Apple Inc &lt;AAPL.O&gt; is planning to open its first Apple Store in Taiwan, a move that comes after the U.S. technology giant raised $1.38 billion in a bond offering last month on the island that is home to many companies in its supply chain. 
 
Apple was seeking &quot;a leader for personnel training plans for the Taiwan Apple Store&quot; and other retail positions indicating it was looking for a team in Taiwan, according to job postings dated Friday on Apple&#39;s website. 
 
The Cupertino, California-based company confirmed it had plans to open the first Apple Store in Taiwan, but provided no other details. 
 
The Apple Store is the envy of many in the retail world, with the highest sales per square foot in the industry, but some say the stores have lost their edge since the first one opened 15 years ago. 
 
This year Apple&#39;s popular iPhones saw their first ever sales decline during the second quarter as the firm struggled with an increasingly saturated smartphone market. 
 
Apple&#39;s Greater China revenue, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, sank 26 percent in its second fiscal quarter from a year earlier. 
 
Apple didn&#39;t break out revenue for Taiwan, but company executives said in April that the decline had to do with revenue from Hong Kong. 
 
(Reuters) 
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The Apple Store is the envy of many in the retail world, with the highest sales per square foot in the industry

Apple Inc <AAPL.O> is planning to open its first Apple Store in Taiwan, a move that comes after the U.S. technology giant raised $1.38 billion in a bond offering last month on the island that is home to many companies in its supply chain. Apple was seeking "a leader for personnel training plans for the Taiwan Apple Store" and other retail positions indicating it was looking for a team in Taiwan, according to job postings dated Friday on Apple's website. The Cupertino, California-based company confirmed it had plans to open the first Apple Store in Taiwan, but provided no other details. The Apple Store is the envy of many in the retail world, with the highest sales per square foot in the industry, but some say the stores have lost their edge since the first one opened 15 years ago. This year Apple's popular iPhones saw their first ever sales decline during the second quarter as the firm struggled with an increasingly saturated smartphone market. Apple's Greater China revenue, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, sank 26 percent in its second fiscal quarter from a year earlier. Apple didn't break out revenue for Taiwan, but company executives said in April that the decline had to do with revenue from Hong Kong. (Reuters)

Taiwan to get its first Apple store

Even though Apple&rsquo;s new iPhones will be unveiled in two months, rumours regarding their price have already surfaced online. According to a new leak the company will offer three iPhone variants namely iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro. 
 
A report by Weibo shares the rumoured prices of the devices. 
 
iPhone 7 
 
32GB variant - CNY 5,288 (approximately Rs 52,900) 
 
64GB variant at CNY 6,088 (approximately Rs 60,900) 
 
256GB at CNY 7,088 (approximately Rs 70,900) 
 
iPhone 7 Plus 
 
32GB variant - CNY 6,088 (approximately Rs 60,900) 
 
128GB variant - CNY 6,888 (approximately Rs 68,900) 
 
256GB variant - CNY 7,888 (approximately Rs 78,900) 
 
iPhone 7 Pro 
 
32GB variant - CNY 7,088 (approximately Rs 70,900) 
 
128GB variant &ndash; CNY 7,888 (approximately Rs 78,900) 
 
256GB variant - 8,882 (approximately Rs 88,900) 
 
Additionally, the iPhone 7 is likely to drop the headphone jack, and will instead offer earpods with Lightning Connector. According to images shared on Weibo, the new EarPods look similar to the company existing earbuds. However, Apple has ditched the 3.5mm connector and now offers a reversible Lightning port for digital sound. 
 
(DNA) 
 
 
 
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Additionally, the iPhone 7 is likely to drop the headphone jack, and will instead offer earpods with Lightning Connector

Even though Apple’s new iPhones will be unveiled in two months, rumours regarding their price have already surfaced online. According to a new leak the company will offer three iPhone variants namely iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro. A report by Weibo shares the rumoured prices of the devices. iPhone 7 32GB variant - CNY 5,288 (approximately Rs 52,900) 64GB variant at CNY 6,088 (approximately Rs 60,900) 256GB at CNY 7,088 (approximately Rs 70,900) iPhone 7 Plus 32GB variant - CNY 6,088 (approximately Rs 60,900) 128GB variant - CNY 6,888 (approximately Rs 68,900) 256GB variant - CNY 7,888 (approximately Rs 78,900) iPhone 7 Pro 32GB variant - CNY 7,088 (approximately Rs 70,900) 128GB variant – CNY 7,888 (approximately Rs 78,900) 256GB variant - 8,882 (approximately Rs 88,900) Additionally, the iPhone 7 is likely to drop the headphone jack, and will instead offer earpods with Lightning Connector. According to images shared on Weibo, the new EarPods look similar to the company existing earbuds. However, Apple has ditched the 3.5mm connector and now offers a reversible Lightning port for digital sound. (DNA)

Leaked: Apple iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 Pro pricing spotted online

Google on Wednesday announced a deal to buy Moodstocks, a French startup behind technology that helps smartphones recognise whatever they are aimed at. 
 
Moodstocks caught the US technology giant&#39;s eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognise images and objects. 
 
Google is among Silicon Valley titans investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do. 
 
Machine learning has been woven into an array of Google offerings, such as its free language translation and photo services. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a lot more to be done to improve machine vision,&quot; Google France tech site lead Vincent Simonet said in a blog post.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s where Moodstocks comes in.&quot; 
 
The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development centre in Paris, according to Simonet. 
 
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.&nbsp;Google and its parent Alphabet are expected to integrate the image search team in artificial intelligence efforts. 
 
At its annual developers conference in May, Google unveiled a virtual home assistant device that will challenge Amazon Echo.&nbsp;Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, will hit the market later this year and will incorporate new virtual assistant software. 
 
When Home hits, it will challenge Amazon Echo voice-controlled assistants that have proven to be a hit since the Seattle-based online retail colossus unveiled them two years ago. 
 
Many Internet companies are exploring the promise of artificial intelligence, for example, smartphone applications that can learn a user&#39;s habits and anticipate searches and requests. 
 
Microsoft, Apple, and Google have each created their own virtual assistants for users. 
 
(AFP)

Google is investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do

Google on Wednesday announced a deal to buy Moodstocks, a French startup behind technology that helps smartphones recognise whatever they are aimed at. Moodstocks caught the US technology giant's eye for its work in computer vision and machine learning, as well for accomplishments in enabling smartphones or other mobile devices to recognise images and objects. Google is among Silicon Valley titans investing in ways to get computers to see and understand the world around them the way people do. Machine learning has been woven into an array of Google offerings, such as its free language translation and photo services. "There's a lot more to be done to improve machine vision," Google France tech site lead Vincent Simonet said in a blog post. "That's where Moodstocks comes in." The Moodstocks team, described as a small group of researchers and engineers, will join a Google research and development centre in Paris, according to Simonet. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Google and its parent Alphabet are expected to integrate the image search team in artificial intelligence efforts. At its annual developers conference in May, Google unveiled a virtual home assistant device that will challenge Amazon Echo. Google Home, about the size of a stout vase, will hit the market later this year and will incorporate new virtual assistant software. When Home hits, it will challenge Amazon Echo voice-controlled assistants that have proven to be a hit since the Seattle-based online retail colossus unveiled them two years ago. Many Internet companies are exploring the promise of artificial intelligence, for example, smartphone applications that can learn a user's habits and anticipate searches and requests. Microsoft, Apple, and Google have each created their own virtual assistants for users. (AFP)

Google buys French startup that helps machines see

In the high tech hub of Tel Aviv, where companies have been responsible for ground-breaking advances like the USB stick, Or Offer never thought it would be hard to find workers for his fast-growing Internet data firm SimilarWeb. 
 
But an alarming lack of engineers, technicians and even doctors, which is jeopardizing Israel&#39;s place among the world&#39;s technological elite, sent him looking abroad. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s a brutal fight over skilled employees,&quot; said Offer, whose company has quadrupled in size in the past two years, hiring over 200 new people. 
 
To boost the technical side of the business that analyses website data, he set up a development centre in Ukraine. 
 
Without the huge populations of emerging markets like India or the vast network of foreigners who call Silicon Valley home, Israel&#39;s high tech enterprise seems to have dried out the well. 
 
Over the next decade it will face a shortage of about 10,000 engineers and programmers in a market that currently employs 140,000, according to the country&#39;s chief scientist, Avi Hasson, who is the government&#39;s point man on sustaining innovation. 
 
&quot;The issue of skilled and available manpower is the main barrier to growth and competitiveness in the field of high tech,&quot; Hasson said. 
 
The industry, which sprouted from an advanced military and flourished with state backing, became a major growth engine and investment magnet for Israel. 
 
Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres. High-tech goods and services now account for 12.5 per cent of Israel&#39;s gross domestic product and half its industrial exports. 
 
Younger firms are noticing the skills problem as they compete for workers with the global giants operating in Israel. 
 
&quot;There are a lot of international players around, coming in with deep pockets. Facebook, Google and others can make offers 50 per cent above market and equity packages that are very lucrative,&quot; said Nir Zohar, president of website-designer Wix.com, which is known for its big-budget Super Bowl ads. &quot;It&#39;s becoming harder and harder with the amount of effort you need to put in to recruit.&quot; 
 
Human capital 
 
Since taking office in 2013, Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug has been sounding the alarm over the threat to Israel&#39;s pool of &quot;human capital&quot;. 
 
An aging population, lagging education and poor integration of Israel&#39;s Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities in the labour market is making the workforce less effective, she said in a May speech. Combined, Israeli Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 30 per cent of the population. 
 
Nearly half the country&#39;s doctors, for example, are 55 or older, the highest figure in the Western world, while the rate of students completing medical school is among the lowest. 
 
University graduates in maths and computer science fell to 1,600 in 2008 from 3,000 in 2005. The figure has recovered, but not returned to prior levels. Israel is ranked 17 among the 34 members of the OECD in the ease of finding skilled workers. 
 
Tech companies prospered for years by tapping into the skills of workers trained in the military or intelligence sectors and start-ups benefitting from tax breaks and government funding. But those are drying up. 
 
Two years ago Israel lost the top spot it held for more than a decade among the OECD when it comes to investment in research and development, mainly due to a steep drop in government investment. South Korea is now top of the tree. 
 
Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs rarely serve in the military and are marginalised from the high tech industry. The government is now implementing a number of programmers to include them, like improving language skills and special training. 
 
Visas 
 
Feeling the heat, firms have been fighting to bring in qualified foreigners to ease the stress. 
 
&quot;In Israel, to get a work permit is harder than to make peace,&quot; said Eldad Tamir, head of the Tamir Fishman Investment House and a partner in Eucalyptus Growth Capital, a fund that invests in high tech companies. 
 
Tamir&#39;s partner in Eucalyptus, David Perlmutter, former chief product officer at Intel, lamented that Israel imports labour for agriculture and construction but not for technology. 
 
&quot;If you look at other countries that want to develop, they bring in workers. All of Silicon Valley is based on that. Here it doesn&rsquo;t happen,&quot; he said. 
 
Nearly 75 per cent of computer and math workers aged 25-44 employed in California&#39;s Silicon Valley are foreign-born, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies. 
 
In the 1990s, the influx of one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union helped fuel Israel&#39;s high-tech boom. Today about 30,000 people arrive annually, but it is not enough to meet the demands of the growing industry. 
 
&quot;Israel was built in a very homogenous way in terms of our innovation ecosystem. We did import talent, but only Jewish talent,&quot; and that needs to change, said Hasson. 
 
Only an &quot;anecdotal&quot; number of foreign high tech workers are being brought in today, Hasson said, referring to a smattering of cases like the US-born CEO of TowerJazz who over the past decade helped turn around the ailing chipmaker. 
 
He said Israel would soon begin a pilot for issuing a few hundred work visas a year, but it&#39;s unlikely to be enough. 
 
(Reuters)

Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres

In the high tech hub of Tel Aviv, where companies have been responsible for ground-breaking advances like the USB stick, Or Offer never thought it would be hard to find workers for his fast-growing Internet data firm SimilarWeb. But an alarming lack of engineers, technicians and even doctors, which is jeopardizing Israel's place among the world's technological elite, sent him looking abroad. "There's a brutal fight over skilled employees," said Offer, whose company has quadrupled in size in the past two years, hiring over 200 new people. To boost the technical side of the business that analyses website data, he set up a development centre in Ukraine. Without the huge populations of emerging markets like India or the vast network of foreigners who call Silicon Valley home, Israel's high tech enterprise seems to have dried out the well. Over the next decade it will face a shortage of about 10,000 engineers and programmers in a market that currently employs 140,000, according to the country's chief scientist, Avi Hasson, who is the government's point man on sustaining innovation. "The issue of skilled and available manpower is the main barrier to growth and competitiveness in the field of high tech," Hasson said. The industry, which sprouted from an advanced military and flourished with state backing, became a major growth engine and investment magnet for Israel. Multinationals like Apple, Intel and Google have been eager to snap up local start-ups and set up research centres. High-tech goods and services now account for 12.5 per cent of Israel's gross domestic product and half its industrial exports. Younger firms are noticing the skills problem as they compete for workers with the global giants operating in Israel. "There are a lot of international players around, coming in with deep pockets. Facebook, Google and others can make offers 50 per cent above market and equity packages that are very lucrative," said Nir Zohar, president of website-designer Wix.com, which is known for its big-budget Super Bowl ads. "It's becoming harder and harder with the amount of effort you need to put in to recruit." Human capital Since taking office in 2013, Bank of Israel Governor Karnit Flug has been sounding the alarm over the threat to Israel's pool of "human capital". An aging population, lagging education and poor integration of Israel's Arab and ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities in the labour market is making the workforce less effective, she said in a May speech. Combined, Israeli Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 30 per cent of the population. Nearly half the country's doctors, for example, are 55 or older, the highest figure in the Western world, while the rate of students completing medical school is among the lowest. University graduates in maths and computer science fell to 1,600 in 2008 from 3,000 in 2005. The figure has recovered, but not returned to prior levels. Israel is ranked 17 among the 34 members of the OECD in the ease of finding skilled workers. Tech companies prospered for years by tapping into the skills of workers trained in the military or intelligence sectors and start-ups benefitting from tax breaks and government funding. But those are drying up. Two years ago Israel lost the top spot it held for more than a decade among the OECD when it comes to investment in research and development, mainly due to a steep drop in government investment. South Korea is now top of the tree. Ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs rarely serve in the military and are marginalised from the high tech industry. The government is now implementing a number of programmers to include them, like improving language skills and special training. Visas Feeling the heat, firms have been fighting to bring in qualified foreigners to ease the stress. "In Israel, to get a work permit is harder than to make peace," said Eldad Tamir, head of the Tamir Fishman Investment House and a partner in Eucalyptus Growth Capital, a fund that invests in high tech companies. Tamir's partner in Eucalyptus, David Perlmutter, former chief product officer at Intel, lamented that Israel imports labour for agriculture and construction but not for technology. "If you look at other countries that want to develop, they bring in workers. All of Silicon Valley is based on that. Here it doesn’t happen," he said. Nearly 75 per cent of computer and math workers aged 25-44 employed in California's Silicon Valley are foreign-born, according to the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies. In the 1990s, the influx of one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union helped fuel Israel's high-tech boom. Today about 30,000 people arrive annually, but it is not enough to meet the demands of the growing industry. "Israel was built in a very homogenous way in terms of our innovation ecosystem. We did import talent, but only Jewish talent," and that needs to change, said Hasson. Only an "anecdotal" number of foreign high tech workers are being brought in today, Hasson said, referring to a smattering of cases like the US-born CEO of TowerJazz who over the past decade helped turn around the ailing chipmaker. He said Israel would soon begin a pilot for issuing a few hundred work visas a year, but it's unlikely to be enough. (Reuters)

Israel's high tech boom threatened by shallow labour pool

Japan&#39;s, Sony Corp, on Wednesday, lifted the sales target for its games division next year on hopes for its new virtual reality headset, and said it would re-enter robots a decade after it last abandoned the business. 
 
But the electronics giant cut its outlook for image sensor sales amid slowing demand for smartphones, and maintained its operating profit target of 500 billion Yen ($4.9 billion) for the year beginning April. 
 
The announcement comes as company watchers rely on sensors to continue driving Sony&#39;s revival after years of struggle. 
 
While the sensor slowdown is likely to disappoint, investors can take comfort in the unchanged profit target, which highlights that Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai is keeping to a recovery track and has not given up on new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. 
 
Hirai at a news conference said the games business was set to be Sony&#39;s biggest growth driver, helped by strong console sales, a rise in subscribers to its PlayStation network and the launch of its virtual reality headset. 
 
The headset will be sold from October for $399, in competition with, the $599 of a rival product from Facebook Inc&#39;s Oculus Rift. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s an area where Sony can leverage its expertise in cameras, filming, content production as well as entertainment assets,&quot; Hirai said, lifting the division&#39;s sales target range to 1.8 trillion to 1.9 trillion yen ($17.6 billion to $18.6 billion) from 1.4 trillion to 1.6 trillion yen. 
 
He also confirmed Sony aimed to introduce a robot &quot;capable of forming an emotional bond&quot;. 
 
Sony was a pioneer in robotics, launching dog AIBO in 1999 and humanoid QRIO in 2003. But efforts stalled during a decade-long struggle to cut costs in its consumer electronics business amid price competition from Asian rivals. It produced its last AIBO and QRIO in 2006. 
 
Sensor slowdown &#39;inevitable&#39; 
 
Sony cut its sales outlook for its devices division, which includes image sensors used in smartphones, to a range of one trillion to 1.05 trillion Yen from 1.3 trillion to 1.5 trillion Yen. 
 
Strong demand from smartphone makers such as Apple Inc had helped Sony recover from a slump in sales of consumer electronics such as television sets. 
 
But Apple and other smartphone makers have seen slowing sales of high-end handsets since late last year, prompting Sony to recently cancel the development of advanced camera modules designed for high-end smartphones. 
 
&quot;The ongoing slowdown in profit growth appears inevitable through fiscal 2017,&quot; Hirai said. 
 
Asked about the impact of Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union, Hirai said Sony aims to achieve its targets regardless of consequent currency swings. 
 
(Reuters)

Sony Corporation to slow down image sensor manufacturing due to decrease in demand for smart phones

Japan's, Sony Corp, on Wednesday, lifted the sales target for its games division next year on hopes for its new virtual reality headset, and said it would re-enter robots a decade after it last abandoned the business. But the electronics giant cut its outlook for image sensor sales amid slowing demand for smartphones, and maintained its operating profit target of 500 billion Yen ($4.9 billion) for the year beginning April. The announcement comes as company watchers rely on sensors to continue driving Sony's revival after years of struggle. While the sensor slowdown is likely to disappoint, investors can take comfort in the unchanged profit target, which highlights that Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai is keeping to a recovery track and has not given up on new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Hirai at a news conference said the games business was set to be Sony's biggest growth driver, helped by strong console sales, a rise in subscribers to its PlayStation network and the launch of its virtual reality headset. The headset will be sold from October for $399, in competition with, the $599 of a rival product from Facebook Inc's Oculus Rift. "It's an area where Sony can leverage its expertise in cameras, filming, content production as well as entertainment assets," Hirai said, lifting the division's sales target range to 1.8 trillion to 1.9 trillion yen ($17.6 billion to $18.6 billion) from 1.4 trillion to 1.6 trillion yen. He also confirmed Sony aimed to introduce a robot "capable of forming an emotional bond". Sony was a pioneer in robotics, launching dog AIBO in 1999 and humanoid QRIO in 2003. But efforts stalled during a decade-long struggle to cut costs in its consumer electronics business amid price competition from Asian rivals. It produced its last AIBO and QRIO in 2006. Sensor slowdown 'inevitable' Sony cut its sales outlook for its devices division, which includes image sensors used in smartphones, to a range of one trillion to 1.05 trillion Yen from 1.3 trillion to 1.5 trillion Yen. Strong demand from smartphone makers such as Apple Inc had helped Sony recover from a slump in sales of consumer electronics such as television sets. But Apple and other smartphone makers have seen slowing sales of high-end handsets since late last year, prompting Sony to recently cancel the development of advanced camera modules designed for high-end smartphones. "The ongoing slowdown in profit growth appears inevitable through fiscal 2017," Hirai said. Asked about the impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Hirai said Sony aims to achieve its targets regardless of consequent currency swings. (Reuters)

Sony: virtual reality up and image sensor down

South&nbsp;Korea&#39;s&nbsp;Fair&nbsp;Trade&nbsp;Commission&nbsp;(FTC)&nbsp;is&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;&quot;some&nbsp;matters&quot;&nbsp;relating&nbsp;to&nbsp;tech&nbsp;giant&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;Inc,&nbsp;the&nbsp;head&nbsp;of&nbsp;the anti-competition&nbsp;body&nbsp;said&nbsp;during&nbsp;a&nbsp;parliamentary&nbsp;hearing,&nbsp;without&nbsp;disclosing&nbsp;further&nbsp;details. 
 
Speaking&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;hearing&nbsp;on&nbsp;Tuesday, FTC Chairman Jeong Jae-chan declined to comment on the specifics of the regulator&#39;s investigation when asked to do so by a South Korean lawmaker.&nbsp; 
 
Domestic&nbsp;media&nbsp;reports&nbsp;said&nbsp;earlier&nbsp;this&nbsp;month&nbsp;the&nbsp;FTC&nbsp;was&nbsp;reviewing&nbsp;details&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;US&nbsp;firm&#39;s&nbsp;contracts&nbsp;with&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korean&nbsp;mobile telecoms&nbsp;carriers. 
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Apple&nbsp;didn&#39;t&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;respond&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;Reuters&nbsp;request&nbsp;for&nbsp;comment. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
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FTC Chairman Jeong Jae-chan declined to comment on specifics

South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating "some matters" relating to tech giant Apple Inc, the head of the anti-competition body said during a parliamentary hearing, without disclosing further details. Speaking at the hearing on Tuesday, FTC Chairman Jeong Jae-chan declined to comment on the specifics of the regulator's investigation when asked to do so by a South Korean lawmaker. Domestic media reports said earlier this month the FTC was reviewing details of the US firm's contracts with South Korean mobile telecoms carriers. Apple didn't immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reuters)

Tech?giant?Apple?Inc under investigation by South Korea's anti-competition body

Apple said today&nbsp;it will continue to sell its iPhones in China pending an appeal of a ruling which said the smartphones violated a patent of a Chinese manufacturer.

An Apple spokesman said in a statement&nbsp;that &quot;iPhone&nbsp;6&nbsp;and&nbsp;iPhone&nbsp;6Plus as well as&nbsp;iPhone&nbsp;6s,&nbsp;iPhone&nbsp;6S Plus and&nbsp;iPhone&nbsp;SE models are all available for sale today in China.&quot;

&quot;We appealed an administrative order from a regional patent tribunal in Beijing last month and as a result the order has been stayed pending review by the Beijing IP Court,&quot; the statement said.

A May 19 ruling said Apple violated design patents of Chinese maker Shenzhen&nbsp;Baili for its iPhone6 and&nbsp;iPhone&nbsp;6&nbsp;Plus, and would be barred from selling those models.

The news comes with China an increasingly important market for Apple as it deals with a slowdown in global&nbsp;smartphone&nbsp;sales. 
(AFP)

Company had been ordered to stop sales after a tribunal said it violated design patents of Chinese phone maker Shenzhen?Baili

Apple said today it will continue to sell its iPhones in China pending an appeal of a ruling which said the smartphones violated a patent of a Chinese manufacturer. An Apple spokesman said in a statement that "iPhone 6 and iPhone 6Plus as well as iPhone 6s, iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone SE models are all available for sale today in China." "We appealed an administrative order from a regional patent tribunal in Beijing last month and as a result the order has been stayed pending review by the Beijing IP Court," the statement said. A May 19 ruling said Apple violated design patents of Chinese maker Shenzhen Baili for its iPhone6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and would be barred from selling those models. The news comes with China an increasingly important market for Apple as it deals with a slowdown in global smartphone sales. (AFP)

Apple says it will continue to sell the iPhone 6 in China

Apple Inc announced a series of long-awaited enhancements to its App Store on Wednesday, but the new features may not ease concerns of developers and analysts who say that the App Store model - and the very idea of the single-purpose app - has seen its best days. 
 
The revamped App Store will let developers advertise their wares in search results and give developers a bigger cut of revenues on subscription apps, while Apple said it has already dramatically sped up its app-approval process. 
The goal is to sustain the virtuous cycle at the heart of the hugely lucrative iPhone&nbsp;business. Software developers make apps for the iPhone because its customers are willing to pay, and those customers, in turn, pay a premium for the device because it has the best apps. 
 
The store is now more strategically important than ever for Apple as sales of the iPhone begin to level off and the company looks to software and services to fill the gap. Apple CEO Tim Cook said during&nbsp;a recent conference call&nbsp;that App Store revenues were up 35 per cent over last year. 
 
But the store is also a victim of its own success. Eight years after its launch, it is packed with more than 1.9 million apps, according to analytics firm App Annie, making it almost impossible for developers to find an audience - and increasingly difficult for customers to find what they need, as some 14,000 new apps arrive in the store each week. 
 
&quot;The app space has grown out of control,&quot; said Vint Cerf, one of the inventors of the internet and now a vice president at Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google, who was speaking at a San Francisco conference on the future of the web on Wednesday. &quot;We need to move away from having an individual app for every individual thing you want to do.&quot; 
 
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
Some users are moving away from apps toward messaging services such as Slack and Facebook Inc&#39;s Messenger, which are branching out into areas like shopping and document storage. 
 
Meanwhile, rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to a world where people navigate their phones through voice-controlled digital assistants such as Apple&#39;s Siri, rather than opening individual apps. 
 
To be sure, chat and AI are in their infancy, and their appeal to the masses remains uncertain. But if they take off, they could erase the edge Apple enjoys by virtue of its strong app ecosystem and tip the scales toward Google, which is widely considered to have the lead in AI. 
 
&quot;The current dynamic is very favorable to Apple, and this is a suggestion that we might shift to a different dynamic where Google would have a very strong advantage,&quot; said Benedict Evans, a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. 
 
&quot;No matter what you do to an app store, you always have that underlying problem: It&#39;s a list of a million things,&quot; Evans&nbsp;added. 
 
Apple may yet find ways to wield AI to reinforce the App Store. The company has already woven more intelligence into its operating system, which now prompts iPhone users to open certain apps during the day based on their habits. 
 
DEVELOPER GRIPES 
On a more basic level, the changes announced this week address some of the loudest complaints from developers, who say it is virtually impossible to stand out in an app landscape dominated by hit games, big media companies and internet giants such as Facebook and Google. 
 
Statistics from Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm, show a stark and widening divide between top earners and low performers in the App Store. 
 
The top one&nbsp;per cent of app publishers raked in about 94 per cent of the store&#39;s estimated $1.43 billion net revenue in the first quarter of 2016. The gulf has expanded rapidly since July 2012, the first month for which Sensor Tower has data, when the top one&nbsp;per cent netted about 80 per cent of the revenue in the store, according to data provided to Reuters. The figures cover paid apps and apps that include in-app purchases. 
 
Some developers who carved out a niche early say they doubt success would come so easily today. 
 
&quot;Now the challenge for developers is, if there&#39;s an app for everything, how will you create an app people will use?&quot; said Lucas Buick, who founded Hipstamatic, a photography app that was an early hit in the App Store. 
 
TOO LATE? 
David Barnard, founder of Contrast, an app development company, applauded the new focus on subscriptions, which he said would encourage developers to invest in their apps. But getting attention in the store remains a challenge. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not like they fixed everything in one fell swoop,&quot; Barnard said. 
 
Pete Zed, a 33-year-old Oakland, California developer, thought he had a hit on his hands when reminder app Bump was featured by Apple in January 2015, inspiring thousands of users to install the programme. But as soon as the promotion ended, downloads dropped. Zed discontinued the service this year. 
 
Some developers are banking on the next wave of user interfaces. 
 
In 2014, developer Eswar Priyadarshan founded Tasteful, which aims to guide users with various diets to healthy restaurant dishes through its app. Tasteful&#39;s audience, though loyal, is too niche to vault it up the App Store charts, Priyadarshan said. 
 
In a bid to lessen his dependence on the App Store, he recently made Tasteful available on chat platforms such as Messenger and Slack. 
 
&quot;It has been difficult to get the kind of growth we need to sustain an app&nbsp;business,&quot; Priyadarshan said. 
 
Analyst Bob O&#39;Donnell of TECHnalysis Research said he doubted the changes will do much to move the needle for small developers. 
 
&quot;At the end of the day I&rsquo;m not sure how much real-world impact it&rsquo;s going to end up having for a lot of these apps,&quot; he said. 
&nbsp;

It already has 1.9 million apps, making it impossible for app builders to find an audience and customers to find what they want

Apple Inc announced a series of long-awaited enhancements to its App Store on Wednesday, but the new features may not ease concerns of developers and analysts who say that the App Store model - and the very idea of the single-purpose app - has seen its best days. The revamped App Store will let developers advertise their wares in search results and give developers a bigger cut of revenues on subscription apps, while Apple said it has already dramatically sped up its app-approval process. The goal is to sustain the virtuous cycle at the heart of the hugely lucrative iPhone business. Software developers make apps for the iPhone because its customers are willing to pay, and those customers, in turn, pay a premium for the device because it has the best apps. The store is now more strategically important than ever for Apple as sales of the iPhone begin to level off and the company looks to software and services to fill the gap. Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a recent conference call that App Store revenues were up 35 per cent over last year. But the store is also a victim of its own success. Eight years after its launch, it is packed with more than 1.9 million apps, according to analytics firm App Annie, making it almost impossible for developers to find an audience - and increasingly difficult for customers to find what they need, as some 14,000 new apps arrive in the store each week. "The app space has grown out of control," said Vint Cerf, one of the inventors of the internet and now a vice president at Alphabet Inc's Google, who was speaking at a San Francisco conference on the future of the web on Wednesday. "We need to move away from having an individual app for every individual thing you want to do." ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Some users are moving away from apps toward messaging services such as Slack and Facebook Inc's Messenger, which are branching out into areas like shopping and document storage. Meanwhile, rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to a world where people navigate their phones through voice-controlled digital assistants such as Apple's Siri, rather than opening individual apps. To be sure, chat and AI are in their infancy, and their appeal to the masses remains uncertain. But if they take off, they could erase the edge Apple enjoys by virtue of its strong app ecosystem and tip the scales toward Google, which is widely considered to have the lead in AI. "The current dynamic is very favorable to Apple, and this is a suggestion that we might shift to a different dynamic where Google would have a very strong advantage," said Benedict Evans, a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. "No matter what you do to an app store, you always have that underlying problem: It's a list of a million things," Evans added. Apple may yet find ways to wield AI to reinforce the App Store. The company has already woven more intelligence into its operating system, which now prompts iPhone users to open certain apps during the day based on their habits. DEVELOPER GRIPES On a more basic level, the changes announced this week address some of the loudest complaints from developers, who say it is virtually impossible to stand out in an app landscape dominated by hit games, big media companies and internet giants such as Facebook and Google. Statistics from Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm, show a stark and widening divide between top earners and low performers in the App Store. The top one per cent of app publishers raked in about 94 per cent of the store's estimated $1.43 billion net revenue in the first quarter of 2016. The gulf has expanded rapidly since July 2012, the first month for which Sensor Tower has data, when the top one per cent netted about 80 per cent of the revenue in the store, according to data provided to Reuters. The figures cover paid apps and apps that include in-app purchases. Some developers who carved out a niche early say they doubt success would come so easily today. "Now the challenge for developers is, if there's an app for everything, how will you create an app people will use?" said Lucas Buick, who founded Hipstamatic, a photography app that was an early hit in the App Store. TOO LATE? David Barnard, founder of Contrast, an app development company, applauded the new focus on subscriptions, which he said would encourage developers to invest in their apps. But getting attention in the store remains a challenge. "It's not like they fixed everything in one fell swoop," Barnard said. Pete Zed, a 33-year-old Oakland, California developer, thought he had a hit on his hands when reminder app Bump was featured by Apple in January 2015, inspiring thousands of users to install the programme. But as soon as the promotion ended, downloads dropped. Zed discontinued the service this year. Some developers are banking on the next wave of user interfaces. In 2014, developer Eswar Priyadarshan founded Tasteful, which aims to guide users with various diets to healthy restaurant dishes through its app. Tasteful's audience, though loyal, is too niche to vault it up the App Store charts, Priyadarshan said. In a bid to lessen his dependence on the App Store, he recently made Tasteful available on chat platforms such as Messenger and Slack. "It has been difficult to get the kind of growth we need to sustain an app business," Priyadarshan said. Analyst Bob O'Donnell of TECHnalysis Research said he doubted the changes will do much to move the needle for small developers. "At the end of the day I’m not sure how much real-world impact it’s going to end up having for a lot of these apps," he said.

Revamped Apple App Store may not win over developers

Apple Inc plans to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time, with the aim of raising $1 billion, joining the list&nbsp;of big global names that have sold billions of dollars on Taiwan&#39;s busy debt market,&nbsp;sources said.

Liquidity in the Taiwanese bond market is flush, with long-term buyers of debt, primarily life insurance firms, seeking creditworthy names and chasing higher yields. Blue-chip multinationals regularly issue dollar bonds of such size on the island, home to Apple&#39;s supply chain.

In December, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp sold $915 million of 30-year bonds with yields of 4.7 per cent. A month later, global brewer Anheuser Busch InBev SA issued a $1.47 billion bond of the same maturity at 4.915 per cent, according to data from the Taipei Exchange, Taiwan&#39;s over-the-counter market.

Cash-rich and yield-hungry investors in Taiwan have made the island a haven for debt financing. These investors tend to hold through maturity, letting issuers lock in cheap pricing.

&quot;Taiwan insurance companies don&#39;t have enough good (quality) fixed-income investment targets,&quot; said an official at a local securities house, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

&quot;But their funds continue to grow because in this low rate macro-environment. Consumers prefer to buy financial products offered by insurance companies rather than park money in a bank deposit,&quot; he said.

The planned offering is likely to help Apple secure solid partnership with its suppliers, analysts said. Taiwan is home to Apple&#39;s massive supply chain that includes iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and lens producer Largan Precision Co.

The U.S. dollar bonds will have a tenor of 30 years and be calleable after the second year, the sources told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Apple declined to comment when asked about the plan.

So far this year, upwards of $16 billion in new U.S. dollar bonds have been issued, already more than half of the $29 billion in U.S. dollar bonds sold for all of 2015, OTC exchange data shows.

The OTC exchange, where corporate bonds can trade in the secondary market, said it was not aware of any plan by Apple to issue bonds. In Taiwan, bond issuers only need three days or less to notify the exchange before being listed.

Market participants have been looking at initial yields of around 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent on the planned Apple bonds, two of the sources said.

Taiwan&#39;s 30-year government bond, which is less liquid in the secondary market, was last quoted around 1.6475 per cent.

Apple to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time.

Apple Inc plans to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time, with the aim of raising $1 billion, joining the list of big global names that have sold billions of dollars on Taiwan's busy debt market, sources said. Liquidity in the Taiwanese bond market is flush, with long-term buyers of debt, primarily life insurance firms, seeking creditworthy names and chasing higher yields. Blue-chip multinationals regularly issue dollar bonds of such size on the island, home to Apple's supply chain. In December, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp sold $915 million of 30-year bonds with yields of 4.7 per cent. A month later, global brewer Anheuser Busch InBev SA issued a $1.47 billion bond of the same maturity at 4.915 per cent, according to data from the Taipei Exchange, Taiwan's over-the-counter market. Cash-rich and yield-hungry investors in Taiwan have made the island a haven for debt financing. These investors tend to hold through maturity, letting issuers lock in cheap pricing. "Taiwan insurance companies don't have enough good (quality) fixed-income investment targets," said an official at a local securities house, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media. "But their funds continue to grow because in this low rate macro-environment. Consumers prefer to buy financial products offered by insurance companies rather than park money in a bank deposit," he said. The planned offering is likely to help Apple secure solid partnership with its suppliers, analysts said. Taiwan is home to Apple's massive supply chain that includes iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and lens producer Largan Precision Co. The U.S. dollar bonds will have a tenor of 30 years and be calleable after the second year, the sources told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Apple declined to comment when asked about the plan. So far this year, upwards of $16 billion in new U.S. dollar bonds have been issued, already more than half of the $29 billion in U.S. dollar bonds sold for all of 2015, OTC exchange data shows. The OTC exchange, where corporate bonds can trade in the secondary market, said it was not aware of any plan by Apple to issue bonds. In Taiwan, bond issuers only need three days or less to notify the exchange before being listed. Market participants have been looking at initial yields of around 4.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent on the planned Apple bonds, two of the sources said. Taiwan's 30-year government bond, which is less liquid in the secondary market, was last quoted around 1.6475 per cent.

Apple plans to sell 30-yr bonds worth $1 billion in Taiwan

Apple Inc plans to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time with the aim of raising $1 billion, sources familiar with the matter said. It will be joining a queue of big global names that have sold billions of dollars on the island`s busy debt market.&nbsp; 
The U.S. dollar bonds will have a tenor of 30 years, the sources told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Apple declined to comment when asked about the plan.&nbsp; 
Liquidity in the Taiwanese bond market is flush, with long-term buyers of debt, primarily life insurance firms, seeking creditworthy names and chasing higher yields. Blue-chip multinationals regularly issue dollar bonds of such size on the island, home to Apple`s supply chain. 
In December, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp sold $915 million of 30-year bonds with yields of 4.7 percent. A month later, Global brewer Anheuser Busch InBev SA issued a $1.47 billion bond of the same maturity at 4.915 percent, according to Taiwan Over-The-Counter Exchange data.&nbsp; 
So far this year, upwards of $16 billion in new U.S. dollar bonds have been issued, already more than half of the $29 billion in U.S. dollar bonds sold for all of 2015, OTC exchange data shows.&nbsp; 
Taiwan`s over-the-counter exchange, where corporate bonds can trade in the secondary market, said it was not aware of any plan by Apple to issue bonds. In Taiwan, bond issuers only need three days or less to notify the exchange before being listed.&nbsp; 
Market participants have been looking at initial yields of around 4.2 percent to 4.3 percent on the planned Apple bonds, two of the sources said.&nbsp; 
The island`s 30-year government bond, which is less liquid in the secondary market, was last quoted around 1.6475 percent. 
The planned Apple bonds will not be redeemable for the first two years, two of the sources said, citing market participants that had made enquiries.

Apple Inc plans to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time with the aim of raising $1 billion

Apple Inc plans to issue bonds in Taiwan for the first time with the aim of raising $1 billion, sources familiar with the matter said. It will be joining a queue of big global names that have sold billions of dollars on the island`s busy debt market. The U.S. dollar bonds will have a tenor of 30 years, the sources told Reuters on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Apple declined to comment when asked about the plan. Liquidity in the Taiwanese bond market is flush, with long-term buyers of debt, primarily life insurance firms, seeking creditworthy names and chasing higher yields. Blue-chip multinationals regularly issue dollar bonds of such size on the island, home to Apple`s supply chain. In December, U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp sold $915 million of 30-year bonds with yields of 4.7 percent. A month later, Global brewer Anheuser Busch InBev SA issued a $1.47 billion bond of the same maturity at 4.915 percent, according to Taiwan Over-The-Counter Exchange data. So far this year, upwards of $16 billion in new U.S. dollar bonds have been issued, already more than half of the $29 billion in U.S. dollar bonds sold for all of 2015, OTC exchange data shows. Taiwan`s over-the-counter exchange, where corporate bonds can trade in the secondary market, said it was not aware of any plan by Apple to issue bonds. In Taiwan, bond issuers only need three days or less to notify the exchange before being listed. Market participants have been looking at initial yields of around 4.2 percent to 4.3 percent on the planned Apple bonds, two of the sources said. The island`s 30-year government bond, which is less liquid in the secondary market, was last quoted around 1.6475 percent. The planned Apple bonds will not be redeemable for the first two years, two of the sources said, citing market participants that had made enquiries.

Apple plans to sell bonds worth $1bn in Taiwan: sources

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