Bloomberg

iPhone 5S to have 4.3-inch screen? Probably not

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 17, 2013

With last month's trial production and this month's ramp-up underway, all checks now point to Apple having finalized the next iPhone and now mass producing the device, in time for a presumed Fall launch.

A Chinese website behind alleged iPhone 5S production shots is adamant the iPhone 5S has the same four-inch display as its predecessor.

That may not be the case: if a Taiwanese newspaper is to be trusted, Apple has increased the iPhone 5S's screen to measure 4.3 inches diagonally. Worse, the move, the story goes, may delay the handset's introduction until the end of the year...

Apple hires former fashion label CEO Paul Deneve for ‘special projects’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

If you thought Apple's done hiring, think again. Just as we've digested news that the California firm hired Hulu executive Pete Distad to help its executives negotiate content deals with media and cable companies like Time Warner Cable, earlier today AppleInsider claimed the company hired Paul Deneve, a former CEO of the luxury French fashion label Yves Saint Laurent, to work on special projects as a Vice President reporting directly to Apple's boss Tim Cook...

Bloomberg: Time Warner Cable channels coming to Apple TV ‘in a few months’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Hot on the heels of releasing the Apple TV 5.3 software which enabled access to Disney's WatchESPN and HBO Go through the $99 set-top box, Bloomberg now reports that the iPhone maker is on the cusp of announcing a major agreement with Time Warner Cable.

The gist of the story: the deal would give subscribers of the cable television service access to channels via the Apple TV. HBO, of course, is owned by Time Warner, under the operating subsidiary Home Box Office Inc.

But it gets even better: Apple is apparently hiring away Hulu executive Pete Distad to help Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, in negotiations with media and cable companies. An agreement will be reportedly announced "in a few months". Tuesday news doesn't get any bigger than this...

Apple’s marketing goes back to its roots

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

Earlier this week, Apple showed the WWDC crowd what could only be described as a pair of mission-statement videos. As we reported, these highlight Apple's renewed focus on simplicity in iOS 7 and underscore its famous 'Designed by Apple in California' signature.

The commercials didn't escape the attention of the eagle-eyed Bloomberg reporters who found out that Apple's long-time advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day is responsible for these videos.

Watchful readers will remember that the same agency is behind the company’s most memorable advertisements like the 'Think Different' campaign and the now legendary '1984' ad that launched the original Macintosh.

These clips are reportedly part of Apple's ongoing branding campaign and more will follow soon...

Pegatron CEO: Bloomberg is lying about ‘falling iPad mini demand’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The credulous Bloomberg yesterday covered Pegatron's investor conference where the contract manufacturer announced a whopping 80 percent year-over-year growth in first-quarter profits.

Pegatron also cautioned investors that second-quarter revenue may drop between 20 and 30 percent amid the broader decline in consumer electronics demand.

However, writer Tim Culpan decided the story wasn't newsworthy enough in and of itself. And in his quest for pageviews, the reporter reckoned he better run the piece under the more Apple's doomsday headline, "Falling iPad mini demand to push Pegatron electronics sales down."

Well, guess what? 24 hours later, Pegatron CEO steps forward and tells the media that Culpan put those words in his mouth and completely fabricated the 'falling iPad mini demand' part. And there goes Bloomberg's credibility right down the drain...

Foxconn hiring assembly-line workers for next-gen iPhone production, WSJ and Bloomberg claim

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2013

Hon Hai Precision Industry aka Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and iPads for Apple, but also consumer electronics on behalf of other vendors, has started hiring assembly-line workers in the tens of thousands in preparation for Apple's next iPhone, both Bloomberg and the credulous Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

People familiar with the matter tell the publications that the world's largest contract manufacturer has been recruiting workers for the past month at its plant in Zhengzhou, eastern China.

The reports come following February indications pointing to Foxconn imposing a recruitment freeze across almost all of its factories in China after more workers returned from the Chinese New Year break than did last year, a move some attributed to the supposedly weakening iPhone demand...

Apple yanks China app carrying books critical of the government

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 4, 2013

Apple has again moved to prevent anger from China. The Cupertino firm has pulled one bookstore app from the China iTunes store which hosted several titles by authors critical of the government.

Among the ten titles affected by the bookstore app's removal were three by a banned Chinese author and political activist. The books focus on the long-running dispute over China's occupation of Tibet, as well as the author's detention by the country's state security.

The action follows an apology by Apple CEO Tim Cook, after criticism over the iPhone maker's warranty policy for smartphones sold in the country...

Bloomberg: Samsung in race with Apple to get wristwatch to market

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 4, 2018

We've heard a lot of talk in recent months that Apple is working on a wristwatch-like device. And it could be ready to launch as soon as this year. We've also seen some alleged leaked screenshot images that suggest Samsung is working on a similar product.

Tonight, Bloomberg is out with a new report that adds significant weight to both rumors, claiming that not only are both companies preparing wearable devices that perform similar functions as smartphones, but they're both racing to get them to market...

Tim Cook may be asked to testify in e-book pricing fixing suit

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 10, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook may be required to testify in an antitrust lawsuit the United States Department of Justice filed against it and major e-book publishers over an alleged price fixing of e-books. Cook's eventual testimony might be risky and could be potentially damaging to his company, now the main target of the suit after all named publishers had settled with regulators.

On the other hand, the CEO could take the opportunity to make a public case for a so-called agency model that the government claims has had anti-competitive impact. The agency model regulates the relationship between Apple and digital content owners who get to pick their iBook prices freely as long as they agree not to offer lower pricing to competitors than they do to Apple.

Business-wise, publishers prefer Apple's policy over Amazon's wholesale model where the online retailer sets prices as it sees fit, often hurting publishers' bottom line by engaging in selling books at a loss just to draw shoppers to its online store...

Bloomberg: iWatch will run iOS, is due by Christmas

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 4, 2013

A few months ago, you couldn't move without encountering yet another Apple television rumor. But if you are interested in profit - and what company isn't - the execs in Cupertino should cancel any HD TV and focus on wristwatches. Turns out, the wristwatch business could be way more profitable than Apple-made TVs.

Rival firms lust after Apple's huge profit margins. In a potential stroke of good timing, massive margins from the much-rumored iWatch could replace the iPhone - even slacking PC sales, one Wall Street analyst forecasts Monday...

Bloomberg: less pricey iPhone to cost $99 to $149, arriving late-2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 9, 2013

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal (again) backed the swirling rumors previously calling for a redesigned and inexpensive iPhone model aimed at China and developing markets, where handsets are more often than not sold contract-free. Today, Bloomberg piggy-backs on the rumor with its own take, saying this new and less expensive iPhone model could cost anywhere from $99 to $149. That's the full, unsubsidized price customers would be paying without having to commit their soul to a carrier...

Best quotes from Tim Cook’s Bloomberg interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Today is all about Tim Cook. Apple's chief executive first sat down with Bloomberg Businesweek to talk Apple, the recent management shakeup, his business philosophy and a number of other topics.

And later this evening, Cook's interview on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams is scheduled to air at 10pm Eastern, 7pm Pacific.

We already brought you a preview of the NBC thing with Cook's brief comments on the rumored Apple television set and "Made in USA" iMacs.

And now, here are the best quotes from the massive 11-page interview with Bloomberg. As a bonus, I've thrown in a priceless photo of a young Tim Cook...