Smartphone sales in China could fall by as much as 50 percent in the first quarter thanks to a raging coronavirus that has shuttered retail outlets and silenced production facilities.
The coronavirus has struck at a time when Apple’s iPhone sales in China were rebounding in a country considered right now one of the world’s most competitive smartphone markets.
Key iPhone manufacturer Foxconn continues to feel the effects of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China. The company recently reopened its factory in the eastern central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, but fewer than 10% of its workforce returned to work, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government rejected Foxconn’s request to reopen its factory in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Apple is ramping up production of the new iPhone SE 2, which likely will retail for just $399, according to Fast Company. Shockingly, that’s the same price the original iPhone SE sold for in 2016.
Actors love to have some political message to impart to viewers at award shows. At last night’s Oscars, Taika Waititi, winner of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, voiced his own passionate plea — for Apple to change its MacBook keyboards.
“Apple needs to fix those keyboards,” he told reporters. “They are impossible to write on; they’ve gotten worse. It makes me want to go back to PCs. Because PC keyboards, the bounce-back for your fingers is way better … Those Apple keyboards are horrendous.”
Apple is moving some more of its iPhone production to India, as China continues to grapple with the spread of coronavirus.
Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has some details as to how coronavirus is impacting on Apple factories in China.
Foxconn reportedly won‘t be able to resume iPhone assembly on Monday. Its plants in China where Apple handsets are put together have been closed since before the Lunar New Year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and the government has allegedly forbidden them to reopen next week, literally on pain of death.
A new feature in the Activity app offers deep insights into progress you’re making on your personal fitness goals. Find out how to check your Activity Trends and decipher all that delicious workout data your Apple Watch is squirreling away.
You’ll find that how-to, along with new tips for Mac power users, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It also packs the week’s top Apple news, as well as a review of a new streaming service that basically turns your Mac into a powerful gaming PC. Download it now for a satisfying iPad read, or get the links to the week’s top stories below.
Could Apple be preparing to make a surprise switch to AMD processors in a future Mac? References to a number of new AMD microprocessors have been spotted in the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, which rolled out to developers Wednesday.
The clues hidden in Mac code suggest Apple’s lengthy relationship with Intel could be on the rocks.
Some Macs ordered today from the Apple Store with any set of features beyond the base configuration won’t arrive for over a month. For example, the wait for a made-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro stretches into mid-March.
Charrua Soccer promises to be easy to pick up and enjoy, but also offer deep gameplay. This new addition to Apple Arcade has a retro style, harking back to classic games.
Being blinded by WhatsApp’s bright white interface when replying to a late-night text will soon be a thing of the past. The messaging app’s long-awaited dark mode is finally on its way to iPhone.
Beta testers already have access to the new look, which means we should all be able to enjoy it soon.
Apple Stores across China will remain closed into next week amid the growing coronavirus crisis.
All 42 stores were closed this week because of the outbreak but were scheduled to open Feb. 10. In a memo to Apple Store employees this morning, Apple retail chief Deidre O’Brien indicated a reopening time is on hold until further notice.
Big Tech employees are feeling the Bern as the U.S. presidential primary season shifts into full gear. New fundraising data disclosed this week reveals that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more money from the country’s top tech companies than any other presidential candidate.
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter employees donated nearly $270,000 to Sanders’ bid to take the White House, with nearly half of that money coming from Google. Check out the full breakdown by company:
Apple TV+ is about to get even more competition in the form of a new streaming service currently in development by ViacomCBS.
Now that the Viacom and CBS merger was approved at the end of 2019, a new report claims company execs are plotting a way to combine the current CBS All Access service with Viacom’s assets, among which are Paramount’s trove of over 3,600 movies.
Location-tracking software purchased by advertisers to better understand customers is now a tool employed by the federal government to target undocumented immigrants.
Homeland security and immigration officials are pulling location data from common smartphone apps, from games to weather, where the user has granted permission to access their location.
XFL, the football league founded by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, is coming back to screens nearly 20 years after its disastrous first iteration — and there’s an official app to prove it.
The eight-team XFL season debuts Saturday with the DC Defenders playing the Seattle Dragons. While the app won’t be streaming games, you can use it to get information such as real-time scores and stats, insider videos, and more.
Beloved Sony PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot is coming to mobile with a brand new game, according to screenshots which have shown up online.
Developed by King, Crash Bandicoot Mobile is an endless runner in which the genetically engineered bandicoot looks set to speed through Wumpa Island en route, we presume, to disrupting the plans of evil Doctor Neo Cortex.
The Chinese company that assembles most of the world’s iPhones has ordered employees in one region of the country not to return to work next week to prevent further spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Foxconn sent text messages to Shenzhen-based employees that those sites will remain closed until further notice. While Foxconn’s main iPhone factory is in Zhengzhou, a portion is assembled in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is also the headquarters for Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup allowed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple over allegedly exposing iPhone owners to high levels of radiofrequency radiation to move forward Thursday. However, the judge also blasted the Federal Communications Commission for its “dumb” testing standards.
Apple has been fined 25 million euros ($27.4 million) in France after being found guilty of intentionally throttling the speed of older iPhones with previous software updates for iOS.
In 2018, Apple admitted that these updates slowed older devices. However, it has always insisted that it did this to prolong the life of aging lithium-ion batteries.
As part of ongoing efforts to cut down on the use of conflict minerals, Apple removed 18 smelters and refiners from its supply chain last year.
Apple removed companies unwilling to submit to third-party audits of their premises. By taking them out of its supply chain, Apple’s able to claim 100% audit participation on the part of companies it works with.
This week on The CultCast: The new iOS 13.4 beta just leaked new hardware, new iPhone features and MORE. We’ll share aaaaall the juicy details. Plus: How your iPhone might soon replace your car keys; Apple Maps just got a massive update; and Microsoft quietly stole Apple’s secret recipe …
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Before iOS 13, if you wanted to sync Apple Watch workout data with Strava, you had an excellent option: a brilliant third-party fitness app called HealthFit. Unfortunately, Apple’s strict new rules in iOS 13 broke the app’s syncing functionality, leaving Apple Watch-wearing members of the fitness social network in the cold.
Luckily, today’s HealthFit update brings the welcome return of this Strava-syncing capability. Cult of Mac has been testing a beta version of HealthFit 5.2.6 and can confirm that it works really well again. Strava sync is back and better than ever. Here’s what the new-and-improved fitness app can do for you.
HBO Max is on its way to take on the likes of Apple TV+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime — and it’s going to come out fighting. A new report reveals the service is close to securing a big Friends reunion.
Yes, the return we’ve all been waiting for, but never really believed would happen, is close. It is said to be an hour-long special that will feature all six stars from the hit show.
It won’t exactly be the Friends reunion you’ve been dreaming of, however.
Apple School Manager now gives developers the ability to distribute custom apps to schools for the first time.
The change will allow app-makers to better meet the individual needs of educational institutions, Apple said. It paves the way for new software that offers specific functionality for certain organizations.