Wistron's Rs 5,000-crore plan for Apple gets ministry nod

NEW DELHI: The information technology ministry has approved contract manufacturer Wistron’s Rs 5,000-crore plan to make high-end Apple devices, a move that will give a big push to the government’s Make in India initiative. Wistron currently makes cheaper Apple phones in India. “We have just approved Wistron’s Rs 5,091-crore application and it is with the Cabinet now… Wistron will make the latest iPhone models,” IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in an interview, adding that another contract manufacturer Foxconn had submitted an application for a Rs 2,500-crore project on December 31. 

Chinese online retailers slash iPhone prices for second time this year

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese online retailers have started discounting iPhones for the second time this year as Apple Inc wrestles with a prolonged sales slowdown in the world’s largest smartphone market.Several electronics vendors announced discounts on iPhone devices this week, following mass discounts in January just before Apple reported sinking sales in China.Gadget retailer Suning.Com Co Ltd said it would slash the price of the iPhone XS by as much as 1,000 yuan ($148.95) from its official price. Suning had lowered the prices of other iPhone models in January along with other retailers, but those cuts excluded the iPhone XS.

IDC Reports Strong Growth in the Worldwide Wearables Market, Led by Holiday Shipments of Smartwatches, Wrist Bands, and Ear-Worn Devices

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The worldwide market for wearable devices grew 31.4% during the fourth quarter of 2018 (4Q18), reaching a new high of 59.3 million units according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable Device Tracker. Growth in the market was driven by new wearables launching during the months leading up to the holiday season as well as new smartphone launches as many were bundled with wearables from leading brands. Shipments for the entire year of 2018 grew by 27.5% with 172.2 million wearables shipped. Much of this growth was attributed to the growing number of ear-worn devices as they captured almost a quarter of the market during the year.

Cook Says Apple Is ‘Rolling the Dice’ on Future Products

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he has "never been more optimistic" about where the company is today and where it’s heading. In a pep talk to investors, Cook said the iPhone maker is “planting seeds” and “rolling the dice” on future products that will just “blow you away.”Speaking at the company’s annual general meeting in Cupertino, California, Cook reiterated that the iPhone maker is still on track to double revenue from services in 2020 from the nearly $25 billion in 2016. Referencing speaking notes on an iPad, Cook touched on several of the company’s product categories.He said eventually the goal is to lower the price on the $1,200 MacBook Air laptop with a higher-resolution screen and said there’s a “long, great roadmap of fantastic” products related to the Apple Watch and AirPods. He indicated that more health features would come to the smartwatch.

'Worst of the bad news' is behind Apple when it comes to iPhone sales

"While March mix is still bad, the tone in the supply chain is staring to improve and price reductions in China may be starting to clear channel inventory," Timothy Arcuri from IBS said in a memo seen by AppleInsider. Procurement estimates for the iPhone XR are claimed to be up quarter-over-quarter in June, something unusual for an iPhone at this stage in its product cycle.UBS is boosting its June-quarter iPhone estimates from 32.5 million units to 34.5 million, though mostly on the basis that Apple is expected to sell more pre-2018 models. While UBS is predicting 3 million more iPhone XR sales, it's expecting an equal decrease in iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max shipments. That should also push iPhone ASP (average selling price) down, UBS's revised estimate for the June quarter being $655 instead of $683. Forecast revenue is nevertheless being increased from $50 billion to $50.4 billion.

The iPhone is too expensive for Chinese customers, so Apple is offering them interest-free loans

In an effort to make Apple products more affordable to Chinese consumers, Apple is working with Chinese mobile payments network Alipay to offer up to two years of interest-free financing, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

The iPhone is too expensive for Chinese customers, so Apple is offering them interest-free loans

In an effort to make Apple products more affordable to Chinese consumers, Apple is working with Chinese mobile payments network Alipay to offer up to two years of interest-free financing, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

Kuo: 16-inch MacBook Pro, 31-inch 6K display, iPhones w/ upgraded Face ID & bilateral wireless charging coming in 2019

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a wide-reaching new investor note this evening. Kuo says that Apple will release new iPads, a new 16-inch MacBook Pro, a 31-inch 6K monitor, iPhones with bilateral charging, and more in 2019.First and foremost, Kuo says that the 2019 iPhone models will retain the same screen sizes as the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. This means we’ll get 6.5-inch, 5.8-inch, and 6.1-inch iPhones. Kuo says that all three will retain Lightning connectivity instead of USB-C.According to Kuo, the 2019 iPhones will feature ultra-wide band connectivity for indoor positioning and navigation, frosted glass casing, bilateral wireless charging for charging other devices, upgraded Face ID with a higher power flood illuminator, larger batteries, and a triple camera design. Kuo doesn’t explicitly say which model will get what features, but past reports have suggested only the iPhone 11 Max will have three cameras.

Berkshire trims Apple stake, adds Suncor and Red Hat, exits Oracle

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said it has trimmed its stake in iPhone maker Apple Inc, though none of the selling was Buffett’s, and added positions in Canada’s Suncor Energy Inc and software company Red Hat Inc.

Berkshire trims Apple stake, adds Suncor and Red Hat, exits Oracle

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc said it has trimmed its stake in iPhone maker Apple Inc, though none of the selling was Buffett’s, and added positions in Canada’s Suncor Energy Inc and software company Red Hat Inc.Berkshire also appeared to have shed a $2.13 billion stake in database software company Oracle Corp after having first disclosed it in November. It is rare for Berkshire, which owns some stocks for decades, to unwind an investment so fast.The changes were disclosed in a Thursday regulatory filing detailing Berkshire’s U.S.-listed stock portfolio as of Dec. 31, which shrank $38 billion in the quarter to $183.1 billion amid a broad selloff in stocks.