Towards the end of Apple’s earnings call earlier today, Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer fielded a number of questions from analysts. And of course, many of them took the opportunity to question the two on the validity of recent rumors.
The Wall Street Journal’s ‘Apple cutting iPhone 5 part orders’ story, the recent 4.8-inch iPhone meme, and the ongoing budget iPhone rumor were all brought up during the Q&A session. And Tim Cook (sort of) addressed each one… Read More
The somewhat reliable DigiTimes reports this morning that Apple will this year release two new iPhone models, not three as one analyst predicted. Citing industry sources, the trade publication claims Apple is planning two four-inch iPhone models due around summer, one of them being targeted at the midrange market segment (budget iPhone, anyone?).
Interestingly, both these devices are said to use in-cell display technology featured on the iPhone 5. This last tidbit contradicts yesterday’s report out of Japan suggesting Apple asked Sharp to cut orders of iPhone 5 in-cell panels in half for the next quarter. Additionally, past reports asserted Apple is moving away from in-cell tech and evaluating a new display technology for 2013 iOS devices called Touch-On-Display… Read More
When I woke up this morning to the iPhone Math rumor, I was like ‘iPhone what?’ As insane as that purported moniker sounds, some did fall for it and took the story as is. But do you really believe Apple would adorn a refresh of its iconic smartphone with such a stupid name? Yes, the Power Mac G4 Cube also wasn’t the best moniker to begin with, but what on Earth is the ‘iPhone Math’ supposed to stand for?
Not to worry, a well-connected Apple blogger has now called into question both the trustworthiness and knowledgeability of the sources who pretentiously claim to even know an upcoming iPhone’s name… Read More
What should the rumored budget iPhone cost and how low could Apple price it without sacrificing its industry-leading profits? Jean-Louis Gassée, a former executive at Apple, where he worked from 1981 to 1990, ran some numbers on his Monday Note blog to try and make sense of the idea. The crux: there’s no way Apple could make a compelling, inexpensive device sporting today’s hardware encased in a less exquisite (dare I say, plasticky?) body without sacrificing its powerful margins.
Should the Cupertino, California company in fact pursue the low-cost iPhone, the move will be remembered as the augur of a new era of lower Apple margins and as such likely signals a new brutal phase in the Smartphone Wars… Read More
Despite the fact that Apple just launched the iPhone 5 in September of last year, talk of the next iteration of the handset has already started to accumulate. It seems like we hear rumors regarding the next-gen iPhone on a weekly basis.
The latest report claims that Apple is actually planning on unveiling three new handsets this year. It says that the first two, the iPhone 5S and the ‘iPhone Math,’ will launch in June, and a third, unknown model, just before Christmas… Read More
Following up on talk that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is prepping to manufacture Apple’s A6X processor and whispers of Tim Cook & Co. negotiating a deal with the foundry to make mobile chips for iOS devices on its 20 nanometer process technology, China Times now quotes Chairman and CEO Morris Chang’s words that TSMC is close to achieving a hundred percent market share on its 28nm process technology.
But why have TSCM’s wafer shipments all of a sudden tripled, allowing it to achieve a virtual monopoly on the 28nm silicon? That’s where the Apple link comes into full view…
There has never been so much hoopla surrounding Apple’s supply chain like recent talk of a severe cut back in orders of screens for the iPhone 5, and now iPads as well. The negative sentiment in those unverified reports has already sent AAPL below $500 ahead of the impending earnings call.
But one analyst isn’t worried at all. In his mind, the cutbacks are the result of an upcoming “evolutionary technology update” for the next iPhone rather than a sign of a lack of demand for the new Apple handset… Read More
Earlier this week, we passed along a report claiming that Apple was looking to open up a new research and development center in Beijing. The news made sense, considering that on Tim Cook’s recent visit to China, he was seen talking with high level government officials.
But according to a new report, which cites people familiar with the project, the R&D facility is actually going up in Shanghai. The campus, which Apple is expected to announce later this year, will feature three 6-story buildings, with over 100,000 square feet of space… Read More
Reuters has issued a report this morning claiming that Sharp is cutting down production on iPad screens. The outlet cites two industry sources, who say the corp. has nearly halted manufacturing of 9.7-inch screens for the tablet at its Kameyama plant in Japan.
It’s not clear how much of the slowdown is due to seasonal changes in demand, or cannibalization, thanks to a rising consumer interest in Apple’s iPad mini. But regardless, this is still the second report of the Cupertino company cutting part orders this week… Read More
Samsung of South Korea will later this month take another crack at dethroning the tablet leader Apple by going after the Cupertino firm’s iPad mini, a 7.9-inch mini tablet computer released on November 2, 2012 and starting at $320 for the Wi-Fi only version with sixteen gigabytes of storage.
The new Note reportedly has a 720p (1,280-by-800) Super Clear LCD screen measuring eight inches diagonally and comes with Samsung’s trademark S-Pen. Hardware specifications allegedly aren’t that special as Samsung is possibly using cheaper components in order to undercut the iPad mini on price… Read More
If Wall Street analysts went in for such things, J.P. Morgan’s Mark Moskowitz would have a sign saying “It’s the supply, stupid.” Moskowitz Thursday morning issued a note to investors, reducing his iPad sales forecast for the fourth quarter of 2012. No, it’s not due to flagging demand – the misconception dogging the Apple shares – but a shortage of tablets leading up to December.
According to Moskowitz, Apple next week may announce it sold 18.4 million iPads to close out last year, down from his previously projected 20.1 units. Coming into 2013, the popular device may become the chief revenue producer for Apple, the analyst adds… Read More
Faced with constraints on growth at home, U.S. carrier AT&T is reportedly considering entering new markets in Europe via a merger with one of the key players in a major European market such as the United Kingdom, Germany or the Netherlands, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The carrier is allegedly hoping to bring its technological expertise in building 4G networks to the table.
European telcos have been slow to roll out fourth-generation networks so AT&T through its European partner could help roll out the latest in 4G technology in order to then introduce “more lucrative pricing strategies”. European carriers get most of their revenue from voice plans and text messaging, unlike in the United States where telcos have shifted to new plans that charge subscribers based on their data use… Read More
Apple is expected to make a few changes to its mobile lineup this year. For the iPad, it’s expected to revamp the 9.7-inch model making it thinner and lighter, with smaller bezels. On the iPhone side, it’s expected to release a new budget model.
As with all new product rumors, artists are using their skills and creativity to create mockups of what these things could possibly look like. We showed you some earlier today of the next-gen iPad, and now we have some of the rumored ‘iPhone mini.’ Read More
Samsung for the time being remains an exclusive maker of the Apple-designed engine that powers iPhones, iPads and iPods. Apple’s chips are being fabbed on Samsung’s High-κ metal gate 32 nanometer process at its $14 billion semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas. But not for any much longer.
We’ve been hearing lots of rumors lately that rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest independent semiconductor foundry, has entered Apple’s supply chain with trial production of Apple’s A6X processor.
As the iPhone maker is reportedly accelerating plans to make a jump to TSMC for all of its mobile chips, now comes word that the Taiwan foundry will pretty soon start building on its 20 nanometer process technology a next-gen processor for a “breakthrough” Apple device… Read More
With all of the bad publicity Apple’s been getting lately, and its stock down 30%, the company could sure use some fresh new products. And according to a new report, it has a number of them in the pipeline for 2013.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who actually has a pretty good track record in predicting Apple’s product plans, has just issued a new report outlining what he thinks the company has planned for the year… Read More
A new report is out this afternoon claiming that Apple’s vice president of retail Jerry McDougal has left the company to spend more time with his family. It’s a significant blow, as he’s considered to be a big part of Apple’s retail success.
McDougal was Ron Johnson’s right hand man before he left the company to head up JC Penney in late 2011, and was even said to have been considered for his replacement before Apple decided on the infamous John Browett… Read More
The reduction in orders of iPhone 5 displays and other components isn’t a sign of weak demand as sober analysts paint demand as robust. Nevertheless, the rumor has opened door for more speculation that the Cupertino, California company is winding down production of the iPhone 5 ahead of the iPhone 5S release in June or July.
Be that as it may, it would be very atypical of Apple to pull the current-generation model from shelves after just six months. Even as the company switches to a bi-annual refresh cycle, it will still want to continue offering the iPhone 5 at a reduced price after the next-gen model becomes available. According to a new report, these supply cuts are actually the result of Apple considering IGZO displays for upcoming iOS devices… Read More
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently visited China, his second trip to the 1.33 billion people country in past twelve months. He met with China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier with 700 million subscribers, to discuss that long-sought iPhone deal, visited Apple stores and attended meetings in Beijing with officials.
But there was one more thing on Cook’s agenda as a new report out Tuesday has it that Cook told government officials that his company plans to establish a research and development center in Beijing, home to Asia’s largest Apple Store… Read More
With so much talk about the current-gen iPhone seeing weaker-than-expected demand swirling about, analysts and industry watchers have already begun to look forward to Apple’s next-generation handset, believed to be the ‘iPhone 5S.’
The company is widely expected to break its handset’s traditional, annual release cycle this year, releasing the new iPhone well before fall. And a new report today supports that theory, saying Apple’s next smartphone will land in June… Read More
Users of retina iPhones and iPads are used to the phenomenon of pixel doubling, where two-by-two squares stand in for a larger, lower density pixel. But how would you feel about a display that needs pixel quadrupling?
Just hours ago Ryan Petrich, the developer behind excellent jailbreak tweaks such as BrowserChooser, FullForce, and Display Recorder, stumbled across a constant in Quartz Core which may suggest that Apple is working on a super retina device… Read More
