Apple Earnings Show Growing Immunity to Smartphone Malaise

Apple's results confirmed that, while the days of double-digit smartphone industry growth are over, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook has a plan to withstand the slowdown.

The shares gained after the company reported iPhone sales in line with analysts' expectations, gave a bullish revenue forecast and highlighted a surging services business. A new $100 billion (roughly Rs. 6.68 lakh crores) stock repurchase plan and higher dividend also helped. The stock jumped 3.2 percent to $174.52 (roughly Rs. 11,700) at 9:33am in New York.

The numbers show that Cook's strategy of selling a growing array of services through a base of more than 1.3 billion Apple devices is working. The smartphone sector saw shipments fall 2 percent in the past year, according to Strategy Analytics, so the company must evolve beyond its reliance on a device that still accounts for more than 60 percent of revenue.

"Slowly but surely, [Apple] is morphing into more than just an iPhone story and is displaying ability to sustain revenue growth irrespective of iPhone trajectory," Amit Daryanani, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, wrote in a research note.

The company reported iPhone unit sales grew just 2.9 percent in the fiscal second quarter. While the flagship iPhone X may not have matched the hype from its launch late last year, the device's $999 (roughly Rs. 66,700) starting price helped boost phone revenue growth 14 percent.

Apple Watch Series 3 Said to Sport LTE Connectivity

Apple is planning to release a version of its smartwatch later this year that can connect directly to cellular networks, a move designed to reduce the device's reliance on the iPhone, people familiar with the matter said.

Currently, Apple requires its smartwatch to be connected wirelessly to an iPhone to stream music, download directions in maps, and send messages while on the go. Equipped with LTE chips, at least some new Apple Watch models, planned for release by the end of the year, will be able to conduct many tasks without an iPhone in range, the people said. For example, a user would be able to download new songs and use apps and leave their smartphone at home.

Intel will supply the LTE modems for the new Watch, according to another person familiar with the situation. That's a big win for the chipmaker, which has been trying for years to get its components into more Apple mobile devices. Qualcomm has been the main modem supplier for iPhones and other Apple mobile gadgets, but the two companies are embroiled in a bitter legal dispute. Apple added Intel as a modem supplier for some iPhones last year.

iPhone SE Refresh to Launch in India First, Q1 2018 Release Expected: Report

iPhone SE, the 4-inch smartphone Apple released last year for emerging markets like India, may see a refresh early next year, according to a report that cites the company's supply chain. The report adds that India will be the first market to receive the new iPhone SE before it is made available more broadly, and it will be manufactured by Wistron. The new iPhone SE will reportedly start shipping in the first quarter of next year.

To recall, Wistron is the same supplier that started assembling current-gen iPhone SE units in the country earlier this year. The report, by Focus Taiwan, adds that the move to make a new iPhone SE is part of a bid by Apple to double its market share in India over the next five years. The iPhone SE hasn't seen an upgrade since its launch last year, excepting a product refresh in March this year that saw it doubling storage capacity.

iPhone 8 Bezel-Less Display, Facial Recognition Features Spotted in HomePod Firmware

Apple itself has left a clue about what you could expect in at least one of the iPhone models it plans to launch later this year, expected to be the iPhone 8. Mentioned in the smart speaker HomePod's firmware is a face unlock feature for the iPhone, which would allow customers to get past the lock screen by just looking at the phone.

Spotted by developer Steve Troughton-Smith, the HomePod's firmware codebase, which Apple published recently, has several references of "BKFaceDetect", which presumably stands for BiometricKit. The codebase also mentions infrared camera, which could be there to detect a user's face in the dark.

The existence of these references lends further credibility to several reports from earlier that suggested that Apple is planning to ditch the Touch ID fingerprint scanner on at least one of its upcoming iPhone models. A recent report said that Apple was planning to include an infrared camera for scanning the face of users. The company is also believed to be working on more than one iPhone models for launch this year, with many reports pointing to iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus.

iPod nano, shuffle Discontinued as Apple Looks to Simplify Lineup

After years of being outsold by the iPhone, the venerable iPod has taken a big step toward eventual oblivion. Apple said Thursday it was discontinuing two of the cheapest iPod models: the nano and shuffle.

The two products have been removed from the Apple online store and will vanish from retail locations as well. Apple demoted the iPod's placement in its retail stores a couple of years ago, moving the devices to the company's accessory shelves. The $149 nano and $49 shuffle were last updated with new colors in 2015, but the nano hasn't been revamped since 2012 while the shuffle hasn't been redesigned since 2010.

"Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano," Apple said in a statement.

Apple Says It Is Removing VPN Services From China App Store

Apple Inc says it is removing virtual private network (VPN) services from its app store in China, drawing criticism from VPN service providers, who accuse the U.S. tech giant of bowing to pressure from Beijing cyber regulators.VPNs allow users to bypass China's so-called "Great Firewall" aimed at restricting access to overseas sites.In January, Beijing passed laws seeking to ban all VPNs that are not approved by state regulators. Approved VPNs must use state network infrastructure.

In a statement on Sunday, an Apple spokeswoman confirmed it will remove apps that don't comply with the law from its China App Store, including services based outside the country.Beijing has shut down dozens of China-based providers and it has been targeting overseas services as it bids to tighten its control over the internet, especially ahead of the Communist Party congress in August.