which is expected later this month.

For 2018, the firm expects operating profit of 58.9 trillion won, up nearly 10 per cent on-year, and sales to inch up 1.6 per cent to 243.5 trillion won.

Shares in Samsung Electronics, the flagship subsidiary of the Samsung Group that dominates South Korea's economy, were down 0.5 per cent in afternoon trading.

Last week Apple said it expected to earn $84 billion in October-December, well down from the $89-$93 billion previously forecast as it blamed a steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China and emerging markets.

The news battered world equities, with observers saying problems at the usually reliable US titan could point to broader demand weakness and the China-US trade war cited as a key factor.

"When Apple sounded the alarm bells for last quarter results, there was some thought the drops in China sales was an anti-Apple backlash due to escalating US-China tensions," said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. "But these Samsung results are quite damning suggesting there... (is) a broader-based retail and manufacturer slowdown afoot."

While Samsung leads the global smartphone market with a 20 per cent share, it faces mounting competition from Chinese rivals like Huawei — which surpassed Apple to take second place last year — offering quality devices at cheaper prices.

"Samsung is losing ground to Huawei, Xiaomi and other Chinese rivals in the huge China and India markets," Neil Mawston, executive director at market researcher Strategy Analytics, said in a report.

Samsung once also had a 20 per cent market share in China but has seen its sales tumble to less than one per cent of the world's largest smartphone market in the third quarter, and last month announced the closure of its factory in Tianjin.

It will reportedly roll out a new line-up of its flagship Galaxy handsets at next month's World Mobile Congress in Barcelona as it seeks to regain a competitive edge in a market segment it once dominated.

Samsung is also set to introduce the world's first bendable smartphone in the first half.

Its reputation suffered a major blow after a damaging worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 devices over exploding batteries in 2016, which cost the firm billions of dollars and shattered its global brand image.

It also took another hit after the bribery conviction of Lee Jae-Yong — the son and heir of the group's ailing current chairman Lee Kun-hee.

The 50-year-old scion was a key figure in the scandal that ousted former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye following massive nationwide protests and was sentenced to five years in jail last year.

But he was released from jail in February last year after several of his convictions were quashed on appeal.

Samsung has enjoyed record profits in recent years despite a series of setbacks, including a humiliating recall and the jailing of its de facto chief.

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday flagged its first quarterly profit drop in two years and painted a grim outlook owing to mounting competition from Chinese smartphone makers and declining chip prices. The shock warning added to concerns about the broader tech sector after Apple sent shudders through world markets last week by slashing its revenue forecast blaming weak sales in China and citing the trade war. Samsung — the world's top maker of smartphones and memory chips — has enjoyed record profits in recent years despite a series of setbacks, including a humiliating recall and the jailing of its de facto chief. But operating profit during the October to December period was expected to be around 10.8 trillion won ($9.8 billion), down 28.7 per cent from a year earlier, Samsung said in an earnings estimate. The figure was below market consensus of about 13.5 trillion won, according to market researcher FnGuide. Sales dropped more than 10 per cent to 59 trillion won in the period, Samsung said. It cited "lacklustre demand in the memory business and intensifying competition in the smartphone business" for the dismal outlook. "Memory earnings fell significantly... due to weaker-than-expected demand amid inventory adjustments at data-centre customers," which led to a "greater-than-expected" drop in chip prices, it said. "We expect earnings to remain subdued in the first quarter of 2019 due to difficult conditions for the memory business but strengthen in the second half." But analyst Kim Sun-woo of Meritz Securities said worsening supply and demand for semiconductors and the structural challenges facing Samsung's smartphone business will hit profits throughout 2019. Demand for DRAM memory chips "will hit a low in the fourth quarter of 2019", he added. Samsung withholds net profit and sector-by-sector business performance data until it releases its final earnings report, which is expected later this month. For 2018, the firm expects operating profit of 58.9 trillion won, up nearly 10 per cent on-year, and sales to inch up 1.6 per cent to 243.5 trillion won. Shares in Samsung Electronics, the flagship subsidiary of the Samsung Group that dominates South Korea's economy, were down 0.5 per cent in afternoon trading. Last week Apple said it expected to earn $84 billion in October-December, well down from the $89-$93 billion previously forecast as it blamed a steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China and emerging markets. The news battered world equities, with observers saying problems at the usually reliable US titan could point to broader demand weakness and the China-US trade war cited as a key factor. "When Apple sounded the alarm bells for last quarter results, there was some thought the drops in China sales was an anti-Apple backlash due to escalating US-China tensions," said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA. "But these Samsung results are quite damning suggesting there... (is) a broader-based retail and manufacturer slowdown afoot." While Samsung leads the global smartphone market with a 20 per cent share, it faces mounting competition from Chinese rivals like Huawei — which surpassed Apple to take second place last year — offering quality devices at cheaper prices. "Samsung is losing ground to Huawei, Xiaomi and other Chinese rivals in the huge China and India markets," Neil Mawston, executive director at market researcher Strategy Analytics, said in a report. Samsung once also had a 20 per cent market share in China but has seen its sales tumble to less than one per cent of the world's largest smartphone market in the third quarter, and last month announced the closure of its factory in Tianjin. It will reportedly roll out a new line-up of its flagship Galaxy handsets at next month's World Mobile Congress in Barcelona as it seeks to regain a competitive edge in a market segment it once dominated. Samsung is also set to introduce the world's first bendable smartphone in the first half. Its reputation suffered a major blow after a damaging worldwide recall of its Galaxy Note 7 devices over exploding batteries in 2016, which cost the firm billions of dollars and shattered its global brand image. It also took another hit after the bribery conviction of Lee Jae-Yong — the son and heir of the group's ailing current chairman Lee Kun-hee. The 50-year-old scion was a key figure in the scandal that ousted former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye following massive nationwide protests and was sentenced to five years in jail last year. But he was released from jail in February last year after several of his convictions were quashed on appeal.

Samsung Electronics flags near 30% slump in Q4 operating profit

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said Sunday that it will add an app to its smart televisions in the coming months to let owners watch content bought on Apple Inc's iTunes service, a possible first sign Apple is looking to distribute its forthcoming television service on devices made by others.

The deal is part of an ongoing strategy shift for Apple, which is facing weak hardware sales in China and a saturated global smartphone market where users are hanging on to their old iPhones longer than ever, hammering its biggest business.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-rules-in-favour-of-samsung-in-apple-design-patent-case-9843">US Supreme Court rules in favour of Samsung in Apple design patent case</a>

As a result, Apple is increasingly leaning on its services segment, which includes businesses such as iCloud storage in addition to its music, television and movie content businesses.

It has announced several high-profile deals for original television content, including a forthcoming show with Oprah Winfrey, but has not yet said how it plans to distribute that content or when its service will launch.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/apple-samsung-fined-millions-for-slowing-phones-173208">Apple, Samsung fined millions for slowing phones</a>

The Samsung deal could be a step toward Apple distributing content to devices made by others. Apple makes a device called Apple TV that connects to a full television set, but has never produced a full set itself.

Under the deal unveiled on Sunday, Samsung will add an app to its televisions that lets users browse and play their existing iTunes movies and television shows as well as purchase or rent new content. Samsung also said it would add Apple's AirPlay 2 software that will allow iPhone owners to stream content from their device to Samsung televisions.

Many existing deals between content companies and smart television makers involve the content companies paying television makers for the right to appear on their devices. Apple and Samsung both declined to comment on whether Apple is paying any fees or a percentage of sales made on the televisions under the new deal.

The impact of iTunes landing on Samsung movies will be muted for now. Since late 2017, consumers who purchased movies through iTunes have been able to watch them on any device, including Samsung televisions, that supported the Movies Anywhere consortium.

Films from Warner Bros, Walt Disney, Universal, Sony and Fox purchased through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu could be viewed on the respective apps and devices and TVs that support the apps.

The Samsung deal is the second time in recent months in which Apple has made a pact with another technology company to land its services on their devices. In November, it said its Apple Music streaming service would be made available on Amazon's Echo smart speakers, despite Apple selling its own line of HomePod speakers that compete directly with Echo speakers.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said Sunday that it will add an app to its smart televisions in the coming months to let owners watch content bought on Apple Inc's iTunes service, a possible first sign Apple is looking to distribute its forthcoming television service on devices made by others.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said Sunday that it will add an app to its smart televisions in the coming months to let owners watch content bought on Apple Inc's iTunes service, a possible first sign Apple is looking to distribute its forthcoming television service on devices made by others. The deal is part of an ongoing strategy shift for Apple, which is facing weak hardware sales in China and a saturated global smartphone market where users are hanging on to their old iPhones longer than ever, hammering its biggest business. Also read: US Supreme Court rules in favour of Samsung in Apple design patent case As a result, Apple is increasingly leaning on its services segment, which includes businesses such as iCloud storage in addition to its music, television and movie content businesses. It has announced several high-profile deals for original television content, including a forthcoming show with Oprah Winfrey, but has not yet said how it plans to distribute that content or when its service will launch. Also read: Apple, Samsung fined millions for slowing phones The Samsung deal could be a step toward Apple distributing content to devices made by others. Apple makes a device called Apple TV that connects to a full television set, but has never produced a full set itself. Under the deal unveiled on Sunday, Samsung will add an app to its televisions that lets users browse and play their existing iTunes movies and television shows as well as purchase or rent new content. Samsung also said it would add Apple's AirPlay 2 software that will allow iPhone owners to stream content from their device to Samsung televisions. Many existing deals between content companies and smart television makers involve the content companies paying television makers for the right to appear on their devices. Apple and Samsung both declined to comment on whether Apple is paying any fees or a percentage of sales made on the televisions under the new deal. The impact of iTunes landing on Samsung movies will be muted for now. Since late 2017, consumers who purchased movies through iTunes have been able to watch them on any device, including Samsung televisions, that supported the Movies Anywhere consortium. Films from Warner Bros, Walt Disney, Universal, Sony and Fox purchased through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Vudu could be viewed on the respective apps and devices and TVs that support the apps. The Samsung deal is the second time in recent months in which Apple has made a pact with another technology company to land its services on their devices. In November, it said its Apple Music streaming service would be made available on Amazon's Echo smart speakers, despite Apple selling its own line of HomePod speakers that compete directly with Echo speakers.

Apple inks deal with Samsung to distribute iTunes shows on TVs

Apple plunged at the start of trading on Thursday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-cuts-forecast-citing-weak-china-sales-amid-trade-tensions-187959">weighing on the broader market</a> after the tech giant cut its sales forecast due to weakness in China.

About 12 minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.3 per cent to 6,580.30, with Apple shedding about 8.8 per cent.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.4 per cent to 23,027.14, while the broad-based S&amp;P 500 slid 1.0 per cent to 2,486.25.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook had said Wednesday that iPhone sales had been dented by steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China, the latest sign of sluggishness in the world's second-biggest economy as a trade war between Beijing and Washington drags out.

Thursday's early losses on Wall Street were a sign that the stock market's struggles at the end of 2018 could extend well into the New Year as investors assess the impact of trade wars, Federal Reserve interest rate hikes and a US government shutdown.

"Against the backdrop of financial-market volatility, the government shutdown seems more threatening," said FTN Financial's Chris Low, describing the lack of progress in talks between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders.

On the positive side, an ADP employment report showed private-sector firms added 271,000 jobs in December, well above analyst forecasts.&nbsp;

The data came ahead of Friday's more closely-watched Department of Labor report. Analysts expect the US added 180,000 jobs last month and unemployment held at 3.7 per cent.

Drug company Celgene surged 28.7 per cent after it reached a deal to be bought by the larger pharma company Bristol-Myers Squibb for $74 billion. Bristol-Myers fell 12 per cent. 
&nbsp;

Apple plunged at the start of trading on Thursday, weighing on the broader market after the tech giant cut its sales forecast due to weakness in China. About 12 minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.

Apple plunged at the start of trading on Thursday, weighing on the broader market after the tech giant cut its sales forecast due to weakness in China. About 12 minutes into trading, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1.3 per cent to 6,580.30, with Apple shedding about 8.8 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.4 per cent to 23,027.14, while the broad-based S&P 500 slid 1.0 per cent to 2,486.25. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook had said Wednesday that iPhone sales had been dented by steeper-than-expected "economic deceleration" in China, the latest sign of sluggishness in the world's second-biggest economy as a trade war between Beijing and Washington drags out. Thursday's early losses on Wall Street were a sign that the stock market's struggles at the end of 2018 could extend well into the New Year as investors assess the impact of trade wars, Federal Reserve interest rate hikes and a US government shutdown. "Against the backdrop of financial-market volatility, the government shutdown seems more threatening," said FTN Financial's Chris Low, describing the lack of progress in talks between President Donald Trump and congressional Democratic leaders. On the positive side, an ADP employment report showed private-sector firms added 271,000 jobs in December, well above analyst forecasts. The data came ahead of Friday's more closely-watched Department of Labor report. Analysts expect the US added 180,000 jobs last month and unemployment held at 3.7 per cent. Drug company Celgene surged 28.7 per cent after it reached a deal to be bought by the larger pharma company Bristol-Myers Squibb for $74 billion. Bristol-Myers fell 12 per cent.

Apple stocks plunge over China report; Dow, Nasdaq down

Apple Inc&nbsp;on Wednesday took the rare step of cutting its quarterly sales forecast, with Chief Executive Tim Cook blaming slowing iPhone sales in China, whose economy has been dragged down by uncertainty around U.S.-China trade relations.

The news sent Apple shares tumbling in after-hours trade and triggered a broader selloff in the stock market.

The revenue cut for the just-ended quarter raises questions about whether Apple, the face of American business in many parts of the world, is being punished by Chinese officials or consumers in favour of local rivals such as Huawei Technology Cos Ltd, whose pricey smartphones compete with the iPhone and which has been under discussion by the Trump administration for a possible sales ban over suggestions that its telecommunications equipment could be used to spy on Americans.

Cook told CNBC that Apple products have not been targeted by the Chinese government, though some consumers may have elected not to buy an iPhone or other Apple device because it is an American company.

“The much larger issue is the slowing of the (Chinese) economy, and then the trade tension that has further pressured it,” Cook said.

Some analysts, however, questioned the impact of Apple's own actions, such as its unyielding pursuit of high selling prices for its products.

Apple on Wednesday lowered its forecast to $84 billion in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended December 29, below analysts' estimate of $91.5 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Apple originally forecasts revenue of between $89 billion and $93 billion.

"While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China," Cook said in a letter to investors. "In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 per cent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad."

Wednesday was the first time that Apple issued a warning on its revenue guidance ahead of releasing quarterly results since the iPhone was launched in 2007.

Apple shares skidded 7.7 per cent in after-hours trade, dragging the company's market value below $700 billion. In the broader market, the S&amp;P 500 futures&nbsp;fell 1.5 per cent. In the US government bond market, a typical safe-haven, the yield on the benchmark 10- year, which moves inversely to the bond's price, sank to an 11-month low.

Precursors to a warning

Apple's move was not entirely a surprise. In November, the Cupertino, California-based company said it would quit disclosing unit sales data for iPhones and other hardware items, leading many analysts to worry that a drop in iPhone sales was coming. And after several component makers in November forecast weaker-than-expected sales, some market watchers called the peak for iPhones in several key markets.

In November, Cook cited slowing growth in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Russia for lower-than-anticipated sales estimates for the company's fiscal first quarter. But Cook specifically said he "would not put China in that category" of countries with troubled growth.

That all came before the damage to the Chinese economy from trade tensions with the United States and long-simmering structural issues became evident.

Apple is now the highest-profile multinational corporation to warn that the economic slowdown in China could hurt its business. Automakers such as Ford Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co all previously said they planned to cut production in the country.

But Apple has held firm on its premium pricing strategy in China despite the risk of a slower economy.

"The question for investors will be the extent to which Apple’s aggressive pricing has exacerbated this situation and what this means for the company’s longer-term pricing power within its iPhone franchise," James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, told Reuters.

In the latest fiscal year, ended Sept. 29, unit sales of the iPhone were essentially flat from the prior year, while iPhone revenue expanded 18 per cent to $166.7 billion. That growth came entirely from higher prices.

Hal Eddins, chief economist at Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel, said Cook's comments on the impact of the U.S. trade tensions with China "might be a dig at (US&nbsp;President Donald) Trump, but mostly he may be using the trade turmoil as an excuse for some missteps they’ve made over the last year."

But some investors were heartened by Apple's plans on using its cash pile.

In his letter, Cook said Apple has $130 billion in net cash and that it intends to continue its efforts to reduce that cash balance to net zero, which the company has so far accomplished through dividend increases and share buybacks.

"We would anticipate the company increasing share buybacks on the weakness to return capital to shareholders at discount prices," said Trip Miller, managing partner at Apple shareholder Gullane Capital Partners.

The news sent Apple shares tumbling in after-hours trade and triggered a broader selloff in the stock market.

Apple Inc on Wednesday took the rare step of cutting its quarterly sales forecast, with Chief Executive Tim Cook blaming slowing iPhone sales in China, whose economy has been dragged down by uncertainty around U.S.-China trade relations. The news sent Apple shares tumbling in after-hours trade and triggered a broader selloff in the stock market. The revenue cut for the just-ended quarter raises questions about whether Apple, the face of American business in many parts of the world, is being punished by Chinese officials or consumers in favour of local rivals such as Huawei Technology Cos Ltd, whose pricey smartphones compete with the iPhone and which has been under discussion by the Trump administration for a possible sales ban over suggestions that its telecommunications equipment could be used to spy on Americans. Cook told CNBC that Apple products have not been targeted by the Chinese government, though some consumers may have elected not to buy an iPhone or other Apple device because it is an American company. “The much larger issue is the slowing of the (Chinese) economy, and then the trade tension that has further pressured it,” Cook said. Some analysts, however, questioned the impact of Apple's own actions, such as its unyielding pursuit of high selling prices for its products. Apple on Wednesday lowered its forecast to $84 billion in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended December 29, below analysts' estimate of $91.5 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Apple originally forecasts revenue of between $89 billion and $93 billion. "While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China," Cook said in a letter to investors. "In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 per cent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad." Wednesday was the first time that Apple issued a warning on its revenue guidance ahead of releasing quarterly results since the iPhone was launched in 2007. Apple shares skidded 7.7 per cent in after-hours trade, dragging the company's market value below $700 billion. In the broader market, the S&P 500 futures fell 1.5 per cent. In the US government bond market, a typical safe-haven, the yield on the benchmark 10- year, which moves inversely to the bond's price, sank to an 11-month low. Precursors to a warning Apple's move was not entirely a surprise. In November, the Cupertino, California-based company said it would quit disclosing unit sales data for iPhones and other hardware items, leading many analysts to worry that a drop in iPhone sales was coming. And after several component makers in November forecast weaker-than-expected sales, some market watchers called the peak for iPhones in several key markets. In November, Cook cited slowing growth in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and Russia for lower-than-anticipated sales estimates for the company's fiscal first quarter. But Cook specifically said he "would not put China in that category" of countries with troubled growth. That all came before the damage to the Chinese economy from trade tensions with the United States and long-simmering structural issues became evident. Apple is now the highest-profile multinational corporation to warn that the economic slowdown in China could hurt its business. Automakers such as Ford Motor Co, Hyundai Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co all previously said they planned to cut production in the country. But Apple has held firm on its premium pricing strategy in China despite the risk of a slower economy. "The question for investors will be the extent to which Apple’s aggressive pricing has exacerbated this situation and what this means for the company’s longer-term pricing power within its iPhone franchise," James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities, told Reuters. In the latest fiscal year, ended Sept. 29, unit sales of the iPhone were essentially flat from the prior year, while iPhone revenue expanded 18 per cent to $166.7 billion. That growth came entirely from higher prices. Hal Eddins, chief economist at Apple shareholder Capital Investment Counsel, said Cook's comments on the impact of the U.S. trade tensions with China "might be a dig at (US President Donald) Trump, but mostly he may be using the trade turmoil as an excuse for some missteps they’ve made over the last year." But some investors were heartened by Apple's plans on using its cash pile. In his letter, Cook said Apple has $130 billion in net cash and that it intends to continue its efforts to reduce that cash balance to net zero, which the company has so far accomplished through dividend increases and share buybacks. "We would anticipate the company increasing share buybacks on the weakness to return capital to shareholders at discount prices," said Trip Miller, managing partner at Apple shareholder Gullane Capital Partners.

Apple cuts forecast, citing weak China sales amid trade tensions

Music retailer HMV said on Friday it was calling in the administrators, blaming a worsening market for entertainment CDs and DVDs, to become the latest victim of brutal trading conditions in Britain's retail sector.

The accounting firm KPMG has been named as the administrator and intends to keep the business running while it seeks a potential buyer, HMV said in a statement.

Will Wright, Neil Gostelow and David Pike from KPMG's Restructuring practice have been confirmed as joint administrators to HMV Retail Limited and HMV E-commerce Limited, KPMG said in a statement late Friday.

The retailer, one of Britain's best-known high street stores, went into administration in 2013 before its rescue by restructuring specialist Hilco, but it has since been hit by competition from online rivals and music streaming services.

Sky News earlier reported that about 2,200 jobs were at risk if HMV went into administration, adding that the company had been in talks with leading names in the recorded music industry for funding, but that those discussions came to nothing.

HMV was opened on London's Oxford Street by English composer Edward Elgar in 1921 and made famous by the image of the "dog and trumpet".

"During the key Christmas trading period, the market for DVDs fell by over 30 per cent compared to the previous year, and whilst HMV performed considerably better than that, such a deterioration in a key sector of the market is unsustainable," said Paul McGowan, Executive Chairman of HMV and its owner Hilco Capital, which paid around 50 million pounds ($63.47 million) for the group in 2013.

"The company has suffered from the ongoing wave of digital disruption sweeping across the entertainment industry", said Wright, a joint administrator and partner at KPMG.

"Over the coming weeks, we will endeavour to continue to operate all stores as a going concern while we assess options for the business, including a possible sale", he added.

Britain's retailers had been hoping Christmas would revive spending after a year for much of the sector that has seen a string of store groups go out of business or closed shops.

Weakening consumer spending, uncertainty over Britain's exit from the European Union, rising labour costs and higher business property taxes, has spread gloom across the retail industry.

In the years running up to its first rescue in 2013, HMV struggled to hold its own against supermarkets and online services in sales of CDs, DVDs and video games.

More recently, traditional players in the music industry have been hit by the growing popularity of online streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Inc's Apple Music, which this year became the recording industry's single biggest revenue source.

HMV - which had a hand in The Beatles' big break in the 1960s, recommending the group's demo record to publishers - had around 230 stores and over 4,000 staff before it went into administration in 2013. It currently has 125 stores around Britain and employs 2,025 people.

Music retailer HMV said on Friday it was calling in the administrators, blaming a worsening market for entertainment CDs and DVDs, to become the latest victim of brutal trading conditions in Britain's retail sector.

Music retailer HMV said on Friday it was calling in the administrators, blaming a worsening market for entertainment CDs and DVDs, to become the latest victim of brutal trading conditions in Britain's retail sector. The accounting firm KPMG has been named as the administrator and intends to keep the business running while it seeks a potential buyer, HMV said in a statement. Will Wright, Neil Gostelow and David Pike from KPMG's Restructuring practice have been confirmed as joint administrators to HMV Retail Limited and HMV E-commerce Limited, KPMG said in a statement late Friday. The retailer, one of Britain's best-known high street stores, went into administration in 2013 before its rescue by restructuring specialist Hilco, but it has since been hit by competition from online rivals and music streaming services. Sky News earlier reported that about 2,200 jobs were at risk if HMV went into administration, adding that the company had been in talks with leading names in the recorded music industry for funding, but that those discussions came to nothing. HMV was opened on London's Oxford Street by English composer Edward Elgar in 1921 and made famous by the image of the "dog and trumpet". "During the key Christmas trading period, the market for DVDs fell by over 30 per cent compared to the previous year, and whilst HMV performed considerably better than that, such a deterioration in a key sector of the market is unsustainable," said Paul McGowan, Executive Chairman of HMV and its owner Hilco Capital, which paid around 50 million pounds ($63.47 million) for the group in 2013. "The company has suffered from the ongoing wave of digital disruption sweeping across the entertainment industry", said Wright, a joint administrator and partner at KPMG. "Over the coming weeks, we will endeavour to continue to operate all stores as a going concern while we assess options for the business, including a possible sale", he added. Britain's retailers had been hoping Christmas would revive spending after a year for much of the sector that has seen a string of store groups go out of business or closed shops. Weakening consumer spending, uncertainty over Britain's exit from the European Union, rising labour costs and higher business property taxes, has spread gloom across the retail industry. In the years running up to its first rescue in 2013, HMV struggled to hold its own against supermarkets and online services in sales of CDs, DVDs and video games. More recently, traditional players in the music industry have been hit by the growing popularity of online streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Inc's Apple Music, which this year became the recording industry's single biggest revenue source. HMV - which had a hand in The Beatles' big break in the 1960s, recommending the group's demo record to publishers - had around 230 stores and over 4,000 staff before it went into administration in 2013. It currently has 125 stores around Britain and employs 2,025 people.

Britain's HMV faces the music as retailer calls in administrators

Chinese firms are encouraging staff to buy Huawei smartphones following Canada’s arrest of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/britain-voices-grave-concerns-over-chinas-huawei-186842">a top Huawei executive</a> on a US extradition request, which has triggered an outpouring of nationalist support.

Several companies are offering employees subsidies for Huawei phone purchases, while others have even warned staff against buying Apple products.&nbsp;

In eastern China, Fuchun Technology said "nearly sixty" out of its 200 employees have taken advantage of 100 to 500 yuan ($15 to $29) Huawei phone subsidies as of Saturday.&nbsp;

Another tech firm, Chengdu RYD Information Technology, has offered 15 per cent subsidies, though it declined to disclose how many employees have actually taken advantage of the benefits.

"We are supportive of good China-made brands," a spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the subsidies are part of employee benefits and were not "guided by the government."

One company has even threatened to fine employees who buy iPhones, charging them 100 per cent of the smartphone's market price.&nbsp;

"Stop buying US brands for company equipment," Shenzhen-based Men pad said in an internal notice, confirmed by AFP.

The surge of patriotism began after Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, was detained in Canada on December 1 on a US extradition request linked to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran.

She has since been released on bail pending her <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-mulls-new-year-executive-order-to-bar-huawei-zte-purchases-186787">US extradition hearing</a> and is now living under electronic surveillance in a luxury home in Vancouver.

Ottawa has repeatedly said Meng's arrest was not political but rather part of a judicial process in keeping with an extradition treaty with Washington.

But some in China see Meng's arrest as part of a broader conspiracy to suppress China's high-tech enterprises, with nationalist tabloid Global Times accusing Washington of "resorting to a despicable rogue's approach" because it cannot stop Huawei's progress in the 5G market.

The internal notices announcing the Huawei subsidies started circulating on China’s Twitter-like Weibo earlier this month, and have split Chinese internet opinion.

Some users were in favour of buying phones in the name of patriotism, while others questioned whether or not Chinese firms were simply leveraging Huawei's case as a marketing strategy or branding opportunity.

"Those companies are conscientious for standing by Huawei’s side," praised one Weibo user, using a thumb's up emoji. "The government should also publish an official document to support domestic brands."

But another user, who said they supported Huawei, criticised the practice of punishing staff who purchase Apple products. To win respect, domestic tech brands should "keep fighting despite setbacks and adopt an attitude of not accepting defeat," they said.

Chinese firms are encouraging staff to buy Huawei smartphones following Canada’s arrest of a top Huawei executive on a US extradition request, which has triggered an outpouring of nationalist support.

Chinese firms are encouraging staff to buy Huawei smartphones following Canada’s arrest of a top Huawei executive on a US extradition request, which has triggered an outpouring of nationalist support. Several companies are offering employees subsidies for Huawei phone purchases, while others have even warned staff against buying Apple products. In eastern China, Fuchun Technology said "nearly sixty" out of its 200 employees have taken advantage of 100 to 500 yuan ($15 to $29) Huawei phone subsidies as of Saturday. Another tech firm, Chengdu RYD Information Technology, has offered 15 per cent subsidies, though it declined to disclose how many employees have actually taken advantage of the benefits. "We are supportive of good China-made brands," a spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the subsidies are part of employee benefits and were not "guided by the government." One company has even threatened to fine employees who buy iPhones, charging them 100 per cent of the smartphone's market price. "Stop buying US brands for company equipment," Shenzhen-based Men pad said in an internal notice, confirmed by AFP. The surge of patriotism began after Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, was detained in Canada on December 1 on a US extradition request linked to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran. She has since been released on bail pending her US extradition hearing and is now living under electronic surveillance in a luxury home in Vancouver. Ottawa has repeatedly said Meng's arrest was not political but rather part of a judicial process in keeping with an extradition treaty with Washington. But some in China see Meng's arrest as part of a broader conspiracy to suppress China's high-tech enterprises, with nationalist tabloid Global Times accusing Washington of "resorting to a despicable rogue's approach" because it cannot stop Huawei's progress in the 5G market. The internal notices announcing the Huawei subsidies started circulating on China’s Twitter-like Weibo earlier this month, and have split Chinese internet opinion. Some users were in favour of buying phones in the name of patriotism, while others questioned whether or not Chinese firms were simply leveraging Huawei's case as a marketing strategy or branding opportunity. "Those companies are conscientious for standing by Huawei’s side," praised one Weibo user, using a thumb's up emoji. "The government should also publish an official document to support domestic brands." But another user, who said they supported Huawei, criticised the practice of punishing staff who purchase Apple products. To win respect, domestic tech brands should "keep fighting despite setbacks and adopt an attitude of not accepting defeat," they said.

Chinese firms support Huawei phones by offering subsidies

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-launches-artificial-intelligence-programme-in-thailand-to-screen-for-diabetic-eye-disease-183888">Google is investing</a> more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York, becoming the second major technology company after Amazon to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs.

The 1.7 million-square-foot campus, called Google Hudson Square, will include leased properties at Hudson Street and Washington Street, the company said in a blog post on Monday. The new campus will be the main location for Google's advertising sales division, the Global Business Organization.

Google hopes to start moving into two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by a Washington Street in 2022 and will have the capacity to more than double its New York headcount, currently more than 7,000, in the next 10 years.

The company's plans to invest outside its home base mirror those of other US tech giants such as Apple, which said last week it would spend $1 billion to build a new 133-acre campus in Austin, Texas.

Last month, Amazon said it would open offices in New York and the Washington, DC area, creating more than 25,000 jobs.

Mountain View, California-based Google's move to invest in prime real estate on the lower west side of Manhattan also underscores the growing importance of New York as a hub for innovation and an incubator for technology companies.

With a plethora of white-collar workers and good infrastructure, the city provides a better option to other places that would require more investment.

"We're growing faster outside the Bay Area than within it," said Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Alphabet and Google.

It is a "fairly sensible" move for Google given the amount of available talent pool, Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said.

It also makes sense for Google as New York has been the centre for their core advertising business, Cordwell added.

US corporations are also under pressure from the Trump administration to create more jobs domestically. Companies that have moved jobs overseas or closed factories have drawn sharp rebukes from <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/standoff-over-trump-wall-leaves-us-govt-5-days-away-from-shutdown-184833">President Donald Trump</a>.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Google was nearing a deal to buy or lease an office building in New York City that could add space for more than 12,000 new workers.

Google's first New York office at 111 Eighth Avenue is one of the city's largest buildings that it bought in 2010 for $1.77 billion.

Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market. It also has leased space on Pier 57 jutting into the Hudson, which will create a four-block campus.

Google shares were down 1.7 per cent at $1,032.84 amid a broader market sell-off.

Google is investing more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York, becoming the second major technology company after Amazon to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs.

Google is investing more than $1 billion on a new campus in New York, becoming the second major technology company after Amazon to pick America's financial capital to expand and create thousands of jobs. The 1.7 million-square-foot campus, called Google Hudson Square, will include leased properties at Hudson Street and Washington Street, the company said in a blog post on Monday. The new campus will be the main location for Google's advertising sales division, the Global Business Organization. Google hopes to start moving into two Hudson Street buildings by 2020, followed by a Washington Street in 2022 and will have the capacity to more than double its New York headcount, currently more than 7,000, in the next 10 years. The company's plans to invest outside its home base mirror those of other US tech giants such as Apple, which said last week it would spend $1 billion to build a new 133-acre campus in Austin, Texas. Last month, Amazon said it would open offices in New York and the Washington, DC area, creating more than 25,000 jobs. Mountain View, California-based Google's move to invest in prime real estate on the lower west side of Manhattan also underscores the growing importance of New York as a hub for innovation and an incubator for technology companies. With a plethora of white-collar workers and good infrastructure, the city provides a better option to other places that would require more investment. "We're growing faster outside the Bay Area than within it," said Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Alphabet and Google. It is a "fairly sensible" move for Google given the amount of available talent pool, Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said. It also makes sense for Google as New York has been the centre for their core advertising business, Cordwell added. US corporations are also under pressure from the Trump administration to create more jobs domestically. Companies that have moved jobs overseas or closed factories have drawn sharp rebukes from President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Google was nearing a deal to buy or lease an office building in New York City that could add space for more than 12,000 new workers. Google's first New York office at 111 Eighth Avenue is one of the city's largest buildings that it bought in 2010 for $1.77 billion. Earlier this year, the company announced a $2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market. It also has leased space on Pier 57 jutting into the Hudson, which will create a four-block campus. Google shares were down 1.7 per cent at $1,032.84 amid a broader market sell-off.

Google to invest over $1 billion on new campus in New York

Switzerland's competition commission (WEKO) on Tuesday said Apple Inc has agreed to make a technical fix to prevent the automatic launch of its Apple Pay from disrupting rival Swiss payment app TWINT.

"Apple has committed to provide TWINT with the technical capability to suppress the automatic launch of Apple Pay during the payment process with the TWINT app," WEKO said, adding it was ending a preliminary probe against Apple following the pact.

In a separate case, WEKO is investigating Swiss financial companies including Credit Suisse and UBS over a suspected boycott of mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Switzerland's competition commission (WEKO) on Tuesday said Apple Inc has agreed to make a technical fix to prevent the automatic launch of its Apple Pay from disrupting rival Swiss payment app TWINT.

Switzerland's competition commission (WEKO) on Tuesday said Apple Inc has agreed to make a technical fix to prevent the automatic launch of its Apple Pay from disrupting rival Swiss payment app TWINT. "Apple has committed to provide TWINT with the technical capability to suppress the automatic launch of Apple Pay during the payment process with the TWINT app," WEKO said, adding it was ending a preliminary probe against Apple following the pact. In a separate case, WEKO is investigating Swiss financial companies including Credit Suisse and UBS over a suspected boycott of mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Apple pledges to fix disruptions to rival payment app TWINT: Switzerland

Best known for his character Ron Weasely, actor Rupert Grint has been roped in for Manoj Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller for Apple. According to reports, &nbsp;Tony Basgallop has penned the series which also stars Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger.

The series will be produced by Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures, with the company’s Ashwin Rajan serving as executive producer alongside the Escape Artists team of Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Steve.

Shyamalan took to Twitter to announce the news. "Tomorrow I begin shooting my show for Apple. Just handed over @GlassMovie to be delivered to the studios. Looking over the storyboards for the pilot in my kitchen. Nervous. Like a film student. Want to deliver for everyone."

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Tomorrow I begin shooting my show for Apple. Just handed over <a href="https://twitter.com/GlassMovie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GlassMovie</a> to be delivered to the studios. Looking over the story boards for the pilot in my kitchen. Nervous. Like a film student. Want to deliver for everyone.
— M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MNightShyamalan/status/1066853279026618368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Grint, who became a household name playing Ron Weasely in the 'Harry Potter' series, had spoken in an earlier interview about how he was relieved when the series came to an end. "The line between Ron and me became thinner with each film and I think we became virtually the same person. There's a lot of me in Ron and moving on was a massive adjustment because it was such a constant part of my life.

''I don't want to liken it to coming out of prison because it wasn't a prison, but it did feel like stepping out of an institution. It was nice to breathe the fresh air and now I'm really enjoying stepping further away from that blue-screen world," Grint told The Guardian.&nbsp;

The actor had even contemplated quitting the Harry Potter franchise while he was filming one of the movies, he had revealed in the interview.&nbsp;

"There were definitely times when I thought about leaving. Filming Harry Potter was a massive sacrifice; working from such a young age for such long periods and I definitely remember thinking during one extended break, 'This whole thing is so all-consuming, do I really want to go back? Maybe it's just not for me.' I guess I was probably just being a teenager," he said.

Best known for his character Ron Weasely, actor Rupert Grint has been roped in for Manoj Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller for Apple. According to reports, Tony Basgallop has penned the series which also stars Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger.

Best known for his character Ron Weasely, actor Rupert Grint has been roped in for Manoj Night Shyamalan's psychological thriller for Apple. According to reports, Tony Basgallop has penned the series which also stars Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger. The series will be produced by Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge Pictures, with the company’s Ashwin Rajan serving as executive producer alongside the Escape Artists team of Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black and Steve. Shyamalan took to Twitter to announce the news. "Tomorrow I begin shooting my show for Apple. Just handed over @GlassMovie to be delivered to the studios. Looking over the storyboards for the pilot in my kitchen. Nervous. Like a film student. Want to deliver for everyone." Tomorrow I begin shooting my show for Apple. Just handed over @GlassMovie to be delivered to the studios. Looking over the story boards for the pilot in my kitchen. Nervous. Like a film student. Want to deliver for everyone. — M. Night Shyamalan (@MNightShyamalan) November 26, 2018 × Grint, who became a household name playing Ron Weasely in the 'Harry Potter' series, had spoken in an earlier interview about how he was relieved when the series came to an end. "The line between Ron and me became thinner with each film and I think we became virtually the same person. There's a lot of me in Ron and moving on was a massive adjustment because it was such a constant part of my life. ''I don't want to liken it to coming out of prison because it wasn't a prison, but it did feel like stepping out of an institution. It was nice to breathe the fresh air and now I'm really enjoying stepping further away from that blue-screen world," Grint told The Guardian. The actor had even contemplated quitting the Harry Potter franchise while he was filming one of the movies, he had revealed in the interview. "There were definitely times when I thought about leaving. Filming Harry Potter was a massive sacrifice; working from such a young age for such long periods and I definitely remember thinking during one extended break, 'This whole thing is so all-consuming, do I really want to go back? Maybe it's just not for me.' I guess I was probably just being a teenager," he said.

'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint to work in M Night Shyamalan's next

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